If you are a self-taught programmer learning PHP you may feel a little overwhelmed with all the jargon and snippets of code you have to learn. Trying to remember every piece of code you will need to use to build a website is a massive task and one which takes some time. When it comes to PHP you need to think of it as another language. Once you can understand what different code snippets do you will start to understand when and where you need to use them? Often people start off by looking up the code that they need, but over time you need to start to understand what the code is actually doing and how it works. For example, understanding that one bit of code is referring to another page or a style sheet will help you learn where to use it and if there is a problem, trace it back to find out what is causing it. You may want to build... Read More »
Learn to code for free
If you have an interest in coding and building websites but have not got the time or the funds to head back to uni then there are a number of ways in which you can train for free in your own time. Programmers are always in demand and as more and more of the consumer market turn to the internet to make purchases or find companies that offer the services that they need, businesses in all industries are upping their game when it comes to online advertising. You do not need any formal qualifications to become a programmer but if you are applying for a job in a web agency they may want to see some. If you are self-taught then you will probably need to prove your knowledge before they will even consider you for the job. Sites such as Code Academy has a number of free course that you can do. These courses will first show you how to achieve a certain task... Read More »
Obtaining a quote to change a website
If you currently have a working website but want some changes made to it then you will need to be able to brief your web developer on exactly what it is you want in order for them to be able to cost it for you. The more specific you can be the more likely you are to get an accurate cost and the end product that you need. Make a note of everything that you want changing (sometimes it’s cheaper to have multiple changes done at once). Once you have this, go through in detail writing down exactly what it needs to do and how it should look. If you can find an example of it on another website then this will really help the programmer be able to understand exactly what it is you are looking for. Never assume that they will know the ins and outs of your business. Something that may seem obvious to you in your industry may not to them... Read More »
What is PPC and how can it help your business?
PPC stands for Pay per Click and it is basically an online advert that viewers can click on to go through to the chosen website. Each time your ad is clicked you will be charged a fee. Google has the largest PPC program which is called Google Adwords. These ads can not only appear on the search results pages but can also be shown on other websites. Setting a campaign up is relatively easy but setting it up correctly is a different matter. There are so many settings and areas that can be adapted to help you with what you want to achieve. For instance, you can set up different ads for geographical locations, allowing you to make the ad very specific. If you are an electrician you could create an ad such as “Qualified, reliable Electrician in Shropshire”, for example rather than just “Qualified, Reliable Electrician”. This will make your click through rates higher as people will automatically assume you are based in that... Read More »
Web development trends
With the world of technology and online marketing ever expanding it is clear to see that web developers need to stay on top of their game to ensure that they can offer their customers the most up to date functionality and a great website that can compete with their rivals online. This year there are some new trends and some existing trends which are set to grow. Push notifications have been growing in popularity over the last 12-24 months. You may have noticed that when you go on to some websites you will see a box asking if it is ok to send you notifications. These are often used on mobile devices but can also be on desktop versions. These push notifications can allow you to instantly notify your customer of a sale, a special offer or a recent news article. There are a number of ways in which you can add a push notification to your website, mostly through written in to the code... Read More »