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5 easy ways to increase website traffic

The most common complaint I've heard from website owners is that no one visits their site. They've been online for years and still do not get registrations, sales, or even email feedback. While this is a challenge most websites face, the good news is that the reason is very simple-- nobody knows their site exists. Here are 5 cheap, easy ways to increase Website traffic and raise awareness of your content, product, or service.

Web hosting from hell: One key tip to prepare for the worst

One of the things I'm most familiar with on the Web is Web hosting companies-- choosing them, working with them, yelling at them, comparing their services... After the last week of what could only be described as "the Web hosting experience from hell," I'm now well-versed in leaving them too. Consider this article my Public Service Announcement on a bad Web hosting company. If you read until the end, you'll find out which well-known company wins the award for "most terrible large-scale Web hosting company." If you don't, you'll just get my angry rant. Either way, this should be informative.

The top 5 dumbest things Web developers do today

The Web is certainly much different in 2007 than it was in 1997 when I created my first Web site. There were things back then that were really annoying (under construction .gifs, blinking text, and ugly frames)... I certainly contributed to the ugliness. But 2007 has its share of terrible Web practices too. That got me thinking: what bothers me the most about Web pages today? Here's my top 5 list of the poorest things Web developers are doing in 2007.

Parse a string using JavaScript

A handy trick for Web Developers in the ability to parse a string to check for a given substring. In plain English, this means checking if a word or part of a word is contained within text. This tutorial demonstrates how to do this using JavaScript.

Creating a simple, 1-page PHP mail, contact, or feedback form

With some clever coding, you can bypass the need to submit form data from one page to another and instead manage an entire PHP form application in one file. By posting form data to the same page, complex form maintenance becomes very simple.

What’s the difference between HTML and XHTML?

If you’ve mastered HTML, you’re 90% of the way towards using XHTML. They’re actually very much the same thing—tag-based markup languages used to display Web pages. The difference is only seen by the people creating the pages (Web designers, programmers, etc.) and focuses on “forgivability”— HTML allows for some ugly code (mixed case tags like <BoDy>, improperly nested elements, and unclosed tags), while XHTML does not. If you write HTML, it’s probably a good idea to start using XHTML practices anyway. It will take 5 minutes to learn, and it’s just a better way of doing things.

Using comments in PHP

If you’ve ever had to work through another programmer’s code to complete a project, you probably understand the importance of commenting code. This quick tutorial shows the 3 different ways to comment your code in PHP.

Use PHP to strip the last character in a string

Whether you’re working with a string created from a database query or array, here’s a cool trick to strip the last character (comma) of a comma separated list of values using PHP.

CSS Link Styles

One of the easiest, yet most interactive, elements you can add to your Web site is dynamic link text—links that change their appearance once the user puts their cursor over them.

Fix the Windows XP NVIDIA nv4_disp problem

Here’s an annoyance that found me today—the sinister “nv4_disp” problem. Hopefully my fix will allow you to bypass any aggravation, unnecessary purchases, technician costs, or therapy.

What’s the difference between and
tags?

<span> and <div> tags both allow a Web designer to style text and add other formatting attributes to their Web page. They are not interchangeable tags, though. <div> tags are block-level elements, whereas <span> tags are not. This article explains this, and other differences, between <span> and <div> tags.

What’s a web hosting company?

If you’re a small business owner or have any plans of bringing your business online, one phrase you’ll need to become familiar with is “Web host.” A Web host is simply a company that allows you to make your website available to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Horizontally center layout in CSS

A good way of dealing with users on different screen resolutions is to center your Web design horizontally. This will ensure, regardless of the user’s screen size, that there is an equal amount of space to the left and right of the main design area, producing an overall "fuller" look to your site.

Prevent files from being indexed with robots.txt

It is common to publish Web pages, images, and other files on your Web site that you do not want everyone to see. By using robots.txt, you can make broad declarations about which files are browsed by robots (and potentially found by users) and which files are hidden (unless you tell someone exactly where they are!).

Write the current date using JavaScript

Using the date() object in JavaScript, we can print the current date in a variety of popular formats.

Using basic CSS in Web pages

In a previous article, I answered the question of, "What is Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and why should you use it?" In this article, I’ll show how to use basic CSS in your Web pages.

What is CSS and why should you use it?

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It is a markup language used to format the “look” of web pages. This includes overall layout, text size, style, and formatting, table formatting, link properties, and more. When used correctly, CSS allows one to define the look of an entire site in one single document. If you’re a Web person who doesn’t already utilize CSS, you should be very excited right now, as it can quickly become your new best friend.

Using PHP includes

By using PHP server-side includes, you can greatly increase the scalability and ease of maintenance of your Website.

Tips for email communication in the workplace

Email has become second nature for many people. While it is quick and easy to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues via email, there are several things to keep in mind when sending email in a business environment. Follow these suggestions and you’ll be less likely to be called in to your boss’ office for a “talk.”

Redirect users to a new page with ASP

ASP makes it easy to redirect a user to another page. This is a useful trick for redirecting users after form submissions, protecting content on your site by redirecting users to a login page, and pointing an old page address to a new one.

String manipulation in PHP

The ability to manipulate string variables in PHP is extremely helpful. This tutorial will outline some of the more common situations you’ll encounter when working with PHP string variables.

Using include files with ASP.NET

An ASP.NET include, or server-side include, is a plain HTML, HTML/ASP.NET, or ASP.NET-only file that sits outside of a parent Web page. The power of a simple include file is tremendous—it allows you to re-use content that will appear on multiple pages throughout your site. Instead of making the same change 100 times to update 100 pages, you could use an include, update the include file once and have the change populated across all 100 pages. Nice, huh?

Includes with ASP classic and why you should use them

"Includes" are the most basic leap from amateur Web designer to Web professional. The reason is simple: Web professionals create and manage large, expensive websites, and “includes” make managing these large sites manageable (get it?). If running large websites makes you nervous, don’t leave this page just yet. Even on small projects, server-side includes make life a whole lot easier.

Opening a new window using JavaScript

Despite developing a bad reputation in recent years, pop-up windows are still an integral part of many good web applications. This quick tutorial will show you how to create and control a pop-up window using JavaScript.

Formatting money / currency using PHP

As a web developer, there will come a time when you’ll need to work with money. Whether it's for a fully operational shopping cart or a simple calculator, PHP makes this an incredibly simple process.

Organizing page content and writing effective Web copy

The organization of your website’s content, along with the on-page copy, can make or break a user’s experience with your site. This may seem like a lot of pressure to bear, but writing for Web users, as opposed to other audiences, might be the most natural writing you’ll ever do.

How do I print the date using PHP?

PHP offers an excellent built-in function for printing dates. Here are some of the most common date formats and how you can print them using PHP.

.GIFS vs. .JPEGS: Which image format should I use?

This question arises often for web designers and developers, but can also apply to anyone using a graphics program to produce compressed images.

WiMAX : The future of broadband Internet access?

Mega-firms like Nokia and Intel are putting significant resources into the WiMAX technology, and appear confident that it will succeed as a legitimate alternative to cable and DSL hi-speed Internet access. That question will only be answered in time, though, as consumer products and services will likely not be available until 2006.

What display (screen resolution) should I design my website for?

A nice web design is worthless if it can't be seen by, in an ideal world, EVERYONE that accesses your website. A common question often asked by new web designers is, "What dimensions should I make my design?" Currently, the answer is simple: slightly less than 800 x 600 pixels.