In the near future your website may have to be Android first, Chrome first, Google first. Maybe even Google Phone first. Apple, Microsoft, and others are doing little to change this. Unfortunately the problem is caused by consumers, who buy a phone, turn it on, and Google becomes their god. And they leave it that way. We've created the thing that controls us and irritates us.
Their demands and expectations of massive news websites, sports sites, shopping sites, and others are increasingly affecting small businesses. Many of the things they expect of those sites don't make sense for small business sites. A website for Fox News and a website for Sally's Bakery are about as different as night and day, but Google sees no difference. They've either stopped caring or the web is becoming too hard for their gen-whatever employees to figure out. Either way, your website needs to stand up to some absurd expectations you probably aren't aware of.
Google figures your website should use HTTPS/TLS (a brilliant technology but pointless for most small businesses), AMP and content delivery networks (a great idea for powerhouse ecommerce sites like Amazon and Ebay, but nearly useless for small local businesses), and possibly PWA (making websites behave like apps, blending components of both).
They require certain coding practices and page flow (specific placement of elements, above-the-fold content, ads, etc.), special treatment of links to your website from other places on the internet, it must pass their mobile friendly test, PageSpeed test, and abide by their quality guidelines. And of course you should be using Search Console and Google Analytics.
They expect your site to use the latest coding techniques, even if it means your site won't work for a large number of people because their phones or browsers don't have the latest updates. Getting the latest updates isn't always a smart thing to do, there are often valid concerns around security and bugs. And some users simply can't get the latest updates for a variety of reasons. Too bad for them.
The future is yet to come, so we'll see how far things continue on this path before a change happens. I think a fundamentally new way of looking at the web is on the horizon, at least from a search point of view.
This post is an epilogue to my article about The Evolution of Websites on SGDM.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
Software Security Design Flaws
An IEEE report notes that "the security of many systems is breached due to design flaws" rather than a particular coding mistake or unique bug.
Read the report here (pdf).
The recent bug bounty trend reflects the common approach of picking things apart to find mistakes and bugs, whereas the IEEE wants to identify and improve poor design practices. By uncovering the top security flaws found in software, developers can learn to write better code and spend less time fixing security problems after the fact.
Changing accepted practices around software design sounds like a goal that's a bit big, even if it is warranted. Things typically roll out as soon as they work, not as soon as they're safe. Security is someone else's problem, unless you make security products. Will this attitude ever change?
Here are the top software security flaws they identified:
- Assuming trust
- Weak authentication
- Authorizing before authenticating
- Processing control instructions from untrusted sources (and keeping data and control instructions together)
- Failing to explicitly validate data
- Failing to identify and protect sensitive data
- Using cryptography incorrectly
- Failing to consider user experience; prioritizing security over the needs of the user
- Increasing the attack surface by using external components
- Using static security implementations instead of flexible ones
Read the report here (pdf).
Changing accepted practices around software design sounds like a goal that's a bit big, even if it is warranted. Things typically roll out as soon as they work, not as soon as they're safe. Security is someone else's problem, unless you make security products. Will this attitude ever change?
Here are the top software security flaws they identified:
- Assuming trust
- Weak authentication
- Authorizing before authenticating
- Processing control instructions from untrusted sources (and keeping data and control instructions together)
- Failing to explicitly validate data
- Failing to identify and protect sensitive data
- Using cryptography incorrectly
- Failing to consider user experience; prioritizing security over the needs of the user
- Increasing the attack surface by using external components
- Using static security implementations instead of flexible ones
Monday, May 30, 2016
Security Researcher Discusses Cyber Arms Race
Cyber security researcher Mikko Hypponen talks about the cyber arms race at the Next Web conference, May 2016. He talks about a few specific recent events, among other things.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
EXIF Data and Unique Content
Only two groups of people ever used of Google+ in the early days: insider fan boys and professional photographers. Sort of a strange combination.
The fan boys were there because they'd already been invited into beta testing long before public release, and photographers began joining because they discovered uploaded photos retained all their exif data and thought that was a big deal.
Most websites at the time would reduce the size of uploaded images through some manner of shrinking, compressing, and stripping out exif data. This made things much faster and made sense because computer screens couldn't display anywhere near the resolution of real photographs and exif data was of no use to anyone.
But for professionals wishing to share and appreciate photos taken by themselves and others, exif data is part of a photograph. It helps explain what's being seen in ways the rest of us don't get. Google just wanted to keep more details about everyone's pictures, but photographers found tremendous value in this feature.
The most important thing exif data does is identify an image as truly unique. Original content, so to speak. Likewise, it helps identify stock images used on thousands of websites, content that clearly isn't unique to any of those sites.
Because of this I believe Google will continue using exif data as a way to identify unique content for some time. This is one reason Second Glance Digital Media is happy to provide photography services for clients (locally of course), and encourages the use of original photos throughout your website and blog.
The fan boys were there because they'd already been invited into beta testing long before public release, and photographers began joining because they discovered uploaded photos retained all their exif data and thought that was a big deal.
Most websites at the time would reduce the size of uploaded images through some manner of shrinking, compressing, and stripping out exif data. This made things much faster and made sense because computer screens couldn't display anywhere near the resolution of real photographs and exif data was of no use to anyone.
The most important thing exif data does is identify an image as truly unique. Original content, so to speak. Likewise, it helps identify stock images used on thousands of websites, content that clearly isn't unique to any of those sites.
Because of this I believe Google will continue using exif data as a way to identify unique content for some time. This is one reason Second Glance Digital Media is happy to provide photography services for clients (locally of course), and encourages the use of original photos throughout your website and blog.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Real Second Glance Digital Media
There is only one Second Glance Digital Media. However, several scammers and liars are using similar names to rip off unsuspecting victims like you.
These people have stolen my identity instead of using an original business name. They do NOT have my decades of experience and success, be warned! (Some are terribly out of date, using unsafe and unsupported Flash (one of a cyber criminal's easiest ways into your computer), and building websites that aren't even mobile-friendly.)
These names were chosen to trick you into giving money to identity thieves. People using these names do NOT represent Second Glance Digital Media in any way:
- Second Glance Media
- Second Glance Design
- Second Glance Web Design
- Second Glance Website Design
- Second Glance Websites
Clients and prospects refer to my business in a variety of ways, sometimes using a combination of terms like those above. That's fine, but remember there is only one true Second Glance Digital Media, so be sure you're actually talking to me!
These names were chosen to trick you into giving money to identity thieves. People using these names do NOT represent Second Glance Digital Media in any way:
- Second Glance Media
- Second Glance Design
- Second Glance Web Design
- Second Glance Website Design
- Second Glance Websites
Clients and prospects refer to my business in a variety of ways, sometimes using a combination of terms like those above. That's fine, but remember there is only one true Second Glance Digital Media, so be sure you're actually talking to me!
Friday, May 13, 2016
Some Common Webmaster Mistakes
Note that this video is from 2013, although I doubt much would change if it were answered now in 2016. Same philosophy, different implementation.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
The One-Page Business Website
One page websites are strange creatures. There may not be any navigation. There may not be any off-site calls. There is likely nothing to pre-fetch or pre-render. It limits your options in terms of linking, but it also focuses value on a single page. It gives Google only one chance to accurately interpret what you do.
Just to clarify, on one hand we have the "infinitely scrolling pieces of crap", a page with lots of sections and different topics thrown together as a substitute for a logically structured website, and on the other hand we have small pages about one topic which are very simple.
For some businesses, one page works. Before they moved to another city, I had a client that ranked number one with a single-page website for years, in an industry that had some large, elaborate, expensive websites.
Once again one page wins the day. ABC Muskoka, an auto body repair shop, is a small business easily represented on one page. People know what auto body repair is. They know what rust repair is. They probably typed those exact words into Google. All they want is two things: an address and phone number. Everything else is bonus content to help them appreciate the high-quality work done at the shop, which is easily shown on one page. In a case like this, extra pages would be pointless, there would be nothing to gain.
For some businesses, one page works. Before they moved to another city, I had a client that ranked number one with a single-page website for years, in an industry that had some large, elaborate, expensive websites.
Once again one page wins the day. ABC Muskoka, an auto body repair shop, is a small business easily represented on one page. People know what auto body repair is. They know what rust repair is. They probably typed those exact words into Google. All they want is two things: an address and phone number. Everything else is bonus content to help them appreciate the high-quality work done at the shop, which is easily shown on one page. In a case like this, extra pages would be pointless, there would be nothing to gain.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
A New Generation of Values and Beliefs
Society is largely shaped by twenty-somethings, and it's been twenty-something years since the internet became a part of our homes, schools, and businesses. As they enter the workplace and marketplace I believe it will begin to shape a new society faster than we expect.
As twenty-somethings enter the world as adults, they bring with them their values, beliefs, knowledge, and other aspects of themselves. I believe this generation has very different ideas about the world, people, identity, and work than generations prior. Not strange or crazy ideas, just bigger leaps beyond their parents than we've experienced up until now.
They've done things in ways that never existed. They've socialized differently. Interacted with their schoolmates differently. Experienced movies and music differently. Seen and heard things at a much younger age than before. Seen and heard an astonishing amount of stuff without any parental knowledge. Seen and heard more in general than any kids before them.
The first generation to have been raised in an entirely digital and connected world is now entering the workplace and marketplace. It will be interesting to see how their values and beliefs become expressed in the world around us.
As twenty-somethings enter the world as adults, they bring with them their values, beliefs, knowledge, and other aspects of themselves. I believe this generation has very different ideas about the world, people, identity, and work than generations prior. Not strange or crazy ideas, just bigger leaps beyond their parents than we've experienced up until now.
They've done things in ways that never existed. They've socialized differently. Interacted with their schoolmates differently. Experienced movies and music differently. Seen and heard things at a much younger age than before. Seen and heard an astonishing amount of stuff without any parental knowledge. Seen and heard more in general than any kids before them.
The first generation to have been raised in an entirely digital and connected world is now entering the workplace and marketplace. It will be interesting to see how their values and beliefs become expressed in the world around us.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Cyber Crime Expert Discusses Today's Hackers (video)
Cyber crime researcher and writer Brian Krebs has a quick chat with CNN about global internet crime and the people behind it.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Website Update: Accounted For
Accounted For is an accounting business operating in Bracebridge, Ontario and serving the Gravenhurst and Huntsville vicinity. The owner of the business, Laura, visits many of her clients in person, and deals with others by computer and telephone.
Accounted For provides personalized tax filing, payroll services, and bookkeeping. Whether you have a unique personal income tax situation (truck driver? stock trader? rental properties?), want to get your business finances tightened up, or just have some simple routine filings, she'll get the job done, and at an amazing price. She can also explain CRA correspondence and help you with audits if necessary.
This has been a top-10 ranking website since it was built many years ago, when the owner was originally in Peterborough. This change is a partly cosmetic, but primarily to re-target the website to residents of the Bracebridge area.
The site has just one page of content, designed to help a visitor determine if Accounted For provides the accounting services they need. It is modest compared to other accounting sites with many pages and flashy designs, but her clients aren't looking for a huge international accounting firm, and the simple look reflects the small business owners who form most of her clientele. I'm happy to continue providing this terrific small business with top-10 rankings in a field of much larger competitors.
Accounted For provides personalized tax filing, payroll services, and bookkeeping. Whether you have a unique personal income tax situation (truck driver? stock trader? rental properties?), want to get your business finances tightened up, or just have some simple routine filings, she'll get the job done, and at an amazing price. She can also explain CRA correspondence and help you with audits if necessary.
This has been a top-10 ranking website since it was built many years ago, when the owner was originally in Peterborough. This change is a partly cosmetic, but primarily to re-target the website to residents of the Bracebridge area.
The site has just one page of content, designed to help a visitor determine if Accounted For provides the accounting services they need. It is modest compared to other accounting sites with many pages and flashy designs, but her clients aren't looking for a huge international accounting firm, and the simple look reflects the small business owners who form most of her clientele. I'm happy to continue providing this terrific small business with top-10 rankings in a field of much larger competitors.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
10 Reasons To Never Use Auto-Playing Sound or Video
Here's why auto-playing audio and video on a business website is a pointless, irritating interruption that should never be done (in no particular order):
1) people surf the web while listening to TV, music, audio books, etc.; sudden overlapping noise is baffling and infuriating
2) people surf the web while on Skype and other chat programs, and now you've pissed off everyone involved
3) for people listening to music wearing headphones, unexpected sounds are even more shocking
4) only people with their speakers/headphones turned on will hear it anyway, so why bother?
5) some devices don't even have speakers; why auto-run something if users can't experience it?
6) the volume can be too loud, but also too quiet; users may not realize anything is playing
7) audio and video eats up expensive bandwidth for users, especially on cellular and mobile networks
8) people will leave rather than waste time figuring out how to turn it off
9) it's a horrible reminder of long ago when audio/video was a new gimmick web designers could offer clients
10) click-to-play is the solution, and gives you analytics that reflect intentional listens/views instead of meaningless "plays"
1) people surf the web while listening to TV, music, audio books, etc.; sudden overlapping noise is baffling and infuriating
2) people surf the web while on Skype and other chat programs, and now you've pissed off everyone involved
3) for people listening to music wearing headphones, unexpected sounds are even more shocking
4) only people with their speakers/headphones turned on will hear it anyway, so why bother?
5) some devices don't even have speakers; why auto-run something if users can't experience it?
6) the volume can be too loud, but also too quiet; users may not realize anything is playing
7) audio and video eats up expensive bandwidth for users, especially on cellular and mobile networks
8) people will leave rather than waste time figuring out how to turn it off
9) it's a horrible reminder of long ago when audio/video was a new gimmick web designers could offer clients
10) click-to-play is the solution, and gives you analytics that reflect intentional listens/views instead of meaningless "plays"
Monday, July 8, 2013
For The Record - NSA Leaks Tweets - June 2013
Although the Snowden/NSA/Prism leaks fall in line with things I'd normally tweet about, in this case I decided to keep my own to a minimum because of the predictable flood that would come due to the magnitude of the issue. I posted a total of 12 tweets over the last two weeks of June, starting the day of the first leak, linking to the original story.
June 06
Serious concerns: either the U.S. gov't hacked computers secretly, or the companies are lying (Guardian article) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data
June 08
So many questions about U.S. hoarding data on innocent people, but we do know only a few senators saw this coming, the rest were too stupid.
June 09
Your government has enough info about you to successfully frame you for any crime, anywhere, any time. Have a nice weekend.
June 13
Once again, a key point missing from the NSA story is that databases get stolen. Huge danger when gov'ts compile data about innocent people.
June 15
Demand senator Lindsey Graham's email passwords, lol. He talks a mean game, now can he walk the talk? - https://secure.freedomworks.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1087
June 16
In case you missed it... The (supposed) PRISM logo used by the U.S. gov't is a stolen photo, lol - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/12/nsa_logo_scandal/
I wonder how many people in positions like Ed Snowden just keep their mouths shut and sell data to criminals and other countries.
Dear NSA: sounds like the terrorists have already won. They've got you spying on your own innocent citizens and lying about it under oath.
So... thousands of NSA "employees" (incl. subcontractors) CAN listen to phone calls any time they want, no warrant - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57589495-38/nsa-spying-flap-extends-to-contents-of-u.s-phone-calls/
June 17
The world is right to be mad at the US, but don't lose site of the cyber criminals still stealing credit cards, identities, etc. Be safe.
June 28
NSA says anyone using encryption is suspicious. Which means lawyers/doctors/accountants using secure email with clients are terror suspects!
June 29
Next NSA trick? Since terrorists can write letters, the NSA will pretty much have to start opening, copying, and resealing all postal mail.
June 06
Serious concerns: either the U.S. gov't hacked computers secretly, or the companies are lying (Guardian article) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data
June 08So many questions about U.S. hoarding data on innocent people, but we do know only a few senators saw this coming, the rest were too stupid.
June 09
Your government has enough info about you to successfully frame you for any crime, anywhere, any time. Have a nice weekend.
June 13
Once again, a key point missing from the NSA story is that databases get stolen. Huge danger when gov'ts compile data about innocent people.
June 15
Demand senator Lindsey Graham's email passwords, lol. He talks a mean game, now can he walk the talk? - https://secure.freedomworks.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1087
June 16
In case you missed it... The (supposed) PRISM logo used by the U.S. gov't is a stolen photo, lol - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/12/nsa_logo_scandal/
I wonder how many people in positions like Ed Snowden just keep their mouths shut and sell data to criminals and other countries.
Dear NSA: sounds like the terrorists have already won. They've got you spying on your own innocent citizens and lying about it under oath.
So... thousands of NSA "employees" (incl. subcontractors) CAN listen to phone calls any time they want, no warrant - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57589495-38/nsa-spying-flap-extends-to-contents-of-u.s-phone-calls/
June 17
The world is right to be mad at the US, but don't lose site of the cyber criminals still stealing credit cards, identities, etc. Be safe.
June 28
NSA says anyone using encryption is suspicious. Which means lawyers/doctors/accountants using secure email with clients are terror suspects!
June 29
Next NSA trick? Since terrorists can write letters, the NSA will pretty much have to start opening, copying, and resealing all postal mail.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Website Redesign: Buckhorn Sand and Gravel
We've finished a new website for Buckhorn Sand & Gravel. They sell sand, gravel, and stone, and also offer construction and landscaping services. They've been in operation since 1963.
Their website was never a major channel of marketing or communication, the telephone being the main point of contact. This explains why the site became neglected, and why they were still so busy despite it: their abandoned website honestly wasn't a detriment to business. But at least they realized the website didn't represent them, and made a wise call getting a new one built.
The goal here was to create something new, modern, and with better information, yet remain simple enough for their customers. Visitors get a thorough idea of their product line and range of services, and plenty of carefully selected photos (that pop-up to large versions). Customers will still phone or email regarding their projects, but the website is now much more useful to start with.
Colors stem from their logo's white and orange, with a textured rock background throughout. The site already appears in the top-10 search results for aggregate products and landscaping services in several of their target geographical areas.
Their website was never a major channel of marketing or communication, the telephone being the main point of contact. This explains why the site became neglected, and why they were still so busy despite it: their abandoned website honestly wasn't a detriment to business. But at least they realized the website didn't represent them, and made a wise call getting a new one built.
The goal here was to create something new, modern, and with better information, yet remain simple enough for their customers. Visitors get a thorough idea of their product line and range of services, and plenty of carefully selected photos (that pop-up to large versions). Customers will still phone or email regarding their projects, but the website is now much more useful to start with.
Colors stem from their logo's white and orange, with a textured rock background throughout. The site already appears in the top-10 search results for aggregate products and landscaping services in several of their target geographical areas.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Website Update: Maxama Protection
One of our existing web design clients, Maxama Protection, wants to grow their business in the Oshawa and Durham region. The company is based in Peterborough and provides security guards and marked cars throughout central Ontario. Their existing website is a top-ranking success that draws many inquiries.
After some discussion we decided the best approach would be simply adding a page to their site about Oshawa security guard and patrol services. We could have created a second small website or tried adjusting the wording and content throughout the existing site to rank for Oshawa searches, but both those ideas are spammy and unprofessional. So we created one clean and focused page.
After about one month live, this page now ranks in the top 10 search results for Oshawa security guards! This is no doubt due to the high quality of the site we started with, plus the simple straight forward targeting of the new page.
After some discussion we decided the best approach would be simply adding a page to their site about Oshawa security guard and patrol services. We could have created a second small website or tried adjusting the wording and content throughout the existing site to rank for Oshawa searches, but both those ideas are spammy and unprofessional. So we created one clean and focused page.
After about one month live, this page now ranks in the top 10 search results for Oshawa security guards! This is no doubt due to the high quality of the site we started with, plus the simple straight forward targeting of the new page.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Website Redesign: Pharaoh Scents
This client sells aromatherapy sprays made with essential oils. The feel of the new site was to be very slick and atmospheric, fully themed with the product line.
While not the worst website out there, it sure needed help. The sprawling white pages were too bright with little imagery to compliment the text. It was a design that worked with monitors available at the time of creation (i.e. 1024x768 or smaller), but with today's laptops and large desktop monitors, the dynamic layout was very strange looking.
The central work included nice clear recreations of the logo and other artwork, new product photos, and top-to-bottom code rewriting. It lacked even the simplest elements like H1 and ALT tags! This website had a full range of typical deficiencies, never mind SEO.
Online shopping will be added to the site in coming weeks, but the redesign is basically complete. Work will now continue towards improving the search rankings and driving traffic, with ongoing adjustments to the content and copywriting, as well as reaching out through social media. There are also several legitimate directories this company should be in that are specific to the products they sell.
While not the worst website out there, it sure needed help. The sprawling white pages were too bright with little imagery to compliment the text. It was a design that worked with monitors available at the time of creation (i.e. 1024x768 or smaller), but with today's laptops and large desktop monitors, the dynamic layout was very strange looking.
The central work included nice clear recreations of the logo and other artwork, new product photos, and top-to-bottom code rewriting. It lacked even the simplest elements like H1 and ALT tags! This website had a full range of typical deficiencies, never mind SEO.
Online shopping will be added to the site in coming weeks, but the redesign is basically complete. Work will now continue towards improving the search rankings and driving traffic, with ongoing adjustments to the content and copywriting, as well as reaching out through social media. There are also several legitimate directories this company should be in that are specific to the products they sell.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Top-Ranking Success: Naylor Systems
Naylor Systems manufactures very high quality marine equipment like aluminum docks, boat lifts, roller ramps for boats, and much more.
They're a market leader in Ontario, with over 50 dealers selling their products. By virtue of their genuine popularity and credibility the website was actually ranking ok, the main issue was the look. Extra planning was needed to ensure smooth redirects from old pages, clear on-topic content, and continuing ranking success.
This was another tale of a site built by a prior employee and now outdated and not representative of their business. The photos were blurry, the layout confusing and inconsistent, product information was both old and not prioritized well, and the look was late-1990s at best. Not to mention the automated Flash slideshows with background music! I hadn't seen such a thing in years. I thought the internet was free of such insanity!
Many of the photos sent by the client were taken during a thunderstorm, with dark skies. And since this redesign was occurring in October and November (when people pack up their docks and equipment), there was no chance to get better pictures. Much time was spent to salvage these otherwise good photos.
The website really turned into an online sales brochure, focusing on the details of their products. A lot of information is provided, yet the site remains simple and easy to use. Some of this was accomplished by putting non-core information in pop-ups (using pure CSS, so they work even on Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP!). Great client, great business, and now a great new website with compliments coming in!
They're a market leader in Ontario, with over 50 dealers selling their products. By virtue of their genuine popularity and credibility the website was actually ranking ok, the main issue was the look. Extra planning was needed to ensure smooth redirects from old pages, clear on-topic content, and continuing ranking success.This was another tale of a site built by a prior employee and now outdated and not representative of their business. The photos were blurry, the layout confusing and inconsistent, product information was both old and not prioritized well, and the look was late-1990s at best. Not to mention the automated Flash slideshows with background music! I hadn't seen such a thing in years. I thought the internet was free of such insanity!
Many of the photos sent by the client were taken during a thunderstorm, with dark skies. And since this redesign was occurring in October and November (when people pack up their docks and equipment), there was no chance to get better pictures. Much time was spent to salvage these otherwise good photos.
The website really turned into an online sales brochure, focusing on the details of their products. A lot of information is provided, yet the site remains simple and easy to use. Some of this was accomplished by putting non-core information in pop-ups (using pure CSS, so they work even on Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP!). Great client, great business, and now a great new website with compliments coming in!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Top-Ranking Success: Granite Ridge Estates
Our latest top-10 website client is Granite Ridge Estates in Buckhorn, Ontario. They build custom luxury homes in their own subdivision in Buckhorn, as well as throughout the Kawartha Lakes.
They had an old website that was outdated and didn't reflect their current business very well. It was more or less just awful Flash slideshows and very little text.
The focus of the site now, aside from proper descriptions of what the company does, is tons of interior and exterior home photos (galleries that clearly show all the images available and can be navigated freely), plus actual floor plans of their various base models that can be printed out.
Work included an update to their logo, several on-location photo shoots, new high-resolution scans of dozens of floor plans, and lots more. The look of the site was made clean and classy by using simple black and white along with earth-toned colours like those found in the homes they build.
They had an old website that was outdated and didn't reflect their current business very well. It was more or less just awful Flash slideshows and very little text.
The focus of the site now, aside from proper descriptions of what the company does, is tons of interior and exterior home photos (galleries that clearly show all the images available and can be navigated freely), plus actual floor plans of their various base models that can be printed out.Work included an update to their logo, several on-location photo shoots, new high-resolution scans of dozens of floor plans, and lots more. The look of the site was made clean and classy by using simple black and white along with earth-toned colours like those found in the homes they build.
Monday, July 16, 2012
You Must Be Joking: "Security" Questions?
Over the past few weeks I've been checking to see if some websites are allowing more secure passwords.
As a side effect of this, I came across a variety of "security" questions to be used for secondary identification and/or password reset requests. You've probably seen many of these.
The problem is most of the questions are about things that are either already public knowledge, or things that could easily be found out!
Don't you think all of the following information could be found in about two minutes by anyone who wanted it? Couldn't a smart network admin come up with better questions that only you would possibly know the answer to?
If everyone on Facebook knows the answer, maybe it's not a very good "security" question, lol.
As a side effect of this, I came across a variety of "security" questions to be used for secondary identification and/or password reset requests. You've probably seen many of these.
The problem is most of the questions are about things that are either already public knowledge, or things that could easily be found out!
Don't you think all of the following information could be found in about two minutes by anyone who wanted it? Couldn't a smart network admin come up with better questions that only you would possibly know the answer to?
- Your mother's maiden name
- Your father's middle name
- Your birth place
- Your high school
- Your high school mascot
- The street where you grew up
- Your favorite pet's name
- Your first job or employer
- Your first car (particularly obvious for young people, who may have only ever owned one!)
If everyone on Facebook knows the answer, maybe it's not a very good "security" question, lol.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Old School Web Design:
A "Contact" Page
Is there anything more inexplicable about a business website than being unable to find contact information?
You're interested, ready to buy, or simply want more information, but ...you can't find the email address, street address, or phone number!
Which is because it's been stuck on a page all by itself somewhere else on the site. Not a shred of contact information anywhere except that one page.
This is another classic design mistake that heralds back to the days when graphic designers were told to make websites, and sought to create as many pages as possible from a slim amount of information.
It seems like an extension of the website-as-brochure mindset from the early days. Maybe graphic designers were so used to putting contact information only on the back of a flyer they figured it would only have one place on a website as well.
But it's more helpful to think of web pages in terms of a letterhead, where there should be essential information at your fingertips at all times. A visitor should be able to call a business or send an email from whatever page they happen to be on, instead of having to wander off to a separate part of the site. That breaks how visitors naturally move around a website, and demands they take at least one extra step just to get in touch... and probably moves them away from what got them interested in the first place!
In fairness, a contact page isn’t pointless in every case, just misused on a grand scale. If you have 35 offices, then yes, a contact page is appropriate, but at least a head office or 1-800 number should still appear on every page.
Just like the "enter" or "splash" page, never make your visitors jump through a hoop to do something as basic as contacting you.
You're interested, ready to buy, or simply want more information, but ...you can't find the email address, street address, or phone number!
Which is because it's been stuck on a page all by itself somewhere else on the site. Not a shred of contact information anywhere except that one page.
This is another classic design mistake that heralds back to the days when graphic designers were told to make websites, and sought to create as many pages as possible from a slim amount of information.
It seems like an extension of the website-as-brochure mindset from the early days. Maybe graphic designers were so used to putting contact information only on the back of a flyer they figured it would only have one place on a website as well.
But it's more helpful to think of web pages in terms of a letterhead, where there should be essential information at your fingertips at all times. A visitor should be able to call a business or send an email from whatever page they happen to be on, instead of having to wander off to a separate part of the site. That breaks how visitors naturally move around a website, and demands they take at least one extra step just to get in touch... and probably moves them away from what got them interested in the first place!
In fairness, a contact page isn’t pointless in every case, just misused on a grand scale. If you have 35 offices, then yes, a contact page is appropriate, but at least a head office or 1-800 number should still appear on every page.
Just like the "enter" or "splash" page, never make your visitors jump through a hoop to do something as basic as contacting you.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Old School Web Design:
Works Only On Internet Explorer
This issue stems from the fact that about 15 years ago Internet Explorer was the dominant web browser by a huge margin. But 15 years is a heck of a long time, and anyone today still building websites using FrontPage or any other WIndows-specific design tool needs to give their head a shake!
For some reason there are websites still being built today that only look and work correctly on Internet Explorer. Do these designers not understand that different browsers render code differently? Could they not bother spending a few minutes to test their sites? Why are they even building websites if they don't know what they're doing? How can they sleep at night knowing they are charging good money to build websites that won't even work right for many of the people who try to use them?
There are five major browsers in use today, and while Internet Explorer is still common on desktop computers, it is essentially non-existent on mobile devices. And we all know how mobile device use has skyrocketed in the last few years, soon to overtake laptops and desktops for overall internet use.
Building websites that only look and work right on IE is a sure way to neglect at least half of the visitors to an average website, close to all the visitors of any tech or geek-related site (typically using Chrome or Firefox), and basically everyone using a mobile device.
Now sure, some websites built for IE will work correctly on other browsers by default without any extra effort, as long as they are of simple and standard design. But the days of designing primarily for IE and hoping for the best are long gone. It simply isn't the dominant browser like it was 15 years ago.
We build websites that look and work exactly the same on any browser at any resolution. It takes a bit of extra work, but it's not that hard. Don’t let anyone tell you some nonsense about what they think your customers and prospects prefer, or tell you it's hard to make compatible or standardized websites, or tell you it will cost more. It's easy for anyone who ought to be calling themselves a "web designer".
For some reason there are websites still being built today that only look and work correctly on Internet Explorer. Do these designers not understand that different browsers render code differently? Could they not bother spending a few minutes to test their sites? Why are they even building websites if they don't know what they're doing? How can they sleep at night knowing they are charging good money to build websites that won't even work right for many of the people who try to use them?
There are five major browsers in use today, and while Internet Explorer is still common on desktop computers, it is essentially non-existent on mobile devices. And we all know how mobile device use has skyrocketed in the last few years, soon to overtake laptops and desktops for overall internet use.
Building websites that only look and work right on IE is a sure way to neglect at least half of the visitors to an average website, close to all the visitors of any tech or geek-related site (typically using Chrome or Firefox), and basically everyone using a mobile device.
Now sure, some websites built for IE will work correctly on other browsers by default without any extra effort, as long as they are of simple and standard design. But the days of designing primarily for IE and hoping for the best are long gone. It simply isn't the dominant browser like it was 15 years ago.
We build websites that look and work exactly the same on any browser at any resolution. It takes a bit of extra work, but it's not that hard. Don’t let anyone tell you some nonsense about what they think your customers and prospects prefer, or tell you it's hard to make compatible or standardized websites, or tell you it will cost more. It's easy for anyone who ought to be calling themselves a "web designer".
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