Our article archive contains a selection of pieces covering the full web design and promotion spectrum.
Once again, please note that these are not reprint or syndication articles; they are the intellectual property of IceGiant.
If you would like to find out more about articles available for reprint, or you're interested in an exclusive article for your own website, please contact us.
Previous Articles by IceGiant
Web
Promotion Elements - Page Header? Header Tag?
What the...?
One frequent cause for confusion amongst less experienced web designers and promoters
is the difference between the Page Head and a Header Tag. This article provides
a brief overview about the differences and applications of the two.
Keyword
Traffic Analysis - The Value of Niches
The majority of online business owners will simply concentrate their promotional
efforts on high visitor numbers, without considering a more targeted approach
which may well yield a far higher proportion of customer enquiries.
Registering a New Domain Name - How long is yours registered for?
What many less experienced web designers and webmasters fail to realise is that
Google uses a domain name's registration period to help assess any given web
site's 'seriousness'. A longer registration period will actually help site promotion.
Web
Site Promotion - Gurus and Buzzwords
The internet is full of buzzword laden offers, mostly aimed at less experienced
webmasters and online business owners, promising quick riches in return for comparatively
little effort. These offers should be approached with caution.
Web
Designers in Cyprus - Are they under threat
from abroad?
An increasing number of comapnies from northern Europe have recently set their
sights on Cyprus and the Middle East as a continuing source of fresh clients.
But are these developments really a threat for Cypriot web designers?
More
Accessible Web Design - Web Accessibility Gurus?
[2 Page Article]
The wake of the NFB/Target.com court case has brought the issue of accessible
web design to the forefront of many discussions and is even seeing an expansion
in a previously small sector of the internet industries, web accessibility consultants.
Duplicate
Website Content - A way to harm your rankings
[2 Page Article]
It has long been known that duplicate content is likely to harm a site's rankings.
But exactly how much duplication is too much and what are the main differences
in the way search engine filters perceive web sites, blogs, CMS and so on.
Selling
on the Internet - Leveraging the International
Market
Even in this day and age there are still plenty of opportunities for small businesses
to successfully establish themselves as niche-market operators on the World Wide
Web and make a handsome profit.
Choosing
a Domain Name - Be sure to get it right
It is a statistical fact that over 13,000 new dot UK domains are registered in
the United Kingdom alone each month. But what exactly makes 'the right domain
name' and how do know what is right for your web site?
Underground
Web Designers - A famous secret brotherhood?
Becoming a member of this elite cadre of web 'professionals' requires unswerving
dedication as well as a rebellious nature and a slightly different outlook at
design on the internet.
Web
Design in Cyprus - E-Commerce in a
United Europe
Some two and a half years after attaining full membership of the European Union,
many Cypriot web sites are still failing to compete effectively against their
European counterparts. To a degree, a lack of communication with customers is
to blame.
Smaller
Search Engines - Good reasons not to ignore
them
In the race to get rankings with Google, MSN and Yahoo, the many smaller search
engines on the web are often overlooked in spite of the fact that promotion to
these operators can really boost a site's profitability.
SEO
Scam Artists - How to spot them [4 Page Article]
The SEO industry is plagued by a small number of what can only be described as
scam artists taking advatage of their customer's lack of knowledge.
This article provides an insight into their methods.
Website Content - The Importance of Quality
Many commercial web sites are so busy blowing their own trumpet by going on and
on about themselves and their philosophies, they completely overlook the wants
and needs of their potential clients.
Web
Accessibility - Graphics, Alt Attributes, and more
[2 Page Article]
although the use of 'alt attributes has been accepted as a vital part of disability
access on the web, they are often ignored by less experienced designers or, worse
still, abused by unethical web promotion operators.
Black
Hat Web Promotion - The Scourge of Online Business
[2 Page Article]
Whilst the bulk of web promotion specialists are adhering to the guidelines laid
down by the World Wide Web Consortium and the major search engines, a small number
of operators are serving to give the industry a bad name.
Website Statistic Tracking - Keyword Analysis is
Important [2 Page Article]
Whilst the overall importance of in-depth keyword analysis is gradually filtering
through the industry, more than a few novice developers still believe that basic
hit counters are all that's required for successful web promotion.
Professional Web Design vs. Part-Time Web Design
Whilst the services of a part-time operator are often cheaper than those of a
professional web design studio, there are certain issues to be considered by
prospective clients.
Web
Site Navigation - How visitor and spider friendly
is yours?
When deciding on your site's navigation system as far as style, layout and scripting
is concerned, you need to consider a functional approach for both human visitors
and search engines alike.
Writing
Internet Articles - the Good, the Bad and the
Ugly [2 Page Article]
Many internet article authors seem to favour quantity over quality, a strategy
which is likely to damage their business in the long-run.
We plead our case against poor copywriting.
Accessible
Web Design - The Future is Now!
A ruling by a US court held that the major online retailer Target.com was discriminating
against disabled web users, setting a precedent for future disability rights
lawsuits against commercial web sites.
CSS;
Cascading Style Sheets
Although CSS offers many advantages over conventional HTML web design, there
is still a substantial faction of the web design community largely unaware of
the applications of Cascading Style Sheets.
Google
PR Lookup - Is it all Greenbar Madness?
Many webmasters and industry professionals place a high value on Google PageRank,
but is PR really of paramount importance when it comes to successful web promotion?
Content
is King[2 Page Article]
A few reasons outlining the need for original, authoritative content as part
of any successful online venture. Here, as is the case with so many other aspects of web marketing, customer confidence
is everything.
Competent
Web Design; [2 Page Article]
examines the relationship between competent, W3C compliant web design techniques
and the search engine spiders used to index a site's content for inclusion in
search engine databases.
Internet Graphic Design
This article lists some of the most common graphic
design errors made by budding web developers and offers
advice about how to employ graphics to maximum effect
within site design.
Hiring a Web Designer
As a business owner, there are a number of things you
should ask when interviewing prospective web designers
to create your new site.
These questions will help you distinguish the bad
from the good.
It would seem that while many of the globe's web designers and developers are now beginning to become aware of the World Wide Web Consortium and its standards concerning HTML, RSS, CSS and any number of other acronyms designed to baffle the layman, full W3C Compliance itself is still largely ignored by many professionals, especially since Google stated that it does not normally play a part in a website’s ranking.
But despite this absence of any search ranking benefits, full W3C Compliance is still a necessary component of any site’s long-term promotional strategy. Read more...