10 Useful Online Tools for Website ManagementMay 28th, 2023

Blog Post 10 Useful Online Tools for Website Management web As someone who manages websites, people often ask me about what online tools I use. Here are 10 online tools I use on a daily basis that help with all the webmaster tasks I perform.

  • WhatTheFont :: Sometimes you need to figure out what font is used in a logo or graphic. This tool is pretty good at figuring out what font is used and gives options.
  • (Item Removed) The tool we had here no longer has a secure connection, so we removed it
  • Sauce Labs :: I used to like Adobe’s Browser testing. But they shut it down. Sauce Labs is picking up the slack and you can see how your site looks at in many different browsers.
  • Character Counter :: If you write several tweets at once, it helps to make sure you stay under that magic 140 number. This simple tool counts for you, so you don’t have to open up word or other software.
  • Convert Case :: Many times clients send me docs, or emails all in upper case. This tool lets you convert to various cases, such as lower case, sentence case, etc.
  • Lorem Ipsum Generator :: When you are building a website, you often need placeholder text. This allows you to grab some text, based on how many words, paragraphs, bytes, etc.
  • Sucuri SiteCheck Malware Scanner :: Malware is the plague of our time. It is often hidden where you can’t find it. This tool identifies if you are infected. And the company can assist cleaning your code.
  • Google Translate :: For those of us who manage websites in multiple languages, the Google Translate tool comes in handy. While the translation isn’t perfect, it is pretty good and handles the chore well enough for most instances.
  • SSL Checker :: This tool tells you if a server has a secure certificate, who issued it, and when it expires.
  • Network Tools :: This tool allows you to perform many tests, such as: Traceroute, Ping, Domain Name Server (DNS) Lookup and WHOIS.

Added Online Tools :: 5/28/23

We have some more online tools we have now added to this list:

Embed Responsively:  :: this tool allows you to embed videos, images and content that will respond to the size of your visitors’ screens.

Optimizilla :: This free online image optimizer uses the best optimization and lossy compression algorithms to shrink JPEG, GIF and PNG images to the minimum possible size while keeping the required level of quality.

ChatGPT :: We’ve all heard about AI, and this tool can be very helpful in website management.   While we don’t recommend you have it write all your blog posts and use it word for word, it does come in handy when you’re looking for things like hashtags for posts, or for generating ideas.

Twitter Fonts Generator :: Spruce up your social media post with this fun little tool. Despite its name, it works on other social media outlets as well.

As we are always discovering new online tools to help make our job more efficient, we will be updating this post. Please check back. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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Posted in Barry Roos

Clear Call To Action: Keep your eye on the prizeFebruary 26th, 2023

Blog Post Clear Call To Action web I was talking to a client today and reviewing a few design concepts. We discussed what he liked best, and what needed tweaking. I steered him away from a few changes which would muddy the call to action.

Over and above everything we do in web design and web development, the call to action is by far the most important. Others would point to search engine optimization. This of course is  important, as you need to get them to your website. BUT, if f they get to your site and you have no clear call to action, your site will flounder.

So what is a call to action? Dictionary.com defines it as: “the implicit or explicit suggestion contained in a marketer’s content in an advertising banner or Web site copy”.  In the early day of the internet, this was usually, a “Click Here” link. We have gotten away from that a bit, though click here is still pretty common and clients often still like to use the phrase. Now good call to actions can be in the form of a  graphical element, (button, banner, graphic), a link, or other ways to get visitors to take the desired next step. This could  be to make a purchase (if this is a product) , call you (as with service providers), or click on a link to be contacted or to get you to the page they need you to see.

Now, in this particular case, the call to action is designed to get visitors to fill out a form for a free review.   The program which is guaranteed to save restaurants money is a good one, but if no one signs up, no one reaps the benefit and the company fails. My design team came up with a great strategy, where your eye is drawn to the call to action.   The main graphical element, which will be a jquey fade between 4 slides will end with a powerful message urging them to fill out the form  and pointing them below to the form.  Below the image fade is a quick explanation of the program, which is actually a “challenge”. To the right of that is the actual form. Now even the header image background in the explanation is actually an arrow pointing you to the form. So all the elements work in concert to get the visitor to the call to action. (When this launches, I will add a link here to illustrate my point).

Bottom Line: If you review a design with your developer/designer and see no clear call to action, ask them to turn back and start again. Communicate to them what the call to action needs to be. They should ask you in the requirements phase, but don’t always.

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