Author: simonc

Web Design Tips – Resizing Your Images

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Page load speed can be an important factor in the success of your website. If your pages load too slowly, your visitors (especially those without a high-speed connection) may choose to leave your website. Worse yet, slow loading pages can also have a negative impact on your search engine rankings, preventing people from even finding your site in the first place. If you want to rank higher and keep more people on your website, be sure that your pages are fast loading.

One way to ensure that your pages load faster is to keep your images at a reasonable size. Extremely large images tend to have extremely large file sizes and the larger the file size, the slower the page will load. Downsize any extremely large images whenever possible, but never resize images using HTML’s width or height attributes as this will not decrease the overall file size. Instead, use a program like Adobe Photoshop to resize and create a smaller version of the image that can then be used on your website.

Beyond width and height, it is also important to adjust the resolution of your images if you are looking for ways to speed up your website. The most common resolution used when saving an image for the web is 72 pixels per inch, but some people prefer to use 96 PPI. The choice is up to you, but either resolution will help you to cut down on the overall file size of the image without affecting its visual quality when displayed on a computer monitor. If the image is one that your visitors are meant to print out, then be aware that a higher resolution will be required because neither 72 nor 96 PPI is considered a high enough resolution to print high quality pictures.

The other may to cut down on your overall image size and decrease your page loading time is to reduce the quality of the image. Most jpeg images can have their quality reduced by around 20 to 40 percent without suffering a major loss in visual clarity. Obviously, the more you reduce the quality of the image, the smaller its file size will become. Proper optimization is found once you’ve struck a balance between file size and image clarity. Because it can be difficult to know how much an image’s quality can be reduced, some programs include a preview of the optimized image so you can easily see how much reduction is possible before visual clarity is adversely affected.

With page load speeds having a major impact on the may visitors and search engines view your website, it is very important to make sure that your images aren’t greatly increasing the loading time of your pages. If your images are noticeably increasing your page load times, you will probably want to resize your images, adjust their resolution, or lower their quality. Any one of these three things (or a combination of them) will lower the overall file size of your images and help your pages to load more quickly.

About the Author: simonc

The Four-Second Rule of Website Design

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According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, average attention spans in 2015 were just over eight seconds. Though this itself sounds short, the institute also found that attention spans maybe even shorter while surfing the web, as nearly twenty percent of reported page views lasted less than four seconds. So, in knowing that you have such a small window of time to connect with your visitors, what can be done to keep people on your site beyond the initial four seconds? First, ensure your site is fast loading and second, place your most engaging content readily in view of your visitors.

When discussing page toad speed, it is widely acknowledged that faster is better. After all, if visitors fail to find attention-grabbing content within the first four seconds of clicking through to your site, they may hit the back button in hopes of finding another site that will cater to their needs in a timelier way. To avoid losing your visitors before they even reach your content, always choose a hosting provider with consistently high-speed service and uptime guarantees. You should also optimize your website’s assets and code to further reduce page loading times.

Beyond choosing a fast and reliable hosting provider and optimizing your site’s assets and code to improve page load speed, you may also want to familiarize yourself with the concept of heatmapping. Various online heatmapping tools are available that can show you which portions of your pages draw the most visitor interaction. Using this information, rearrange your pages so your most engaging content is higher up on the page, so it can be more easily found by your website’s visitors.

In a world with ever-shortening attention spans, it’s becoming more important for website designers to consider the four-second rule when creating and optimizing their websites. To help retain your visitors beyond the first four seconds of their arrival, always ensure that your hosting provider provides fast and reliable service, that your website’s assets and code are optimized for reduced loading times, and that your site’s most engaging content is readily available to your website’s visitors.

About the Author: simonc

Where Can I Buy Cheap Newsletter Articles?

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If you are looking for newsletter articles, but you don’t want to spend a fortune, you are in luck. There are many sites that offer cheap reprint articles which can provide the perfect content for newsletters. Also, because reprint articles are typically sold at much cheaper prices than unique content, they can be the more affordable article choice.

The main reason why cheap reprint articles are perfect for email newsletters is because they aren’t meant to be spidered or indexed by Google. The article could already be published online in 20 different locations, but because your newsletter isn’t going to be posted online, it won’t be competing with such a large number of similar results.

As long as you can find an interesting and informative article for your newsletter that will add value for your readers, you will be well ahead of the game. Remember, even if an article is already posted online, the odds that your readers will have already found it and read it are phenomenally small. In almost every case, your readers will be presented with an article that they can read for the first time.

So, if you were looking for some cheap newsletter articles, you should take a look at some of the websites that offer cheap reprint licenses. They can save you quite a bit of money (so long as they have a workable article in stock) and provide you and your readers with exactly the kind of the content you’ve both been looking for.

About the Author: simonc

Text Heavy Pages? Consider Adding Image Ads

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If you have a text heavy page and would like to add some visual components for a little variety, consider adding image or rich media ads from the Google Adsense program. Not only will image ads help t break up the monotony of the page, but they can also create a stream of revenue that takes very little effort to implement and maintain.

To add some image or rich media ads to your text heavy pages, you’ll need to be a member of the Google Adsense for publishers program. Applying is fairly easy to do and you’ll know whether or not you’ve been accepted after a short waiting period during which time a Google employee will assess your website.

Once you have been accepted into the program and are able to log in to your Adsense account, you’ll need to create a new ad unit. Simply click on “My ads” and then “New ad unit”. From here, you’ll be able to choose from a number of ad sizes (larger ones tend to draw more attention) and set your ad type. To stop text ads from showing in your ad slot, be sure to choose “Image/rich media ads only” from the appropriate drop down menu. You’ll also be able to add custom channels to the ad unit t help you track its performance.

When you have finished creating your new ad unit, you will be given a piece of code that will need t to be included in your page’s html wherever you want the ads to appear. Depending on the program you’ve used to create your website, you may need to switch to the HTML view before adding the code. Depending on your preferences, you can choose to display up to three ad units per page.

The main concern voiced by webmasters who have yet to add image ads to their pages is whether they will affect the page’s loading time. Because image ads must be sized at 50KB or smaller, most pages won’t see more than a negligible difference. All images and rich media ad content are also hosted on Google’s servers, so there is no need t bout the ads filling up your valuable disk space.

Because text heavy pages often lack the necessary visual component to hold the attention of your visitors, it can sometimes be beneficial to add image or rich media ads to the pages. Doing so can both break up the monotonous look of the text heavy pages and help you to generate a little money at the same time.

About the Author: simonc

Why Don’t My Adsense Ads Match My Content?

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There are a few reasons that your Adsense ads may appear to be unrelated to your content. Sometimes, the problem can fix itself, while other times, it can take some effort on your part to get your ads to match up with your website’s content. By figuring out why your Adsense ads don’t match your content, you will be able to serve more useful ads to your visitors, and in turn, earn more money with the Google Adsense program.

The easiest ad matching problem to fix occurs most often on new websites, but it can also happen on newly created pages of established websites. Because the Adsense crawler hasn’t yet visited the page, it doesn’t know what the content is about. This uncertainty can lead to unrelated ads appearing on your website. Luckily, it isn’t necessary to change anything to remedy this problem. More often than not, the problem will solve itself once your website is crawled by the Adsense spider.

If your website has already been crawled by the Adsense spider, but you are still being served unrelated ads, then it will probably take a little effort before you start seeing Adsense ads that match the content of your website.

First, you’ll want to look closely at your content. Is there enough content on each page to draw matching advertisements? Having little written content can make it difficult for Adsense to serve matching ads. Consider adding more text to the page so that the Adsense crawler can make a more informed decision about which ads it should be displaying.

The next thing you’ll want to look at is the content itself. Is your content narrow in scope or does your page contain a wide variety of topics? Having too many topics on the same page can confuse the Adsense crawler, leaving your page with ads unrelated to the content. Try to focus on one topic per page if you want your ads to closely match the surrounding content.

If you have plenty of content written about a single topic, but you are still getting unrelated ads, then it might be worth optimizing your keywords. The Google Adwords: Keyword Tool is a great resource when optimizing keywords. Just type in what the page is about and the Keyword Tool will provide a list of suggested keywords that you can then incorporate into your page. Using some of the suggested keywords listed with higher levels of advertiser competition can help bring matching ads to your page.

There is another problem that could be causing your unrelated ads to appear, and unfortunately, it isn’t a problem that you will be able to solve. If your topic is of a more obscure nature, then it will be harder for Adsense to display matching ads. In fact, some of the most obscure topics don’t even have related ads to serve, and as such, only unrelated ads will appear on the page. Don’t worry, however, should an advertiser start a campaign in your niche, their related ads will automatically appear on your website.

There are a number of reasons why your website might be receiving unrelated Adsense ads. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to help solve the problem like adding additional content and optimizing your keywords. If for some reason you still can’t get matching ads however, it isn’t the end of the world. Your website will still be displaying ads, meaning you will still have the chance to earn decent money with the Google Adsense program.

About the Author: simonc

Five Ways to Prolong the Charge of Your Laptop Battery

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Many people want a longer lasting laptop battery without having to purchase a newer or more expensive model. Fortunately, there are many ways to extend the charge of your laptop’s current battery. Each of the following suggestions is simple to implement and can greatly reduce the strain faced by the laptop battery that you currently own. By following these five easy steps, your laptop will stay powered longer between charges.

Optimize Your Power Options

By adjusting the power settings in the control panel, your laptop battery can last much longer. Of the settings listed in your laptop’s “Power Options” dialog, choose the option for maximum battery life. Once this has been set, it will work behind the scenes to prolong the charge each time you are running on battery power.

Adjust Your Monitor’s Brightness

The greatest strain on a laptop battery is often the monitor. Because most laptops will allow you to change the brightness of the monitor, it is recommended to use the dimmest setting you can comfortably work at whenever you plan to use the battery over an extended length of time. The dimmer your screen setting is, the longer your laptop’s battery will stay charged.

Avoid Using CDs or DVDs

When running on battery power, it is best to avoid using CDs or DVDs because of the large amount of energy needed to spin the disk in the drive. In fact, CDs and DVDs take even more power to operate than your laptop’s hard drive. Even a disk not currently in use can require power, so it is best to remove any CDs or DVDs from the drive altogether.

Remove Unused External Devices

It is recommended that you remove any unused external devices when you make the switch to battery power. Devices like a mouse, keyboard, webcam, iPod, and wireless card all require additional power and should be removed to extend your laptop’s runtime between battery charges.

Use the Hibernate Setting

Instead of setting your laptop to standby when it is not in use, use the hibernate mode. Hibernate uses less power than the standby setting because it performs a complete shutdown. Like standby however hibernate will return to your desktop’s current state when you restart your laptop.

By making a few simple changes whenever you switch to battery power, you can extend the time your laptop’s battery will remain charged. By changing your power options, adjusting your monitor’s brightness, avoiding CDs, DVDs, and external devices, and using the hibernate setting, there will be less strain on your laptop’s battery and it will last much longer between charges.

About the Author: simonc

Avoid Adding Too Much White Space to Your Pages

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White space is an important part of any design and should receive the same careful thought as each of the other elements on your pages. By taking the necessary time to carefully assess your usage of white space, you can spot areas in need of improvement and make the required changes to correctly balance the elements on your page.

Because it is generally accepted that using more white space will improve a page’s readability and overall aesthetic value, many people end up going overboard by adding too much of it in their layouts. Take care to avoid excessive white space on your pages or you’ll run the risk of your pages looking incomplete.

If you are unsure about how much white space is too much, then take some time and study the layouts of other similar types of projects. Are you curious about the correct usage of white space online? Then visit some big name websites to see how they’ve utilized white space in their designs. Wondering what the standard amount of white space is for a newspaper spread or magazine? Then why not take a look through a few of the more popular publications?

You can learn a lot by simply examining how other people use white space. By using a similar amount of white space to what is currently being used in other popular layout styles, you will have a good starting point for determining the optimum amount of white space in your own designs.

As white space is such an important part of any layout, it is imperative that you spend the necessary time to ensure you are using it effectively within your designs. Just don’t get too enthusiastic where white space is concerned and add it excessively to your designs. Doing so might leave your pages looking incomplete.

About the Author: simonc

How to Avoid Future Hassles When Buying a Used Laptop

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Buying a used laptop can be an exciting venture, but when things go wrong, it can turn out to be more trouble than first expected. If you are planning on buying a used laptop, here are a few suggestions to help you avoid any unforeseen future hassles.

Always buy from a reputable and well-known dealer.

The less you know about a seller, the easier it is for them to take advantage of you. Avoid being ripped-off by a little-known company by restricting your shopping to well-known businesses that maintain a good reputation amongst their buyers.

About the Author: simonc

Experience the Magic of an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset

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Ever wished you could experience the world of gaming as if you were really a part of the action? Well, due to recent advancements in technology, you can get closer to the gaming action than ever before. By using an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset, you can experience the magic of virtual reality from the comfort of your own home.

The Oculus Rift, which retails for around 500 American dollars, is quickly becoming a popular choice among gaming enthusiasts because it provides one of the best virtual reality experiences available today. Straight out of the box it offers a quality stand-up or sit-down experience, but, due to a recent update, room-scale motion tracking is also possible with the purchase of some additional components.

The popular virtual reality headset offers a display resolution of 1080 x 1200 pixels per eye with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. Designed for comfort, the unit fits easily over glasses, while providing the user with a wide 110-degree field of view. It is both customizable and adaptable, including features like interpupillary distance adjustments, yet weighs in at just one pound.

As the Oculus Rift is a PC-powered device, your computer must meet certain specifications for it to properly function. A full list of system requirements is available on the manufacturer’s website (www.oculus.com), but if you prefer, you can run a downloadable program (also available on their website) to check the compatibility of your PC. Also, be aware that certain features of the virtual reality headset will not work without an Internet connection.

If you’re still on the fence about buying an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset, then you can always schedule an in-store demo to help you make a more informed decision. Various retailers across the US have paired with Oculus to highlight the headset’s incredible features to the public. For those outside the US, they’ve also set up demonstration locations in several European cities, plus select cities in Canada.

There’s much to experience when it comes to the exciting world of virtual reality. Though not that long ago the idea of virtual reality itself was merely a futuristic thought, technological advances by companies like Oculus have allowed the idea to come to fruition. Oculus, through their virtual reality headset and its accompanying accessories, allows you to get closer to the gaming action than ever before. Don’t you think its time to see what you’ve been missing?

About the Author: simonc