Monday 26 August 2013

Advantages of Custom CMS



One question that occurs to almost everyone looking for web design & development, is, whether to go for an Open Source CMS such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal or get a custom content management system developed for the website. The answer is simple, if you are looking for a unique and distinctive website with features relevant to you requirement, you have to go with Custom CMS website development services.
Some of the major advantages of a Custom CMS are…
  •         Possibilities
The true beauty of a sculpture reflects when the artist’s hands shape itand not a predefined mold... similarly, in web development, when your website is developed with a custom CMS; you get the benefit of enhanced possibilities. There is no design or functionally related limitations, which allows the developer to create the website exactly the way you imagines it.
  •        Design Freedom
Unlike open source CMS; custom CMS enables you to design the website and all the elements within it in your own way. There is no plug-ins to be added and you can make every website element look in line with your customized theme. There have been instances where the plug-ins have not been updated or discontinued which affects all the websites they are being used in. But, with a custom CMS, you never have to worry about updating stuff.
  •        Secure
The term “Open Source” in itself explains the vulnerability of the system. Custom CMS is comparatively far more secure as the coding is custom and cannot be easily hacked.
  •        Scalable
Custom CMS allows you to integrate/ connect your website with other applications such as CRM, ERP, and other custom web applications.
Therefore, while making this decision, consider carefully what you need and what you will get.


Source: http://www.stercodigitex.com/blog

Friday 23 August 2013

Going for an E-commerce website? Here are some useful tips!

E-commerce is gaining prominence with every passing day. The phenomenon is already a huge success in North American region but in the past few years, there has been immense growth in Asian regions in terms of online sellers and buyers.

While developing an E-commerce website, your sole aim has to be convenience of the website visitor and in order to accomplish that, the following aspects need to be given due importance. Here are some essentials of E-commerce website development.

Loading Time

Online shoppers run out of patience too fast until they find something worth the wait. Try this out on yourself while you browse through shopping websites. If your website is not fully optimized in terms of size, it might end up repelling visitors and discouraging them to browse any further. There are too many options out there and to be counted among the top ones, you need to ensure your website’s performance is good.

Navigation

Patience of the website visitor again being the concern, what makes browsing experience better is – not having to look for things. In your E-commerce design, all your offerings must be categorized in a condensed structure, and presented in a way that every product is accessible in minimum possible clicks. Mega Menus are of a great help for this aspect to be addressed.

Variety

Freedom of choice is every shopper’s pride and unless you give your website visitors many options to choose from, you aren’t getting anywhere with your E-commerce initiative. Make sure every category has ample offerings under its kitty.

Rating & Reviews

Recommendations and reviews work more that they are thought to be. Encourage your shoppers to leave reviews about the products they purchase, this will largely influence the prospective shoppers.

Recommend

Get smarter and empower your website with the ability to understand the nature of the shopper and recommend suitable products. This feature can pull information from the recent browsing history of the visitor and recommend items accordingly.

Tools

Enhance the browsing experience of your website visitors with essential tools such as picture zoom in effect, multiple angle views of the product, compare feature, wish list feature etc.

Build a Relationship
Once a visitor converts into a customer after making purchase don’t let the relationship end there. This does not imply that you begin to spam their email with mailers;it means you have an opportunity to strengthen the bond and earn loyalty. Send the customer a discount coupon on first purchase, free shipping on liking the Facebook page, and request to add a review / ratings etc. it’s good to be on top of minds and it’s good to stay connected. Make the most of E-commerce website development , after all,the World Wide Web is meant to establish relationships..

Wednesday 21 August 2013

eBooks The transformation of reading



From holding a book in hands and lying under a tree to turning pages digitally on your Galaxy Note, reading has come a long way indeed..

What determines the experience of the reader is not the fact that it is paper or digital screen, it lies in how seamless the transition from one page to another goes or how beautifully the graphics blend in. When it comes to digitizing books, these factors can only be enhanced which means eBooks are far more interactive, engaging and convenient than traditional book reading. The growth of this medium and increasing demand for digital versions of exiting boos has proven that this technology is here to stay.
Advantages of Interactive eBooks
·         More comprehensive evaluation methods and instant results
·         Simplified navigation
·         comfortable night reading
·         Search for a term/ phrase in the entire eBook and get instant results
·         Interactive questions
·         Easy to carry – your iPad will save all your books without any heavy baggage
·         font adjustments to suit your comfort
In case of e-learning material, eBooks are helpful in many ways. The students get a virtual reading experience, which is more comfortable in terms of navigation, bookmarking, references, instant access to word meaning, definitions and related material. Moreover, it unburdens the teachers as the eBook takes care of the exercises. Students can self assess their performance through instant test results.
Interactive eBooks are developed using HTML5 technology y and ePub 3 format.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

How to Achieve a Responsive Design?


If you have a website that caters to online business, it is hard to ignore that web and mobile browsers are platforms your visitors are visiting your website. In case, if your website fails to perform on any of the platforms, your visitors may not come back. Many web development companies are aware of the fact that users browse websites on smart phones, tablets, PC’s and even TV yet their clients complain of their designs not being responsive.

What do you do then? Understanding what responsive design is will open up the stage further. Responsive design is displaying information on all devices in a more organized manner using modern tools and techniques. A single layout solution for designers can really be working.

High definition, low resolution etc, be whatever the capacity, these tips will help you design for better:

Keep it simple
: The first thing you should do is to keep your HTML code and layout as simple as possible. Test your design with experiments like removing CSS styling from your website and displaying it on other browsers. Your design is good, if your content can easily be read.

Get rid of
:
·         Purposeless Divs
·         Inline Styles
·         Useless Positioning Absolute or Float

What to use
:
·         HTML 5 Guidelines and doc type
·         A style sheet that resets
·         A simple layout

Note: Relying much on CSS3 or any other modern tricks may be a cause of concern for your website. Instead, keep the design simple. Below is an example of correct relative positioning.

 

Make use of Media Queries: Width conditions are critically important for a responsive design. Media queries can be used according to style and size. Besides, the clients width, you can load alternate style- sheet.

<style>
@import url(abc.css)(min-width:250 px);
@import url(def.css)(min-width:350px);
@import url(xyz.css)(min-width:450px);
</style>

Some examples according to the width are given below:

200px to 640px
@media screen and (min-width: 200px) and (max-width: 640px)
Above 640px, Landscape
@media screen and (min-width: 600px) and (orientation: landscape)
Less than 380px, portrait
@media screen and (min-width: 380px) and (orientation: portrait)

Categorize common resolutions: Common resolutions can be accommodated into 3 breakpoints:
  • Follow < 480px rule for first generation smart phone in a portrait mode
  • Follow < 768px rule for first generation smart phone in a landscape mode
  • Follow >768px rule for bigger tabs and desktops
Note: For desktops set the version above 1024px.

Are we finished yet? No, we are not! We will right back on the same blog. Keep reading for further tips on, How to achieve a responsive design?