Posted on on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 7:01 pm.
This week’s web design video blog covers the launch of Apple’s new iPad computer, how to create image submit buttons in HTML and advice on using .com domain names in the UK. You can find related links and the script for this week’s web video below.
This Week’s Web design News
Hi and welcome to Creare’s web design video blog. In the news this week is the release of Apple’s new iPad computer. The iPad looks to be what everybody has been expecting, a new device that fits into the gap between an iPhone and a MacBook. Is there a gap though? There is much debate as to whether lugging around yet another device is going to be practical, especially when you consider that the iPad doesn’t really replace your Smart Phone or Laptop.
The Apple iPad
The iPad could become a valuable tool for web designers, acting as a great presentation tool for showcasing website prototypes. However the iPad operating system is only a similar version of the iPhone’s, meaning that the first generation of iPads will not be running a full version of OS X.
Tablet computers are tipped to be big this year, a BBC report that we read a week ago suggests that tens of millions will be sold in 2010. When you look at the features, spec and particularly the prices it’s easy to see the appeal.
If the iPad really takes off, the App Store could begin to offer light versions of Microsoft Office and perhaps even Creative Suite 5. But until then, we don’t believe Web Designers will queueing out the door to get their hands on one.
This Week’s HTML Tutorial
For this week’s web design tutorial we are going to take a look at how you can create image submit buttons in HTML and also how to use rollovers.
Click here to download the supporting files used in the tutorial
Website Tips For Businesses #2
Last week we introduced the first of our website tips for business owners. Tip number two this week is how to effectively use .com domain names for UK businesses.
Not a lot of people realise that domain choice can have a long-term impact on your organic search engine optimisation campaign. Country specific domain names work better for searches within that country. For example, purchasing a .co.uk domain for your UK business is a lot more effective than choosing a .net domain name.
Today, .com domains are vaguely associated with American businesses, however companies worldwide, the UK included, still like to adopt the .com brand. If you are a UK business, and your primary domain name is a .com then there is an important factor that you should understand.
Search Engines, Google in particular automatically associate .co.uk domain names with the UK. The same principal applies worldwide. For example .de domain names are associated with Germany, .fr for France etc. TLD’s (Top Level Domains) like .COM, .NET & .ORG are treated differently. Google and the other search engines have to rely on which country the website is hosted in, to associate the website with its’ country.
So for example, if you’re in the UK using a .com, you must ensure that your hosting server is physically in the United Kingdom. If you use a company like Fasthosts.co.uk, no problem, they are a British company and their servers all reside in London. 1and1 however, is a German company and as a result, their servers are in Germany. Looking at their homepage -- 1and1.co.uk this isn’t obvious.
If your website is on a .com with 1&1 for example, your website will rank in the UK version of Google, however if you went to the German Google (google.de) you will notice it probably ranks better there! To allow the search engines to correctly associate your .com domain name with your correct country, you must check that the hosting provider you choose, has its’ servers in your country.
Thanks for watching this week, if you have comments or questions, please leave them on our YouTube Channel or supporting blog post.
Related External Links
- Tablets to take off in 2010 -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8467654.stm
- The iPad on Apple’s website -- http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Channel
on February 11th, 2010 Says:
My 1st impressions of the iPad are largely positive. Apple has once again built a product that looks good and feels great in the hand, and the familiar user interface, borrowed from the iPhone and iPod touch, is perfectly suited to the bigger screen. The iPad whizzes along, opening applications, re-sizing web pages, and zooming in and out of maps almost instantaneously. Does someone know the release date? i love it and i want it…