In my Web Fundamentals course (CSCI1450 at Saint Paul College), I primarily teach college students how to use HTML, CSS, and some common frameworks to make websites. The focus is less on design and more on learning how to code. Even so, I created this list of simple design rules for web design so they…
Human readers love infographics. Infographics make it easier to teach your readers by laying out the answers with a combination of text and images. However, there is a bit of a problem with SEO for infographics. Google will be reading the alternative text for the image to decide what is in the image. The image…
Developers know that they can use Bootstrap to make stackable columns on responsive websites. But Bootstrap has prebuilt classes that allow you do so much more. Here is a short list of what you can do with Bootstrap. So when you want to try something new on your website, check first to see if Bootstrap…
Centering HTML elements on a web page is a bit tricky. How you center elements depends on the type of element on the web page. There are three different ways to horizontally center elements on the web page, depending on what you want to center. Is the element you want to center: A text element;…
WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that is open source and highly customizable with a knowledge of CSS and how to add it in Customize -> Additional CSS. Many of my clients know WordPress well. A few of my clients know more about WordPress than I know! Since I know how to code and…
Before you create an E-Commerce Website, Consider these Alternatives If you have a product to sell, you may be considering an e-commerce website. An e-commerce website is a great way to control your branding and make your products available to the world. However, there are alternatives to creating an e-commerce website that you may want…
What you need to know before you hire a developer When you decide that you want to make an e-commerce website, there are a lot of decisions to be made. You need to know what you want to sell and be prepared to present your products to the world. In addition, you need to make…
When you are planning to share a new product or post on Facebook or other social media, it is important to prepare your web page before sharing it. If you skip this preparation, then you are less likely to bring users to your website. After all, isn’t the goal to bring people to your website…
Interested in blogging? You really can make a website on a budget, and this article shows you how to do it. Website blogging is a way to have a voice on the Internet and can be a way to make money. It takes a lot of content to make money from advertising, but if you…
While learning web development skills you can make money making websites. In fact, as a student of web development, you have the added benefit that any time you spend making websites not only provides you with monetization opportunities but also adds websites to your portfolio. My Path To Monetizing My Work When I first changed…
Modern websites are made with rows and columns for good reason…we need the columns in a desktop layout to stack on mobile devices. You want your website to look great on a large screen, and that requires that you build a wide design. But, you also need your website to look great on very narrow…
One class exercise is to create a sprite on piskelapp.com. Animated PNGs and GIFs can be displayed on websites in the <img> tag, like any other image. Here are some examples.
What is it like to work as a Web Designer? Web design is a combination of art and problem solving. On the art side, a web designer crafts websites that are a beautiful reflection of the brand and are intuitive to use. On the problem-solving side, a web designer creates a fluid layout that works…
As the owner of White Buffalo Websites, I have worked with many website hosting plans. I am hosting over 100 websites for my clients and students. From my experience I recommend two website hosts, Flywheel and SiteGround. In addition, I have worked with the following website hosts: Big Scoots, GoDaddy, Dream Host, WP Engine, Green…
When you own a website, you can be a target for scam. The scam described in this email is comes from someone impersonating a photographer, accusing the website owner of using their photos without permission. Have you received an email message that starts like this? Hello there! This is Meleena and I am a certified…
After working 30 years in health care administration, I was bored at my job and wanted to do something completely different. I had opportunities to make job changes within Health Care Administration, but none of those appealed to me.
On on whim, I went on to Amazon.com and looked for a book on programming. The book I picked out was actually for teens, a book on how to learn to program with GameMaker by Yoyogames.com. On a Saturday afternoon, I opened up the book and started to go through the first tutorial. After a few hours, I had followed all of the many steps in the tutorial, and I was ready to push the “Compile” or “Run” button, to see the result.
Ready, Set, Go! Purchasing your domain name is your first step in making a website. Purchasing a domain name is one of the most important and lowest-cost tasks on your to do list in making a website. All you do is go to a website registrar, like Hover.com, and start to type in domain names…
Don’t be fooled by an official-looking letter from Domain Registry. If you have purchased a domain name and not added privacy services, your personal information, like your email address, home address, and phone number, are available on the World Wide Web. You will receive emails from a variety of Internet scammers who would like to…
A website is a set of files and folders that work together. When I first started making websites, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that a website is made up of a host of folders and files that work together to make the app. The files and folders reference each other based on their location in relation to each other.
After learning HTML and CSS, what’s your next challenge? Well, that likely depends on what you liked most about learning HTML and CSS languages. HTML and CSS may be your first coding languages and are a great introduction to the coding world. At the same time, learning HTML and CSS teaches you to design websites.
Answering this question may help to see your best direction. When you were learning HTML and CSS, which did you enjoy more?
There is more to Search Engine Optimization than being listed in a Google search results. You need your customer to choose your web page from all of the others in the search results. In other words, you need a meta description for your web page.
Thinking of search engine optimization (SEO) through the eyes of your customer will help you understand how SEO works and improve SEO on your own website. Let’s step into the shoes of your customer. For example, let’s pretend you have a pet store and you sell axolotls. Your typical customer wants to buy an axolotl.…
Is it better to work as a freelancer or as a corporate employee? Whether you would be happier as a freelancer or in a corporate job depends on many factors. After working in a corporate job for 30 years, I left the corporate world and became a freelancer. I love freelancing and wouldn’t go back…
The most difficult part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is deciding on the right keywords for your SEO copywriting. Before you begin copywriting, your first task is to find your keywords. Don’t know where to begin? We have created a Free Keyword Strategy Tool that you can use to develop your strategy. Keep reading to…
Read our 10 reasons why you should study web development. Susan Metoxen, owner of White Buffalo LLC, is an instructor in Web Development at Saint Paul College.
Confused about how to use the Up-Sell, Cross-Sell, and Related Products features in WooCommerce? You are not alone. It can be challenging to wade through the differences among the three options and know which is the right one to use for your products. One of the reasons why WooCommerce is the best eCommerce solution is…
Quality Writing Helps Your Customers Find You on the Web Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of adapting a website to increase the number of website visitors. Search engines, like Google and Bing, are looking for quality information on a web page in order to decide where to put it in search results. Their…
A website is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies for businesses. The cost of shared hosting vs. WordPress hosting varies dramatically from $3 to $45/month. You should understand the pros and cons of these different options when choosing a website server. Shared Hosting For $3-$15/month, a website can be placed on “shared hosting.” At…
“How do I know what is the best theme for my website?” When I first started making WordPress websites, the advice I generally read about choosing a WordPress theme went something like this: When you make a WordPress website you can either start with one of the free themes or purchase a premium theme. There…
Do you love the idea that WordPress is open source? That it comes with a built in CMS (Customer Management System) that allows you to make changes to your website without a developer? That so many additional functionalities are capable in the WordPress community…often for free? We all love WordPress! That is why WordPress powers…
Which is the better eCommerce solution? This article compares the two eCommerce systems with which I have had experience, WooCommerce and Shopify. WooCommerce and Shopify are the two biggest players in the eCommerce website market. When I first had the opportunity to make eCommerce websites, I read several articles online to decide on an eCommerce…
WordPress A WordPress website will give you the ability to modify content on your own. WordPress installations include a Content Management System (CMS) that allows administrators to add or change content without knowing how to code. You and your staff can add content to the website without engaging a web programmer. WordPress is the most…
You absolutely can make a website on your budget. Start by accepting the fact that unless you are selling encyclopedias door to door, there is no way around your need for a website. You not only need a website, you need a GOOD website! Your website needs to: Work on your customers’ smartphones Be something…
What are your business goals? Increase sales? Increase profitability? Small business owners understand that they are working with limited resources, and this creates pressure to choose goals wisely. What small business owners need to do is to find tactics that have the biggest impact for the smallest cost. They need their goals to have high…