Thursday, 5 February 2009

Page 2 for Web Design Swansea

I hadn't forgotten about the Great SEO Project, but I have been a bit distracted lately looking at legislation and we have had a fair bit of work to do. So I haven't made many amendments to the website, apart from updating for February and adding to the blog, news and Twitter....so when I did my quick SEO checks today I was very pleasantly suprised!

web site design swansea from position 95 to 51
website design swansea from 52 to 20!
web design swansea from 51 to 17!!!
swansea web design from 118 to 37
web designer swansea from 66 to 19
web development swansea from 61 to 13

It has taken longer than expected, and we're not on page 1 yet, but at least it proves that we do know what we're doing, that content does make a difference, as do regular updates!

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

What legislations apply to websites?

As with anything, it seems, your website is not free from having to comply with rules and regulations of some description. And once you start looking it can be a bit of a minefield. I have started a list of regulations, legislations, guidelines and acts that should at least be considered. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I won't be able to go into them all in detail, but I will do my best to provide you some information on them. This also doesn't look at industry specific regulations.

Legislation & Regulation
  • Data Protection Act 1998
  • The Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations
  • The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)
  • E-Commerce Regulations 2002
  • W3C Validation (XHTML, HTML & CSS)
  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2
  • Companies Act 2006

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2 is released

On December 11th 2008 The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) launched version 2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
http://www.w3.org/News/2008#item210

Following a number of years in draft status, version 2 of the guidelines is intended to make it easier for developers to adhere to the standards, make them easier to follow and test, therefore making websites much better for people with disabilities or alternative methods of using the Internet. Here it is hailed as A New Era for Web Accessibility

In brief the guidelines are:

All websites produced by Picseli will aim to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

Monday, 2 February 2009

February is Legislation Month at Picseli

I can't believe it is February already! It's been very busy at the Picseli offices and January has just flown by. One thing we have noticed more with the people we talk to is an increase in questions about the regulations and legislation regarding websites, e-commerce and online marketing. So we have made it our mission to find out about it and post our findings here throughout February. Not only will it help you make sure your website is compliant but will make sure we are living up to our promises and making sure that all websites we develop comply to legislation relevant to your industry.

Where do we start?
When it comes to the Internet and websites there are plenty of laws, legislation and regulations that must be complied with. However, there are lots of organisations and groups that have made recommendations that have become an industry standard for good practice. For example, there is no law that states all websites must use valid XHTML and CSS, but it is considered good practice and goes a long way to helping you comply with the other standards out there.

What will we look at?
As the month goes on I will look at the basic legislative requirements, for instance the Companies Act and each Friday will do a little 'How To...' guide to explain how to comply. We will look at some tests and checks you can do to find out whether your website uses valid code or whether it complies to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We will also take a look at specific industry codes, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and online areas like the e-Commerce Regulations.

I want to know now!
if you can't wait to find out if your website complies to these codes and regulations give me a call on 01792 222302 or email rhian@picseli.co.uk to get a free, no obligation report. We'll take a look at your website and let you know if it uses valid code, whether it complies to the Disability Discrimination Act and more.

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

Page 6 in Google for Swansea Web Design

A very quick update on the SEO project.

web site design swansea from position 125 to 95
website design swansea from 64 to 52
web design swansea from 74 to 51
swansea web design from 129 to 118
web designer swansea from 74 to 66

All positive - but still room for improvement!

Friday, 2 January 2009

How to...Add goals on 43Things

See my previous post regarding 43Things.

As I said that I would add a 'How To' every Friday, I felt it a bit wrong to fall at the first hurdle. So, to get you started on the right track this is a mini guide to 43Things.

Step 1 - Visit www.43things.com

Step 2 - Click 'Sign Up'
It's the big blue button on the home page.

Step 3 - Fill in your details
It's not a big form, just enter your Username, Email, Password and the letters from the box. Click 'Create an account'.

Step 4 - Enter your goals
Simply write your resolution in the text box and click 'I want to do this'.

The website is so easy to use. You can add little diary entries to help you track progress and set reminders.

Complete your Goal
Once you have completed the goal select it and click 'I'm Done'. You get a congratulations message and the chance to help others by writing your story.

Cheer Others
When you find people and goals you want to support you can send them a cheer to help them along. So let us know if you set up an account and we'll come and support you.

Good luck!

Will you stick to your New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year!

It's that time of year again when everyone decides to give up smoking, lose weight or start exercising. Or read more, start a hobby, become successful...the options are endless. It's a time to be positive and look at new beginnings, so is it time for a new beginning for your website or does it just need a bit of a detox? If you know your website needs sorting out but aren't sure exactly what needs doing, here are a few New Year's Resolution ideas for you.

1. I will update my website once/twice a month/week/day
2. I will improve my search engine position
3. I will get a website!!!!
4. I will start selling online
5. I will review all of my website content regularly
6. I will make sure my website is compliant with all relevant legistation (bit of a mouthful I know, but worthwhile none-the-less!)
7. I will start marketing my website
8. I will consider my user's needs and get my website to fit
9. I will start a blog
10. I will use my website to win new business

Our Resolutions this year are:
1. To post to this blog at least twice a week, including a 'How To' every Friday
2. To keep Tweeting
3. To keep the website up to date, ineresting and informative
4. To add fun stuff, such as games and downloads.

And to make sure we keep them, I have set up an account at 43things.com

43Things is a website that allows you to 'List your Goals, Share your Progress, Cheer each other on'. Why not add your goals? Once they're written down they become a lot harder to ignore.

If you do decide on a website related resolution, please share it with us. Comment on this post or send me a tweet. If you need a bit more of a hand we are more than happy to help, give us a call today on 01792 222302 or email hello@picseli.co.uk to find out how we can help you stick to your resolutions.

Good Luck!