Have you ever wondered about the search results that appear in boxes at the top and off to the side of most Google searches? These are actually paid advertisements that are displayed through the Google AdWords service. For a price, Google AdWords can help businesses increase their presence on the Internet and target potential customers.
As Image Management’s administrator, my job does not necessarily entail overseeing our company’s website design division. However, I do feel the need to keep my finger on the pulse of the latest techniques and styles in the ever-changing world of website development. On May 17th, I attended a business exposition in downtown Milwaukee featuring an expert in the field of web design.
When my daughter was in kindergarten, she always wanted to be the first in line. It did not take her long to figure out how to get there: hard work and dedication. Not surprisingly, many of our clients ask us the same question in relation to Google. “How do you get to be first on Google?” Our response? Hard work and dedication.
Chrome, the now three-year-old web browser from Google, appears destined for domination with its rapidly expanding user base. Android phones are now selling at a faster rate than Apple iPhones. Much of this may be attributed to Google’s open attitude in Chrome and Android development. But there is a price to be paid for this flexibility.
Google’s open platform philosophy is generally a good thing. It creates a familiar environment for the people who expand existing functionality through the development of new applications and the customers who download and use those applications.
There is more to being a great designer than simply picking out beautiful fonts and color palettes, and spreading out bits of information in an aesthetically pleasing way. These are all enjoyable tasks to any designer, but the main task is to be a problem solver. Contrary to what most may believe, it can be similar to a problem in mathematics or within a science lab. The only difference is there is no such thing as one right answer. There are many different ways to solve these problems.
Modern web browsers offer enhanced computer security while conforming to the latest web standards. Microsoft decided to include mandatory updates to their popular web browser, Internet Explorer, as a part of their Windows Update for the month of January. Internet Explorer can now be updated at the same time as the Windows operating system.
After an intense backlash from major Internet companies such as Google and Wikipedia, as well as millions of grassroots supporters, legislators postponed voting on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP (PIPA) Act. However, they have not rejected the bills completely. Website developers and owners should remain wary of legislation like SOPA and PIPA. These bills are overly vague and place an undue burden on domestic Internet-related companies.
While planning a New Year’s Eve outing for my family, I recalled a conversation I had with my brother-in-law nearly two decades ago and came to an interesting realization: websites have made our lives considerably easier. Sure, everyone under the age of 21 knows this on some level, but when you take a moment to think about it, the very existence of websites effectively takes much of the hassle out of information gathering.