How can i judge if a website is designed good?

March 18th, 2011 by Mustafa Yildiz

While i was looking through my websites statistics, i noticed someone had searched the sentence “how can i judge if a website is designed good” and somehow stumbled on my website. Now, I personally believe that this is a very important question that anyone who is seriously considering to develop a website should be asking.

First, let’s look at the basic concept of design.By designing something, what are we really doing?

We are:

• Sorting and Organising things
• Deciding the shape and colours of them
• Applying commonly used standards

These are just a few examples of what you do, when you design something. I’m not just talking about website design here but any kind of design.

Now, in order to identify a good design, one needs to be able to pay attention to detail (in fact, this is one of the more common criteria looked for when recruiting website designer by agencies). Whether you do have the ability to see things in detail is a whole different topic. Most commonly, I see people who have great ability to see details visually but don’t realise them, and then there are people who barely understand any of what they’re seeing and still think of themselves on an equal level of professional designers.

The biggest criteria for a good website design, is that it needs to be able to please as many people as possible. This is certainly not something that can be easily accomplished most of the time.

Let’s take Google as an example, if Google’s design had it not been so pleasant, we could’ve had a few more search engines today. Why do people like Google’s design when there’s barely any content or images on its home page? It’s super simple, yet super effective. When people get all excited about there website, the first thing that comes to there mind is “how do i make my website have a WOW effect” and they quickly conclude that they need very big images flying in from the left right and center. Well, that’s the wrong way to have a website designed. If I was a customer and I saw that on the homepage, I would quickly hit the back button of my browser and goto the next website on Google’s search results.

When you’re looking to get your website designed and developed, do some research on how your competitors websites look. Doing this will give your eyes some basic training required to understand what looks nice and what doesn’t. But remember, what you find boring can be beautiful to someone else, what you find exciting can be annoying to someone else. This is why it takes website designers several years to not only train their mental designing capability but to also train their eyes in recognising what works with certain website designs and what doesn’t.

My recommendation is, if you want to be a good judge at judging the quality of a website design, then you have to do the hard yards by doing the appropriate research. In any situation, I would recommend that you should leave the last word to your designer since they have most likely spent 1000’s more hours analysing every single website they come across on a day-to-day basis.

Website Design in Parramatta and Western Sydney

March 15th, 2011 by Mustafa Yildiz

Ever since I moved out to the western suburbs of Parramatta and further west, I have been getting some interesting feedback from businesses. I shouldn’t say all but quite a few businesses were under the impression that websites were something that business in the eastern suburbs of Sydney required.

Although there is some truth to that point, the overall argument is incorrect. From what I have seen, some of the products and merchandise in the western suburbs are much cheaper than what you would find in stores near the Sydney CBD. Prices of products is only a single reason of the many reasons why people search for businesses online, but i could comfortably say its one of the more important reasons why people search for products online.

No matter where you are in the world, whether your are selling a products or maybe your selling a service. Any serious business who is wanting to come across as professionals in their respective industry should have a website. By showing your website to your customers and potential future customers, you are virtually telling them that your business is here to stay.

So, the next time you’re considering the potential of what a website can do for your business, think about all the sales you could be making by using a website as a viral marketing tool.

The solution to Mr. Smith’s 1 million dollar population problem.

August 12th, 2010 by Mustafa Yildiz

Hello, my name is Mustafa Yildiz. I am a 22 year old part student part entrepreneur. I would like to use this blog post to tell everyone a little about myself and then move on to what I think is the solution to mr. Smith’s problem.

I am from a Turkish background, I was born in Turkey but I have spent most of my life in Australia. I currently have 4 sisters which all of them are older (yes, I am the youngest and the only boy of the family). Apparently, from what my parents have told me with their stories, my dad didn’t give up on wanting children until he had a son.

Turkey is a good example of a country that is overcrowded. Because there is a continuous cycle of children growing up in big families and then wanting to have a big family themselves. Having such a large population of over 70 million, the government of Turkey does not have the resources to support the large percentage of unemployed people with social security.

Although the exact same thing might not happen here in Australia, I do agree with Mr. Smith to a certain point where our living standards will drop in relation to the overgrowth of the Australian population. Having said that, I am pretty sure we Australians have more land belonging to us on average compared to most other countries.

I will disagree with Mr. Smith on one point, and that is limiting immigration intake can not be a solution in anyway. It may delay people from coming to Australia, but as the population of the whole world grows, Australia will be forced to share its land with other nations.

So, as you have clearly stated, how do we reduce the number of births to a point where there is a decline in the worlds overall population? I would like to answer this question with the following true story:

It was during highschool when a businessman came to our school to make a presentation. He went threw quite a few topics from money to work life to life expenses. While he was talking about money management and life expenses. Most of what he was saying was entertaining and inspirational, but one thing that he mentioned stuck onto me. He told us that the average cost of raising a child into adulthood was 1 million dollars.

Now at the age of 22, I am currently married and have a 2 year old child. Although I am certain it doesn’t cost the average child 1 million dollars in expenses, I do understand that there will be some large expenses involved in raising a child. So, I have decided that I will not have any more children for the rest of my life.

What I am trying to get is, the solution to the worlds growing population is education. Educated minds are more likely to be able to foresee the events of the future. If my parents were educated, I am certain they would’ve stuck with one or two at most children. Because there are still large populations who are uneducated around the world, we stick to our natural instincts in believing that having a lot of children is good for surviving and life in general.

If I had the power to fulfill my dream, I would create an online university that had the ability to teach everyone and anyone in the whole world. Educating everyone in their own language, at their own level of understanding. If the people of the world want the luxuries that we have today, then we all have to work hard for it, making informed decisions for the future. And, in order to make informed decisions, we need to treat everyone equally not discriminating based on their age, gender, race or where they live in the world. As the human race of the world we call earth, we firstly need to learn how to help each other before we learn how to maintain the balance of the finite resources of earth.

Just to recap, this population problem isn’t just a problem that Australia will need to face up to but rather a problem the whole world will need to face. Mr. Smith, I highly doubt that the 1 million dollars you are offering to the people will solve such a big global problem. I believe that the big corporates CEO’s need to pay more attention to these kind of topics and pressure the governments all around the world to take action. Finally, I strongly believe increasing the worlds standard of education will be the solution to the majority of the problems we will face in the future and not just our population problem.

Why use OsCommerce as your next shopping cart?

June 23rd, 2010 by Mustafa Yildiz

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I would like to state the OsCommerce is an Open Source online shopping cart system that is written in the programming language PHP. In other words, it is distributed free of charge.

Here is a brief extract direct from their website:

osCommerce has attracted a large growing e-commerce community that consists of over 234,700 store owners and developers who support each other and extend osCommerce Online Merchant with add-ons being contributed on a daily basis. To date there are over 6,000 add-ons that are available for free to customize osCommerce Online Merchant online stores and to help increase sales.

osCommerce Online Merchant is an Open Source online shop e-commerce solution that is available for free under the GNU General Public License. It features a rich set of out-of-the-box online shopping cart functionality that allows store owners to setup, run, and maintain online stores with minimum effort and with no costs, fees, or limitations involved.

With over 8 years of operation, osCommerce has built a showcase of over 12,700 online shops that have been voluntarily added to the live shops section, and powers many thousands of more online shops worldwide.

Source: www.oscommerce.com

How popular OsCommerce is, it’s truly amazing. People (and many) use OsCommerce because it simply works. Not because it’s free to download and use, but rather because it is a trusted application which have been tested by thousands if not millions.

Too often I see online business owners with custom made shopping carts. Which more often than not, they tend to have major problems like being sluggish or too difficult for users. I say, why re-invent the wheel? In these kind of situations I explain to my customers the benefits of using Open Source applications.

I personally think the biggest benefit of using Open Source applications like OsCommerce is the ability to get your shopping cart developed by anyone who is familiar with the system. One of my customers specifically asked me “What happens to our shopping cart if you were to be run over a bus tomorrow?”. Although such events are highly unlikely for it to happen to your developers, but what if they change the industry that they work in. The thousands of dollars of investment will go to waste as soon as a problem arises with your shopping cart.

So, whether you’re looking to get a new e-commerce business or whether you’re looking to upgrade your current system. Make sure you ask the person who’s quoting you for your project whether they use OsCommerce for their shopping cart application. Alternative, feel free to either give me a call or send me an e-mail and I would be more than glad to point you in the right direction.

Starting Your Own Virtual Assistant Business

June 2nd, 2010 by Mustafa Yildiz

Here is in extract from Lia Harman’s blog Day2DayVA.

Step 1:  Do your research
There are a lot of great resources out there for aspiring VA’s. You can read articles, undertake courses, the amount of resources available can be overwhelming. To help you cut through the mountains of information available to you, here are a couple of websites that I trust, that you should check out for information on becoming a VA.

A Clayton’s Secretary:  www.asecretary.com.au
The Australian Virtual Business Network:  www.avbn.com.au
Virtually Yours Virtual Assistant Network:  www.virtuallyyours.com.au

Step 2:   Determine your strengths
The most important thing to do is to figure out what you want to specialise in. Too many people decide to become a Virtual Assistant and then realise that they don’t have the skills to complete the work that they have secured. Think about what you have done in your full time employement, what your skills are, the level of technology you are comfortable using, and most importantly what you enjoy. Once you know what you want to do as a VA, it will be easier to win clients and deliver results.

Step 3.   Set up your business
You need to talk to your accountant on the best way to set up your business. But in addition to that, get everything organised BEFORE you start advertising your business.

- Develop your website. As a VA, we exist only due to the technology that is available to us. So make sure you demonstrate that you have embraced that technology by having your own website! It doesn’t have to be too complicated, even just a simple Wordpress blog or Vista website that outlines the services you provide, and your contact details.

- Design a logo and choose a business name. Having a logo gives you an element to use throughout all of your business and marketing materials, and it shows a level of professionalism.

- Order your business cards. There is nothing more unprofessional that telling someone what you do, and then not having a card to give them. How do you expect them to rememeber you? Make sure your business card is clean and simple, it includes your logo and business name, your name and contact details, and don’t neglect the back of a card – there is a lot of space there to use to include a few points about the services you offer!  See Vista Print for free cards and other marketing materials.

- Set up your invoice template. Whether you do your invoices in Excel, MYOB or Quickbooks, make sure you set up a template that again includes your logo and business name. Having a consistent look and feel throughout all of your business stationery, business and marketing material is so important, and shows that you have attention to detail and a level of professionalism.

- WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, how are you going to get there? There are a lot of business plan and marketing plan templates available online, so do some research and write a plan. Work out your rates – what do you need to charge to achieve your goals, and is this going to be achievable? If you need to charge a higher hourly rate, make sure you have the point of difference that is going to sustain this!

Step 4.   Join some networks
The main way that I get new clients is through word-of-mouth, and that’s because I spend time networking. Both online and face-to-face. So join a few VA networks online (refer to the websites I listed at the top of this blog post), and check out your local Chamber of Commerce, or business networking groups in your area. And make sure that you always have your business cards with you when you attend networking meetings!

Step 5.   Promote your business
Now that you’re ready to go and you have your business “front of house” in order, it’s time to look for some clients. Networking is one way, but there are others. Join some job leads groups (again refer to the above websites). Figure out the kinds of businesses you want to assist, and directly target them through mailings, emails, telemarketing etc. Have an information pack ready to send out to people, either by post or email. Set up a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account for your business. Check out LinkedIn. Promote via some free business directories that are available. There are thousands of free or inexpensive ways to promote your business.

For the full article please visit: So you want to be a VA?

Using the right Browser for the right job.

May 15th, 2010 by Mustafa Yildiz

Today as I was browsing newspaper articles on Google I came across an article by PCWorld titled “Work Around Browser Crashes and Lock-Ups” by Rick Broida.

“…try a different browser. If IE’s giving you trouble, try Firefox. If Firefox doesn’t work properly, try Google Chrome. (Heck, throw Opera and Safari into the mix. Any “different browser” will do.) The idea is to pin down the problem: is it browser-specific, or something affecting your entire system?”

It was this part of the article which caught my attention. It’s true, most people should really try out the different browsers available on the internet to see which best suits their surfing behaviour. What I mean by “surfing behaviour” is just another of saying “the types of websites that you use on a daily basis”. This behaviour can vary from corporate styled websites which only accept Internet Explorer, to multimedia styled websites where Firefox takes advantages of it superior plugins archive. At the same time, a browser like Google’s Chrome can open some javascript heavy websites much quicker than any other browser out there.

Be warned, being too adventurous in the kingdom of Browsers can be dangerous. Installing too many browsers with not enough reputation can lead to leaving your computer vulnerable. No matter what their names are, these browsers are software applications just like anything else in your operating system. Some certain browsers which aren’t as popular as Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer can potentially have flaws in their coding which may give access a hacker to your computer.

My personal suggestion for staying safe would be installing 5 of the most popular browsers at most (of course this suggestion isn’t for those who have advanced knowledge in IT/Browsers).

Creating a blog under 2 minutes time

April 11th, 2010 by Mustafa Yildiz

Blogging has been a popular term for many years. Many of us have at least one blog whether it’s being regularly updated or merely collecting virtual dust. It’s interesting to see that more and more business owners are starting their own blogs and keeping their clients informed through it. But there are still people out there who are terrified of the whole concept.

In this tutorial I will be showing those who have always wanted to create their own blogs, but never got around to it, how easy / simple it is to make one.

1. Goto http://en.wordpress.com/signup/

2. Fill out the details of your account

3. Get your own mywebsite.wordpress.com address free of charge.

4. Check your email to activate your wordpress account.

5. ENJOY!

What Is Your Business Websites Worth

October 31st, 2008 by Mustafa

It is a widely known fact that business that mainly own websites are usually middle sized or bigger. The obvious reason for this would be:

1. They have more money to spend on a website.
2. They have more time and resources to further develop their website.

Although these two reasons are somewhat true to most small businesses, but they aren’t obstacles which can be easily overcome by. Most small businesses would actually be happy if they had a sudden surge business where they can work for longer hours and put more effort into their business.

On the other hand, there are a small group of businesses who have taken a leap of faith and have invested in a website. Where they have also forgotten about their website as soon as it was developed.

Now, I would like to educate as many business owners as possible the idea that a website is not:

• A digital brochure
• A digital business card
• A decoration

A website can be seen as either a business all by itself or as a selling tool. Those businesses who get their business website developed and hope their website magically generates an extra 50% of their business, in a short period of time understand the mistake they have done. Websites only become successful only if their owners continuously improve and promote the websites they have.

Whether you’re already a website owner or whether you’re planning on getting a website developed. The more effort you put into your website, the more it will multiply your profits and bottom line or else it will just do nothing and you won’t get the best value from the money you have invested.

How To Know If Your Website Is Designed Well

September 26th, 2008 by Mustafa

Over the past week or so, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of design with some websites. It is important for business owners to take notice of the quality of their own websites. One doesn’t have to attend to Tertiary Education in order to judge if a website has been designed well. So what to look for when evaluating the quality design of your website?

• Make sure that the information that is portrayed on your website is easy to read.
• Don’t go overboard with images unless you’re really trying to impress you customers (on the other hand you can actually scare them off at the same time).
• Be precise when it comes color selection and make sure your websites’ color matches those of your business.
• Understand your customers want and need of your customers and make sure it’s easy for them to use the website.

Designing a website can become a complicated process, from branding process all the way to information architecture. But, by applying the information given above to your websites evaluation will give you a fairly good idea whether your business website is fit to challenge your business competitors website.

5 Good Reasons Why Each Business In Australia Needs A Website

September 19th, 2008 by Mustafa

Over the past decade, average Australian users have become more familiar with the use of internet at their homes and/or offices. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has been providing us with valuable information with this trend of percentage of Australian homes using a computer and internet.

Other than factual statistics provided by ABS, it is a well know information that websites have evolved from the basic idea of a digital catalog to way more complicated and function websites. In this Era of technology, users are preferring the luxury of their home whether they’re looking for a specific information or wanting to get a specific task accomplished.

This new trend/breed of people are demanding for more services and information, especially from small to medium sized businesses. Knowing this, businesses are in a rush to grab onto this new opportunity to grow their business.

If you’re still not convinced why each business owner needs a website, have a read of the following 5 reasons:

1. In 2006-07, of estimated 11.3 million people who accessed the Internet from any location, 61% used the Internet to purchase or order goods or services for private purposes.
2. The 2006-07 MPHS indicated that in 2006-07, 64% of Australian households had home Internet access and 73% of households had access to a computer.
3. Over the years from 1998 to 2006-07, households access to home Internet in Australia has quadrupled from 16% to 64%.
4. The internet will grow six times faster than traditional media between 2006 and 2009 and increase its share of the ad market from 5.8% to 8.7%.
5. ZenithOptimedia predicts adspend to overtake radio in 2008, a year earlier than the forecast in December.

If all of this information is still not enough to convince small businesses, they will soon realise their urgent need of a website when more and more customers start asking for the business website.

Abbreviations
MPHS: Multi-Purpose Household Survey
ABS: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Sources
http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/DFEED0F4BFFE51E0CA2573B6001F777B/$File/81460_2006-07.pdf
http://www.zenithoptimedia.com/gff/pdf/Advertising%20Expenditure%20Forecasts%20%20March%202007.pdf