Permanent Move to Self Hosted Wordpress Blog

For all posts and any new posts that will be made in the future you will now need to go to my new blog address located here:

Affordable Web Design 

Sorry for the inconvenience but it was thought high time that this blog should be on a self hosted platform and able to use all the functionality that comes with the Wordpress blogging platform.

For many there will be no noticeable change as the blog has been running under its self hosted address for many months. So it will only be people using the blogspot URL that will have been affected. So please just go to the new address and update your link if you have been using the old address and all will be well again.

Check Page Rank on All Blog Posts and Website Pages

Check Page Rank on All Blog Posts and Website Pages

Checking the page rank on individual blog posts or web pages is a great way to get an insight into what are popular topics from the content you publish. This is not always easy to accomplish when there are multiple pages or blog posts to consider. Many people simply trawl through the individual URL's checking the page rank on an individual basis.

There is usually a solution to most problems on the Internet and page rank checking is no exception. This one was not as straightforward as simply finding a Plugin or extension to do the job but there was a script available that essentially uses an XML sitemap to identify all the required pages and another one that pulls the associated PR for those pages. Putting the two together was a stroke of genius and how it was done is described on the Page Rank Checker article.

The end result of following the instructions detailed in the article is a very useful Multiple Page Rank Checker that simply requires an XML sitemap to run it.

Visit the blog post check page rank for more information on creating site maps for Wordpress Blogs or find out how to create a sitemap for your web design using this link.

CSS Formatting for Mulitple Drop Down Menu and Relative Position Divs

This post will be of great interest to web designers that use Dreamweaver. The reason for saying this is that in the past I have discussed how tricky it can be to create a drop down menu system for multiple pages that is both search engine friendly, fast to react and works flawlessly.

Something that, for this particular dog care website, is going to be an essential requirement, as it grows from its humble beginning into a significant Internet presence with many multiples of pages.

So apart from the content, what are the primary design features that a website needs to allow new pages to be added easily and at will: visit

• Using templates to update multiple pages in a few keystrokes
• Adopting a CSS and list based drop down menu that can have new categories added very quickly and easily
• Using navigation that can be spidered instantly by search engines, as opposed to Flash or Java based options
• Using a layout format that can grow with the content i.e. using 'relative div positioning' as opposed to 'absolute div positioning'

By combining all these features, you should be able to see that pages, based on a simple template, can be created where the footer and contents sections adapt and re-position themselves automatically to accommodate the content being added.  This makes the whole process of creating new pages and publishing them much simpler and quicker.

So first things first, how to create a fast loading, search engine friendly, multiple page dropdown menu. Probably the best tutorial I have seen on the subject.

There are one or two problems associated with this tutorial, the first is that when you place a div below the menu, it sits in front of the drop down portion obscuring the view. My solution to this was as follows:

• Hi, I added a Z-Index value of 1 to the '#navMenu ul ul' div and viewed it in IE7, seemed to work fine for me. I also checked Google Chrome and Mozilla, they were all OK after I did this. None worked before I added the Z-Index. I updated it in the CSS Rule Definition box under positioning. But there is actually a better solution, just add a Z-Index of 9999 to the #navMenu ul li:hover ul. This always ensures it is the very top layer and was found on this page CSS Drop Down Menu Tutorial
• Someone else also made this comment which fixed the problem for him - "OK fixed: had to add DOCTYPE? in the head in to the html file which I didn't do at first as I was practicing these menus."

The other problem was that he didn't create any CSS code for the wrapper, but if you visit this tutorial on using div positioning, you should be able to work things out for yourself. This tutorial also covers how you configure your divs for automatic re-positioning as content is added.

OK that takes care of the formatting side of things, now for quick updates using templates. This part is for web designers that use Dreamweaver because it discusses creating and using Dreamweaver templates. Again it was the best tutorial I could find on the subject.

The main thing to remember when using templates is that the portions of the page you want to edit should be turned into 'editable regions'. Then when you want a new page you just go to the file menu and click on new. You will then be able to select the template you want and create your new page, then add content or update the 'editable sections'.

All in all pretty much everything you need to create a website that can be developed and added to very quickly. So a big thanks to the guys that created the tutorials.

The next aspect to look at is how to make that horizontal menu vertical so that it is even more flexible. One for the future, I think.

Release of New Puppy and Dog Care Website

The latest offering from Moulin Website Design is a website dedicated to Puppy and Dog Care, another site which can be added to the ever growing portfolio of websites. This is a nice design example for customers but also has some interesting design features for web designers.

The reason for saying this is that in the past I have discussed how tricky it can be to create a drop down menu system for multiple pages that is both search engine friendly, fast to react and works flawlessly. Something that, for this particular website, is going to be an essential requirement, as it grows from its humble beginning into a significant Internet presence with many multiples of pages.

So apart from the content, what are the primary design features that a website needs to allow new pages to be added easily and at will: visit this Multiple Drop Down Menu article to find out.

Creating a Business Blog and Accepting Online Payments

Creating a Business Blog and Accepting Online Payments

Getting that little 'Buy Now' button shown on the left (its not a functioning one by the way) seems to cause a lot of people a lot of problems. Where in fact, it is actually quite a simple thing to do; if you take the easy options and are prepared to accept that you will have to pay a small commission for each sale made using the button.

For the most basic of eCommerce options, there are a few relatively simple steps to go through which are well within the capability of anyone that can read and follow instructions. 

For those that are not particularly interested in implementing the process themselves you could purchase hosting from Affordable Web Designs and take the option of having a Wordpress blog set up for you as part of the cost. Just mention that you were offered that option when you get in touch.

For anyone else, you can use the link at the top to find out exactly how to go about setting up an own domain business blog.

Web Design for Gites and Holiday Accommodation

Le Moulin de l'Argentouire - Castelnaudary France

Feast your eyes on the latest website design from Moulin Website Designs. This one is a bit special because it is a website designed to be used as a template for all holiday accommodation owners at an affordable price.

If you own or rent out holiday accommodation and like the format of this design, then for a limited time only you can purchase a website design following this format for 158€ design fee and 42€ for 12 months hosting.

Domain registration is dependent on the format required, but typically a .com registration will cost 15€ per year.

A Wordpress blog can be added as a sub-domain on request and included in the price, but once set up administration will be the responsibility of the owner. If you want tracking code added to the site, such as provided by Google Analytics, that is also included in the price.

You will need to supply photographs (16 max per page) and text for each page in a digital format, plus you can select alternative colours of choice to suit your preferences for back ground, borders and font. An alternative font style can also be selected as required.

Take a look around Castelnaudary France and if you think this is a format that you would like to use for your gite, B&B/Chambre d'Hote or holiday accommodation then please get in touch with me Brian Stephens to discuss the details.

Additional pages can be included as required for an agreed cost, all you need to do is ask.

Midi Builder Aude

It's always nice to get a new website design released onto the world wide web, especially one where the customer has been very specific about their requirements.

This one is for a General Builder in Languedoc Roussillon who I have to say had a very clear image of what he wanted his site to look like and which was a very nice specification to work to. The home page was designed to represent all that is beautiful about the Languedoc Roussillon region and depicts what is probably one of the most iconic building projects of the area, the Canal Du Midi. There is some famous architecture in the region but I personally think this was a very good choice.

Beyond the home page there was a requirement to demonstrate his building projects in the before and after state. To have the graphics available for this purpose was in itself a demonstration of good planning and thinking ahead. A much needed trait I would suggest for project management.

Technically and from the design perspective, in the end this was achieved relatively easily by utilising the insert 'rollover image' function of Dreamweaver. I did initially toy with the idea of using the hide/show layers feature to avoid the use of Flash, but this started to become rather complex due to the number of photographs involved. Having spent a reasonable time creating the code to produce the required effect for hide/show, common sense prevailed and I reverted to the much simpler option of inserting a 'rollover image'.

For those not familiar with the function you simply place the cursor where you would like the image in your design page then from the menu at the top of the page click Insert-Image Objects-Rollover Image. You are then presented with a dialogue box that allows you to name the picture, select the before and after graphics, which you will have ideally sized before hand, add an 'alt tag' and a URL address if you want a link. You can also elect to preload the rollover image using a check box if required. It is as simple as that just rinse and repeat for each graphic required to have the rollover image affect.

So why, if it is so simple, even consider an alternative method? The answer is straight forward, if somewhat outdated, it is that not everyone will necessarily have Flash on their PC. Or at least that was a consideration 5 or 6 years ago. In the cold light of day, in February 2011, the chances of that are pretty remote. Hence the application of common sense driven by the need to stick to the budget.

End result a very nice effect on a very well specified design that will probably work on approaching 99.9% of modern day PCs.

Bilingual Website Design Using English and French

Its always good when you get a happy customer, this website was from an existing client who wanted a second version of his original site but expanded to represent a landscape gardening business that is supported and complimented by a building and construction business.

It wasn't a huge challenge because the look and feel needed to be consistent with the original, so it was more of a tweaking exercise than a radical redevelopment.

Sometimes you need to be careful though because it can be the simple jobs that can catch you out. Attention to detail was the order of the day and the site does have a nice look to it.

The bilingual website design aspect was taken care of following the rules discussed in this earlier post.

Downie Drywall Systems, Monmouth New Website Design Published

Downie Drywall Systems are a dry lining and rendering company that work in the construction industry, primarily on new build sites, from their base in Monmouth South Wales.

This is a perfect example of how a low cost, bespoke design website can be constructed to the customers specification. A simple navigation system, adoption of the company logo as the main design component and a professional contact us page with a basic feedback form.

This design was produced and released following the specific instructions of the customer with regard to content and appearance.

English Lessons for the French Advertised on a Bilingual Website

Even a simple single page website can be used for business purposes. You will have to work harder at getting the site indexed by the search engines and will need to get plenty of back links to it to be sure it gets noticed and listed.

But on the positive side you can really target in on your desired keywords and make the site a target for a very focussed niche audience.



With less content the site needs to highlight  and focus the attention on one or two primary keywords to get it listed in a prominent position in the search engine results pages.