Offshore outsourcing & Web design

How Website width can improve traffic

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:43:00 -0700

These days there are many search engine optimization efforts that are paying attention on pushing the home page of a site. This is a fundamental mistake that can result in the site missing out on a lot of traffic. Go Wide, Young Man. In nearly every case, a site should be designed to draw traffic through both the home page and various internal pages. Home pages, obviously, can be tailored to the primary keyword phrases you are seeking, but don’t forget the minor pages. I always find it odd when people ask which keyword phrase they should try to optimize for on their site. They become a bit flummoxed when I tell them to optimize for all of them. The only question is which keywords should appear on which pages.For example, the site NomadJournals.com sells writing journals for outdoor activities such as fly fishing, traveling, hiking, bird watching and so on. So, which of these subjects should be used as the keyword phrase for the home page? None! Instead, the generic term “writing journals” was chosen. But what about the specific journal subjects? The individual pages on the site promoting each journal are optimized for the specific product. The fly fishing journal page is optimized for fly fishing keywords, the travel page for travel keywords and so on. The end result of this is the home page is appearing high in “writing journals” search results, while each of the internal journal pages are also appearing high. This can often lead to an interesting visitor situation. As you review your server stats, you may start noting a majority of your traffic is coming in through internal site pages, not the home page. In the above Nomad Journals scenario, the travel journal page far outdraws the home page, which makes for a nice revenue increase. The home page of a site is critical in a search engine optimization campaign. Just keep in mind it isn’t the only page that can draw free traffic and revenues to your site. The article sponsored by A-1 Technology Inc, dealing in offshore outsourcing and offshore software development

What gives a site a professional appearance?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 03:46:00 -0700

From: phoebemoon · Your site should contain useful and interesting content, presented in an appealing manner with a quick download time. Your sites overall appearance (backgrounds, fonts, etc.) should remain the same from page to page. Use only web-safe colors and fonts. · Your site should load fast with a clear navigation system, unbroken graphics and links that work. · Your site should use appropriate graphics. Don't put in too many, and make sure to optimize the ones you do use to improve load times. · Your site should have content that changes frequently, encouraging return visitors. · Your site should have easily accessible contact information and you should give a quick response when people request information or report trouble. · Your site should have a newsletter that allows visitors to keep in touch and tells them about new changes but does not harvest those E-mail addresses for spam purposes. · Your site should offer lots of free stuff and members-only specials. · Your site should not annoy visitors with too many animated graphics, unwanted popups or music with no "off" button. · Your HTML should be clean. · Your website should be cross browser compatible and accessible to those using text only browsers. The article sponsored by A-1 Technology Inc, dealing in offshore outsourcing and offshore website development.

When you design a website how do you start?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 02:39:00 -0700

Do you start with the banner graphics at the top, or the order page or maybe the sales letter? All of those are areas that have to be created but they're really not the place to start.The place to start is by answering one simple question about your site. What do I want my visitor to do before she leaves?We'll call the answer to that your primary objective, the single thing you most want a visitor to do before leaving.Of course the answer gives rise to another equally important question... If she doesn't do that, what else would I like her to do? We'll call the answer to that your secondary objective, it's your fall back position. If you fail to convince them to take the action that you most want them to do, this fall back action will still serve a purpose and get you other opportunities to achieve objective one.The answer to these questions will define the design of your site for you. Your site will have to be designed so that it can react 'on the fly' and lead the visitor to objective 2 if you fail to achieve objective 1.

REALISTIC OBJECTIVES

Let's take the case of a web site owner who's selling software direct to the end user.What would be the primary objective for such a site? Often the site owner will decide that Objective 1 - the one thing he most wants a visitor to do is to buy the software there and then.Great, that now defines the site for him. To meet the objective the site has to be completely focused on that objective but, it may turn out to be unrealistic to expect to achieve it in one hit.

DESIGN THE SITE TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE

The sales copy has to describe a problem, lay out the solutions and show how the product available from this very page will solve the problem now.The copy must be compelling, it must describe the problem that the product solves in a way that creates detailed pictures in the visitors mind. Pictures of the day to day effects of this problem that the visitor would really want to solve.The copy must then paint pictures to create thoughts and images of life for the visitor without this problem and how much better, easier or more profitable etc life would be if this problem could be solved.Then, like the 7th cavalry riding in, the copy must link the features of the software to the benefits that go with using it and the problem being solved.The more powerful the links and the more positive imagery created in the visitors mind, the more likely it becomes that s/he will be motivated to take action to end the problem and buy the product then and there.The good feelings developed by the copy can be reinforced by glowing testimonials from users who are already enjoying life with the software and without the problem defined.A superb close should be used that reinforces all of the good feelings achieved so far and adds value by careful positioning of the price to be paid against the real value of the product and the list of wonderful exclusive bonuses on offer if the visitor orders now.The visitor feels so positive she reaches for her credit card, completes the order form and buys the product.Great! Primary objective achieved. But.... First, what sort of secondary objective might be achievable by the site owner? We'll look at a couple of examples.

NEWSLETTER

He may have a newsletter about the subject area that his software covers. If so, his secondary objective may be to get the visitor to sign up for it before leaving. That way the site owner has opportunities to build on the pictures painted by the site. He can use the newsletter to reassure, prove the benefits, introduce other benefits. He can show more testimonials and provide a stream of useful, valued information to build a relationship of trust with the visitor.FREE TRIALHe may have a 'test drive' version of the software that will allow the visitor to find out first hand what it does and how it will benefit him to own it. If so his secondary objective might be to get the visitor to download the 'test drive' and then supply him by email with how to's, tutorials and other useful information to get the visitor using the software and experiencing the benefits first hand.

BACK TO OBJECTIVE 1

Either of these secondary objectives provide the site owner further opportunities to develop a relationship with the visitor until they feel ready to buy the software.

HOW TO RE-PURPOSE THE SITE

One of the best ways is the intelligent use of Popups.In this case the site owner only wants to go for objective 2 if objective 1 is not achieved. He knows it hasn't been achieved if the visitor is leaving the site without going to the order page or does go there but doesn't buy the product.Time for a great Popup triggered by either event.A good, fast loading Popup inviting the visitor to sign up for the newsletter or download the test drive works wonders. They're about to leave, but now they see something that's so compelling, free, zero risk, high benefit that they'd be crazy not to react to it.It's a simple technique that has earned a lot of money for a lot of site owners.Set your objectives carefully and structure your site to give you the best chance to achieve at least one of them.

Look out for more in this series from Martin Gateshill http://www.adzinmotion.com The article sponsored by A-1 Technology, dealing in application development outsourcing.

10 Tips For killer website design

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:15:00 -0700

By Jan Peterson

1. Easy Navigation- The Road To Success When people come to your website they are usually searching for something in particular. It might be recipes for a healthy low fat diet that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare or what is the best business to start online. Whatever they want, you need to have the answer. So ask yourself, why do people come to my website? When you know that then you know you should make it easy for them to find it. So, if people come to your website to find widgets, have a button easy to see and locate that says "Widgets". People have been trained to look to the left of the website for the navigation bar.

2. Flashing Gizmos - The Exit Ramp To A Dead End Street

If you are a running a professional site, please don't use flashing graphics. Guaranteed you are encouraging people to leave your site. People have come to you for information. Not to clïck on an ad or have their brain scrambled. Make your website a pleasant environment for the customer to be in. Just like a store. Think about when you go to the mall. You want to go in a store that is clean, well laid out, has good customer service and the products you are looking for. Your website should reflect this. If it is what you expect in your shopping experience, then isn't it reasonable that your customers are looking for this in your website.

3. Color - Enhancing The Highway Scenery Color is an individual preference, but studies show that colors have an affect on people's emotions. Look at the top sites like Amazon; their layout is simple and so is their color scheme. A recommendation would be to go with the flow. If you have a financial investmënt site, then conservative colors seem to follow. If you sell beach items, then lots of fun colors apply. If you have a bridal showër website, I would say soft pastels. Think about your audience and you will know the color scheme.

4. Page Links - I-95 To Your Destination This is a no brainer but make sure all of your buttons are hyperlinked to a page and the right destination page. No one including Google likes broken link pages. It can be tedious but do it anyway. As you hover over the button and look down in the left-hand part of your screen, you will see the hyperlinked page. Just verify that yours are correct.

5. About Us - Is Your Map Reliable? People usually want to know basic things before they do business with you. Who are you, how do I get a hold of you, what is your product or service guarantëe, will you resell my email address, what is your privacy policy, when will I get the product, etc. You need to answer these questïons to create trust between you and your potential customer.

6. Sitemap - How Do I Find My Way Around This Big City? Let's say you have a lot of products or pages and resources. A sitemap helps people to find what they are looking for quickly without have to rummage through your whole site like a lost soul. They are not hard to create but are useful for large sites. It also helps the search engines to know what you are about very quickly.

7. Fast Loading Pages - All Lanes Are Go! There is nothing worse than slow loading pages. You can optimize your graphics for your website. People hate to wait. You can chëck your page load time and page rank on Alexa.com. Slow pages equal death to an online business.

8. Shopping Cart - Need To Buy Some Souvenirs If you are selling items or services, you need a reliable and well organized shopping cart. There are some websites that have a zillion products listed and to email them for orders. What a nightmare! Yes, the shopping carts will charge you a fee, but it is worth it for them to handle the transaction. There are many good shopping carts available and I would research them based on your business' needs.

9. Templates or Original Design- Chevrolet or Porsche People often think that to have a website designed is going to cost thousands. So they opt for the templates and throw together sites. There is nothing wrong with this approach except I can tell the difference between what I call a "canned" site and one that was created from scratch. While I don't think a website that uses templates will turn off a customer, I just think it may not be as appealing. Have fun with your online business. You can go to any number of photography sites and download professional photos from cows to race cars. This will make your site look more customized.

10. Customer Service - The Finish Line! Okay so how is customer service a website design? Well, customer service should be written all over your site. From tips, to frëe reports, to guarantees, to fast and reliable shopping. People want to know you know what you are talking about and can deliver the goods they want. Give a little you'll get in back tenfold.

The article sponsored by A-1 Technology, an offshore outsourcing company.

Web Browsers and Website Development

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 03:36:00 -0700

From: Bravenet Webmaster Tips

Let's talk about browsers. A browser is the piece of software that you use to surf the web. Browsers 'render' code used to develop web pages into what you see when you type your URL (www.yourname.com). To see this in action, go to your favorite web page, right click on the page (make sure you are not over an image when you do this) and select view source. You can see the source code of the page which is rendered by the browser. (sample from my browser, firefox, with two developer extensions listed at bottom) If you are running windows, chances are you are using Internet Explorer (IE) as your web browser. But here's the thing, if you build your website and only test it in IE you may be missing nasty layout and functionality errors that other people will see from other browsers. The truth is, IE doesn't always render things according to the guidelines set out by the 'World Wide Web Consortium - W3C'. IE often fills in the blanks in your bad code, and doesn't implement different models, and CSS specifications correctly. Firefox is the safest browser out there for surfing, it doesn’t contain many of the vulnerabilities that IE does which can be exploited by spyware and other malicious programs. Most importantly, Firefox is constantly under development by a community of volunteer coders. When a problem is found, it is fixed immediately and updates are sent out For the best services in offshore outsourcing, contact A-1 Technology, Inc.The company also deals in application development outsourcing and offshore software outsourcing IT.

The Best and Easiest Google-Friendly Change to Your Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:54:00 -0700

By: Robert Plank From: site-reference

No matter who you are or how much you pay for web site advertising, free search engine traffic is probably responsible for a big part of your business. So why make your web site so hard for search engines to figure out? Luckily, it seems like in the recent years people have paid attention to SEO, moved their sites over to CSS, abolished 'table' and 'font' HTML tags, started using the H1 tag around their titles... and in general, moved the main content of their site as close to the top of the HTML document as it can go. 'But Robert,' you tell me, 'I have a bunch of fancy JavaScript and CSS at the top of my site that I don't want to get rid of.' That's ok, you can keep it. Just stash it away in another file. By that I mean... if you were lazy and included your CSS right in the HTML document like this: (style type='text/css') (!-- CSS code in here --) (/style) Copy all that text out and delete it from the HTML page. Remove the 'style' tags and the '(!--' and '--)' stuff. Open a new text file, paste the text from the clipboard in, save the file as 'layout.css' then save and upload to your web server. Now, back on your HTML page, place HTML code like this: (link rel='stylesheet' href='http://www.example.com/layout.css')

When someone loads your page in a browser that tells them to look to the URL

http://www.example.com/layout.css for the CSS info. But when the search engines crawl your site they will see a nice, clean, simple layout.

You can do the same thing with JavaScript. Say these are your 'script' tags: (script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript') (!-- JavaScript code in here --) (/script) Do the same thing, copy the JavaScript code but NOT the 'script' tags themselves or the '(!--' or '--)'. Erase the original from the HTML page. Paste the stuff you copied into a new text file and call it something like: 'functions.js' Upload functions.js and in the spot you had your JavaScript code use this: (script language='JavaScript' src='http://www.example.com/functions.js')(/script) One important thing to remember is that NO JavaScript code can be placed between the 'script' tags if you use the 'src' parameter like that. So remember: use H1 tags, use meta description tags, and use CSS, but make sure you include your JavaScript and CSS stylesheets in separate files otherwise there's no point.

The article sponsored by A-1 Technology Inc, a software outsourcing company.

Search Engine Placement: How to get on top?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 5 Aug 2005 22:45:00 -0700

What can you do to win a search engine over and gain a top ranking to achieve visible placement? This is where those great web site optimization tips come in handy. The internet marketing specialist discusses a few facts: Determine Your Web ThemeGoogle is a "theme" based engine. They like to provide search results to web sites that primarily contain a lot of information on specific topic. You should be able to name the "theme" of your site in a two to three word phrase. Create Many Pages!Google loves large sites with loads of quality information. The larger your site is, the more likely you are to gain a ranking under multiple variations of your keyword phrases. Heavily Cross Link Your PagesThis not only makes it easier for Googlebot to crawl through your site, it will also increase your Page Rank and make your pages easier for your visitors to navigate through. Include a link to your home page on all of your pages. Your home page will be viewed as your most important page. The more links coming to it, the better. Keep All Important Pages On TopKeep all of your important pages on the first level of your site. You should never include important pages below the first level. Include A Site MapAgain, this will assist in presenting Googlebot with links to all of your pages from one central location. Don't forget to include your links in text and add descriptions too! Analyze your competitors sites for their titles, keyword weight, placement, word count and link popularity and attempt to model your own web site optimization after these sites. For more help on web designing tips and search engine optimization, contact A-1 Technology, Inc an offshore outsourcing company dealing with software outsourcing, website designing , offshore software development and more..

Website Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 22:56:00 -0700

1. The first thing to be done is to draw out a blueprint for your site. Plan about the purpose of the website, what is it intended for? 2. The overall design should match the purpose of your website. You should not create a site without knowing its purpose. A good website's purpose will be indicated on the first page, and the content will back up that purpose to the full extent.3. After that, decide about the goal of the website. Do you want visitors to return to your site, to save money with your product/service, to make money, to provide an easier way to reach you? The goal of a website goes hand-in-hand with its purpose. 4. After deciding on the purpose and goal of your site, then it's time to map out the flow of the site. To do that, start with the home page and then continue through every page that follows. Each page, including layout, colors, content, and themes, should be consistent with your overall purpose, leading up to the goal of the site.Many websites fail or turn away visitors because they lack an obvious purpose. The design isn't navigable or consistent with their vision.So it's the owner of the site, who needs to state it and to make sure that the design is consistent with the goal of the site. For further details, you may contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company, also dealing in offshore software development and software development outsourcing

Ecnomic benefits of outsourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 01:14:00 -0700

From: mackinac Outsourcing itself is nothing new. U.S. companies and governments have been outsourcing domestically for decades by contracting out such services as payroll, database management, and janitorial services. The new twist has been the recent increase in foreign outsourcing, or offshoring, in which companies buy services from foreign-based providers. Foreign outsourcing has been made increasingly cost-effective because of the personal computer, which has digitized much of our work, and high-speed and deregulated transmission of that information through broadband and the Internet. Informational technology (IT) companies are increasingly outsourcing routine programming, data entry, and system monitoring. Call centers are shifting more of those thankless jobs abroad. Foreign outsourcing almost certainly benefits the U.S. economy in the short run as well as the long run. Like more conventional forms of trade, foreign outsourcing allows U.S. companies to dramatically cut the cost of certain information technology services. As a result, U.S. companies become more competitive in what they do best, their “core competencies.” Better and more affordable services become available for consumers and taxpayers. Outsourcing allows companies to operate on an around-the-clock, “24/7” production cycle, further adding to productivity. Outsourcing is even making possible work that simply wouldn’t exist otherwise, such as chasing down delinquent accounts receivable that were thought to be beyond collection. For the best offshore outsourcing services, offshore software development and offshore software outsourcing, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company.

A good website design: know hows

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 8 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Visual appeal is a must when it comes to website design. A website’s design should be easy on the reader. Using the right fonts and choosing the right colors that can create the correct appeal to the people is a crucial factor. For your design elements, think clean, crisp, and appealing. Always use darker text on a light background. If using light text on a dark background, just be aware that the color does not mix up and it can be hard to identify the text. Clutter is not appreciated. Flash or gif animation should be avoided, and used only when there is an actual need of these. Create proper alignment of pictures and text. Text is read better in the left alignment as opposed to the center alignment. Pictures work well with text when left aligned in the body of the text. Navigation should be consistent throughout each page. Take advantage of a structured template and navigation scheme that is consistent for each page of your website. Check to make sure that none of your links are broken. When adding new links to the navigation, make sure it is added on each page.These are all steps that can help you create a well-planned design. Remember, visual appeal is very important and plays on the five senses of each of your site visitors. If you can greet your visitors with a good design, you have a higher chance of retaining that visitor for a longer period of time and catch them on the first visit. For the best offshore outsourcing services, software development outsourcing and offshore software development, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company.

Web site design facts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 5 Jul 2005 21:19:00 -0700

From: informit If you have a small informational site to post, this might be a great, quick way to get your message out. If you have limited web skills (or none), but really understand Word, you should love this approach. Even those who routinely use other tools for web construction might use Word's web features some of the time—particularly to storyboard

Gathering Ingredients

There are three big steps to actual web publication:

Gathering the information (both textual and graphical). Building the site. Posting the site. Here are the kinds of raw materials you'll need to gather. You can put them together first, or do as many web designers do.Use placeholders until you write the text and locate the graphics.

To build the whole site you'd need the following:

Text. Graphics in a web-supported file format such as GIF or JPEG. If you're designing first and building later, you can use Word's clip art feature for placeholders. An email address where you'll feel comfortable receiving mail from people who contact you through your site.

For the best offshore outsourcing services, offshore software development and software development outsourcing, contact A-1 Technology,Inc,an offshore outsourcing Company

A well-designed web site

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 4 Jul 2005 02:54:00 -0700

Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but good design is not. Unlike art, design is meant to be used, and can be judged more objectively. The well-designed web site: 1. Lets the users accomplish their goals. Your design must be—above all else—intuitive and functional for users. It should allow them to smoothly—almost effortlessly—accomplish their goals. 2. Makes its purpose clear. The web is an ambiguous medium. Designers must work overtime to make the site's purpose and functionality clear to the user, even if a site's purpose is to delight, surprise, and amuse—that, too, must be clear. 3. Follows conventions. Over the years, conventions have emerged for how sites should look and work. When you follow these conventions, you make your users' lives easier (and yours, for that matter). Your web site doesn't have to look like everyone else's, but it should work the way people expect it to. 4. Speeds along. Your web pages have to load quickly. That is, if you want people to use them. You'll need to weigh the trade-offs between the effects you want and the speed they'll cost you. 5. Displays well in different environments. Unlike other media, web sites appear differently to different users, depending on their computer, browser, and monitor. Good web design rises to the challenge—appearing differently, perhaps, but functionally across a range of user environments. 6. Has some style. Despite all these constraints, it's possible to design a site that's stylish and appropriate to your brand. For the best offshore outsourcing services, offshore software development and software development outsourcing, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company.

Offshore Software Development Quickly Becomes Standard.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 1 Jul 2005 21:51:00 -0700

From: enterblog Offshore software development has become the de facto standard. This change has in part become possible by continual refinements in networking and software technology. Foremost among these is predictable, high volume bandwidth. A study of 36 companies by the Gartner groups predicts that the area of information technology with the highest predicted rate of growth will be offshore application management. This field takes advantage of highly skilled foreign workers. The workers toil across the fat pipes laid across the bottom of the ocean floor, keeping databases tuned, and ERP systems bug free According to a report, many of the large Indian technology outsourcers are beginning to threaten the top companies in America. IBM currently has a strong lead in the area of mega-deals. However, Wipro and Infosys are very competitive. Companies from India work very hard to differentiate themselves. Everyone is aware of the large price differential between foreign services and local services. However, if it was only an issue of price alone, the movement of work offshore would not be happening as quickly. The fact is that the many in the industry find that offshore service companies, especially in India, have higher standards for development than do local companies. A clear representation of this can be seen in quality certification. Indian companies have taken great steps towards certification in the ISO and SW-CMM standards. While this does not guarantee results, the time and effort involved with receiving these certifications show a commitment to producing quality work Globalization is a swiftly moving force. It affects every company in the world, whether they like it or not. In IT, this process has suddenly increased in pace, thanks for low prices, and high technology For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company

5 Basic rules of web design and lay out

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 22:50:00 -0700

Your web site should be easy to read

The most important rule in web design is that your web site should be easy to read. What does this mean? You should choose your text and background colors very carefully. You don't want to use backgrounds that obscure your text or use colors that are hard to read. Dark-colored text on a light-colored background is easier to read than light-colored text on a dark-colored background.You also don't want to set your text size too small (hard to read) or too large (it will appear to shout at your visitors). All capitalized letters give the appearance of shouting at your visitors.Keep the alignment of your main text to the left, not centered. Center-aligned text is best used in headlines. You want your visitors to be comfortable with what they are reading, and most text (in the West) is left aligned.

Your web site should be easy to navigate

All of your hyperlinks should be clear to your visitors. Graphic images, such as buttons or tabs, should be clearly labeled and easy to read. Your web graphic designer should select the colors, backgrounds, textures, and special effects on your web graphics very carefully. It is more important that your navigational buttons and tabs be easy to read and understand than to have "flashy" effects.Link colors in your text should be familiar to your visitor (blue text usually indicates an unvisited link and purple or maroon text usually indicates a visited link), if possible. If you elect not to use the default colors, your text links should be emphasized in some other way (boldfaced, a larger font size, set between small vertical lines, or a combination of these). Text links should be unique -- they should not look the same as any other text in your web pages. You do not want people clicking on your headings because they think the headings are links.

Your web site should be easy to find

How are your visitors finding you online? The myth, "If I build a web site, they will come," is still a commonly held belief among companies and organizations new to the Internet. People will not come to your web site unless you promote your site both online and offline.Web sites are promoted online via search engines, directories, award sites, banner advertising, electronic magazines (e-zines) and links from other web sites. If you are not familiar with any of these online terms, then it is best that you have your site promoted by an online marketing professional. Web sites are promoted offline via the conventional advertising methods: print ads, radio, television, brochures, word-of-mouth, etc. Once you have created a web site, all of your company's printed materials including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, etc. should have your URL printed on them.Not only should your web site be easy to find, but your contact information should be easy to find. People like to know that there is a person at the other end of a web site who can help them in the event that:

1. they need answers to questions which are not readily available on your web site;

2. some element on your site is not working and end users need to be able to tell you about it, and

3. directory editors need you to modify parts of your site to be sure that your site is placed in the most relevant category.

By giving all relevant contact information (physical address, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and email address), you are also creating a sense of security for your end users. They can contact you in the way that makes them feel the most comfortable. Your web page layout and design should be consistent throughout the site Just as in any document formatted on a word processor or as in any brochure, newsletter, or newspaper formatted in a desktop publishing program, all graphic images and elements, typefaces, headings, and footers should remain consistent throughout your web site. Consistency and coherence in any document, whether it be a report or a set of web pages, project a professional image.For example, if you use a drop shadow as a special effect in your bullet points, you should use drop shadows in all of your bullets. Link-colors should be consistent throughout your web pages. Typefaces and background colors, too, should remain the same throughout your site.Color-coded web pages, in particular, need this consistency. Typefaces, alignment in the main text and the headings, background effects, and the special effects on graphics should remain the same. Only the colors should change.

Your web site should be quick to download

Studies have indicated that visitors will quickly lose interest in your web site if the majority of a page does not download within 15 seconds. (Artists' pages should have a warning at the top of their pages.) Even web sites that are marketed to high-end users need to consider download times. Sometimes, getting to web site such as Microsoft or Sun Microsystems is so difficult and time consuming that visitors will often try to access the sites during non-working hours from their homes. If your business does not have good brand name recognition, it is best to keep your download time as short as possible.A good application of this rule is adding animation to your site. Sure, animation looks "cool" and does initially catch your eye, but animation graphics tend to be large files. Test the download time of your pages first. If the download time of your page is relatively short and the addition of animation does not unreasonably increase the download time of your page, then and ONLY then should animation be a consideration.Finally, before you consider the personal preferences of your web page design, you should consider all of the above rules FIRST and adapt your personal preferences accordingly. The attitude "I don't like how it looks" should always be secondary to your web site's function. Which is more important: creative expression/corporate image or running a successful business?

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e., software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, Contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company.

Improving Outbound Sales through Outsourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 23:11:00 -0700

Just a few years ago, face-to-face selling was still the primary way to market any product or service. Rare were the companies or individuals who purchased an item over the phone from an unknown caller. The changing conduct of society, the falling cost of telecommunications and the revolution in technologies have transformed the way companies are selling their products and services today. More important, competition in the marketplace and the necessity to achieve greater efficiencies have driven companies to further reduce the cost of their business operations. More and more, the telephone is a primary media used in most selling processes. Many corporations today engage in the high-margin business of telephone sales. Programs range from single-call sales for a product or service, to lead generation for a sales team (some involving appointment set up, seminar registration or follow-up calls on inquiries made on a customer service line). There are almost as many ways to implement an outbound campaign as there are products or services to market. Strategically outsourcing outbound sales has increased greatly among Fortune 1000 corporations whose main objective is to increase sales while reducing their costs. Some reluctance still exists, however, due to issues historically related to the outsourcing decision: lack of data control, fear of over-dependency on a third-party vendor, internal resistance, management issues, etc. Before presenting the benefits of outsourcing, it is important to bear in mind the critical success factors for an outbound campaign. Thereafter, improving outbound sales, whether through outsourcing or internally, lies in enhancing any or all of the key areas: Pre-direct-mail campaigns, Lists, TSR selection, TSR training, Technologies utilized, Incentive programs, Offers proposed to potential customers.

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Fujitsu's five-point plan to successful IT outsourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 20:58:00 -0700

From: fujitsu

1. Ensure cultural alignment Successful IT outsourcing depends on a shared vision and approach to working together, with like minded people working on common goals.

2. Set clear, measurable objectives Align the IT objectives and the business goals with a common focus on meaningful business and operational objectives. Avoid the pitfall of micro level objectives and do not expect results overnight.

3. Keep sponsors engaged Have appropriate relationships at all levels of the client and supplier organisation, including the key sponsors from both parties to keep the agreement on track.

4. Expect change Things will not stay the same for long. Expect and accommodate business change, operational improvement, and technology enhancement.

5. Win win Acknowledge and welcome the mutual dependency an outsourcing arrangement creates. Ensure that your objectives are aligned and that a win for one party is also a win for the other.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e., software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology, Inc,an offshore outsourcing company.

Managing Software Project

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 20:51:00 -0700

There is a significant difference in outsourced software development methodology vs in-house software development. The outsourced software development involves a key decision – primarily a management decision – Should you manage the project in-house or Should you outsource the complete product development? Both of these approaches to outsourced software development have benefits if you have the right outsourcing partner. Typically, if the project management and solution architecture is managed in house using internal resources, it involves a very close resource management. Project manager takes the responsibility of managing the software development direction and ensuring efficient use of development resources. The software development is divided into definable tasks by the internal team, and performance is measured against the individual tasks. The second approach, where the offshore vendor provides complete software development including software architecture and project management services, involves interaction at the functional level. It some times involves a detailed product specification phase – where a project manager spends significant time with the business and interface with the offshore team. The vendor as well as the client, in such cases, shares the responsibility and risks of product development. It involves an interaction at the functional level as opposed to technical level.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e., software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology, Inc,an offshore outsourcing company.

Outsourcing - a New Surge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 01:22:00 -0700

From:seguejobs Recent trends clearly indicate that companies are generally avoiding traditional outsourcing risks and forming a deeper relationship with their offshore partners by setting up dedicated centers. A dedicated center is an extension of an organization abroad. The dedicated center devotes all its efforts to the host organization and, to maintain consistence with the organization's standards, it follows their culture and methodologies to produce immediate results. The center enhances overall productivity, and more importantly, it results in considerable long-term cost savings. Countries like China, India, Israel, and Russia, which possess highly skilled labor forces as well as outsourcing capabilities, have been the major gainers. Despite the fact that each of these countries has its own advantages or drawbacks, there has been a sudden upsurge of dedicated centers in these countries

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology,Inc an offshore outsourcing company

Outsourcing + Insourcing Key to Smartsourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 01:20:00 -0700

From:seguejobs In today's high-speed global business environment, every organization is out to maximize its profits, enlarge its market share, and above all, put a check on ever-increasing costs. Management gurus are undertaking every effort and every possible mantra is being applied to re-think and re-adopt new processes, especially the buzzwords "outsourcing" and "insourcing." Outsourcing is the process of procuring services or products from an external service provider with a view to curb costs, replace in-house capabilities, and thereby reduce the time period of projects. Outsourcing is thus a full transfer or delegation of an organization's facility management functions to an external firm. Outsourcing has emerged as an effective tool to revamp the strategies and benefits of business in a financially viable and pro-active manner. Fundamentally speaking, outsourcing may be classified into two types: traditional outsourcing and Greenfield outsourcing. a. Traditional outsourcing means that the staff of the organization does not perform the same jobs or tasks. Here, tasks to be performed are identified and the service provider usually hires the staff. For instance, IT outsourcing may include a transfer of responsibility for management of data centers and networks. In the field of facility management, the people working as property managers might become the staff of a facility management company. b. Greenfield outsourcing, on the other hand, means that the organization can change its business processes without any hiring of staff by the service provider. The organization, for instance, may hire an up-and-coming company to provide a new service such as wireless remote computing, which was not previously handled internally.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology,Inc an offshore outsourcing company

Outsourcing generates tremendous benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 01:19:00 -0700

From: Fortwayne

Careful analysis reveals that worldwide sourcing - made possible by new technologies that digitize and cheaply transmit information around the world - provides real benefits.

History tells us that new technologies and improved business strategies displace jobs. For example, automobiles workers replaced buggy makers, and ATMs, voice mail and voice recognition software eliminated bank tellers, receptionists and medical transcription jobs.

Consider this: The U.S. economy loses an average of 31-million jobs annually. But new jobs are created even faster. The proof: America generated 60 million net jobs since 1970. And according to the Labor Department, the U.S. will generate another 21.3 million net jobs from 2002 through 2012. Those are over above the jobs that were outsourced.

New technologies, innovation and higher productivity, the primary causes of the so-called job churn, increase wages and improve living standards. In turn, new industries and higher-skilled jobs emerge. Thus, Forrester Research's estimate of the 3.3 million service jobs moving offshore by 2015 represents only a fraction of job churn.

Higher-tech jobs most likely to be outsourced, like computer programming and software design, are projected actually to increase here at home, according to the Labor Department.

What's more, by 2012, all U.S. computer-related occupations are estimated to grow by 15 to 57 percent. Lower-tech jobs prone to outsourcing, such as bookkeeping and customer service, also are projected to increase.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company

Software Testing: The next outsourcing boom sector

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 00:58:00 -0700

From: blogtaragana

Indian Outsourcing industry is increasingly turning towards software testing. In fact India has started providing software testing services to customers from 2005.

Reuters reports on companies like Wipro, Infosys and Aztech who are experiencing boom in this sector.Wipro has jumped four-fold to 2,400 in two years. In the nine months to December, revenue grew 90 percent to $64 million, three times the industry average.

Software glitches are estimated to cost nearly $60 billion a year in the United States alone, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Companies such as online share brokers and handset makers are willing to spend a lot to avoid them. Testing could make up 25-50 percent of software budgets. Independent testing is growing at 50-65 percent while the part of work done offshore is growing at 35-40 percent.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, contact A-1 Technology, Inc, an offshore outsourcing company

Carlson Cos. Close To Seven-Year Outsourcing Deal With IBM

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 23:27:00 -0700

From: InformationWeek Carlson Cos., an operator of several well-known travel and hospitality brands, plans to outsource a number of business and technology functions to IBM, company officials confirmed Friday Carlson, whose brands include Radisson Hotels, T.G.I. Fridays restaurants, and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, is negotiating with IBM to hand off a portion of its IT and finance operations to the vendor. Carlson expects to have a final seven-year agreement with IBM in place within 45 days.Carlson executives believe IBM, which maintains technology and business-services centers in India and other low-cost countries, can operate those functions more efficiently and economically than in-house workers. Carlson said it expects to cut about 525 jobs as a result of the move, but officials note that 100 to 125 of those workers will be picked up by IBM. The remainder of the work will be distributed to IBM facilities in the United States, Canada, and India. Carlson said it's not outsourcing customer-facing activities, such as hotel and travel reservations, because for the most part it considers those operations too important to turn over to a third party. Analysts say Carlson's plans show how more companies are outsourcing in an effort to align their costs structures with those of competitors that have already taken such steps. For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, contact A-1 Technology, Inc,an offshore outsourcing company.

Indian Outsourcing Firms Make Global Push In China, America

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 22:51:00 -0700

From: outsource360

While U.S. workers and corporations continue to digest the idea that college grads on the other side of the planet can do the same jobs for one-third the price, the very firms that have made these shifts possible are heading to new countries — and, in some cases, circling back to the U.S.

Cognizant Technology, (CTSH) Infosys, (INFY) Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro, (WIT) companies whose heavily India-based staff develop and maintain big IT systems for their North American and European clients, have started to set up operations in other cheap-labor locales such as China and the Czech Republic.

At the same time, they are recruiting more experienced U.S.-based workers to offer the business consulting typically provided by firms like Accenture (ACN) and McKinsey.

Stoking these ambitions are growth rates that outshine those of their U.S. tech service rivals. The Indian firms have increased annual sales by at least 40% for each of the past two years, and investors have taken note.

Take Bangalore-based Wipro. With $1.9 billion in annual sales, it's just one-tenth the size of EDS. (EDS) But Wipro's market capitalization tops that of its Texas competitor's by more than $5 billion.

Strong sales and stock prices have given the Indian firms momentum to expand in countries like China.

Indian firms have invested close to $50 million in China and employ nearly 2,000 people there, says Indian trade group NASSCOM.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e, software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services, contact A-1 Technology,Inc,an offshore outsourcing company.

Eye on offshoring: Accessing the suppliers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 20:55:00 -0700

From: computerworld

Recognizing the current state of flux of offshoring, key characteristics that must be understood in detail for each supplier under consideration include:

Multinational capability. Are services located in one country or even one city, or are they diverse on a global scale?
Partnerships/use of third parties. What are the key partnerships the supplier has formed? Does it have offshore partners it will outsource work to?
Turnover rate. Many call centers in India are experiencing a turnover rate of 50%, and application development centers are experiencing 15% to 25% turnover. Obviously, the lower the turnover rate, the more stable the environment.
Technical infrastructure. What is the composition of the supplier's technical infrastructure and support structure? Is its support plan standards-based
Business continuity and disaster recovery. What is the plan, and has it been evaluated lately?
Security. What is the security plan, and has the supplier recently conducted a risk assessment? If so, how often does it assess its security posture?
Service-level agreements. Does the supplier tie all of its SLAs to the delivery of the product, or is the SLA modularized?

Different companies will have different comfort levels with the answers to these key characteristics. To reinforce the point; the key to successful offshoring is a well-defined, executable strategy and governance plan. Using a supplier-independent consultancy to select the most responsive and responsible supplier of offshore service will help guarantee success.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e., software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology,Inc,an offshore outsourcing company

Outsourcing in India: Advantage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 20:55:00 -0700

From: outsourcing2india

Indian companies are seen as preferred partners all over the world. The natural resource of India lies in its abundant technically skilled manpower, easily transforming India into an outsourcing paradise. It has a large pool of computer literate and English speaking professionals and, above all use of state-of-the-art technologies especially in software development. The solutions are cost-effective, high quality, highly reliable, and delivered on time.

The Indian advantage lies primarily in the educational and technical qualifications of the personnel, who are often more qualified than the people working in the parent locations. A survey conducted in 2002 by NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies) showed that an India based ITES-BPO center in the banking and financial service sector, performs better than a UK or US based facility on significant factors such as the number of correct transactions/total umber of transactions, total satisfaction factor, number of transactions per hour and the average speed of answers.

The survey also says that 45 percent of Indian service providers have certifications like Six Sigma (a disciplined, statistical quality control method that measures the number of defects compared to the opportunities to make defects) and CMMI ( Capabilty Maturity Model Integration - which is a process improvement method that provides a set of best practices that address productivity, performance, costs, and customer satisfaction.). Moreover, a lot of organizations are upgrading their quality standards to from the ISE 9000 to the new ISO 9000:2000, and from the CMM framework to the new CMMI framework.

Pune is a fast emerging outsourcing destination. This fast emerging info hub fast has a large number of quality educational institutions and universities. Today its resources and statistics back its claim for the numero uno destination for IT investments. The setting up of IT Parks with good connectivity, phone lines and electricity and a robust telecom infrastructure is another reason for why Pune is the new IT destination. The availability of huge land in prime locations coupled with the abundant trained manpower has prompted many companies to open office in Pune.

The Indian model ensures that it works in systematic manner. IT systems - production servers, mainframes, and application systems - rarely reside in India. Rather, outsourced systems reside at the client site, or in some cases, at a hosted site in the US or Europe. Remote workers in India develop code or maintain systems from a facility in India over a variety of communications links.

For the best Offshore Software Development, i.e., software Development outsourcing and Offshore outsourcing services contact A-1 Technology, Inc,an offshore outsourcing company.