Web Articles - PC Technicians Direct

Web Design tips - align images

2007-10-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I have been asked many times "how do i get images to go to the left of my text" now this question is easy to answer but you have to understand that there are many ways to do this it really depends on what doc type you are using and also your layout.

The best and simple way to do this is use the following code:

Now this is how it would look if i used the left text image:

Now this is how it would look if i used the right text image:

You can also align images next to text using CSS. I will be adding a article on css later this week.

Hope this has been helpful.

PC Technicians Direct

Web Design, Web hosting and more

Photoshop help

2007-10-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

If like me you use photoshop, you may want to get the best out of it. To do this you need to know a bit more about what you can do and how it can help you with your designs.

I found watching a video on a tut rather then reading a article, makes it more easy for me to do in the end. Like if someone shows you how to do it rather then tell you.

A great site i found offering FREE videos is called: http://pstutorialsblog.com/

If you're just starting up in photoshop you should go watch some of the videos but even if you have used photoshop for years (like me) it can still come in handy to refresh the old clock :)

Hope you find success watching the videos and keep visiting for more links to great sites!

PC Technicians Direct
Web Design, Web hosting and more

Table vs Div

2007-10-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

There are many sites out and i do not want to research the real number of sites but i think we can agree there are lots!

I have seen many sites saying "go with div" then again i hear sites say "go with table" It's a good question so i thought i take a stab at it.

Divs allow you to control more of your document like position etc there are many ups with it but it is down to the designer in the end.

I mainly use tables for my forms but you can use flash and other types to do this. The best way to get a result is to ask the people what they think as that's better then saying you should do this..rather get a general thought on it.

So what do you use? do you use divs for all your layout or do you go with tables. Let's get a real idea of the number of sites using a set layout.

Thanks

PC Technicians Direct
Web Design, Web hosting and more

Cut price PlayStation 3

2007-10-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

A cut price PlayStation 3 (PS3) with a smaller hard drive and no backwards compatibility with previous consoles goes on sale later this month.

The £299 PS3 has a 40-gigabyte hard disk and will be released in Europe, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

Sony has also slashed the price of the 60GB model from £425 to £349, as it hopes to ignite sales.
Ray Maguire, head of PlayStation UK, said he expected the PS3 user base to double by Christmas.

I remember when they came out with the "slimline" playstations..umm i wonder what has hinted this..maybe trying to kick one over on Microsoft - Xbox 360 game: Halo 3?

PC Technicians Direct
Web Design, Web Hosting and more

Fake Ebay and Paypal e-mails

2007-10-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Fake Ebay and Paypal e-mails which are used to con users out of money are being targeted by a secure mail system.

The online auction site and web pay service are working with Yahoo to use the firm's anti-phishing technology.

The firms are supporting the emerging standard known as domain keys, which block fake e-mails by validating the sender with a digital signature.

If you have been affected by internet crime, please report it and help catch those who would pray on others.

Never send your username and password to anyone claming to be paypal or bank etc. No company will EVER ask you for your password via email.

If you enter private details on a website. Check to see if it is secure because if it is not secure then do not enter private information.

PC Technicians Direct
Web Design, Web Hosting, Cheap domain names and more

ConnectR

2007-10-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

ConnectR robot was shown at the DigitalLife show in New York. It is designed to allow you to talk to your family or friends and not even have to be in the same place as them.
You could be in china and read a book to your kids back in the United States.

This could do wonders for the future and just think...even now they have tools for surgeons to perform surgery without even being there.

Sounds like a phone right? Nope it's better it can even take pictures of intruders and then email them via wifi - great!

This does leave me wondering though - any invention can be used for good and for bad. We seen the the internet hackers can do...what if this ConnectR were to be hacked? Could a hacker in say “Germany” take pictures of you?

It does call for protection from this type of use but i am sure they have already thought about that and have precautions in place.

So now we have a solution for parents who have a busy business schedule but will that leave our kids getting used to the computer rather then the parent?

Many questions to be asked but we should look on the fact that we are moving forward in technology – let’s just hope we can move on with it.

What do you think?

PC Technicians Direct
Web Design, Web Hosting, Cheap Domain names and more

SEO - Your views

2007-10-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Everyone has their own experience within SEO and i just like to hear what you think has helped to you grow within SEO and tips that heleped you to improve your rankings.

Here is my own experience and i hope you take some hints from it.

I have been working on project ranking stat. Where i have been trying to get better rankings for a given search entry. This has not only worked but also done more then i thought it would.

My aim was to get on google top ten for: Professional Low cost graphics design and my first result was page 8 now i checked my search terms and for Professional low cost graphics design it is still at top position. Try it for yourself: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=professional+low+cost+graphics+design&meta=

or just google "professional low cost graphics design"

My next task is to get "Professional low cost website design" top top ten on google search. I will keep you posted on the changes as i get them.

You can find more posts like these on PC Technicians Direct main site: www.pctd.co.uk and for blog posts: www.pctd.co.uk/articles

Thanks for reading.
Adrian
PC Technicians Direct
www.pctd.co.uk

Web hosting back online soon

2007-10-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

Our web hosting packages are currently offline while we perform maintanance on our servers. All current customers will not be affected at all.

Your be happy to know that once we are back online we will be offering great discounts on dedicated servers and web hosting packages.

Check us out:

PC Technicians Direct
Web: www.pctd.co.uk
Email: info@pctd.co.uk

SEO - Basics

2007-10-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Tut provided by: PC Technicians Direct

Having your own website is your best way to express yourself to many people around the world. You plan on getting a message out there and then you hit a wall....how do i get people to my site?

I hope to answer the basics, don't make the mistake of others! Start from the basics and work your way up the SEO ladder.

Ok so i will show you what you can do to help your ranking but be warned this will not be a overnight thing..it could take months to show up so don't worry.

First things first:

Meta tags:

-Some will fight till they are blue in the face saying "Meta tags are not important forget them now" This is wrong! Yahoo still reads meta tags but google does not so much as it used to. Remember there maybe a few search sites that still look for meta data and you don't want to lose those visitors.

Keywords are still important and they can play a very important role in your ranking (if you get it right) so to do this ensure you keep in mind what you want your site to be about. Once you know what you are going to say then go ahead and get ready to SEO the page and here is an example:

Web design does not have to be hard work. Many users can have their very own
website designed using many web design programmes. Once your website is designed
you then need to consider SEO and how your website will look to search bots and
how your design will look to visitors using other browsers.

Notice anything? I have used the following keywords:
Website (x3)
Web (x2)
Design (x3)
Designed (x2)

It's called "Keyword density"

Ok time to skip forward (this is a very short tut but more will come later) OK so now you have all your keywords set and your ready to go.

Next you need a few things.....LINKS!!!!!!

Links to your site will help Search sites find you and also visitors as well. One way links are best (where another site hosts a link to your site but you do not link to them)
Now here is something to keep in mind - QUALITY LINKS...you might be thinking "what the hell is quality links" well the answer is this:

Quality links:
My site is a web design site based in the USA. I link to another site that offers web design

Poor links:
My site is a web design site based in the USA. I link to a animal site based in India.

Getting sites like yours to link to you won't be easy. Remember it's like putting a notice in a shop window, you gotta think "what does the shop keeper get out of it" So try to come to an agreement but try to keep it as a one way link and whatever you do - DO NOT SPAM THEM!!

There are other ways to get one way links - Directories, directories offer listing of your site but some do charge and they might charge because they have a high page rank. Always check with a official page rank checker like google toolbar as some sites say they are page rank 1 etc but later find they have no page rank at all.

I hope this has been of some help to you and i wish you all the best with your site. If you need any more advice then please visit PC Technicians Direct - www.pctd.co.uk

PC Technicians Direct

Web: www.pctd.co.uk
Email: info@pctd.co.uk
Telephone: 0844 884 8670

Have you visited PC Technicians Direct?

2007-10-04T00:21:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of PC Technicians Direct or you may not have. Make it a idea to visit as we offer many free services and blog posts to help you with your pc needs.

Each week PC Technicians Direct post helpful tips on improving your pc speed and fixing most problems. You will also find web design tips and tricks to help you with your web design project.

Don't take my word for it go check it out: www.pctd.co.uk

PC Technicians Direct
Web: www.pctd.co.uk
Email: info@pctd.co.uk

Free web design for non profit charities

2007-10-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Charities - they work hard don't they, and it enver stops the hard work is always around the corner. What if someone could do something to take away some of the hard work? what if it was for FREE?

Well PC Technicians Direct- Is doing something rather special. We want to help local charities to have their own website and we don't want a penny for it.

This is not some PR stunt, this is not some special offer, infact this free web design package for non profit charities will always be offered by PC Technicians Direct for aslong as we are able to.
We don't require any advertising and nor do you have to place any links on your site.

To order your free web design package please ensure you meet the following:

You are a charity based in the UK
You are non profitYou have a registered charity number
You do not aim to make any profit from the site
Your site will be based in English

If you meet the above requirements, please contact us on the details below.

PC Technicians Direct
Web: http://www.pctd.co.uk/
Email: info@pctd.co.uk
Telephone: 0844 884 8670

Google Penalizing Directories

2007-09-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

It would appear that Google has been Google Penalizing Directories.