Affordable Web Design, Inexpensive Web Hosting

For many web designers, style and layout are all important. For many other professional designers, those two parts do not make a whole.

Try this simple test. If you have several browsers installed, let’s say IE and Firefox, you’ll find that opening up some websites in either browser brings about some very surprising results. (In fact, I don’t think it was that long ago that opening up eBay in Firefox resulted in some pretty horrific disfigurement. Fortunately, that cross-browser problem has since been rectified.)

Still, there are many many websites where the designer has not taken those few extra minutes to ensure their beloved CSS is cross-browser compatible. Oh, it looks terrific in IE … but how does it function in Firefox, Opera or Safari? Did you even check???

Figures courtesy of thecounter.com show that the most widely used browers are 1) MSIE 7.x 2) MSIE 6.x 3) Firefox and 4) Safari, with Opera right behind the Mac OS. This shows that although IE remains the major player it no longer has a stranglehold on the market, and more and more users are switching to Firefox.  Figures also show that Mac users are on the rise, so web designers have to keep Safari firmly in mind when developing new websites.

The problem, although less prominent with the latest browser versions, is that some browsers will interpret your CSS in different ways.  This is no longer an obstacle with browser-specific CSS hacks, which force browsers to interpret your CSS the way you want it to perform.

As Sitepoint says: “The way CSS hacks works is to send one CSS rule to the browser(s) you’re trying to trick, and a second CSS rule that overrides the first command to the other browsers. If you have two CSS rules with identical selectors, the second CSS rule will almost always take precedence.”

So before you sign off on your latest design, why not check that your CSS is browser compatible.

For more information about browser specific hacks, check out Sitepoint’s great introduction at http://www.sitepoint.com/article/browser-specific-css-hacks.
Mike

CKL is pleased to announce the addition of several websites to our growing portfolio.

In February/March we signed off on www.beawaresolutions.com.au and the Online Store www.beaware.com.au. Both websites were developed with much care and discipline, never straying from the owner’s commitment for a clear, concise platform for his ever-growing client list.

The websites took much longer than initially planned, but both client and designer were very happy with the outcome.

Late March, we completed another original web presence: Essence Catering Co’s www.essencecateringnsw.com.au.

Another well planned, researched and developed website, we wish owners Andy and Haidee all the very best with their epicurean delights!

Until Next Time

MIKE @ CKL

SHELLY BEACH, June 2008: A local business is making a big impact around many areas of the Central Coast and the northern Sydney suburbs with offers of professional web design, web hosting, writing and photography services at consistently low prices.

CKL Web Concepts can deliver not only high-quality and high-end web designs, said owner Michael March, but safe, secure and reliable website hosting services at prices that this writer can only describe as downright cheap. For example, an original web design can cost as little as $499.00, and that would include two years’ free web hosting and no setup fees (see CKL hosting costs below). The message, March explained, is to show that Sydney-priced website designs do not have to be seen as the norm and therefore are not indicative of what’s available here on the Central Coast.

“It’s not just about making money - it’s about customer service and providing a quality product at prices people can afford,” said March, who has been writing for and maintaining and designing websites since 1994. “There’s no need and no place for exorbitant prices at CKL. There’s only the four of us: myself, a wonderfully talented graphic designer in Michaela Moore, our e-commerce whiz kid and lead programmer Daren, and our power exec Cathy Tisdell. We work not from a central location but from home offices which keep overheads and expenses way down - which means clients pay a lot less.”

For further information, or to place an order with CKL Web Concepts, contact them via email at sales@cklwebconcepts.com.au.

JANUARY and ANOTHER YEAR BEGINS !

Hi everyone.

Well, ‘07 is history and we’ve already broken the back of half of January 2008. Time soars!

Latest news from the main website is that I’ve added a new templates page. The reason being that if anyone simply wants a template from the many on display, then they can purchase one online and use CKL Web Concepts to either host or edit or park the design and domain or take it away and work on it themselves.

There’s a great selection of very up-to-the-minute flash or static websites to choose from and I’m sure there’s something for everyone. If, however, you’re after a simple website to kick-off your online experience, then CKL will be glad to quote for you.

First, take a look at our hosting page to get an idea of the packages we offer, then when you settle on a design, contact us for additional information on how to get started.

Also, if you’re having trouble deciding on what domain name best suits your business or product, then make good use of our Whois Domain Name Wizard. Here one can enter their business, product or service name, then add two keywords to best describe the business. When you’ve completed that section, select a top-level domain and press submit. A new page will open and provide a list of available domain names and those domains that are unavailable. It’s a great way to help you select the best domain name for your business or product or project!

Until next time.

Mike