Judson Dawtrey – Tech Warrior

What is a domain?

Judson Dawtrey — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Every website has a domain name. This is because a domain name is the address of your website. It is what people will type into the URL when searching for your website.

Why the need to have domain names?

A domain name is needed because the Internet is basically a giant network of computers which are all connected and communicate to each other through network cables which span across the whole globe. Due to the vast number of computers that are connected and are communicating with each other, they need to be able to identify each other. This is done via an IP address which is assigned to each computer.

IP addresses are basically a series of numbers which allow other computers on a network to identify each other. These IP addresses could look as follows: 67.233.88.2 or 55.298.76.4 etc. Now if you are quite an advanced Mathematician, it could be quite simple to remember these numbers, however, if you’re like me who struggles to do maths without using my fingers, it can be quite a task to remember numbers such as those previously mentioned.

Domain names were created to help make remembering an IP address a whole lot easier. Now to visit a website you only need to remember the domain name of a website, ie "takealot.co.za" or "breadfactory.com" etc. This makes finding a website a whole lot more attainable rather than having to type in a set of numbers that you’ve most likely forgotten the moment you’ve started typing it into the URL.

Purchasing domain names carefully is a very important aspect of owning a website. Having a website is an important part of running a business. Make sure you are the rightful registered owner of your domain name.

Registering domain names

Registering domain names is also quite a simple task, if the domain is available, that is. If the domain name has already been used, it is still possible to use it, however, you will have to go through a potentially arduous process in order to obtain this domain name. This could involve having to find the owner of the domain name and ask if they are willing to sell it to you. Depending on how in demand the name is or how badly you want it, will affect the price of it.

Domain names are an extremely important aspect when having a website designed. Think of it as online real estate. Your architect has plans ready to build the house, but you need a place to put that house. This is your domain name. For more information on registering domain names and the importance of it, check out our article on registering domain names.

An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.
—Roy Ash

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

Judson Dawtrey — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

SEO explained

SEO or “Search Engine Optimisation” involves the processes used to increase the amount of quality unpaid traffic to your website through search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, et al. SEO is important if you want your website to succeed. If nobody is viewing your website, then people won’t see what your business provides and therefore you won’t get the sales and customers you deserve. SEO helps rectify this by helping Google, or whichever search engine is being used, to rank your website higher on searches so that your business pops up more frequently when people are searching for specific information or solutions to their problems.

Why is it important?

Search engines use clever apps or programs called bots which gather information about specific pages. These bots, also known as internet bots or web robots, are automated software applications that are linked to the search engine in question and they traverse the internet to gather information about websites. This information is analyzed by specific algorithms, another part of the search engine. These algorithms focus on special ranking factors and signals which work out and determine the context and relevance of order certain pages so the best ones show up in search results. Content quality and keywords are important factors for content optimisation. Crawlability is a search engine's ability to access and crawl content on a website. A website’s crawlability, content quality and mobile friendliness are all important so that search engines can provide people with the best user experience when searching for specific information.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
—Thomas Edison

Other ways to enhance SEO

Other important SEO actions include pagespeed, which is explained in the name. The speed at which your website loads is very important in SEO as it deals with user satisfaction. Search engines, specifically Google rate this very highly. If your website does not load fast enough, your customers will most likely leave and try another website which can have a negative impact on your website’s traffic.

There is also search intent which involves website owners pasting a topic into a keyword research tool to help find certain keywords and phrases that people search for often. These keywords and phrases can then be included in the website content. It is very important when doing this is to ensure the overall page content aligns with the search intent of the keyword or phrase.

There are other ways to enhance SEO for your website, however those mentioned stand out the most when it comes to Google’s ranking system. Not having SEO is not the end of the world, however, it will result in a lot less traffic moving through your website and your main aim for a website is to elevate your professionalism and get as much business as possible.

I want a website, where do I start?

Judson Dawtrey — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

If you want a website, where do you start? So many options to choose from, so many decisions to make. You could do it yourself or hire a professional developer. If you decide to hire a web developer, know that each one is likely to use a different process with regards to building a website. Tech Warrior’s web development process is outlined below to give you an idea of where things would start when going about the web development process when you decide to go with Tech Warrior as your chosen web design company.

The Process Begins

To begin the process, Tech Warrior needs to get an understanding of what the website is for specifically, why you would like to have a website built. Bear in mind, you need to at least have a basic idea of what they would like to have done, and why, as this makes it easier for Tech Warrior to deliver to expectations and to ensure the web development process runs smoothly.

An initial meeting is held either over the phone or face to face to discuss the key requirements. Once Tech Warrior has an idea of what you’re looking for, we then provide you with a proposal which breaks down the costs and details of the web development fees. This includes domain registration if a domain has not been registered already. Once you are happy with the proposal and Tech Warrior gets the go ahead, and assuming you have a logo, a range of colour palette options are put together for the website based off your logo. If you do not have a logo we can also provide you with our logo design proposal if you would like Tech Warrior to design your logo. Alternatively you can get a logo designed somewhere else, but we do need one in order to proceed.

You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.
—Zig Ziglar

Website content scope document

Next we provide you with a content and scope document which contains a number of relevant questions to help you formulate the content for the website.

Although we don’t not write content for our clients, Tech Warrior will guide you through the process of creating content. Web development does not begin until all content is complete. This is to avoid substantial content changes to the website at a later stage which could impact the layout of the webpage and result in additional charges. However, small content changes are a simple process and would not be charged for.

Once Tech Warrior has all the required content, the designer will begin designing the website. This takes roughly two weeks if all the correct information has been provided as requested. When the designer is finished, there is an internal review where we, at Tech Warrior, go through the website before we pass it on to you, the client, for a client review.

Website review process

The client review needs to be taken seriously and not skimmed through. There is only one chance to make changes. It is important to be sure of what you like and do not like as going back and forth with change requests will delay the web development process and could be charged for depending on the scale of changes needed.

When you are happy, and the website signed off, it will go “live” and be ready to be used as a key element in your brand building and marketing strategy.

How can I create a website for my business free of cost?

Judson Dawtrey — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Is it possible to have a free website?

Getting a website developed for your business is easier now than ever before. If you have access to a computer, there are a vast number of ways to have a website designed and developed for your business. Some ways are easier than others, however. In most cases taking shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems or underwhelming results.

If you would like to have a website built free of cost, there are a few online platforms and software you can use, such as WordPress, Squarespace or Wix. These assist you in designing websites with easy to use templates and themes and other services.

A free website is not all sunshine and rainbows

The ability to design and build your own website has been made a much easier process with the use of the above-mentioned do-it-yourself platforms and software. Doing it yourself can lead to issues that hinder the quality of the final product. This is because many people are unaware of what actually makes a good website and what makes a bad website.

Many people believe that a website is to showcase them and/or their business, and in part this is true. The primary audience of your website, however, are your customers. You don’t have a website for you to visit and get information about your business, that’s what your customers do. You need a website so that your customers have a place for them to visit and gather information about your business without having to leave their homes or phones. Websites are there to help you market your business, build trust and for visitors to make a more informed choice about how you can solve their particular problem.

Issues that could arise when building a free website

When building a free website, you might, as a result of the platform you use, have to host adverts on it. This can cloud your website with unnecessary information. First impressions, which are so important, might be impacted by potentially irrelevant advertising “noise”. To add insult to injury these intrusive adverts could slow down the loading of your website. Why would you allow advertising on your website? Well you may be under the impression that you will earn revenue from them but this is usually not the case. Any revenue from the adverts goes to the platform provider and you don’t get any financial benefit from the clicks on the advert.

Your domain name could also be affected as you will most likely have to include the name of the platform you are using i.e. cheapcars.wordpress.com. This can make your website and business seem very unprofessional. Free websites also have bandwidth restrictions and this could impact the potential growth of your website.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.
—Colin Powell

Why choose a professional over something free

When designing your own website, the content you use is of major importance. This is what your customers will be reading or watching to get an idea of what the business does and what problems it solves. Not knowing how to structure your content can lead to a cluttered, ugly website which can drive customers away.

Do you know how to design a website that is mobile friendly? And not just mobile friendly but designed so that it looks good on a mobile device? This is a must in this day and age where 60 percent of your website’s visitors will be arriving on a mobile device.

This is where having someone else whose business is websites will come in handy. They can assist you with putting you content together for your website in a way that works based on best practices. Some web design companies will put the content together for you. Others may not do the content, but will help guide you through the process. And of course they will ensure that what looks good on screen, looks good on a mobile device too.

At Tech Warrior we believe that you should compile the content for your website as you know your business better than anyone else. We do, however, guide you with a set of detailed questions to ensure the correct content is gathered and collated.

Be aware of shortcuts

It is quite a simple process to build your own free website for your business as the tools are easily available. However, you get what you don’t pay for. As previously mentioned, shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems that could arise in future if you decided to go that route.

But if you must, go for it!

If you can, we highly recommend you choose a trusted web company that can help you build a quality website to help your business succeed.

I can get a family member or freelancer to develop a website, why choose you?

Judson Dawtrey — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

You could get your brother / sister/ cousin / person advertising on a lamp pole to develop a website, so why choose Tech Warrior? Many people like to choose the easy or cheap route when designing a website, or for anything really. But with this comes with problems that could be avoided if you invest your time and money in something you really need which would serve you in good stead in the future.

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.
—John Ruskin

Cheap and easy = cheap and ugly?

If someone you know is very good at what they do and they are willing to give you a low price then by all means, go with them, as supporting those closest to you is never a bad thing. However, in most circumstances, the cheapest and easiest route can lead to ugly, cheap looking websites. Everyone knows the old saying, you get what you pay for. This is because it's true, in most cases if you pay for a cheap website, you will get a cheap website.

If you went car shopping today, and your budget is R50000, I'm pretty certain you’re not going to be grabbing yourself a brand new BMW 3 series. You’re most likely going to be able to get a 1995 Toyota Taz. This applies to websites too.

Quality at competitive prices while building relationships

If you are planning on investing in a website, we recommend you choose someone who you can trust to provide you with quality websites at very affordable prices. At Tech Warrior, we strive to provide quality websites that are great value-for-money. This might not be your cheapest option, but are very competitive with regards to the quality that Tech Warrior provides.

Not only do we develop quality websites, but we also pride ourselves in our ability to build trust and a solid relationship with our clients during, and after, the web development process. We believe maintaining a good, trusting relationship with our clients is the most important aspect in this industry.

Experience counts when it comes to building a website

One of the ways we keep prices down is based on our experience. 25 years in the industry teaches you a few things about how to deliver the best in the most efficient way possible. Another way is through the use of our custom developed theme. It’s not bespoke, but fear not! As we are still able to blow you away with our quality designs.

We also believe our clients should write their content themselves as they know their business better than anyone else. However, if writing scares you or you believe you’re going to mess it up, we will help guide you through the content writing process.

Ask as many questions as you need

At Tech Warrior we will provide you with the same trustworthy relationship you get out of your friends and family, while providing the best website for your business, at very affordable prices. We aim to build strong, long lasting relationships with our clients and we encourage you to ask us as many questions as you need about the website building process, so that you feel comfortable choosing us as your web developers.

How important is it to have a website for my business?

Judson Dawtrey — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Mobile friendly website design

In today’s society, the digital world has become more prevalent than ever and almost everything we do involves some connection to it. You can find almost anything on the Internet. Ever since smartphones became a common accessory, almost everyone has access to a vast amount of information all in the palm of their hands. This has made it quicker and more accessible to find information, whether it be for educational purposes, entertainment or purchasing goods or services.

Due to the fact that so many people have access to smartphones, the importance of having a website is even more crucial than ever before. If people want to get a better understanding of your business and what you offer, they will most likely look for this information online, and more so than not, on their smartphones.

A website is a strategic marketing tool

One of the most important factors with regards to your business, is marketing it so that more people can be reached and a bigger audience gained. As a result the customer base grows, you gain more business, and generate more income. Having a website allows for many different marketing strategies including social media, forums, pay-per-click advertising and effective content writing, all of which can help your business grow.

A website increases credibility

A website also provides your business with extra credibility. This comes in the form of testimonials from clients and customers facts about your business that potential clients can read about on your website, as well as a place for people to view your business before making an investment. A website helps build trust with your clients which is hugely important when trying to grow a business, especially if your website is answering the important questions that your customers are most likely asking.

Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
—Bob Parsons

Having a website saves time

Many people in today’s society also don’t have the time to visit a physical shop to make a decision on buying something. This is another reason why websites are important, they provide clients with an easy way to make comparisons. This saves precious time. Time is one of the most valuable aspects in life, and when it is wasted, we aren’t very happy afterwards. I don’t know anyone who has ever said, “they wasted my time, I’m so glad they did that”.

A well designed and managed website, that is mobile friendly helps with credibility, builds trust and leads to more business.

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What is website hosting?

Judson Dawtrey — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:30:00 +0000

When you get a website developed you might hear your chosen web design company mention something about website hosting. If you are building a website yourself, you will most likely start out by looking for website hosting. In this article we explore what website hosting is.

In short: Website hosting is a service offering that enables people who have a website to put it on the internet and make it available for visitors to engage with.

Hosting and service providers

A website hosting provider, sometimes called a service provider, offers space and specialised software on a dedicated computer, connected to the Internet. This computer (or server) makes it possible for the content of a website to be stored and viewed in an expected way to anyone visiting the website.

Different types of hosting exist. These are distinguished by the technology that is used for the server, the management level provided, as well as the additional services on offer by a specific website hosting service provider. The most common types of hosting are shared hosting, dedicated hosting and VPS hosting. In both instances the hosting provider manages access to where the servers or computers are physically or geographically stored.

Shared hosting

Shared web hosting is when your website is placed on the same server as many other sites. Think of it like your office in an open plan environment. The websites all share the server’s resources such as memory and computing power. This type of website hosting is usually offered with additional basic services covering things like the amount of disk space that can be used and a set number of email addresses. It is usually offered in a tiered structure that is fixed. If more resources or features are needed then the next tier offering would be used at a greater cost. It is up to the website developer to decide on the best tier for the hosting when the website is first built.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting is when you get access to an entire server and do not share it or its resources with anyone else’s website. This is the most expensive option and is chosen when the website is very busy or is for a large corporate, like a bank, who needs complete control of their server. The client is fully responsible for all security, software and maintenance of the dedicated server.

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting (where the VPS stands for Virtual Private Server) is the middle ground between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Think of it like having an entire floor of your own in the building. You still share resources with others in the building but you are not in an open plan environment where you share the floor space. This option also requires less technical expertise to set up and maintain.

Self-managed hosting or built into the package

If you are building your own website using a service like GoDaddy, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, or WordPress.com, they will offer hosting built in as part of the website design and development process.

At Tech Warrior we manage the hosting of your website as part of our Small Business Websites product.

Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop.
—Jeffrey Zeldman

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What’s the big deal about having a mobile friendly website?

Judson Dawtrey — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:39:26 +0000

A mobile friendly website is a website that can be correctly displayed on any mobile device such as an Android phone, iPhones or tablet, as well as any size LCD screen. This allows for a consistent and streamlined experience of that website.

Many might believe that once they have a modern looking website, they can view it on any platform without any issues, however this is not the case. Once a website is designed, it also needs to be made mobile friendly so that it can be viewed on any device.

People use their phones wherever they go

This is very important because of the fact that in todays’ society most people carry their phones or tablets with them wherever they go. This means most people will be viewing websites on the Internet through these devices.

As a result, most of your website visitors will be coming from mobile devices rather than via laptops and desktops. By not having a mobile-friendly website, you are essentially giving money away. Many mobile device owners who view websites will not go through the effort of trying to navigate a non-mobile-friendly website and will quickly move to one that is.

Mobile-friendly means Google is your friend

Not only does most of your website’s traffic come from people using mobile devices, but not having a mobile-friendly website can also negatively impact where you are listed (or ranked) in search engines, especially Google, as they give preference to mobile friendly websites.

Mobile shopping is also becoming a much-preferred way of purchasing for online shoppers due to the convenience that it provides. By not having a mobile friendly website you are once again shooting yourself in the foot. In South Africa the population is just under 60 million people, of these about 37 million are internet users, of which 35 million use a mobile device for the Internet.

So after reading this, if you still don’t have a mobile-friendly website, you are a very silly goose.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I can’t really write, can you write my website content for me?

Judson Dawtrey — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:41:00 +0000

A common concern many web developers hear from clients is that they struggle to put their content together. This could be due to them not being very good at writing or not knowing what they need to include, or simply not having the time to put the content together.

Creating the content for a website can be very daunting especially when clients are under stress due to workload or other commitments that come with starting a new company, often the motivation for a new website. Lack of time and focus can influence what content is put together and how long it takes to put it together. This can result in delays in the website development which, in turn, can impact the business. No website for people to view your services and no way to contact you if they have an interest in what you provide.

Content is the most important aspect of your business website

Content is the most important aspect of your business website. It shows your customers exactly what it is that you do as a business, how the business can help them, as well as answering any other relevant questions.

And, talking of questions, you need to be able to answer all the potential questions your clients may need answering before they decide to buy from you. Most people in today’s society don’t have the time to sift through a bunch of websites trying to find the information they are looking for.

Most customers will move onto another business within minutes if not seconds if the website doesn’t answer the specific questions they may have. This is why having the right content, as well as not having too much unnecessary content, is very important for your website.

Can we write the content for you?

But back to the original question: Can we write the content for you? The short answer to this question is: Yes we can write and gather your content for you, but we don’t want to. One of the reasons Tech Warrior charges what we do for our Small Business Websites is because we don’t offer content creation. On top of that, we don’t know anything about your business. You know your business better than any writer out there. So we strongly recommend you do the content yourself.

How can I put quality content together when I don’t know how to write properly?

But now you could be asking yourself, how can I put quality content together that will be relevant to my business website when I don’t know how to write properly? At Tech Warrior, we have a specially designed online scope and content document that we share with clients.

This document guides you through the content creation process using a number of specially designed questions. This document updates in real time so that we can see which questions have been answered and which questions you may be struggling with.

It also prevents the back and forth game when sending separate documents via email, which can lead to information getting lost and the latest versions not being used.

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
—Thomas Jefferson

You know your business better than anyone

The scope and content document is comprehensive yet simple to understand. We strongly believe that the client should compile the content as they know their business and what they do better than anyone, no matter how good, or bad, a writer they are.

The content is not meant to be a Shakespearian play that will be used to write an essay for your English exam. It is supposed to represent who you are as a business, what services you provide, and how you can help your customers.

The scope and content document we use allows the client to take a deep breath, and realise that this whole content thing isn’t actually that bad! It is a whole lot easier with the correct guidance.

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Someone else owns my domain, what can I do about it?

Judson Dawtrey — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 23:41:00 +0000

Francie (not her real name) had a website built more than five years ago. She had rarely used it but things had changed and now she wanted to reactivate the services offered there. The website was in dire need of a makeover as well. She turned to Tech Warrior for the website redesign. When the web design was complete and needed to go live the trouble started. It turns out Francie’s domain name was not owned by her!

The story ended well. It took several days and some juggling but the domain is now firmly in her name. The fact that it was not originally in her name was largely due to a lack of understanding and knowledge about domain ownership.

What is a domain and do I need one?

Your domain name should be registered in your name

When a domain name is purchased, it should be registered in the name of the person who bought it, unless the domain name was purposely bought for someone else. When you have paid for your own domain name, the domain should be in your name, not the web developer’s, or the hosting company’s, or anyone else's for that matter. No one except you, yourself, and definitely you, should own the domain name that you paid for.

Many people overlook the importance of the ownership of a domain name because it is so easy, and usually, inexpensive to buy one when building a new website. Your domain name primarily directs traffic to your website, but it is also your Internet brand name. No one else should own your brand name except you. When developing a new website designed by a professional web design company, and you ask them to register a domain name for you, and you pay for it, then that domain name should be in no one else's name but yours. Get it?

Think of this as someone buying a new house that is being built from scratch. You paid for the house plans, the land, the materials and the contractors, so the house should be in your name correct? You wouldn’t buy the house and have it registered in the name of the architect.

Does it matter if my domain is registered in someone else’s name?

There are several issues that could occur if your domain name is not registered in your name. These issues could arise when you want to sell your business, or, like Francie, you want to update the website. If the domain name is not registered with your details, you won’t be able to do either.

Sometimes the original web developer registers the domain in their name and passes on the annual domain renewal when it comes around. What happens if the web developer goes out of business, disappears or changes careers? If the domain is not registered in your name, you may not get the annual billing which could ultimately result in your domain name being suspended (worst case, deleted) and your website turned off.

Why would someone else want to own my domain name?

Some web developers will register your domain name with their details because they are lazy. It is too much effort to get your details to register it in your name. Less than savoury developers will register the domain with their details as a way of protecting ongoing business with you. Not a very ethical business practice.

If someone else owns your domain name unethically and you wish to change hosting service providers, then it could be a bit of a mission to get it moved. Just ask Francie! The owner has to be contacted so the domain name can to be transferred to the new hosting company. The registered owner can deny the transfer. If this is not you then problems can arise. The owner that is not you may try to hold you hostage and demand payment for your own domain name. You will need to prove to the registrar that you are the rightful owner of the domain and are entitled to it.

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Judson Dawtrey – Tech Warrior

What is a domain?

Why the need to have domain names?

Registering domain names

Further reading

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

SEO explained

Why is it important?

Other ways to enhance SEO

Further reading

I want a website, where do I start?

The Process Begins

Website content scope document

Website review process

Further reading

How can I create a website for my business free of cost?

Is it possible to have a free website?

A free website is not all sunshine and rainbows

Issues that could arise when building a free website

Why choose a professional over something free

Be aware of shortcuts

Further reading

I can get a family member or freelancer to develop a website, why choose you?

Cheap and easy = cheap and ugly?

Quality at competitive prices while building relationships

Experience counts when it comes to building a website

Ask as many questions as you need

Further reading

How important is it to have a website for my business?

Mobile friendly website design

A website is a strategic marketing tool

A website increases credibility

Having a website saves time

What is website hosting?

Hosting and service providers

Shared hosting

Dedicated hosting

VPS Hosting

Self-managed hosting or built into the package

What’s the big deal about having a mobile friendly website?

Further reading

People use their phones wherever they go

Mobile-friendly means Google is your friend

I can’t really write, can you write my website content for me?

Further reading

Content is the most important aspect of your business website

Can we write the content for you?

How can I put quality content together when I don’t know how to write properly?

You know your business better than anyone

Someone else owns my domain, what can I do about it?

Your domain name should be registered in your name

Does it matter if my domain is registered in someone else’s name?

Why would someone else want to own my domain name?