Beautiful Adelaide City - Website Design is not limited by Geographical Borders

As a website design company based in Adelaide we help local businesses and individuals improve their online presence and marketing exposure on the World Wide Web. As a business or an individual wanting to let potential customers know who and what you are you can not afford not to have a web presence to promote yourself or your business.

We have a strong focus on customer service and we are there to help with any queries, we constantly monitor the performance of the website and tweak where necessary while the website is hosted with us.

banoncom Website Design Adelaide, cater for businesses and individuals, whether it be a personal blog or e-commerce site. As a small family based business in Adelaide we ourselves understand the requirements of smaller businesses and our motto is:

to provide the best personalised service along with a great customer experience.

Adelaide Website Design Not Limited by Geographical Boundaries

Even though banoncom Website Design Adelaide is based in South Australia, we also cater for individuals or businesses anywhere in Australia or the World:

• Melbourne, Victoria and surrounds
• Tasmania (all of it!)
• Canberra
• Sydney New South Wales and surrounds
• Brisbane, Queensland and surrounds
• Darwin, Alice Springs, Northern Territory and surrounds
• Perth, Western Australia and surrounds.
• Anywhere in the world!

We are based in Adelaide but are not limited by geographical boundaries and in fact if you have an internet connection, we can design and build a website for you.

So, in order for you, the customer, to understand the process behind getting a website online for your business I have put together some information below on how we go about putting a website together for you or your business.

There is more detailed information on the steps outlined below on some previous articles, here are the links to those should you wish to know more:

• How to get your business website setup – what you need to know
• How to get your business website setup – website hosting
• How to get your business website setup – Name Server setup
• How to get your business website setup – Types of websites.

What to Expect when we Design a Website for You

1. First we conduct a free consultation with you as to your requirements, we discuss domain name registration, type of website, number of pages, design specifics etc.
2. We send you a quote based on the information we have from the consultation.
3. After we get the go ahead we search for then register the required domain name and send you the certificate.
4. The domain name server is setup and website hosting organised.
5. The design process begins along with constant communication with you the customer, in order to create the image and feel and content required for the website.
6. Once the design and content is completed the website is tweaked for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
7. The website is put online for you the customer, to review and approve.
8. Once everyone is happy with the completed project the website is published online for public access and indexed with all major search engines.
9. The website is then constantly monitored for performance and tweaked where necessary. Any future updates required will be promptly administered
10. We keep in constant communication with you the customer to make sure that your website meets your expectations. We aim to please!

This is the process that we follow when designing and publishing a website online for you. We take care of all the details from start to finish so you can go about doing what you do best – run your business, hobby, life!

Graphic Design, Photo Editing, Digital Image Manipulation

Graphic Design is an integral part of Website Design, however it is not limited to just Website Design. Graphic Design is applied in a number of media (multi media) and is all about getting a message across visually.

As a highly visual civilization we progressively rely more on visual representation to get a message to our audience. With technology advancing at a rapid pace it is increasingly more viable to use graphics as opposed to text or sound for communication, particularly for the internet. As the well known saying goes – “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

Some examples of how Graphic Design is utilised to get your message across:

• Website Design – Backgrounds, Header Images, Page Images, Borders and Page “Eye Candy”.
• Flyers, Banners and Posters – Visual attraction, Attention Grabbing Visuals, Layout and Design.
• Multimedia – Graphics for Video (DVD PC and Internet formats), CD and DVD covers and labels, Flash Animation, Slide Shows and Presentations.
• Presentations – PowerPoint, Flash, Video.

Digital Image Manipulation and Digital Photo Editing is also a major part of Graphic Design, with Image manipulation software such as Photoshop and Gimp the effects and creations are only limited by the imagination. Logo’s, Banners, Information Images, you name it, it can be created from a photograph wheather it be Digital or Film.

Graphic Design on the web is all about attracting attention and and evoking the emotions of your audience, so they will respond to what you have to offer.

At banoncom Graphic Design Adelaide we make sure that you will get your message across by using the latest industry standards, tools and methods as well as our honed in skills and imagination.

When we design a Website for you we take care of everything, we are a one stop shop for your Graphic and Website Design needs.

Contact us now for more information or a quote.

Photo Retouching and Restoration.

Photo retouching and restoration is basically enhancing an existing photo, usually one printed on photographic paper, particularly old photos that have faded or have been damaged by folding or scratches etc.

Before - This is the original raw scan with no enhancements. Note the severe fading and yellowing. Click for larger view

The photo is scanned to produce a digital copy of the original photo. Once the photo is in digital format, it can be worked on, correcting colour and contrast, covering up scratches, dust marks, and imperfections. The photo can be enlarged, reduced, cropped, sharpened, blurred, the possibilities are almost infinite.

Here is a sample of a recent photo retouch which I did for Peter Spencer. The age of the original photo is unknown, however it was most likely taken around late 1800′s or early 1900′s according to the work of Ernest Gall, a quite prominent South Australian photographer around that time. He has quite a large number of historical photo’s of that era, particularly of Adelaide and South Australia, in the National Library of Australia, click here to see some of his work.

After - The retouched enhanced photo. Note the detail that has been preserved. Click for a larger view

With a bit of patience and determination old photo’s can be restored to as perfect as when they were taken, eliminating fading, dust marks, scratches and stains. It is quite amazing what can be done with an old photo, so if you have any old photo’s you would like to bring back to life contact us for a quote or information.

Digital Image Editing and Manipulation

Digital Image editing and manipulation is about getting a photo or image / images and manipulating them to make a new image. The possibilities are endless and only limited by the imagination. It is great fun to be able to change an image or make up a completely new image for fun or for creating designs etc. I must admit that one of my favorite pass times is making up greeting cards, invites or humorous type photos for others as a gift, or just for fun.

Again Photoshop is the tool of choice for such type of job. The way Photoshop basically works is that it uses layers. So the images start off as single a layer, but then you add layers to add effects or new content to the image. The layers can be erased, faded, blended in, changed, filtered and so on so as to create your new image.

An old photo of three mates, a model car, add a background, and you have a memorable picture of the good ol days!
Click for a larger view

Here are some examples of digital image editing / manipulation, as I said before you can have a great time thinking up and creating the “new images”, often I have had a good belly laugh when I see what I have created. To the left is a made up photo three mates in a vintage car (it’s a model) made to look like an old photo with a sepia tone.

Below is an invite I created using an image of Admiral Nelson and a photo of the Birthday Boy.

Invites, Greeting cards, or just for fun! Click for a larger view

These examples are just some of the many photo retouches and editing I have restored and created over the years, I hope to put some more samples up soon.

So, if you want your old photos restored, bought back to life or given a completely new life contact us, for a quote or information.

You can send the images by post on a CD, email, or if you are in Adelaide drop them off.

The two main types of websites which are available today are:

• Static, which is the traditional HTML web page. It basically consists of files in HTML format which the web server displays on demand.
• Dynamic, also referred to as a CMS or Content Management System, this is a website which uses scripting and a database to manage and serve content as requested.

The most common now is the dynamic CMS type. The beauty of CMS is that managing the content and keeping it up to date is relatively easy compared to the traditional HTML web site.

The down side of using a CMS type of website is that the load on the web server is greater as it has to use more processing and memory resources. This can slow down the page load time as well.

A CMS compatible web server needs to have Mysql database and PHP services installed to be able to host the CMS or dynamic web site. The most compatible being a Linux based web server with Apache, Mysql and PHP or as it is commonly referred to – a LAMP server.

Most large web hosting companies today have LAMP servers with very user friendly Control Panels (CP). They also have a “host” of tools and utilities to make life easy, such as “automagic” CMS installing interfaces like “Fantastico”. They also have management tools such as Backup Wizards, Domain managers, email redirectors – you name it.

Dynamic CMS style websites are most suited to websites that will be continuously added to or changed like Blogs or e-commerce sites. The database handles the content and the administrator / website owner can login via a web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and edit the web-pages directly, almost like using a word processor. The changes are reflected in real time and the database keeps track of page names, links, content (images, text, multimedia), document hierarchy, time-line etc.

There is still a place for the traditional HTML style of web page, however they are fast becoming obsolete. Even for a simple web site that may consist of a few static pages, a CMS can be far more Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) friendly with custom designed plug-ins that make SEO management far more efficient.

So, if your looking to set up a new website or upgrade your existing web site, look into a CMS or dynamic website setup. They are not expensive to set up and have many benefits over the traditional HTML web site, including being able to easily manage it yourself.

For a free quote or more information on your new CMS website give us a call or use the contact form, click here.

When you get a website designed and setup by banoncom Adelaide Website Design we will look after all the details and messing around for you. We are a complete website design and hosting solution, so you can go about what you do best.

Step 3 – Name Server setup

Well by now you will have your Domain name registered and a server for your website hosting. The next step is to set the name server or DNS settings so your domain name will be directed to the IP address of your host server.

When you signed up for your hosting server you would have got details including the Name Server settings. An example of a Name Server is: ns01.hostgator.com and ns02.hostgator.com. Usually you will have 2 name server details, this is for redundancy in case one should go down.

The Name Server is a Domain Name System Server (DNS Server) it has maps for domain names to IP addresses, so when someone looks up your domain name eg: www.banoncom.com.au the Name Server will say – yep I have that record and then directs it to the IP address of your host server. Otherwise in order to use the Internet and look up web pages we would have to remember IP addresses such as 74.125.237.51 which for most humans is much harder than a name such as google.com.

So in order to set the Name Server for your Domain Name you need to log into your registrars Control Panel (CP) and go to Domain Name management (terminology may differ with different registrars) then simply enter the two Name Server details in the appropriate field and save your settings.

The change in setting can take up to 48 hours to percolate through the “www” this is a matter of major Domain Name System Servers and ones that serve your host to update their DNS records.

Now you can put your site up on the server, or even just a very simple index page (default home page). Some hosting companies already have a simple index page in your domain directory when you sign up.

Once al the relevant Name Servers have updated their records you will be able to type in your Domain Name eg: www.banoncom.com.au in the URL or address bar at the top of your browser and voilà you will see your web page.

In the next post we will look at some of the different and most popular methods of getting a web page or website setup on your web server.

See the bottom of the page for a hosting discount coupon code.

Step 2 – Website Hosting

At banoncom – Adelaide website design we can take care of all your website hosting needs. Just use the contact form for a prompt quote or information.

After you have registered your domain name it is time to organise your web hosting. Some domain registrars (actually most) have a web hosting service as part of the deal, however you can save money and get extra features if you shop around.

To have a website hosted basically means that all your files for your website are on a server which is accessible via the HTTP protocol, this means that they are only able to be seen by the public on the www but not changed.

To change your files on the web server you will normally get an FTP account set-up so you can access your files and upload changes to your website.

Another method which is widely used now is a Content management System or CMS. A CMS is a dynamic website which has the editable content managed by a database. With this type of system you can login via the HTTP protocol (via your web browser) and manage your content, so there is no real need for FTP access. Most CMS have a built in editor which can be used in HTML mode or WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). This can be used to add images, videos, text content, basically everything you need for managing the content on your website.

Hosting packages are usually advertised in monthly rates, however payment is usually per year. Most of the larger hosting companies have excellent control panels or CP. The control panels are accessed via a secure protocol from you web browser. They have many useful tools such as backup utilities, file browsers, email set-up wizards, CMS installing agents, data base administration tools, the list goes on. They usually have excellent help facilities such as 24 hour live chat and ticket systems.

As with anything it helps to shop around. Most web design companies, such as banoncom, will organise everything for you, or you can DIY and organise what best suits you. It’s a bit like getting a house built (but nowhere near as expensive) – you can let the Architect and Builder do everything for you or you can sub-contract it out as an owner builder.

There are many hosting companies on the web now days, most of the larger ones are off shore in the US, however there are also many in Europe, Asia and Australia. Currently the US is number one with over 23,000 listed hosting companies as opposed to just over 1,000 in Australia which ranks number 10 in the world.

So if you want to be an owner builder and DIY there is one hosting company we can recommend highly for their service, price and product. Use the coupon code below you will get an instant 25% discount off your web hosting package:

Coupon code: banoncomweb

Did you know that more people look up Business services using online search facilities like Google than Yellow pages?

If you run a small to medium size business you can not afford not to have a website or web page advertising your services and products online.

So what should you be looking for when you want to get a website built for your business?

Step 1 – Domain Name Registration

A domain name is basically the internet address of your website. It is a unique name in a standard format which is translated into an IP address number that points to your web page.

Domain names are registered through a registrar and they are issued and controlled by a global regulatory body ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

An example of a domain name is banoncom.com and banoncom.com.au. The .au signifies a country code and so .com.au is referred to as a ccTLD or country code Top Level Domain.

When looking for a domain name there there are several tools which can be utilised, most domain name registrars have a search tool which will tell you if it is available.

We can save you time and money – let us do the domain name searching and registration for you.

For best SEO results a domain name should have the targeted keyword/s as part of the name, for example : plumbing.com.au or gregs-plumbing.com.au. Although this is not necessary it can give an edge for search engine rankings. The other alternative is to use your business name only such as banoncom.com.au.

If you are a business in Australia then a ccTLD would be most appropriate. To register a .au domain name you must have an ABN. You can however register a TLD such as .com, org, .net, .info and .biz without an ABN.

Registering a domain name is the first step in getting a website up and running. In the next post we will discuss the next step – website hosting.

Did you know that once you have a website setup and online the ongoing costs are astronomically low! And if you get your website designed and setup by us the initial design and setup fees are also astronomically low!

We are based in Adelaide and we specialise in getting small to medium sized businesses online with a professional, great looking and standards compliant website with a minimum of fuss. Contact us for more information or a quote.

Digital Photo Stitching

The photo was taken in a series of 10 consecutive shots without using a tripod or panorama head. Taking this into consideration the photographer did a brilliant job, however it still needed quite a bit of photo editing to get it perfect!

This presented a bit of a challenge as the images did not all line up perfectly and there was lens distortion as well as light differences, however with the right tools (Photoshop) and a bit of photo editing skill anything is possible.

In the example below are two images – (click on the images for a larger view.

• The top image is of all the photo’s lined up without any photo editing or correction. From this you can see how the lens distorts the image, particularly wide angle lenses, and unless you lock in your aperture and exposure settings from the first shot there will be differences in the lighting of the separate images. In this particular case the differences were not too severe, so it was possible to end up with a great result.
• The bottom image is the final panorama, it took quite a bit of photo editing / image manipulation, with the lighting, lining up the edges, patching up the sky and getting rid of some obtrusive buildings in the foreground.

It was worth the effort, the final print produced was 210mm high by 1300mm wide, the size was restricted by the amount of space the client had on their wall, however the first draft was 300mm high by 1990 wide – that’s a big photo!

If you need any photo editing – digital images or print photo’s retouched, manipulated, stitched, changed, fixed, enhanced, whatever – get in touch with us for a quote or more information, click on the link below.

Request a quotation or more information

SEO Facts.

The ultimate goal when optimizing a website is to have it come up in the first listing on the first page for the targeted search term. In reality this is a difficult task, and depending on the competition for that search term determines how difficult it is.

There are two major SEO factors which affect how your web page ranks with search engines:

1. Keyword optimization within the website and
2. Back links (links from other websites to yours).

Keyword optimisation within your website is something that can be directly controlled, by the website designer , manager or owner using SEO techniques. However back links is something which is more difficult to control.

In order to optimise a website for search engines it is a matter of leaving no stones unturned. Attention to detail and accurate research is imperative. There are many SEO tools on the web to help a webmaster to achieve this. Google Webmaster Tools is one such tool and is free. It has many great resources information and easy to use interfaces to get your website optimized for search engines.

You will find many claims on the internet about link building, however keep this in mind – for every outgoing link a website has to another site it loses some ranking points. Admittedly this can be a bit of a grey area, as it seems that linking to another “high ranking” site within the text of your content can have a positive effect on your ranking.

There is however one very controllable SEO factor in getting back links to your website and that is to have content which other websites will want to link to. Interesting and well researched information and articles, good products or deals, anything which another website or blog may want to link to.

This is what search engines like Google are aiming at achieving, good relevant content, giving the web user a positive experience when they search for information or a product. Unfortunately or (fortunately for the web users) there are no shortcuts or tricks in achieving this, and search engines can actually block sites which try some “dirty tricks”.

Search Engine providers like Google Bing and Yahoo are going to great lengths to ensure that they achieve the best “search experience” for the end user, let’s face it, it is in their interest to do so.

So don’t get mis-led by claims about SEO, it is an exact science, and if done right it can get your website in the top ranking, however keep in mind that time (domain aging) is also a major factor.

Here is a link to a great resource by Google – Google Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

Get a quote or more information for your SEO needs. We can cater for all your SEO requirements and it is part of our complete website design services “there is no point having a great website if no one can find it”. We use the latest SEO methods and keep up to date with what the search engines require for SEO. Click on the link to request a quotation or more information..

Educational Software Computers

These computers were initially set up for children with special needs, they feature the robust Ubuntu Linux operating system with the childrens educational suite of software – Qimo.

The range of educational software is fantastic. We have sold over a dozen of these systems to parents of children with a range of special needs including autism. They have been extremely happy with the computers and the software. read more about Qimo – click here

Below are the details and price – (subject to availability):

Qimo / Windows XP, kids Educational Software Computers.

Fantastic value kids educational software computer systems

HP Compaq DC7100 Desktop computers: Intel Pentium 4, 3GHz CPU, 1024M DDR Ram, DVD ROM,
8x USB 2, 100Mbs lan card, 40GB SATA HDD, HP 1530 15″ LCD Monitor with inbuilt speakers
USB Keyboard and Mouse, Internet ready.
This will make a great second computer for the kids or as a main computer for the whole family. It comes
with heaps of software including great educational software suites for children and adults of all ages and
needs. Full recovery disks included. (Systems are as new, refurbished, fully tested).
Features:
Dual boot system: Windows XP / Xubuntu Linux
Windows XP Pro w / license.
Avira Anti virus software
Open Office productivity suite.
Mozilla Firefox Browser, Thunderbird email client.
Gimp 2 photo editing software.
Audacity Audio editing and recording software.
VLC Media player.
Tux Paint (for the kids).
PDF creator. + More.
Xubuntu 8.10 Linux OS
Qimo for kids: including -
GCompris – educational software.
Childsplay – educational software.
E-Toys activities software.
TuxMath, TuxPaint, TuxType, educational software.
Blinken – memory game. + more.
Price $350.00