How To Redirect one website to another

This post will be short, without the extra verbal fluff associated with like articles.

2 simple ways to redirect a website:

1. Using index.html file

Simply create an index.html file in the root folder of your site and add the following content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Old Page</title>
<meta charset=”UTF-8″ />
<meta http-equiv=”refresh” content=”3; URL=https://www.destinationwebsite.com/” />
</head>
<body>
<p>This page has been moved. If you are not redirected within 3 seconds, click <a href=”https://www.destinationwebsite.com/”>here</a> to go to the https://www.destinationwebsite.com/ homepage.</p>
</body>
</html>

replace

Unfortunately, this format does not redirect subdirectories in the URL. But, the following one does.

2. Using .htaccess.

This file is created and located in the root folder of your website. Add the following content and you’re all good to go.

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^oldwebsite\.com$ [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.oldwebsite\.com$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ "https\:\/\/www\.destinationwebsite\.com\/$1" [R=301,L]

It will redirect any URL at oldwebsite.com to https://www.destinationwebsite.com.

For example: https://oldwebsite.com.au/contact-us/ will be redirected to https://www.destinationwebsite.com/contact-us/

This method is a more powerful and more correct form of redirecting one website to another.

Note: some hosting servers don’t use “.htaccess” file. Thus, use the first method if the second method does not work for you.

I use both methods. Of course, you need to ftp to your website or access the root folder of your website through your hosting control panel.

Enjoy!

Digital Success Begins With a High Quality Website

Digital Success Begins With a High Quality Website

Your Digital Success Story Begins Right Here: Why You Need To Select Our Web Site Design Services

We live in a connected world, where your online presence can make or break your business.  If you’re searching for an expert internet site design solution, let’s discuss why this decision might be the transforming factor for business growth and success.

 

Business Web Design

Your site is the digital shop that greets online visitor.

Your site shapes their perception of your brand, which works to drive conversions and sales.

Points to Consider When You Decide to Hire a Business Website Designer

First Impressions

Think of your website as your company’s online first impression. It’s the very first factor of contact lots of prospective customers have with your brand. Just as you would not desire your physical store to look unattractive or topsy-turvy, your site needs to offer your business in the best possible light. Undoubtedly, a professionally developed site guarantees a refined, welcoming, and trustworthy online presence.

Personalised Content and Media to Match Your Services

Your business is distinct, and also your internet site needs to reflect that. Our site design solution supplies personalised content and media to match your brand name identity and business objectives. We offer and produce a unique online experience that reverberates with your target audience. Your site comes to be an extension of your brand name, telling your story in a memorable and compelling method.

User-Centric Website Design

In an age where user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design are extremely important, our service excels. We prioritise user-centric style, ensuring your internet site is instinctive, very easy to browse, and engaging. Interactive experience keeps visitors on your site longer, enhancing the chances of conversion. There is a higher chance of a happy visitor turning into a customer.

Responsive Website Design

With most internet web traffic coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-responsive website is a must. Our internet site designs are enhanced for all screen dimensions, providing an enjoyable browsing experience, whether your target market is surfing on a tablet, smartphone, or desktop computer system.

Enhanced On-Page SEO

Quite often webpage content lacks on-page SEO, not with us.  Your site’s visibility on online search engine is as necessary as your business phone number. Our website design service incorporates search engine optimisation (SEO) the best techniques into every page designed by us. We structure your website to be online search engine friendly, making sure that it ranks well in search engine listings. Enhanced visibility causes a lot more organic traffic, which can result in more leads and also sales for your service.

Website Maintenance & Support

Your internet site is an investment in your company’s future. That’s why we offer website maintain services so that your site runs smoothly as well as securely. We manage updates, fix issues quickly, and also offer regular backups to secure your information. This way, you can focus on expanding your business while we look after your digital website.

If you’re thinking of a professional site solution for your online digital presence then get in touch with us.

Contact us

If you’re thinking of a professional site solution for your online digital presence then get in touch with us.

The absolute minimum cost of a 10 page professional website for a small business

The absolute minimum cost of a 10 page professional website for a small business

High Quality Web Design

In this article you will discover what it will cost your business to have a 10 page website if you decide to do the design and development yourself.

I will take you through the principle of having to build a fully functional website on your own. The concept of saving money is not new to us and we love to save money and as well as spend that money wisely. However, saving some money depends on the service or product you’re going to be dealing with.

The principles here are really aimed at small business owners who are in need to cut their business costs down to a minimum level as possible. But, such cost cutting can also play a negative role in ones business. It is not always a wise step if the appropriate investigation and analysis has been avoided to achieve cutting business costs at the expense of something else.

In terms of website design and development, generally cutting down on spending can be a loss in the long term. I have come across so many small business owners seeking the cheapest and the most affordable packages for their website design needs. Good gracious, they lack the understanding that cheap really means cheap in the website design world. Cheap web design means just that: you end up with a cheap website. Cheap websites don’t work!

On the other hand, cheap websites can play big roles for the small business owner’s business. A standard website with all the necessary parts built for dirt cheap can also work. However, in our opinion, if you’re not prepared to invest on your online presence then you might as well stop spending any money on your business and close shop.

The ultimate goal of any business should be to make sales and increase their business capacity. Lot of small business owners have a different impression of what a website needs to have and do. Our aim is to build a site for our clients that will help grow their business. Our web designs and SEO work’s prime objective are to bring in new or existing customers so that it continues to sustain operations. Having a business site that is aimed at increasing your sales is the definitive way to operating a business.

What is the absolute minimum cost for a 10 page website going to cost you? Prepare to pay at-least $250 For each well defined and Search Engine Optimised page. Paying anything less will result in a poorly and unsuccessful website. If you’re serious then no problems, it is still cheaper than your Yellow Pages ad that receives nearly zero real business calls per year.

The truth of the matter is really not about getting a website. It is more about the content of your site and how everything on it is written and placed to target a specific market. It needs to be focused toward your products by exactly matching the needs of your customers.

The most important aspect of a business website is not the design or the website itself. It is not the fancy looking graphics and neither is it the bells and whistles. It is simply the “copy”.

If you’re looking for a professional who will create a website that will target your audience, write high relevant and high quality content, that is search engine friendly and as well as highly usable and user friendly, then give us a call and we’ll start working on your dreams! If you mention this article you qualify for 10% discount on overall project costs (Valid until Dec 1st 2016).

High Quality Web Design

Top 4 Annoying Website Attributes to Stay Away From : Part 2

Top 4 Annoying Website Attributes to Stay Away From : Part 2

Top 4 Annoying Website Attributes Part 2

 Annoying Website Attributes

This is the second part of our Top 4 Annoying Webpage Attributes.
The first part is here.

It is understandable and correct to say that each person has a different opinion towards websites. It is also ok to hate what I would consider a great looking page. The fact is that we cannot please everyone. Each person has aunique perspective. But what is interesting is that there are some pages our there that have annoying attributes no matter how good the content is.

Website designers and developers try their best to figure out how best to present a site to their audience. Here at Ozy Web Design our main thought on designing pages is to make it easy for the visitor, to read, to navigate and get the information as easily as possible. A winning page is be that matches the page to the visitors expectations. High converting pages are those that do this remarkably well.

Let’s jump right into the 3rd and 4th most annoying webpage attributes that we have grouped into this article.

3rd Most Annoying webpage attribute: Links Opening To New Tabs or Windows

I personally don’t like this behavour that is programmed into a webpage. Sites that open up new pages are those that are not only opening a new tab but also multiplying the amount of processor utlisation. Two tabs equals twice the amount of cpu cycles needed to serve those pages.

Generally, a vistor expects links to open into the same tab unless indicated with a sign that the link opens to a new window or tab.

Why do some sites do this is another matter. But, we know that on countless situations, these pages that open to new tabs is one way of delaying the vistor from leaving that site.

You may ask: Why do EWM hate these types of pages? Over the years oeprating systems have become so bloated that this disease has also spread to internet webpages. The bloat is perhaps the biggest reason why we hate sites that open into new tabs.

On every page that you visit nowadays, expect to find html, CSS, javascripts and images that get downloaded to your computer. The browser has to read these files and assemble these into the programmed state of the page. What is cruel is when websites go beyond the norm and add more than what the average computer can handle.

My friend, the internet is run by advertising. Advertising has shifted from the TV and offline newspapers and onto the internet. Unfortunately, there is a high burden and overheads that come with pages that have attached advertising.

But, you can eliminate these advertisers simply by installing ads buster plugins or addons for your internet browser.

4th Most Annoying webpage attribute: Annoying Flash Navigation and Design

no annoying flashEver since the web was created, I knew this technology “Flash” was bad news. Flash is great to use if you’re going to present something with lot more that HTML and CSS, but the buck stops there. Your home page does not need to have flash. Flash will load a lot slower than conventional web pages.

It is very annoying to see an hour glass in the 21st century even with a fiber-optic connection to the net. These website owners are behind the times and truly need to upgrade their use of technology. Simple webpages are lot more user friendly then flash designed ones. People are after information and flash just plainly interferes with that process.

If somebody offers to design a website in Flash then run the other direction. You know why? Flash designed sites lack Search Engine Optimisation technologies. Search engines are unable to break down the inherent code behind the page. Besides, search engines like Google serve sites that are responsive and load quickly. Unfortunerely, these kinds of webpages don’t rank well on search engines.

I must admit, I am an anti-flash web developer and wouldn’t go near it to design webpages with it any more. Flash is dying technolgy and is really not used to develop general web pages.

There are many websites on the net, and if one doesn’t provide you the answers another will. So, you have a choice between sites you visit. Every site is a click away from a search engine.

Most of these kinds of annoyances can be handled through plugins or your browser settings. Perhaps my most hated sites that annoy me the most would be the small text. Yes, yes, I can use Control + Mouse wheel to adjust the size of the text and I do use it often on a lot of sites. But, it is an annoying to do this everytime.

There is a solution for nearly everything. It is matter of self-educating by searching for the answer.

ps: with 45 tabs open, my Firefox is using 2GB of memory. If your browser becomes sluggish then it is best close the tabs that you don’t need and restart the browser. You also need to tell your browser to remember the session upon restart.

You may also want to read the most powerful Firefox Browser addons that can prevent cpu overuse.

Hope you enjoyed reading the 2 series of the most annoying webpage attributes we’ve presented.

All Time Top Firefox Internet Browser Addons

All Time Top Firefox Internet Browser Addons

My Favourite and Powerful Firefox Plugins

top-firefox-addonsEvery Browser needs to have a good set of browser plugins or addons to maximise the use of the internet, the browser and the computer on which they are connected on.

How I feel without my browser plugins

Without my plugins I am like a person who is alone on a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean without an engine, a sale, a life jacket and a compass. The ocean and its waves do all the controlling. I am at their mercy and they direct where I have to turn and go. In this situation I am in total loss of control and subjected to harsh waves, thundery waters and winds along with unforgiving and ruthless climate. I have lost all my faith and perseverance to survive this outcome.

This is how I handle those CPU hogging websites

I am a control freak when it comes to using my computer. I will never relinquish power to technology! If I can’t control it, I won’t use it!

As has been for many years now I make sure that these plugins are always present on a computer that I am using even if it’s only for a short use.

The browser has become the main application of choice on any computer and smart phone. I have yet to come across a computer or a smart phone without one.

Did you also know that the very first application that gets installed on a computer is perhaps the Browser, right after setting the wireless or network drivers. Yep, that is why the browser needs to be under your control and behave the way you want it to behave. It is your computer and it is certainly your browser.

Advantages of Browser Addons

The advantages of taking back the control of your computer and the browser is many. You’re making more time for yourself based on working faster. Every few seconds saved throughout the day add up to considerable amount of time. Even better, you will work much faster since your computer and browser is now more responsive.

Slow computers and browsers do more than waste time. They can increase anxiety levels and cause high stress. Stressed out people are inefficient workers. Remove the stress and the work just flows much faster and further. Listen, an ad here and an ad there add up to your time wasted.

There are also other addons that make you work quicker. For example one of my favourite addons is the Fire Gesture. It basically speeds up what I am doing. Then there is the Yet Another Smooth Scroller that puts your Firefox into hyperactivity mode. You can now scroll through pages at lightning speed. Just install and try it out.

Anyhow, here are the top addons I use. These are by far not the only powerful addons or plugins that is out there but they are the ones I’ve come to rely on for optimal browser experience.

My favourite addons for Firefox Browser

adblock-plus

add-to-search-bar

bookmark-favicon-changer

browser-view

clippings

close-n-forget

download-youtube-videos-as-mp4

DownThemAll

element-hiding-helper-for-adblock

firegestures

flagfox

free-memory

google-search-link-fix

net-video-hunter

no-google-analytics

open-in-private-browsing-mode

play-pause

private-tab

quick-drag

random-agent-spoofer

search-preview

session-manager

show-password

status-4-ever

tab-mix-plus

toggleresponsive

toolbar-buttons

unload-tab

url-alias

user-style-manager

vertical-toolbar

view-source-chart

webrank-seo-toolbar

yet-another-smooth-scrolling

That is a lot of addons but I must say that they do help increase the speed of my computer by eliminating the client side scripting (javascript). Javascript can bring down Mega Bytes of unnecessary code down from the internet – and most of that is not for your benefit.

I would like your feedback. Tell me which browser addons you use that is not on the list.

Top 4 Annoying Website Attributes to Stay Away From : Part 2

Top 4 Annoying Website Attributes to Stay Away From : Part 1

Top 2 Annoying Website Attributes Part 1

 Annoying Website Attributes

Everybody has a different taste when it comes to how websites should look and feel. I will presented a few of those attributes most website designers should shy away from when designing pages.

Here is a glance as to what you will find here:

  • Annoying Background Music
  • Small Tiny Weeny Text
  • All Links Opening To New Tabs or Windows
  • Annoying Flash Menu System

Annoying Background Music

000802_c278_0007_cslsPerhaps this is my worst nightmare for websites that start blaring away with music or auto start videos. Nothing is more distracting than the sound a webpage makes without warning in a world of information overload.

You’re in an office environment or browsing on your computer or phone in a quite library and out of the blue one of thess pesky websites catches you breaking the silence. All heads turn toward your direction and there is big red invincible arrow pointing above you to you. How embarrassing would that feel if you care for the well being of others?

What is even worse then the sound auto-playing is the inability to detect where the sound is coming from. The average modern browser can have multiple tabs open at the same time and it makes this one of those tasks that throws one off-guard.

It is always best design practice to leave the control of these videos or sounds to the visitors discretion. Yes, the owners of the sites have every right to auto playing anything on their sites but frankly, it is annoying none-the-less. These sites lack the ability to build rapport with their visitors.

How to shut them up!

Most modern browsers have plugins that allows functionality to be installed to auto-stop web pages which have auto play videos or sound. If the site owners think that they have every right to intrude on your privacy then you have every right to control that intrusion, give them the plugin to shut them up!

Small Tiny Weeny Text

Top Annoying Website Attributes Is it a brainless design to fit every word into and above the fold? If a site is interesting enough the visitor will stay and read on. Why would you cram everything you have to say into tiny bits and force your visitor to read it?

I’ll give you one plugin that comes very handy for this kind of attack! Yep, I see these tiny weeny text as an attack and likewise I fight back like a Samurai warrior, slicing the page with my one power mouse. My mouse is the most powerful item on my computer second to my Alt-F4 or Alt-w. Alt-w or F4 needs the other hand to be placed near the keyboard.

I demonstrated this technique to my son on how to chop up a page that is irritating or doesn’t go away. I hold down the right mouse button and draw a quick “L” and then let go. At that very moment the page is gone. I advice you to install this plugin which helps one to quickly close pages in a quick succession.

If you’re using Firefox, the add-on I am referring to here is: Fire Gestures (opens in new tab). This is perhaps one of the best power add-ons that I use on the Firefox browser. It saves me a lot of work and time.

I will share my favourite Firefox Internet Browser Plugins of chose in my next blog post that makes my life and web browsing that much better.

The following 3rd and 4th annoying attributes will be shared in a future post. This post is long enough as it is.

  • All Links Opening To New Tabs or Windows
  • Annoying Flash Menu System

Thanks for staying on and reading the annoying Website Attributes.
I would love to hear your comments and any annoying website attributes that you’ve come across.