Lower website costs
Introduction.Do you have a website short on money and manpower? Here are some tips for keeping costs low.Site Architecture.Organize the structure of the website.Don't display the technology running the website.Try to avoid file extensions in a URL.bad: example.com/blue-widgets.php example.com/blue/widgets/index.php?id=3488309 example.com/product.php?prod=blue widgets good: example.com/blue-widgets/ example.com/blue/widgets/ example.com/product/blue-widgets Many search engines index a web page using its full URL. If the URL changes, from HTML, ASP, PHP, JSP, or whatever, all of those indexed URLs are lost. There are solutions to this problem. But, if you do it right the first time, they are unnecessary. Develop a set of base site pages.Many websites have a lot of the same pages. They are Home, contact us, about us, privacy, terms of use, site map, etc. Develop a list of these pages. Put them in the default folder. Eliminate unneeded pages.Error pages.Do you have custom 401, 403, 404, and 500 error pages? If so, are they in your default site folder? Another good idea is to put them in the base htaccess file as well (only applies to Apache web servers). There is more about this in the advanced error page section.favicon file.Do you use a favorite icon file? This gives the impression someone cares about this website. For every website you create, make one.Robots.txt.Set it up to block unwanted spiders. If it needs to be reused, it only has to be tweaked.Content Management.Manage web page content.Separate content from context.CSS separates layout information from content. Once you understand it, the benefits are substantial.Separate content from programming.Look at the contact form. It has some blah-blah copy and form elements. Separate the copy into one file. Put the code, for building, error-checking and sending the form, in a separate include file. When you build another project, only the copy has to be changed.Code Re-Use.Use include files for common functions and site variables. Build a library of functions.Candidates for include files are the top masthead, bottom footer, and side navigation. When something changes, it only has to be changed once. Here's a suggestion. Define the site name, and site URL, as a variable. Put the variable in the common includes. controlling spam.Never display an email address on a web page. Use a contact form. Sometimes it is impractical. If so, obfuscate the email address. Better yet, use an image.Intermediate Ideas.These are more tips which do not fit the previous categories.Link Trades.If trading links, use an automated, submission and checking form. Get one to check if the link is live, before accepting a submission. Be sure the links have to be approved, before they are visible. Be sure it periodically checks the reciprocal link is still active. If not, it emails, and removes, deadbeats who take them down.Monitor uptime.Set up a test page with a brief static text message. Subscribe to, or buy, an up-time checking service. Get a program to run, from your home development server, for as little as $30. Set-up an email, emergency@example.com, to forward to your main email. Check regularly.Set the monitoring program to send an alert, if the test page is down. When on vacation, redirect emergency@example.com to your alternate email, cell phone, or other device. Using one address for all websites, saves time on checking. Error pages, part 2.Record the errors, from error pages, in a text file or database. For some errors, use a form for the user to give more information. Record the IP, session variables, or other info in hidden fields. This allows for improved debugging.Spy vs. Spy.Check for anyone trying to reverse-engineer your work. If there is someone, with an “allin” in the referrer, record their IP. Record the pages they visit. Store the info in a text file or database. Mail this to yourself, for daily review.Conclusion.Hopefully, these tips help lower website costs and improve administration.Xanga Myspace LiveJournal | free pics images | free My space Backrounds |