Author Archive

Google see the 410 Server Response Code as "More Permanent" than a 404 Response Code

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Google, Google Webmaster Central

google-110809A 404 server response status code means “page not found” and the 410 server response simply means “gone”.

For as long as I can remember, search engines have treated both these codes in the same way, with them both meaning that nothing is returned on a certain URL.

But reading a Google webmaster help thread from yesterday, Google employee John Mu stated that this is no longer the case and that Google is now treating these codes slightly differently. (more…)

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Google Chrome Operating System -vs- Microsoft Windows 7

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Google, Google Chrome, Microsoft, Windows 7

This seems to be the title everyone is using since Google announced the launch of its lightweight operating system, Google Chrome OS, but it could be argued that there isn’t much meat in this headline.

Granted Windows 7 is supposed to be a modular operating system that could potentially be deployed in lightweight systems such as web books (the target for Chrome OS) but I believe windows XP will stay the preferred choice for a low cost Windows solution in a web book. (more…)

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Woolworths Online: Resurrected to Fail??

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Industry News, SEO

6 months after everybody’s favourite high street pick and mix retailer closed down, the Shop Direct Group has decided to resurrect Woolworths as an online retailer. I strongly believe that using the Woolworths brand online is a wise move by the Shop Direct Group as there is a lot of love and affection throughout the UK for the established Woolworths brand.

Over the last 3 weeks I have been using the site since its re-launch, but the more I visit the more disappointed I am by how our beloved former high street brand has been launched online. (more…)

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Eye Tracking Studies

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Digital Marketing, SEO, Usability

Eye-tracking studies are great for understanding how the public view webpages, but it can often be hard to translate the results of these studies into real web design implementations. Recently I have been reading over studies such as Eyetrack 3, which was a study performed in 2003 by Steve Outing and Laura Ruel, as they observed 46 people view various mock information sites for an hour.

After reading over the study I decided to pick out a few nuggets of information that web designers can often overlook.

  1. Visitors read in the shape of an F. Visitors were found to generally scan WebPages in the shape of an F. Make sure important elements of your content are in these key areas to keep readers engaged. Place headers, sub headers, bullet points, and highlighted text along these lines so readers will be enticed to read more
  2. Headings draw the eye. In the majority of cases the first things readers have been found to look at on a webpage are the headlines. Make sure your headlines are not obstructed by other items on the page and that they are engaging enough to draw the reader into looking further through your site.

    3. (more…)

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Digital Britain

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Industry News

Last Tuesday, the minister for communication Lord Carter unveiled his long-awaited report named “Digital Britain”. The report examined Britain’s digital sector and outlined the government’s strategy for broadband and digital content over the next few years. Here are some of the highlights that have come from the 240 page report.

Broadband Tax

  • The government plans to bring 2Mbps broadband to all households by 2012.
  • A 50p a month tax will be added to every fixed phone line connection.
  • This tax should/will go towards giving high speed internet access to everybody in Britain by 2012 and then maintaining this network.

(more…)

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