Best Practices

I like being able to call Javascript code from a link. It offers great flexibility in designing an interactive user experience. Sure I could restrict myself to the events associated with form elements, but sometimes interaction with a link is the best solution. Of course with form elements we understand exactly how the onClick event works, but a link already has its own version of the onClick event built in. So what exactly happens when our link tag has both onClick and href attributes?

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While not every marketing technique found in other industries can be applied directly to web development, there are a few that can. Case in point: the bargain. The idea is to promote something that’s a great deal to get people in the door. Once there, these customers are likely to notice other products and services you offer. Profit ensues.

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One of the many contributions that Stephen Covey has made to modern society’s corporate culture is the time management matrix. As shown in the example below, it divides the tasks that fill your day into quadrants, allowing you to apply rules about how much time should be spent on each activity. Spending time in quadrant 1 is good, and spending time in quadrant 2 is even better. Time spent in quadrants 3 and 4 should be minimized.

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Web designers, especially when just starting out, don’t have much of an advertising budget. So where does most new business come from? You may get a trickle of new business from people who stumble upon your website, but odds are the vast majority of your business is going to come from word of mouth. To make sure everybody’s on the same page, word of mouth advertising is when people who are familiar with you or your business personally recommend you to someone they know who needs your services.

These recommendations are often far more effective than traditional advertising. If someone sees your name on a billboard, they don’t actually know anything about you as a person or your quality of service. If they find out about you from one of your customers or a business associate, there’s an extra piece of information. You’ve dealt with at least one person who thinks highly enough of you to throw your name out there. Your potential customer now has a record of people who have interacted with you and not regretted it. You’re one for one.

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