Tag: How to make a website

Why do we need a website developer? What do they do? Such technologies as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript define the way we interact with the websites we see online. But what remains the crucial or sensitive part of a website development life cycle are the stages of information gathering, planning, and post-launching.

In this blog we will discover how the general website development process may look like. Here are seven important steps in the process of developing a website:

1. Information Gathering
2. Planning
3. Design
4. Content Writing and Assembly
5. Coding
6. Testing, Review & Launch
7. Maintenance

Step 1. Gather Details & Information: Purpose, Main Goals, and Target Audience

This is the stage of discovering and researching, and finding out what the steps will look like. The most important task at this point is to understand your future website’s objective and target audience in order to understand what kind of website you will need to build in the first place. 

Step 2. Plan: Sitemap Creation

At this second stage of the business website development cycle, the website developer creates data that allows a user to see and judge how the whole website will look like.

From the information that was gathered together in the first phase, the sitemap is created.

The sitemap should show the relations between the main areas of your business website. It must  show you the “relationship” between the different pages of a website, so you can judge how easy it will be for the end-user to find the required information.

Step 3. Design/Layout: Review and Approval 

In this third stage, you’ll be able to see your business website slowly come to life. All  visual content – photos and videos – are created. This is when you’ll first be able to see what your website could look like – applying your business’ branding colors and guidelines. During this stage, take note to always keep your target audience in mind imagining what they will think once you see your website for the first time. 

Step 4.  Content Writing

Content writing should not be underestimated.  In this fourth step, it is important to put in writing everything you would like to communicate to the end users of your business website. Take note to add call-to-action action buttons clearly indicating what you would like your end users to do once they have read your content. Don’t rush into this step. Consider the right headlines to ensure that your users immediately understand what your business is all about. 

Step 5. Coding

This step will take up the longest time in the entire website development process. This fifth step – which is the most important step – is the phase in the process when a website developer essentially creates your website using a unique programming language that will allow it to be available and usable online. Be extremely patient during this step of the website development process as website coding may take some time especially if your business website requires a lot of functionalities. We recommend you hire a trusted professional to do this especially if you don’t have the coding experience or expertise yourself. 

Step 6. Test, Review, and Launch

Every single link should be tested just to make sure that there are dead links or errors in any pages. Check every single form and call-to-action button. Review all content to find any possible typographical errors. Very important: Check to see for the site’s mobile responsiveness as well. 

Step 7. Maintenance: Regular Updating

A website is more of a service. It’s not enough to just deliver a business website to a business owner. You should also consider that every detail or element always works right. Most importantly, always be prepared to update any and all content, upgrade features and functionalities and create any changes as your business evolves and grows.

Bear in mind that website development doesn’t start with just coding and doesn’t end after the day you finally launch or complete your business website. Owning a business website is a continuous process of updating, upgrading and maintaining. Ensure that you are either familiar with how your website works or you have someone on call to help ensure that it’s perfectly secure and efficient for your target audiences.

With 26 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative online marketing services in the Philippines. iManila is a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, website update and maintenance, web hosting, email hosting, technical support, and digital marketing services needs.

Work together with top advertising companies in the Philippines like iManila and make your brand goals become reality. Talk to us!

When planning a business website, most people focus on how it will look and its functionalities. Other important elements such as its domain name becomes an afterthought. That shouldn’t be the case.

In fact, domain names should be prioritized as well. Why? Well, for starters, your business’ website domain name is your business’ online name and address. People will search you using this name. You will be regarded with this name. And of course, with over 1.3 billion websites on the internet, having your own unique domain name is just a no-brainer.

But, wait! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about how a domain name can benefit your business in the long run and why it’s worth your money. Read below!

A Domain name makes your business searchable

When you create your business website on a third-party website hosting provider, they will give you a subdomain as part of your address. You’ll end up with an address that looks similar to this hostsite.com/yourname, which can be difficult to remember.

By publishing your website on your own domain name, users would be more likely to remember you. Aside from it being straightforward, there’s no extra characters to type or remember. Having a domain name that’s short and easy to remember allows users to visit and revisit your website easily. 

A Domain name makes your business professional (and legitimate)

Having your content on a third-party blogging site and having an address like this hostsite.com/yourname can seem unprofessional. Plus, given that these third-party blogging platforms are usually used for informal sharing, it would be harder to build a trustworthy, professional identity.

Meanwhile, buying a domain name shows that your business is legitimate. It boosts your business’ professionalism online and gives an impression that you have long term business goals. It tells online users that you want to be seen and found by them anytime, anywhere. 

A Domain name gives you control

Having a domain name gives you control in two ways. First, it gives you full control over your page. When you use a third-party platform, chances are when the site closes down, it will take everything on it – including all of your content and online identity. It’s horrible. Some third parties even claim full ownership of everything posted there. When this happens, you have no right to do whatever you please with your content.

Second, having a domain name gives you control over your online identity. When you buy a domain name, it’s yours exclusively. No one on the internet can use it as long as you’re paying for it. Think of it as the most affordable branding tool there is in the market.

Chances are – The Domain Name You Want is Already Taken 

If you’re still hesitant whether to buy a domain name or not for your business website, just do it. Do your business a favor and purchase your online address today. A basic domain name is so affordable – you don’t need to think twice. With thousands of businesses being registered everyday – chances are that the domain name you want is no longer available – and once all of the possible variations of your business domain name have been purchased, you will most likely not be able to own it anytime soon (or at least not for an affordable price).

We can help! Check here now if your preferred domain name is still available!

With 26 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila – a digital marketing agency, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative online marketing services in the Philippines that can help convert your website visitors into quality leads or potential customers.

As one of the best web hosting providers in the Philippines, iManila is also a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, website update and maintenance, web hosting, email hosting, technical support, and digital marketing services needs.  Talk to us!

PHP is one of the most popular scripting languages that is most commonly used by many web developers today.

To date, the World Wide Web Technology Surveys (W3Techs) have seen that PHP is used by over 78% of all the websites that use a server-side programming language. This means that for almost every 8 out of 10 websites you visit, PHP plays a very vital role. In addition, this scripting language also plays an important role in all websites using a WordPress content management system (CMS).

This general-purpose language not only is responsible for adding functionality to web pages but also for applying Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) to websites. However, as with any piece of software, PHP has a release life cycle it has to adhere to in order to make improvements. In order for PHP to maximize its functions, constantly updating your PHP version is very important. If you still have never tried updating your PHP version, we recommend considering to do so by checking out some of the benefits it can provide your website once it has been updated:

Security

By updating your PHP version, you will be able to ensure that your website is running on a version that is fully supported and regularly updated for security threats. Some of the threats that may affect your website include: 

• DoS
• Code execution
• Overflow
• Memory corruption
• XSS
• Directory traversal
• Information traversal
• Retrieval

Keep in mind, numerous vulnerabilities inherent to older PHP versions become exposed, so updating constantly is important.

Support

Another reason why you need to update your PHP version is the support that it provides your website. Remember, the older your PHP version is, the more prone it is to threats, therefore increasing the chances of your site having issues. Not only that, developers who are working on your website project may encounter big problems if you have an outdated website.

Having a supported PHP version ensures that your websites are regularly monitored and improved.

Better opportunities for Web Developers

Most website developers prefer to work on newer versions of PHP simply due to the fact that there have been so many new features added between PHP 5.2 and PHP 7.4. Some of the new features include:

• Combined comparison operator
• Null coalesce operator
• New type hinting
• Anonymous classes
• Nullable types
• Iterable and void returns
• Multi-catch exception handling
• Keys usable in lists
• More negative string offsets
• Number operators and malformed numbers
• HTTP/2 server push
• Preloading
• Spread operator in array expression
• Arrow functions 2.0 (short closures)
• Null coalescing assignment operator
• Typed properties 2.0
• Weak references
• Covariant returns and contravariant parameters
• New custom object serialization mechanism

In Summary: The Importance of upgrading your PHP versions

Overall, upgrading your PHP to the latest version is a great way to ensure the security of your website. Not to mention, newer versions of this programming language will not only offer performance improvements, but also help with compatibility issues and overall performance as well.

Don’t know where to begin? No idea on how to update the PHP version of your website? Get help from the industry experts. 

With 26 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative online marketing services in the Philippines. iManila is a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, website update and maintenance, web hosting, email hosting, technical support, and digital marketing services needs. Contact us today!

Also known as Google Adwords, Google Ads is a Pay Per Click (PPC) platform that allows marketing professionals to advertise their products on the internet. With over 259 million visitors, 4.8 billion daily interactions, and 5 billion search queries a day, it’s definitely a digital marketing platform that can help you reach your goals. But, what type of ad do you need? Let’s take a look at the different types of Google Ads and find out which is perfect for your business below!

Ad Type No. 1: Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)

Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) is a new format of Google Search Text Ads. It uses the power of Google’s machine learning technology to test various combinations of your advertising messages. Overall, it serves as the best ads to your customers.

This is a great ad to try since it offers several options for you to use 15 headlines and 4 descriptions for greater reach. Moreover, it allows A/B testing without having to create separate ads. However, all your headlines must work well with all the others so that they can deliver a clear message no matter what order they appear.

Ad Type No. 2: Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs)

Dynamic search ads (DSAs) are a great option to use. It populates search ads automatically with content from your website. Compared to RSAs where you get to be the one who creates the headlines, DSAs use the content on your website to target your users searching for similar products or services. This is a convenient type of ad to use since it saves you a lot of time. Just make sure that your website is well-developed and has clear categories of content and a large inventory of products.

Ad Type No. 3: Display Ads

A Google display ad is a type of Google ad where it uses images to run on the Google Display Network. The advantage of using this is that they can show on websites that partner with Google to provide ad space. Some of those platforms include Gmail, Google Finance, and YouTube. Moreover, you also have to choose the image ads to use. It can either be static or animated graphics.

Ad Type No. 4: App Promotion Ads

Just like what the name states, app promotion ads literally promote an app in Google Ads. They usually run on the Google Search and Display Networks, including Google Play, YouTube, and Google Discover. So, if you are planning to advertise a new app that your team created, then App Promotion Ads is definitely for you!

Ad Type No. 5: Video Ads

Video ads are a popular type of marketing strategy that involves creating a short and informative video that promotes a product or service. It is usually placed on YouTube where it is played before, during, or after the main video. According to a study by Google, 70% of people bought from a brand after seeing their ad on YouTube. So, if you have the budget for video ads, then this is definitely a great option you can try.

Ad Type No. 6: Shopping Ads

If you have a new product or promotion that you want to advertise, then using Shopping Ads is a great way to introduce them to potential buyers. These types of ads have the ability to show items for sale with a product image, title, price, and a link to the online store. Moreover, this information is pulled from your Google Merchant Center account through the product data feed you provide. When running this campaign, it is usually shown at the top or side of your search engine results page (SERP). It can also show up on the Google Search Network as well as on Google Images.

To run this successfully, however, you need to have a shopping cart on your website (e.g., through Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce etc.)

Ad Type No. 7: Local Search Ads

Local Search Ads is a great option for those people who are looking to drive store visits or calls to specific business locations. When running this, Google generates an ad based on your assets like text, images, and videos. These ads can appear on the Google Search Network, Google Maps, YouTube, and the Google Display Network.

Ad Type No. 8: Call-Only Ads

Call ad is a campaign that allows you to run on mobile devices and allows you to promote phone calls. For instance, when a user clicks the ad, the ad places a call to you directly from the SERP. Similar to text ads, Call-Only Ads offer headlines and descriptions. With that said, however, this only prompts a user to call your business directly.

Ad Type No. 9: Local Service Ads

Meanwhile, local service ads lets you pay only for leads that you receive from the ad. It’s a viable option for local businesses that only offer specific services. These ads are shown at the top of the search results page with a “Google Screened” or “Google Guaranteed” icon. In order to run this, your business must go through a screening and verification process that involves a background check.

Now that you know all the options, strengthen your Search Engine Marketing by investing with the best digital marketing agency like iManila! Together, let us work to achieve your Google advertisement goals. 

With 26 years of experience in the industry, a current Google Partner and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative online marketing services in the Philippines. iManila is a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, web hosting provider, email hosting, technical support, and digital marketing services needs. 

Work together with top advertising companies in the Philippines like iManila and make your brand goals become reality. Talk to us!