This article is geared more for webmasters than anyone else. If you are like me, and have to manage dozens of sites, then you know what a hassle it is to keep track of all the assets (layout files, stock photos, banners, etc) which go into a commercial site.

Over the years I’ve tried various naming conventions to keep myself organized. It’s been an evolutionary process and I still haven’t perfected it yet, but here’s what I’ve done to help keep my files organized.

Folder Naming

Because I literally have a couple of hundred sites to maintain, My “My Documents” folder would take forever to open, simply because I would create a new folder for each site. example: (mydomain.com) What I have done is create a folder for all the domains that start with the letter A, and then B and so on and soforth.

Within each of these folders, I would create a domain folder (mydomain.com) and within that folder would be my site files.  I’ve always maintained a Source folder which contains all of my photoshop files as well as any other files provided by the client.  Its a great way to quickly locate information from each client, and it allows for greater speed from windows when opening this folder.

File Naming

In addition to the sites that I run, I also have the privilege of creating a lot of banners for resell from clients across the country that will run on various ad networks.  I have one client in particular in Denver for which I create about a dozen different banners a week for their clients.  The easiest way for me to keep track of all of these banners was to create a folder inside my “My Pictures” folder called Denver.  Within that folder would save both the source .psd /.png /. fla files as well as the output jpg, gif, swf files.

I named the files after the end client and then the banner dimensions.  (Many end clients have multiple size banners for a single campaign). I’ve always favored readability over efficiency, so try not to use codes for clients.

For Example; If the client is an Ice Cream shop called Buttercreams, and they were requesting a leaderboard (728×90) banner.  Then I would create the banner and save it as buttercreams_728×90.jpg.  Variations on this banner would be designated by a letter following the dimensions.  Example:  buttercreams_728×90a.jpg, buttercreams_728×90b.jpg, buttercreams_728×90c.jpg.

This method can be used in any file naming system you use. It does not have to be specific for banner ads.  Here is the General rule:  Name them left to right beginning with a general term to a more specific term.

Using Dates in filenames

There are times that I create time sensitive materials which requires the items to have dates in the filename.  When this occurs, I always create the filename using the following date format YYYYMMDD ::  Example:  20090904_news_a4.jpg  This filename is specific to a newscast.  It aired on Friday Sept 4th 2009, and it was  the 4th item in the A Block (the first block of a broadcast is usually the A block) of News.

While not perfect, this has really saved me a ton of time whenever we need to recall or modify a campaign graphic from this archive.

Be Consistent

There are other small factors which I like to have in my naming conventions which, while not that important, help me keep the chaos away.

• Always use lowercase letters
• Don’t use spaces if the files are to be used online  (Rephrase that: NEVER use spaces)
• Don’t use special characters in the file names such as (){}[]+?~!@#$%^&*.
• Don’t be afraid to create temporary work folders to keep all the files for a single banner together.

I hope this small window into the way we organize thing here will help you better organize your files.  Please feel free to comment, especially if you have a better method.  I’m always listening, and looking to improve.

Thanks.

There are 5 essential elements that every web designer needs to incorporate into their websites. None of these is more important than the other. They must all work in harmony in order to produce a website that is ready to be seen by the visiting public, and making it prime for converting those visitors into clients.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Usability (How easy to use are your menus?)
• “Look and Feel”  (Is your website branded for your business)
• Content (Do you have relavent content?)
• “Eye Candy” (Does your website have cool graphics or animated elements)

SEO

Search engine traffic is the number 1 best way to obtain free qualified traffic.  When someone is looking for your services, they are NOT going to know to come to your site.  They will go to google, or yahoo, or MSN, to search for your services. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the only way to get to the TOP of the search results on these search engines so that your potential client will visit you and not your competitor. (more…)

When a company decides to go online, and get a web presence, I don’t believe they fully understand what that entails as far as the impact on their operation. I’m not saying they don’t know what the benefits are, I just don’t think they realize the full landscape of what they are stepping into.

Here are a few reasons why I think many company websites fail with their online endeavors.

1. Failure to Focus

I think first and foremost many companies offer a variety of services when it comes to their particular industry. I also think they get carried away on the realization of the possibilities that their websites offer them. I think they are overwhelmed with too many directions to go in, and they want to “do it all” on their sites. This failure to focus their message will lead the website visitor with a lack of motivation or even energy to sift through the options and find what they are looking for. (more…)

Ok, you’ve worked really hard and have managed to start your own podcast. You’ve submitted it to the itunes store, and they have accepted it. Now what.

If someone wants to subscribe to your podcast they have to search the iTunes Store via search or browse.
This is not a very good way to get podcast subscribers. After all, isn’t this why you created your own website to begin with?
The good news is that you can create a direct link straight into the itunes store and directly to your podcast right from your website/blog.

Linking to your podcast

1. Open iTunes and go to the itunes store.
2. Search for, and find your podcast.
3. Right+click on the artwork for your podcast, and a button will appear which says “Copy iTunes Store URL” Click it.
4. On your website, click where you want the link to be, and click paste (CTRL + V).

I’ve created a button which you can download here:

(Right click and select “Save Image As”)

And that’s it. Now your visitors can subscribe to your podcast with one easy click.

Happy Podcasting.

When designing websites, one must always keep in mind the SEO aspect of the site.  Many clients have often said, i’m not getting the traffic insofar as high numbers.  What you want to remember is that its not QUANTITY its QUALITY that you are searching for.  If you owned a construction company in the Rio Grande Valley, would you rather have a thousand people a day that have found your site by typing “construction” in google, or would you rather have 5 people a day that have typed “construction in the RGV”.  Those 5 people are looking for YOUR company, not the 1000 others who may be in a different geographic area, and would have no use for your services.

So when I am speaking of SEO, my goal is not to have a large number of people coming to your site, I’m referring to QUALIFIED traffic, that is, traffic that you can convert to a client.

The following tips will probably help webmasters who are looking to integrate SEO into their designs.  However this information can help the end client in evaluating their own sites, as well as evaluating the quality of work delivered by their webmasters. (more…)