Website Development with a Solid Foundation

The perils to getting off to a rocky start.

The foundation of a web page is much like the foundation of a home or the frame of an automobile. Sure, you can buy a pretty house, or a sleek looking car, but if the foundation of the home or the frame of the chassis wasn't built correctly, you're bound to have problems down the road. The foundation used to build your website is just as important. Websites can be well designed and even seem like they're in great shape, however, if the site wasn't built using proper techniques, it can make it more difficult or even impossible to find in today's search engines. WhirlWind Creative's web geniuses know not only how to build a website; they know how to build a website the right way.

What are the benefits to a well developed website?

There are many benefits one can reap from having a well developed website. First, the speed of website is directly related to how it was built. Images that aren't optimized, database queries which are set efficiently, and source code which is excessive or contains errors can all effect the speed at which your site and the individual pages within it load. Second, sites which are coded properly and are free of major errors have an easier time getting indexed by the major search engines. Errors in the source code (especially if they appear towards the beginning or the code) can even cause your entire page to be invisible to search engines.

What makes a site “well developed”

Many web development firms have their own litmus tests to gage how well a site was developed. What sets us apart is that we look at not only the way a site was coded, but the content that was put in as well. In both review of existing sites and development of our own, we look at the source code use proper coding techniques, and the way the content was written. For instance, properly written page titles and descriptions can drastically assist a site in SEO.

How can I check to see if my site is developed correctly?

While there are some great tools online which can be used to analyze your site's structure, it often takes a pair of trained eyes to understand what it all means. Luckily for you, WhirlWind is willing to offer you a free website analysis to give you an idea on where you stand. If you still have questions, we can even set up an appointment for you to talk to one of our web gurus in person.

Cross-Browser Compatibility

So the first question that we're sure comes to mind is “what is cross-browser compatibility?” Essentially, cross-browser compatibility is a websites ability to render correctly (or to look right) in multiple browsers. While all browsers try to adhere to a set of guidelines set by the W3C, each browser still has its differences. These differences can range from the way they display fonts to the tags and coding languages they recognize. It's these slight differences that WhirlWind Creative weeds out to ensure your site maintains a consistent look and functionality; no matter how it's being viewed.

If you're not a web developer, chances are that you only have one (maybe two) browsers on your computer. The latest browser statistics even show that nearly 80% of web users either use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. However, did you know that a properly developed website must be checked in at least 7 different browsers? Every site WhirlWind Creative builds is checked for compatibility in Internet Explorer (versions 6, 7, and 8), Firefox, Chrome, Safari and even Opera (koodos to our fellow nerds who know about Opera). While some development firms may be comfortable just checking your site in Internet Explorer, we know how important it is to make sure your site looks good no matter what.