Archive: January 2011
Website navigation systems have been around since the begining of the net. Delivering convenient navigation for your website viewers is a vital aspect of any website design. Through the years there have been many innovations about website menu tools and some of these have actually had negative results regarding SEO because they have made it more complicated for search engines to effectively crawl your website.
Among the most widely used menu system types are the simple html menu (1 level only), horizontal drop down menu, vertical menu (aka: side navigation), tabbed navigation and floating navigation. Each style of navigation has its own set of pros and cons. Figuring out which type is most effective for a specific website is dependent on the overall site design and the structure of the website.
There are also many different technologies necessary to support these various menu system types such as standard HTML, CSS (cascading style sheets), Javascript, jQuery and Flash. From an SEO perspective, building your navigation with simple HTML and CSS is the safest option. However with the debute of jQuery into the mix, many of the cool effects only attainable with Javascript can now be applied to a standard HTML unordered list, which is extremely SEO-friendly. As far as Flash goes, ther may be ways to get your navigation menu to be relatively SEO friendly, but the bottom line is that flash navigation should be avoided if SEO is a top concern.
The last aspect to consider is where should the navigation be positioned? The obvious top 2 standards are along the top and the left side. However many blog sites have their navigation positioned to the right side. There are also countless sites that use a mix of both. For example, their top navigation represents the 1st level of their site and the sub navigation is provided in the form of left or right nav.
With all this in mind, the choice to use a plain html menu system over a more sophisticated jQuery menu system really comes down to the amount of time you are willing to commit towards the creation of your navigation. jQuery is an awesome new technology, but defintely has a significant learning curve. If you do prefer a more sophisticated navigation system and don't have practical knowledge with jQuery, it's most effective to use an online jquery menu bulider. This way, you get the many advantages of having a very SEO-freindly navigation system and the impressive user experience provided by jQuery's functionality.
A key piece of virtually any website is the menu system used(ie ajax jquery menu. If you are a web designer wanting to develop a ajax jquery menufor your website, the overall superior option is to implement a jQuery menu system. There are two main reasons behind why jQuery menus will soon become the standard for website navigation.
First off, jQuery menus are 100% SEO-friendly as opposed to their earlier Javascript or Flash relatives. There are some valid arguments to be made about making Javascript and Flash menus SEO-friendly, but ultimately, the html mark-up for a jQuery menu is generally a common unordered list. You just can't get more SEO-friendly than that!
Next, jQuery menus have a sizeable amount to offer in terms of leading-edge user interface bells and whistles. jQuery has proven to be capable of pulling off some pretty complex animations and effects. As the use of jQuery grows, so will the library of jQuery plug-ins, making it an even more formidable technology.
Ok, so now that that you're (hopefully) confident of the strength and versatility of jQuery, just one drawback; Like all brand new technologies, there is a substantive learning curve associated with learning how to create an advanced jQuery menu for your website. This is one of the principal motives that our jQuery menu builder was developed. Not only can you build an incredible menu for your website, but it's also a superb way to learn by example since you can download all of the html, css, and jQuerycode and images required to run the menu. As always, we look forward to getting your feedback on our tool as we proceed to work toward further developing it.
Before today's content management systems, a good number of qualified web design organizations depended on managing static HTML internet sites for a hefty part of their revenue. Nonetheless, with the emergence of content management systems such as DotNetNuke, the customer has rather quickly become aware of the many advantages provided by dynamic web sites. The skinning architecture in DotNetNuke allows professional web designers to create amazing user interfaces which assimilate seamlessly with the underlying portal application to deliver a powerful, yet visually attractive client website.
The term “Skinning” refers to a software architecture which provides you with a manageable way to divide application logic and content from its presentation. This abstraction of “form” and “function” is sometimes referred to as a two-tiered presentation model. The advantages of skinning are that application logic and web page layout are segregated and can be designed and modified on their own. A software developer and a web page designer can collaborate without the possibility of interfering with each others work.
Skinning requires the use of "templates" which distinguish presentation and layout attributes from application logic. An intelligent skinning engine is then used to assemble the artifacts into a final product. This two-tiered approach affords both developers and designers a considerable level of liberty when it comes to maintaining a web site, and can substantially lessen the time and effort required in the post-release phases of a development project.
However, skinning also presents some complexities to your web application. The process of merging multiple files into a single page can produce severe performance degradation. Not to mention, developers must be properly knowledgeable to keep the presentation details of layout and appearance abstracted from their script code. Both of these items can be mitigated through the use of technology and a solid skinning architecture.
Consequently the skinning solution needs a technique for a web designer to define a skin using the most obvious base technology. HTML is the lowest common denominator when it comes to the Internet and has the greatest support in terms of design programs.
Based on the conditions and issues described above, it would seem to be useful to make it possible for web designers to incorporate placeholders into their HTML markup which represent dynamic functionality. This can provide the cleanest abstraction of “form” and “function”. The skin file could be edited without impacting the application logic. The application logic could be re-factored without impacting the user interface. The only concern is the performance penalty imposed by this extra layer of separation.
Website menu technologies have existed since the begining of the world wide web. Providing user friendly navigation for your site viewers is a critical aspect of any website design. Through the years there have been many developments in relation to website menu solutions and surprisingly some of these have actually had a negative impact pertaining to Website positioning because they have made it more complicated for search engines to successfully crawl your website.
Among the most popular menu system types are the simple html menu (1 level only), horizontal drop down menu, vertical menu (aka: side navigation), tabbed navigation and floating navigation. Each type of navigation has its own set of pros and cons. Determining which style is most efficient for a particular website is dependent on the overall site design and the hierarchy of the website.
There are also numerous technologies involved to support these various menu system types such as standard HTML, CSS (cascading style sheets), Javascript, jQuery and Flash. From an SEO perspective, building your navigation with simple HTML and CSS is the safest option. However with the introduction of jQuery into the mix, many of the awesome effects only feasible with Javascript can now be applied to a standard HTML unordered list, which happens to be extremely SEO-friendly. As far as Flash goes, there are some ways to get your navigation menu to be relatively SEO friendly, but the bottom line is that flash navigation should be prevented if SEO is a number one concern.
The last consideration that remains is where should the navigation be positioned? The obvious main 2 standards are along the top and the left side. However many blog sites have their particular navigation located to the right side. There are also many sites that use a mix of both. For example, their top navigation represents the 1st level of their site and the sub navigation is displayed in the form of left or right nav.
With all this in mind, the decision to use a common html menu system over a more sophisticated jQuery menu system really comes down to the amount of time you are willing to commit towards the refinement of your navigation. jQuery is an awesome new technology, but defintely has a serious learning curve. If you do prefer a more advanced navigation system and don't have experience with jQuery, it's best to use an online jquery menu generator. This way, you get the advantages of having a very SEO-freindly navigation system and the ideal user experience provided by jQuery's capabilities.
A vital element of just about any website is the menu system used(ie jquery list menu. If you happen to be a web designer planning to develop a jquery list menufor your website, the overall most efficient option is to build a jQuery menu system. There are two main reasons behind why jQuery menus will quickly become the standard for website navigation.
Firstly, jQuery menus are completely Search engine optimized as opposed to their previous Javascript or Flash cousins. There are some valid arguments to be made about making Javascript and Flash menus SEO-friendly, but inevitably, the html mark-up for a jQuery menu is generally a common unordered list. You simply can't get more SEO-friendly than that!
Next, jQuery menus have a sizeable amount to offer relating to innovative user interface features. jQuery has proven to be capable of pulling off some pretty advanced animations and effects. As the use of jQuery grows, so will the library of jQuery plug-ins, making it an even more powerful technology.
Ok, so now that that you're (I hope) confident of the potential and flexibility of jQuery, just a single downside; Like all emerging technologies, there is a considerable learning curve associated with learning how to construct an advanced jQuery menu for your website. This is one of the major reasons that our jQuery menu builder was developed. Not only can you build an incredible menu for your website, but it's also a superb way to learn by example since you can download all of the html, css, and jQuerycode and images required to run the menu. As always, we look forward to getting your suggestions on our tool as we continue to work toward further developing it.
Before modern day content management systems, scores of commercial web design agencies depended on handling static HTML sites for a considerable portion of their revenues. Nonetheless, with the emergence of content management systems such as DotNetNuke, the customer has speedily become aware of the many benefits offered by dynamic sites. The skinning architecture in DotNetNuke allows professional web designers to create spectacular user interfaces which integrate seamlessly with the underlying portal application to produce a impressive, yet visually appealing client website.
However, this simplicity comes with a price. Most ASP websites include a mangled spaghetti of intermingled HTML markup and ASP script, making them hard to figure out and even more challenging to maintain. This problem most frequently rears its ugly head when web designers need to adjust the user interface. Since the presentation properties are embedded in the ASP script, adjustments usually require a joint effort between a web developer and a designer to ensure the integrity of the change. This eventually results in much more effort, more time, and higher cost.
Skinning consists of the use of "templates" which separate presentation and layout attributes from application logic. An intelligent skinning engine is then used to construct the artifacts into a final product. This two-tiered approach affords both developers and designers a good level of independence when it comes to maintaining a web site, and can substantially lessen the time and effort required in the post-release phases of a development project.
However, skinning also presents some complexities to your web application. The process of merging multiple files into a single page can produce severe performance degradation. Not to mention, developers must be properly knowledgeable to keep the presentation details of layout and appearance abstracted from their script code. Both of these items can be mitigated through the use of technology and a solid skinning architecture.
As a result the skinning solution needs a process for a web designer to define a skin using the most obvious base technology. HTML is the lowest common denominator when it comes to the Web and has the greatest support in terms of design tools. The only problem with HTML is that it is 100 % static - yet a web application has requirements for dynamic elements at the same time.
Based on the needs and issues described above, it would seem useful to enable web designers to include placeholders into their HTML markup which represent dynamic functionality. This provides the cleanest abstraction of “form” and “function”. The skin file could be changed without influencing the application logic. The application logic could be modified without impacting the user interface. The only concern is the performance penalty imposed by this additional layer of separation.
Jquery list menus have become a very popular element to virtually any website. If you are a web designer planning to create a jquery list menufor your website, the overall ideal option is to utilize a jQuery menu system. There are two main reasons jQuery menus will soon become the standard for website navigation.
For starters, jQuery menus are completely SEO-friendly in contrast to their previous Javascript or Flash relatives. There are some real arguments to be made about making Javascript and Flash menus SEO-friendly, but inevitably, the html mark-up for a jQuery menu is normally a simple unordered list. You just can't get more SEO-friendly than that!
Next, jQuery menus have a sizeable amount to offer when it comes to leading-edge user interface bells and whistles. jQuery has proven to be capable of pulling off some pretty leading-edge animations and effects. As the use of jQuery grows, so will the collection of jQuery plug-ins, making it an even more formidable technology.
Ok, so now that that you're (I hope) convinced of the power and flexibleness of jQuery, just a single negative aspect; Like all new technologies, there is a significant learning curve associated with figuring out how to build an advanced jQuery menu for your website. This is one of the principal reasons that our jQuery menu builder was created. Not only can you generate an amazing menu for your website, but it's also a superb way to learn by example since you can download all of the html, css, and jQuerycode and images needed to run the menu. As always, we look forward to getting your comments on our tool as we proceed to work toward further developing it.