GoDaddy

GoDaddy.com hosting plans are ideal for most individuals and small businesses. They’re the affordable, reliable place to host your site, offering features like a 99.9% network uptime commitment, 24/7 support, and free access to their exclusive Go Daddy Hosting Connection – with EVERY hosting plan!

Shared hosting features include:

• 1,000 Email Accounts
• Host Unlimited Web sites
• 50 MySQL Databases
• Unlimited Email Forwards
• Forums, Blogging, Photos
• Go Daddy Hosting Connection
• $75 Google AdWords Credit
• $50 Facebook Credit
• $60 MySpace MyAds Credit
• 10 Fotolia Photo Credits
• FREE SSL Certificate
• FREE Website Add-Ons
• 24/7 Phone/Email Support

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	3.5
Customer support	3.5
Reliability & Uptime	4.0
Traffic	3.8
Space	3.5
Software	3.8
Price	3.3
Quality	3.5
User-friendliness	3.7
Average Rating:	3.5

My Review

You probably remember GoDaddy web hosting from their Super Bowl advertising of the past few years and celebrity spokespeople (including race car drivers Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.). We remember Go Daddy for their long-standing tradition of providing a wide variety of affordable shared hosting plans, domain services, virtual and dedicated servers, email services, and business solutions. For the purposes of this review, I’ll focus on their shared hosting plans and not their clever ads or large assortment of other web hosting options.

When I say “affordable” in this case, what I really mean is “downright cheap.” GoDaddy is the all-you-can-eat buffet of shared web hosting providers. You could find other and fancier dishes elsewhere, but it’s doubtful you’ll find a better price for the features you’ll get with them. GoDaddy techs are efficient, courteous and professional. They offer loads of features, are very reliable and great for running wordpress blogs, forums, html sites and any other type of website you can think of.

Every hosting package comes with access to GoDaddy’s hosting connection – over 50 applications in one easy to access, quick install location.

GoDaddy is the world’s largest web hosting service, currently managing over 46 million domains. With such low prices and such high customer satisfaction, it’s easy to see why.

Lately GoDaddy has let their web hosting department go down a little lately, but they still offer a good web hosting service. They are also still great to use for purchasing your domain names.

Visit http://godaddy.com for full details.

See where GoDaddy ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About GoDaddy

Stay Away From GoDaddy

I am extremely disappointed with Go Daddy support, my site has been down for 18 hours, it is clearly a database server issue on the godaddy end, and I am still being told that could take up to 72 hours, WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT IS THIS? this is my production environment. My site has been migrated twice over the last 6 months, it has been down twice this month”March”. I have sites running on justhost.com, for up over a year now, I never ever had such a problem. I am just waiting till the problem gets fixed and I am moving all of my sites to a new webhosting company, with a better support/monitored environment.

Buyer Beware

I hosted with Godaddy for six years. Over the years, I’ve seen their customer service slowly go downhill. I’ve had them charge my credit card for services I didn’t ask for. I’ve had them block emails (they are notorious for this). When asked to unblock the isp, they claimed that it wasn’t blocked and asked for proof. I sent it to them. They told me that they had unblocked the isp…it was still blocked. It took my husband and I over SIX WEEKS to show these people that it was, indeed, still blocked. How can you block the largest isp in Germany? I will continue to keep my domains there (but I do not allow them to automatically charge my credit card for anything), but I have moved my hosting account. They need to move away from the slow, user unfriendly way they’ve gotten and back to the customer is no. 1. When asked, I do NOT recommend them.

Stick To Registering Domains Only

GoDaddy is great to register domain names. That’s about the only thing I left there. When I was getting constant reports from business partners that they sent me emails and I never received them, I knew something was going on. At first, I thought nothing of it for a few months until I decided it’s enough and that it has to be on my end. They block emails in the backend that you have no control over and you will lose TONS of important emails due to it. Their support will not fess up on this, but you can read this issue all over the Internet. When I switched, I started getting emails that previously never reached me. Beware for email and web hosting, that’s for sure!

Bad For Hosting. Good For Domains

I’ve been a regular customer at Godaddy, purchasing domain names. This time I decided to try their hosting services. However it turned out to be a disappointment. 1. Their hosting servers are too slow! Having lost both time and money, I decided to jump to a different provider now. 2. Similarly their web-admin interfaces are also very slow. Each page takes ages to load and administering the site becomes a real pain. 3. Their web interface is too cluttered. GoDaddy’s web site is too busy flashing hot supermodels and other distractions. I don’t care which super-models or sports-people are endorsing your service. What matters most is a lightning fast performance, simplicity and less clutter. 5. I would prefer the industry standard CPanel interface, instead of their non-standard admin interface. 6. Their web-mail service is also very slow. They don’t offer any options like: Squirrel Mail, Round Cube etc.

Go Away Daddy

Waste of money, have their hand out at every turn and don’t tell you that their crappy banners will be on almost everything you buy from them.

I Couldn’t Be More Pleased

Go Daddy has been wonderful to me, a beginner in web design. The customer service is excellent. They have been hosting my sites for about a year, and have never given me a single reason to look for another host.

Have you used GoDaddy as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

LunarPages

Lunarpages has grown into one of the Internets premier web hosting firms, in large part because of their exceptional service. Even with their growth, they have maintained excellent support levels when compared to the rest of the web hosting industry. Lunarpages has earned a reputation as a provider with excellent customer support and an A+ web hosting data center.

They’re also affordable and reliable, having devoted a large portion of their resources into ensuring that they provide the absolute best reliability possible in the current hosting market.

Features include:

• 350 Gb Hosting Space
• 3,500 Gb Monthly Traffic
• Dreamweaver Compatible
• Host 11 Domains on 1 Account
• Free $700 CoffeeCup Software
• Free Setup
• A Powerful File Manager
• Cpanel and MySQL Databases
• 24/7 Toll-Free Support
• 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
• Advertising Credits

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	3.5
Customer support	3.5
Reliability & Uptime	4.0
Traffic	3.5
Space	3.7
Software	3.7
Price	3.5
Quality	3.5
User-friendliness	3.5
Average Rating:	3.5

My Review

Lunarpages offers you a breadth of web services at your disposal, with everything from the most basic Blog hosting to business hosting with 3 terabytes of data transfer and beyond! All for the same price as the lowest priced competition, Lunarpages gives you just that extra bit more.

Lunar pages also offers you free logo creation software which is a real nice feature and comes in handy if you want to create your own logo, but on a down note they no longer offer a free domain for life. It was a good thing while it lasted, but Lunarpages is still a good hosting company to use for small websites and beginners. If your trying to build up a large website and have lot’s of images or files I recommend using HostGator for larger websites, excessive database usage will get your Lunarpages account suspended (high website traffic related).

Also on a down note the java.awt package is not supported by Lunarpages and it’s not recommend for jsp/java hosting, because their staff is not very knowledgeable in java code and will not be of much help to you if needed.

Visit http://lunarpages.com for full details.

See where Lunarpages ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About LunarPages

I Highly Recommend LunarPages As A Web Host

I highly recommend lunarpages as a web host; I have been with Lunarpages for the past 4 months, and have never had any problems with the up time, or the support requests. I chose to join Lunarpages 3 days before Christmas Day 2008, and chose the wrong account to start with, i contacted support, and was able to move to the correct account, they where also happy to move my sign up domain to a sub domain, and the 200MB of data i had already uploaded as well. The site has very basic over view controls from the log in site, but once you get to your sites cpanel, it has every feature found in the latest version of cpanel. I highly recommend lunarpages as a webhost.

You Can Get STUCK

I already switched from Lunar Pages after just 2 months because of disappointments in support, webmail, user friendliness etc. Called to cancel and found out they refuse (no matter what) to give pro-rated refunds. If it’s after 30 days it doesn’t matter what the situation is, they will not refund. And I consulted a lawyer already I was so mad, and found that by law they have the right to refuse any kind of refund even if you won’t be using the services months ahead that is already paid for…unless they refuse to help you. They’ll help but it’s so much work to get help it’s not even worth it. I try to prevent hair loss and graying in my 20′s if I can.

Six Months And Everything Is Awesome!

I signed up for their basic 4.95/mo plan with unlimited storage and bandwidth about 6 months ago, paid for 12 months, got a free domain, etc… I am now running five different sites using that one plan, all of which php/mysql content, all of which run perfectly. The rare couple of times I needed tech help I just used the online/email system and they usually just fixed it on their end then emailed me a description of what they did so I could do it myself if I needed to in the future. Overall, I could not be more pleased. CPanel is a fantastic interface and combines with Fantastico I can go from zero to a whole new blog or forum in a couple of minutes. I could not be happier!

Support Sucks!!

If you call sales, you are contacted within minutes; tech support, you will wait until you hang up. Tried to contact tech numerous times and finally decided to switch to another hosting provider. Waited on hold for about 30 minutes until someone finally answered only to be notified that “the person who does that is not in”. Good God!

Unbelievably Unsound

Waste of money, have their hand out at every turn and dont tell you that their crappy banners will be on almost everything you buy from them.

I Hate Lunarpages

I have been with lunarpages for years, they used to be good. Not anymore. They suspended my account for no reason and tried to extort more money out of me. Their servers can’t handle CubeCart4. It’s still down 3 days later and now I’m left looking for a new host, right after they charged my credit card for another year. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and will see if I can deny the charge on my card. DO NOT HOST WITH LUNARPAGES! Uptime is ridiculous too. Maybe 80% on a good day. 5% uptime at least 2 days a month.

Years Of Great, One Year Of Terrible!

I have no idea what happened with them. I can’t get affiliate counts correct, with multiple email. Can’t get affiliate checks. Can’t get answers. Can’t get responses. I have 10+ accounts with them and am pulling each off, one at a time. They used to be great. They are so off their game now, with 5+ day response times to email that typically say something like, oh well, that’s not the way we do it.

Have you used Lunarpages as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

I use Photoshop almost everyday and I’m always on the hunt for new Photoshop tutorials in order to help expand my knowledge and to learn new Photoshop techniques.

In this post I have listed over 100 of the best fresh Adobe Photoshop tutorials around for your Image editing and photo manipulation related needs.

Left click your mouse on the tutorial images below to view tutorial links in a new window on your web browser, or left click your mouse on the Tutorial Link button to view the tutorial website in the same window on your web browser.

Character Related Tutorials

01. Create A “Minion” Character From Despicable Me

Let’s face it, those minion characters from the movie Despicable Me were pretty darned cute. In this tutorial, You will learn how to use Photoshop and Illustrator to create a cute minion character.

02. Draw a Pirate Character

Character design might be one of the most fun things that you can do in Photoshop. This tutorial will demonstrate how to draw a pirate character in Photoshop.

03. Create A Fantasy Girlbird Illustration

What is more fun than mixing people with animals? The results can often be cute, funny, or even a bit disturbing. In this tutorial you will learn how to create a fantasy bird girl illustration using digital painting and photo manipulation techniques.

04. The Mad Hatter From Alice In Wonderland

In this tutorial you going to see ho to create your own mad hatter, a character from movie Alice in Wonderland.

Space And Environment Tutorials

05. Create Awesome Abstract Nebula Circle Shape

In this tutorial, you will learn the steps to create Awesome Abstract Nebula Circle Shape in Photoshop. This is an intermediate level tutorial so some steps can be a little tricky for beginners. You will also see that how you can combine the liquify filter with nebula texture and cloud to render some very interesting effect.

06. Create Dramatic Meteor And Burning City Effect In Photoshop

In this tutorial, You will see the methods to create a Dramatic Meteor and Burning City Effect in Photoshop.

07. The creation Of “A Life Of Aquatic Sounds”

In this tutorial you will learn how to create “A Life Of Aquatic Sounds”. It using a variety of blending mode tricks, photo filters and other useful Photoshop techniques to complete this tutorial. At the end of this process there is a beautiful photo manipulation, realized in a short time and a very easily way.

08. Create A Red Giant Star In Photoshop

In this tutorial we will explore the cosmos from the perspective of this fictional civilization as it makes its way through the universe and will demonstrate the techniques that you can use in Photoshop to depict your own cosmic scene or adventure.

09. Create An Ancient Egyptian Tomb In Photoshop

Creating imaginary scenes from scratch can be a lot of fun. In this tutorial you will learn how to create an ancient Egyptian scene using stock images, textures, and some basic knowledge of perspective.

Page Layout Related Tutorials

10. Create A Professional App Store Web Layout

This tutorial tells you how to create a professional looking App Store website layout using very simple techniques of photoshop.

11. Sleek Portfolio Layout

In this tutorial you will see the process of creating a sleek portfolio layout.

12. How To Design A Video Game Interface Window

One of the most important aspects of playing a video game is how information is presented. How the graphics are presented makes a major difference in how the players will perceive the game during play. In this tutorial you will learn how to design a video game interface window. During the process you can see how to manually draw certain aspects, apply layer styles, textures, and even how to incorporate Adobe Illustrator.

13. How To Create Brochure Mockups

If you are beginner when it comes to print out things you can forget the headache while preparing document to print and leave behind all that weird-vector-things. With this tutorial you will be able to create a print-ready tri-fold brochure in nothing but Photoshop. The techniques shown here could be applied to any other printing documents as well, like flyers, business cards etc.

14. Create A Detailed Portfolio Homepage Design

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a Portfolio homepage design with a unique slide show and welcome message design. Also choosing great resources around the web to make our design more cooler.

15. How To Draw An MP3 Player Skin

In this tutorial, you will see how to use a combination of layer styles, textures, and a bit of manual drawing to create a Winamp-style mp3 player skin.

16. Design A Creative Portfolio In Photoshop

In this tutorial you will see the process of creating a clean web layout.

17. Design A Textured “Coming Soon” Web Page

This web design tutorial will show you how to make a simple “coming soon” web page that has a nice background texture and a slick web form that you can easily adapt into contact forms, newsletter signup pages, and more. You will witness several web design techniques such as creating textured backgrounds, creating light rays, making illustrative clouds, and more.

18. Creating A Cartoony Print-Ready Business Card

In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to create a print-ready business card in Photoshop. Designs made for printing have to be prepared in a special manner. Before sending to the printer, it’s best to make sure that your file is ready so you can avoid all the hassle of redesigning, or better yet, the anguish brought by a printing disaster.

19. White Notebook Style For Website Design

Learn how to make a Photoshop white notebook style web template with this web design tutorial.

20. Create A Fantastic Landing Page

In this tutorial, you will see how to create a Product layout using Photoshop in a step-by-step manner. Techniques will be discussed in this tutorial which include the use of proper spacing, typography, and colors. Keep in mind that these techniques can also benefit you when you’re working on other designs in the future, so keep your mind focused and do not skip a single word!

21. Create An Elegant Patterned Web Design

In this Photoshop web design tutorial, we will create a simple and elegant web layout of a portfolio site. We will create and use patterns throughout the design to give it that extra bit of class. We’ll use a variety of techniques, including creating patterned drop shadows, applying highlights with the Brush Tool, creating a basic button for the navigation bar, and more.

22. Design A Trendy Yet Professional Website Layout

This tutorial tells you how to create a trendy professional looking website layout using very simple techniques in Photoshop.

Object Related Tutorials

23. Create A Spherical 3D Puzzle With Photoshop

In this tutorial you will see how to create a nice spherical 3D puzzle using Photoshop CS5 Extended’s 3D tools.

24. How To Draw A Realistic iPhone 4

In this tutorial, we will draw a realistic-looking iPhone 4 using Photoshop. We will use various techniques that involve the Pen Tool, Photoshop shape tools, and layer styles to create this ubiquitous Apple mobile device. We will be intent on getting the details right to ensure that our end product looks as real as possible.

25. Bamboo Fun tablet

Learn to draw a realistic bamboo fun graphic tablet or photorealistic device drawing in photoshop.

26. Draw A Sound Dock System

In this tutorial you will see how to draw a Sound Dock System with Photoshop.

27. Bugatti Veyron Illustration

This tutorial guides you on how to create a Bugatti Veyron illustration in Photoshop from a scanned hand drawn sketch.

28. How To Create A Delicious Green Apple Illustration

In this tutorial, you will see how to draw a shiny green apple. You have a look at various painting techniques throughout this tutorial. It will be fun and you’ll learn something new.

29. Learn To Create A Safe Illustration

In this tutorial you will see how the process of creating a Safe Illustration. We’ll be using a number of tools in this tutorial so there’s plenty to be learned.

30. Process Of Making A Platinum Credit Card

his tutorial guides you on the process of making a platinum credit card using Photoshop.

31. Realistic Wrinkled Paper In Photoshop

This tutorial walks you through the process of creating a realistic wrinkled paper effect.

32. Create A Spiral Telephone Cord From Scratch

Given the right tools, Photoshop can make just about any task easy. This tutorial will demonstrate how to create a still life telephone scene from scratch using the smudge tool.

33. Golden Foil Gift Box From Scratch

In this tutorial you can learn to draw a realistic golden box or how to make a golden foil with your own hands.

34. TV Aquarium Digital Drawing And Photo Effects

In this tutorial you can learn how to make a fantastic and surreal Digital TV aquarium by your own hands in Photoshop.

35. Create A Stylish Coffee Cup With Smart Objects

In this tutorial you can see how to create a realistic coffee cup with a customizable label using smart objects in Photoshop.

36. Speedometer Design From Scratch

In this detailed tutorial you will walk through the process of creating a speedometer from scratch, you’ll learn such things as text on a path, using the pen tool, working with shape layers and much more.

37. Sony Ericsson S500 Cell Phone Interface

In this tutorial you can learn to draw a realistic cell phone or how to make a cellphone with your own hands.

38. Create A Desk Lamp Using Photoshop

Creating mechanical devices from scratch in Photoshop can be a challenging task. In this tutorial, you will get some practice by drawing a Pixar style lamp.

Icon Related Tutorials

39. How To Design A Detailed Mini Cooper Icon

In this tutorial you’re going to learn how to create a large 512×512 car icon, based on a lovely BMW Mini Cooper. We will be using Photoshop (CS4 in this case) to create the icon, using a handful of different techniques.

40. Radar Icon In Photoshop

In this tutorial you will see how to create a Mac style radar icon in Photoshop. This could be done easily in Fireworks and in Illustrator, But here you can see how it can be done in photoshop.

41. How To Design A Phone Icon In Photoshop

In this detailed Photoshop Tutorial, you will learn how to create a high end professional Phone icon with a limited knowledge in Layers and Layer Styles. The only necessary skills to get through this tutorial are the basic knowledge of how to use the most common tools in Photoshop.

42. Heart In Envelope Icon

In this tutorial you will learn some simple tricks to create a cute icon for Valentine’s Day. The icon consist of an envelope with a red heart shape inside. This icon is made from scratch so no need for stock images or other resources. You can resize it to any size without losing the quality of the image because it is a vector icon.

43. How To Create A Beautiful Printer Icon

Learn how to create this beautiful printer icon with reflections and shadows all within Photoshop. A detailed PSD is included with this tutorial.

44. Tips To Create Awesome 48×48 Pixels Icons

In this tutorial you will see how to realize an awesome small icon of a graphic tablet. This will start by studying a real tablet, you will understand which are the fundamental details and shapes to re-create into the small icon, and finally you can learn the Photoshop steps necessary to realize the icon.

45. Create A 3D Push Pin

In this Photoshop tutorial you can see how to create a 3D Push Pin using Photoshop Extended’s 3D drawing and rendering capabilities.

46. Industrial Folder Style Icon

In this tutorial you will walk through the process of creating a industrial style folder icon.

Poster And Graphic Related Tutorials

47. Create A Shampoo Advertisement

Here in this tutorial you will use the pen tool, some basic shape transformations, and color blending to create a fresh-looking shampoo bottle within the context of an advertisement.

48. Design The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movie Poster

Movie posters and films are great sources of inspiration for graphic designers. With the success of Tron Legacy and its awesome light effects, you may have seen several tutorials on how to realize these effects in Photoshop. In this tutorial you will learn how to create a poster of the film series: Pirates of the Caribbean.

49. Create A Vector Style Magazine Cover

This is a detailed and step by step tutorial for creating an Vector based cover page design in Photoshop. This tutorial demonstrates effective usage of Photoshop’s vector tools and techniques. PSD file included.

50. How To Create A Vintage Style Zombie Movie Poster

This tutorial follow this step by step process of designing your own retro/vintage style horror movie poster.

51. Hand-Drawn Tricks For Hip Graphics Styles

In this tutorial, artist Ollie Munden takes you through the process of creating his three-color painting, Chasing The Dragon, through a mix of Photoshop and pencil techniques. First off you’ll mock up what you want to create using photography, then create a pencil drawing from that. Taking your drawing, you’ll retrace this by hand with a Brush Pen, then transform it into a slick-looking, three-color digital artwork.

52. Create A Cartoon-Like Fish Illustration

In this tutorial you will see how to create a cartoon-like fish illustration in Photoshop.

53. Create A Flowerpot From Scratch

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a flowerpot from scratch using several techniques in Photoshop.

Photo Manipulation Related Tutorials

54. Create A Stylish Modern Cyborg

In this tutorial, Fabio Sasso shows you some techniques for creating a cyborg from photographic sources in Photoshop, tapping into the movie heritage of the cyborg, but mixing it with the glossy ‘Bleach-Bypass’ look of modern sci-fi TV shows such as V and The Event. You will use some stock photos and lots of adjustment layers, in order to achieve a convincing result.

55. Create An Incredible Story Coming Alive Fantasy Photomanipulation

In this fantasy photomanipulation tutorial, you’ll learn how to start with just a few stock images and quickly build up an incredible story-based artwork. You’ll see how to manipulate images, add effects and build an amazing artwork in this Photoshop photomanipulation tutorial.

56. Army Squirrel Photoshop Manipulation

In this tutorial you will see how to turn a cute squirrel into a Rambo squirrel. This tutorial can be a bit difficult for beginners but author will try to explain it the best he can. In this tutorial you will use the Warp and Clone Tools so be prepared for a heavy manipulation lesson.

57. How To Change Simple Face Into An Old One

This tutorial is about changing an original face into an old one.

58. Luxury Retro Car Poster With Paint Splashing Effect

In this tutorial you will learn how to create Luxury retro car poster with paint splashing effect in Photoshop.

59. Dry World – Photoshop Manipulation Tutorial

This is a very creative tutorial which walks you through the process of creating Dry World.

60. Undress A Giraffe In Photoshop

Have you ever wanted to know what a Giraffe looks like without its spots? If so, this tutorial is for you, Here you can see how to undress a giraffe by removing its spots. Then you will see how to turn its spots into an outfit that will be draped over an ironing board.

61. Steampunk Golden Car

Here is a quick tutorial which will instruct you on how to create this stunning steampunk golden car image. Whether you are looking to create professional graphics to advertise your business, or just a fun picture for a theme party invitation, this is a great design which you can create at home, using Photoshop. This step by step guide with screen-shot images makes it easier than ever to use picture-editing software and achieve amazing results.

62. How To Create A Modern Vintage Concept Design

In this tutorial you will see how to create a beautiful vintage concept design using stock photos and Photoshop. The tutorial is well explained, you will get a clear idea of what you are doing in each step.

63. Create An Amazing Abstract Heart Surreal

In this surreal Photoshop tutorial, you’ll learn the entire workflow from start to finish of creating an incredible surreal abstract artwork. Starting with just a single photograph, you’ll learn how to apply adjustments to bring it into an easily workable color scheme, as well as then using the pen tool to create amazing surreal shapes.

64. The Creation Of The Choice

This tutorial explains professional photo-manipulation techniques to create a surreal and dramatic scene in Photoshop. Starting by building up a vivid background, then focus the work on the characters and the meaning of the composition. This tutorial is not so easy to follow for beginners.

65. “Piece Of The Artic” Pie Chart Photo Manipulation

In this tutorial, You will see the recreating “Piece of the Artic” Pie Chart Photo Manipulation. This tutorial will utilize Photoshop 3D features, layer masking, and a lot of selections.

66. Strawberry Cell Phone

Here in this tutorial you can learn how to create Strawberry Mobile Phones on Coolest Gadgets in Adobe Photoshop.

67. Create A Vibrant Conceptual Photo Manipulation In Photoshop

In this tutorial you can learn how to create a unique digital art piece that easily can be used for high-quality printing purposes. There is water, balloons, fish, vegetation, a gloomy passage and a fashion nerd — this cannot be nothing but awesome together!

68. Add Vector Flair To Model Shots

In this tutorial, Camilo Bejarano shows you how to ramp up this juxtaposition, hand-drawing elements before scanning them in and transforming them into dramatic, colorful designs that interact neatly with the photograph.

69. Orange Porsche Fruit Skin

In this tutorial you can learn how to apply orange texture (fruit skin) to the Porsche car.

70. Grunge Stone Woman Photo Manipulation

In this design tutorial, you can learn how to perform a photo manipulation of a beautiful woman breaking free from the confines of her stone prison using Photoshop to blend various images together along with a bit of brushwork, adjustment layers, and layer styles to create a masterful and compelling image.

71. Shiny Glass Yellow Tomatoes And Splashing Effect

In this design tutorial, you can learn how to create realistic glossy glass tomatoes with liquid in them, make reflections and shadows.

Text Effect Related Tutorials

72. How To Create An Incredible Typographic Illustration

Here you will learn how to bring a simple proverb into a complex typographic illustration that achieves a level of realism without actually using any photos.

73. Create A Realistic Folded Paper Text

In this design tutorial, you can learn how to realize a folded paper text effect from scratch in Photoshop. You will firstly create the background using a couple of patterns, then you will work on the type treatment with the help of the pen tool, layer masks and other useful techniques related to dodge, burn and the transform tool.

74. Create A Harry Potter Style Text Effect

This tutorial will show how to use bevel effect and lens blur to create a depth to your artwork.

75. Honey Bubbles Text Effect

In this very easy Photoshop tutorial, you can learn how to create warm honey text effect with bubbles texture. You will use simple techniques such as layer style effects and Honeycomb pattern.

76. Designed Stylish Embossed Text With Metallic Glow

In this design tutorial, you can learn how to create a nice and beautiful text effect.

77. Create A Chrome 4×4 Vehicle Emblem

In this quick tip tutorial you will see how to create a chrome 4×4 vehicle emblem using editable text and layer styles.

78. Create A Grungy Looking, Blood-Stained Text Effect

In this tutorial, you will see the process to create Blood Stained Text Effect in Photoshop. Along the way, you will be using some custom brushes, layer blending effects for the text, cloud rendering + blending mode, and image adjustments.

79. Create Elegant, Glassy, 3D Typography

In this tutorial you will see how to create elegant, glassy, 3D typography using Photoshop and Illustrator.

80. Create Colorful Ornamental Text

Here in this tutorial you will see how to create an ornamental text effect in Photoshop. You’ll see how to wield the pen tool to create shapes, and how to paint as well as burn the shapes to create a 3D illusion.

81. Abstract FX Text Effect

Learn how to turn any text into a beautiful text design using layer styles, gradients, and Photoshop brushes. This tutorial is great for novice Photoshop users who want to learn how to easily add style to any text.

82. Easy Casino Style Sign In Photoshop

In this tutorial you will see how to create a very nice light effect using basic filters, layer style, blend modes and some stock photos. The whole process won’t take you more than 45 minutes and the level of this tutorial is easy, but it requires some attention to the details.

83. Create Super Glossy 3D Typography

This tutorial will walks you the process of creating super glossy 3D typography using Illustrator and Photoshop.

84. Create An Awesome Broken Plate Typography Effect

In this tutorial you will see how to realize funny letters that look like broken plates. You will start in Illustrator modifying the original font, then you will switch to Photoshop in order to play with textures and layer styles.

85. Make A 3D Colorful Abstract Text Effect

Here you can learn how to make a 3D colorful abstract text effect simply using Photoshop.

86. Modern 3D Text Effect

In this Photoshop tutorial you will learn the step to 3D rendering power of Adobe Illustrator to create a cool little 3D text effect.

87. Create A Festive Ornamental Christmas Text Effect

Here, You’ll learn how to create 3D Studio Max 3D text, and then how to import it into Photoshop to create a holiday text effect. You’ll see how to decorate your text with holiday themed items, and how to bring the composition together.

88. Explore Illustrative Typography

In this tutorial, you will seek out recognizable shapes (in this case, a swan) within letters and create images from them, by sketching then taking your ideas through to a finished piece in Illustrator and Photoshop.

89. Design A Retro Postcard With 3D Text

In this graphic design tutorial, you will see that how to take a popular retro style of having text with different images within each letter and recreate it. You will use Illustrator and Photoshop in concert to come up with an awesome retro postcard.

90. How To Create Candy Cane Typography

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a superb candy cane type design using Illustrator and Photoshop. Apply this effect to your own text and create cool and unique Christmas cards.

91. Quick And Easy Candy Cane Text

In this tutorial you will be walking through the process of creating some nice snow covered candy cane text.

92. Extremely Glossy And Shiny Text Effect

In this Photoshop tutorial you will see how to create extremely glossy and shiny text effect with glitter texture using simple techniques blending and layer style effects.

Patterns, Digital Effect And Texture Related Tutorials

93. New Manga Effect

Here you will see how many things you can do with this filter. You will learn a unique way of making the manga effect.

94. Manipulation Secrets 3 – Shading And Lighting

Shadows are a very important aspect of any photo manipulation. Just as it happens with lighting effects, if the shadows are used the right way, you can end up with a stunning image. In this tutorial you will see a few techniques to create realistic shadows and lights with Photoshop.

95. How To Create A Raindrops Bokeh Texture

In photography, bokeh is the blur or the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of an image. In this Photoshop tutorial you will learn how to create a raindrop like bokeh texture in very simple steps.

96. Design damask patterns for wallpaper and homewares

In this tutorial, Steven details the techniques he used to create his patterns, using the theme of creative ‘career progression’, and shows how to reach the top of this chosen field.

97. Roses Bouquet Splash Effect

This step by step Photoshop tutorial teaches you how to create a blurred, bokeh effect background and beautiful splash effects for a bouquet of roses. You will use milk splashes, filters and layer style effects.

98. Create A Stunning Product Shot Using Professional Lighting Effects

Here you will learn how to create some truly awesome lighting effects. The techniques themselves aren’t overly complex. It’s essentially a combination of gradients, textures, masking, brushes, and adjustment layers.

99. Create Beautiful Abstract Female Art

Sometimes, all it takes to create a stunning piece of art is a stock photo, a bit of creativity, a great idea, and some time. Today, you will see how to create a piece of art called, “Beauty of Gold.”

100. How To Create Fractals In Photoshop Easily

This is an easy tutorial on how to create fractal arts in Photoshop quickly.

101. Creating A Surreal Smoking Bird Composition

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will see the making of monochromatic scene with the subject being a bird in flight with smoke surrounding its body. you will be using a high contrast stock image that we will manipulate and combine with smoke brushes.

102. How To Create A Tessellating Geometric Poster Design

Follow this step by step tutorial to create a trendy geometric poster design with a series of tessellating three dimensional cubes.

103. Give Your Art That Cosmic Look

In this tutorial you will learn the steps needed to create the cosmic lady opposite, complete with overlay effects, color treatments and elements that you can easily create in Photoshop.

104. Creating Cool Abstract Waves in Skateboard Jam

In this tutorial you will learn a interesting way to make beautiful abstract waves using common tools like Warp and various brush effects.

105. How To Make Vibrant Cosmic Light Effects

In this tutorial you will see how to take an awesome vector image created in Illustrator that was imported into Photoshop, and turn it into a fresh and modern design using layer styles, blend modes, and more.

106. Milk Monster And Chocolate Splash

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a humor digital art scene with milk and liquid chocolate cartoon character.

Other Resources

• Adobe Photoshop | Adobe.com
• Adobe Photoshop | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Find Something Missing?

While compiling this list, it’s possible that I missed a few other great Photoshop tutorials. Feel free to share it with us.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

JustHost

JustHost are dedicated to providing their customers with the most reliable web hosting service possible at the best possible price. Only $3.45 per month – save $1.00 if you buy from us!

Just Host web hosting strives to make your web building and management experience a pleasant and stress-free one. They offer a simple order form, unique control panel and variety of contact methods that have all been created to help customers get up and running fast.

For just $3.45 a month, individuals and small businesses can enjoy all the great benefits of a JustHost web hosting plan. Included in your hosting price is a free domain for life (even if you cancel your Just Host account at some point), the industry leading cPanel control panel and a wide range of features. JustHost is a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable, sturdy, contactable and easy-to-use web hosting provider.

Features include:

• FREE Domain For Life
• FREE Instant Setup
• FREE eCommerce Shopping Carts
• Unlimited Domain Hosting
• Unlimited GB’s of Web Space
• Unlimited GB’s of Transfer
• Unlimited MySQL Databases
• Unlimited E-Mail Accounts
• No Hidden Fees
• SSL, FTP, Stats CGI, Ruby (RoR)
• Perl, PHP, MySQL
• Anytime Money Back Guarantee
• FREE Ad Credits

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	4.0
Customer support	4.0
Reliability & Uptime	4.6
Traffic	4.1
Space	4.5
Software	4.6
Price	4.9
Quality	4.1
User-friendliness	4.0
Average Rating:	4.3

My Review

I have been hosting websites with JustHost for a couple years now and my experience is mostly positive. Customer email support is a little slower than HostGators live phone support, but they are very prompt when replying to emails and addressing issues. They are great to use for small websites (I’ve never had any issues with my small websites), but not good for large websites or business related websites (my site MakeCashNow.biz was once hosted with JustHost but once I built my website up to over 500 pages, added a forum, added lot’s of images and a few zip files as email giveaways, they suspended my account for becoming a file storage account. Something most web hosting companies routinely use as an excuse to get rid of larger websites, you’ll find it somewhere in their small print).

So if you are planning on having a large website with lots of images and files then I suggest you use Hostgator for your hosting needs, read my HostGator review for full details.

For small websites, a web host just to get a website started, or an economical and cheap web hosting solution then JustHost will be a good choice for you. JustHost is currently my favorite hosting company for 5 page product related websites.

Visit http://www.justhost.com for full details.

See where JustHost ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About JustHost

Best Web Hosting I Have Used

I will keep this short and to the point. I have been with many web hosting providers in my years building sites for my clients. I am a website designer and WILL ALWAYS recommend Just Host going forward. Great company!

JustHost: Just Hosted Another

Switching from another Hosting Company to JustHost was definitely rewarding. The Control Panel alone is simple, yet powerful and easy to use; and it has several possibilities available for the average web-developer right in the locations you expect to find them in. I was hesitant at first, to say the most, as I had already been semi-commited to another amazing hosting company. But after close comparison, and much research, I quickly switched to JustHost. I completely recommend them!

Highly Recommended

It’s hard not to give just host web hosting full marks. I’ve had no downtime in 7 months, they have given me no limits on everything I could ask for as all features are unlimited, cpanel is full of software and everythings simple to use plus there support has always been super helpful and quick to respond to my tickets. At that price you truly can’t ask for much more. I’m a big fan.

Just Host – Just the Best!

GO Just Host, Go! Great value for hosting package – Got a few additional add-ons. Really pleasant and helpful support to guide me through to difficult stuff (Novice) One of the lowest priced on for hosting I have seen – I took the 36 month plan to get the best price, but they have a month to month plan too. Really pleased I made the leap from other Rip-Off merchants with no support whatsoever!

Great Value Host

Just Host really is such a good deal, really like the choice of scripts in control panel plus ad credits and have been able to transfer all my old domains over for free!! Can’t ask for more and got a speedy reply from support email, no need to look elsewhere anymore, thanks for recommending them.

It’s Not Bad

Just Host is real technical but the RV site builder can use some work as it isn’t as flexible as I hoped it would be but besides that it works just fine there’s plenty of storage space for cumbersome sites and at the right price as well.

My friends also use JustHost and they have had no issues with the hosting service as well. I highly recommend them if you need a quality low cost hosting company.

Have you used JustHost as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

InMotion

InMotion Hosting is one of the very best web hosts around and is one of the most popular for businesses.

Features include:

• Extremely reliable 99.9% Uptime
• Email with SPAM blocking
• 90 day money back guarantee
• Easy to use control panel
• Premium web site builder
• Unlimited disk space
• Unlimited monthly traffic
• Excellent technical support
• Data backup
• Adwords specialists
• Many ecommerce features
• Different levels of hosting so you can grow

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	4.5
Customer support	4.5
Reliability & Uptime	4.8
Traffic	4.5
Space	4.4
Software	4.4
Price	4.0
Quality	4.5
User-friendliness	4.5
Average Rating:	4.4

My Review

I found mostly very good reviews from customers and it’s definitely clear Inmotion focuses on customer service and reliability. Overall, I think Inmotion is a great choice, particularly for businesses. They offer many great options for ecommerce which is a big plus if your going to use your website for business purposes.

Visit http://inmotionhosting.com for full details.

See where InMotion ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About Inmotion

They Do A Good Job

Initially, I was on the Power Package with InMotion Hosting. After about 6 months, my website had become more popular and now I’m on the Vdedicated Package. The team was helpful in moving my site from the power package to the vps. They did a good job in aiding me to and there was very little downtime. Compared to my last host (bluehost) InMotion is much much better. Thank You!!!

Inmotion: The First Year…

I do not know anything about Customer or Tech support at Inmotion, and THIS is what I always wanted! A host that works all the time, with no phone calls, no excuses, no apologies, and no slimy practices like Webportal.Information.com 404 pages. A decent control panel and a good fast pipe, and no nonsense, so I can spend my time running my business. That’s not asking all that much, but it seems to be getting to be a scarce item these days. So Far, So Good! Happy.

Not Bad At All

I am coming up for my 2nd year renewal with InMotion. They will have my business again this year. They have been very solid. Tech support is available almost instantly on the phone. Some of the documentation looks a little dated, but a call into support to verify what I believe was the solution makes it better. They do need to update a few things in their control panel which I hope that they do before my 3rd year renewal. Keep up the good work!

Simply The Best

I’ve used InMotion for hosting of my three web sites for the past three years. Their simply the best, hands down. In three years, I’ve NEVER once experienced downtime. Super fast servers, cPanel Pro, Fantastico, SQL, php, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage. Customer and tech support is first class. Adding a new domain is a piece of cake. Wow, I just cant say enough good things. I’ll NEVER, EVER switch to another host. I used HostGator once, and they were great. BUT… I did have some downtime and their support is nowhere as good as InMotion. InMotion is awesome in every single aspect. Maybe a little more expensive than others, but I don’t mind paying a few bucks more for this kind of service. Number one in my book!

InMotion’s Support Team Is AWESOME!

I moved from HostDime.com about 3yrs ago and have been happy since day one. Started off with a shared plan and moved to a VPS after a few months. I recently moved to their East Coast datacenter and the speeds scream! I cant recommend them over anyone else since Ive only been with a few others, but their support sets them well above anybody else. Ive never been on hold longer than 3 mins before getting a rep ( I tend to break/remove stuff I shouldnt so I call at least once a month it seems) and even ticket responses for backup restores are FAST! Reps like Vanessa and Brad and honestly most everyone there will go way above and beyond what needs to be done to make sure the customer is happy. Ive had only one issue and that was with getting two different answers on the same question. I complained and got a call from the Customer Support Manager the next day to sort things out! Thats service, I dont care who you ask.

No Hassle Web Hosting

Inmotion has been my webhost for more than 5 years without any hassles. Their tech support and assistance is better than any other company. I am also impressed at how they have been able to improve my visibility on searches. I tried other outfits, but this one is really the best.

Have you used InMotion as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Web hosting security can become a nightmare, especially if you don’t even know what went wrong. What you don’t know about Web hosting can damage your business. Hackers are continually searching to find ways into your server and are becoming smarter every day.

While web hosting companies are trying their best to keep up with the high demand for improved security measures, it is still important that webmasters take some precautions to make sure that the security of their websites and data are not compromised.

Understanding All The Risks

Shared hosting servers and VPS accounts can be vulnerable to attacks by hackers who carry out their work by uploading malware or otherwise malicious sites or code onto a server. Once the site is uploaded, it becomes an imminent danger to all customers whose data is hosted on that server, as it is either set up to activate automatically or it can be triggered inadvertently by an administrator in the course of routine server maintenance work.

These programs can also be introduced to a server through security vulnerabilities in a legitimate client’s site, and the malware is used for anything from stealing credit card data to launching a DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service attack that then allows hackers to hijack an entire hosting server and use it for attacking other servers, either within the same network or on other networks.

Even misuse of a network for spamming is very detrimental to a hosting company and its clients. It can result when a spammer abuses the hosting company’s resources to the point that its DNS servers are blacklisted by one or more major E-mail providers. This means that customers will not be able to send even the most routine E-mails from their accounts, and for some customers this renders the account useless.

How Web Hosting Firms Should Protect Against Security Breaches

First of all, every hosting company should really know who its customers are. An account registered from a location or IP address known for hacking and security breaches is often set up by a legitimate business that is purposely using a reliable hosting provider outside its own location so as to avoid security issues. Therefore, routinely rejecting accounts from such locations is not always the best policy. On the other hand, careful screening of all accounts, where proof of identity is requested and new clients are contacted by phone before accounts are actually activated, will deter hackers from registering accounts with a host that takes these precautions.

No responsible host should make available open access, cost-free hosting that is sponsored by advertisements if it also offers paid hosting packages on the same server network. Free hosting accounts are often used by hackers who entice users to visit their sites and download malicious programs that can be a danger to the entire network, or at the very least create problems for legitimate customers. A host that offers cost-free promotional hosting should do so only for known clients, and it should be kept on a separate network to prevent users from setting up malicious sites.

A reliable firewall is also a must. The firewall should block any threats to the server and sites hosted on it that may come from outside the network, and custom settings should allow for banning IP addresses, such as those of unsecured proxy servers, that are known to present security threats.

Specific software is now available that can be installed on servers to prevent DDoS attacks. All hosting companies should install such software on their server networks, and it should be a standard feature on co-located dedicated hosting servers as well.

Shared hosting providers also should limit the use of executable commands, especially in PHP (on Linux web hosting servers). These commands can be used by account holders to access files throughout the server, and even if this is done accidentally, which is often the case, the damage can be irreparable.

All sites on each server or network should be monitored to make sure that no malicious code has been uploaded to a site, even if the rest of the site is completely legitimate. In cases where a site has been compromised and presents a danger to other users, the site must be suspended and not allowed to function again until the owner has taken measures to remove the threat in question. Features are now available that allow automatic alerts from web hosting providers to let clients know that their site has had a hacking attempt made to it. This enables the client to take responsibility on his end to plug any security vulnerabilities that can affect use of all websites on the server.

At present, practically every reputable web hosting company backs up all data to a remote server on at least a daily basis. This is a must as it allows the host to restore data to its entire network or to a particular site should it be damaged by a breach in security or by any other type of technical difficulty.

A web hosting provider should offer its clients extended security protection, either as a standard feature or for an extra fee. Secure FTP (SFTP), which encrypts data being uploaded so that it cannot be compromised during the upload process, is a desired feature that protects both webmasters and the web host from uploading files that could be compromised. E-commerce sites should be able to obtain an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate for encryption of all sensitive data, such as credit card information, that passes through the hosting server, and SSH (Secure Shell) access should be offered for secure communication between the hosting server and the computer that a client uses to access his web hosting account.

Password Security

Both hosting companies and users of hosting accounts should periodically change all passwords used for access at whatever level they can access the server and files. Hosting companies should require employees to change passwords at certain intervals, and in the event of equipment or personnel change, all passwords used for server access should be changed.

Website account holders should change passwords in the event of any detected threat to their sites, or after they have made major changes, such as updating a CMS or uploading new software, that could pose a security threat. In the event a hosting company notifies a client of a thwarted attack, the company should advise the client to change all hosting access and site administrator passwords in the event these were compromised during the attempt at hacking the site.

Other User Precautions

In general, while web hosting companies do have a responsibility to maintain the highest level of security on behalf of their clients, clients should also take precautions to make sure they are not inadvertently misusing their accounts, especially where shared Linux hosting is concerned. As PHP, which is hosted on Linux, is the most easily abused programming language, webmasters and business owners should be aware of the source of any code or software they are installing on their accounts. When new code is uploaded, it should be tested or screened if possible, whether it was written by hired PHP programmers, purchased as a standard off-the-shelf solution, or obtained as a module or other extension for an open source CMS.

Web hosting providers should assist their clients in taking these security precautions by providing utilities to test code whenever possible, even though most harmful code will be stopped by properly deployed server-side security measures in any event. This is really a customer service function, in that educating clients on how to prevent disruptions will help them maintain full access to their websites at all times. Client security education can take the form of bulletins which provide reminders to screen code, as well as links to resources that help clients maintain the highest level of security at all times. Such bulletins are also a way to promote frequent changing of passwords, and to warn clients of known malware or hacker threats that could affect their hosted site.

Windows vs Linux

Most hosting companies offer both Windows hosting and Linux web hosting, and regardless of any security concerns, most clients are compelled to choose one or the other based on the technical needs of their websites and applications. Even though PHP, which is hosted on Linux servers, is easy to abuse or misuse, its convenience and availability compared to Windows hosted ASP and ASP.NET often outweighs security factors. Only Java can be run on either platform.

Therefore, even in the rather rare event that a new client is going to choose the language in which his site is written based on hosting security concerns, there really is no hard-and-fast answer as to whether the convenience of PHP outweighs its vulnerability to security issues. There is also no real answer as to whether Windows hosting or Linux web hosting is more secure, although each platform has its advantages:

Advantages Of Windows Hosting

Limited User Account Privileges

Windows Server users are automatically logged in as standard users and need to request permission and enter passwords to use their administrative privileges when these privileges are granted by the main administrator. This means that a malicious program that somehow gets user access would be theoretically thwarted before it can make any real changes to files. It also means that a new employee who has not been vetted or fully trained cannot gain access to any files that he could damage purposely or inadvertently.

Professional Response To Security Flaws

In the event a security flaw is detected, it is handled only by the authorized Microsoft security team. This can mean that solutions to the flaws are more secure and more reliable, since experienced programmers who are employed by Microsoft are the only ones who can correct flaws that could be exploited by unscrupulous individuals.

Advantages To Linux Web Hosting

Fewer Known Threats

Since Windows is so widely used as an operating system on stand-alone computers, it is a more frequent target of hacking and malware attacks, and many of these threats are of significance to Windows Server as well. Linux has fewer known instances of targeted malware, and reports indicate that few installations of Linux have ever really been threatened by malware. In addition, hosting services now have the ability to install programs that also prevent Windows malware from attacking sites hosted on Linux servers; this can happen when customers or webmasters access PHP sites hosted on Linux from Windows computers.

Faster Response Time When Security Flaws Are Spotted

The open source community behind Linux is very responsive to issues that threaten its stability in any way. Therefore, when a threat is detected, patches are made available as soon as possible, even if a new full version that includes the patch is only released later.

It is truly very difficult to select a hosting platform based on security issues, especially when most clients are locked into one platform or the other because of the language used to create their websites. In any event, proper server hardening techniques can be used to ensure top-level security of either platform.

Server Hardening

Server hardening is essential to make sure that improvements are made to the default configuration of any web server. This applies to dedicated servers as well as to shared hosting servers, and standard procedures are recommended for both Linux web hosting and Windows hosting servers. While server hardening also encompasses basic security techniques such as providing clients with secure access to their server accounts as well as frequent password changes, specific extensions and programs are recommended to ensure best practices in server hardening techniques.

Windows Server Hardening

Windows 2003 can be analyzed and upgraded for security issues with guidance from its Security Compliance Manager function, which allows administrators to determine the desired baseline level and type of security and to activate all features necessary to maintain it.

Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 RC 2 include updated and easier to use versions of the above function, which are referred to as the Security Configuration Wizard. Its features include easy disabling of unused ports and other features that are not being used but which could be exploited by hackers.

Windows IIS also suggests specific methods of server hardening; however, experts agree that taking the precautions necessary at the 2003 or 2008 operating system level are sufficient to guarantee that IIS will not pose security threats.

Linux Server Hardening

The main versions of Linux used for Linux web hosting, such as CentOS, include security extensions such as SELinux which provide functions similar to those offered by the Windows security management software. AppARMOR is an alternative which is also open-source and which is preferred by some specialists for hardening Linux web hosting servers at kernel level.

The Most Secure Choice

Clearly, the most secure choice for any web hosting application is a managed, dedicated server. This enables the client to ensure that his sites and applications cannot be affected by security threats which are uploaded by other users, and it affords the web hosting client access to professional management which handles all web security issues and server hardening on his behalf.

However, for many customers, such a server is not very practical, and many web hosting companies rely on shared and VPS hosting for the bulk of their services. In order to provide the best level of security protection, all possible safeguards against threats, starting with customer identity checks and including careful monitoring as well as top-level server hardening techniques, are a necessity. Such dedication to security helps web hosting providers retain their best customers and attract new ones. Considering that today’s small website can become tomorrow’s major success, web hosting providers who are attentive to the security concerns of their clients at the shared hosting level are the ones who will retain them when the time comes to upgrade to a managed, dedicated server. They’ll know that the web hosting provider will be even more attentive to their security concerns as their websites and server requirements continue to grow.

Find Something Missing?

Please feel free to share any other facts or tips that you think would make a great addition to the article above.


Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Yahoo

Professional web hosting solutions by Yahoo! Web Hosting – Trust the technical details of web site hosting to them, so you can focus on your business!

Yahoo Web Hosting, under the name Yahoo Small Business, offers a suite of products for small businesses on the move. With no set up fee, unlimited disk space, unlimited data transfer and unlimited email storage, even Yahoo Hosting’s most basic plan provides all the flexibility business owners could ask for.

Yahoo’s name is very well known and trusted online, driven by many of their successful product offerings, which include search, directory, auctions, malls and shopping.

Packages offered by Yahoo Web Hosting are really not designed for power web users, but are more geared towards beginners. Their packages are a little more expensive when compared to some of the other top web hosting companies, but this is Yahoo and they offer a complete support team to help you get started. Yahoo offers the best reliability on the Internet, bar none. Given Yahoo Hosting’s profile and the stability and size of its parent company, it’s no surprise Yahoo has the top servers and infrastructure going. Yahoo Is powered using redundant connections, assuring you of virtually no downtime. They generally surpass their guaranteed 99.9% uptime.

Features include:

• Easy-to-use design tools
• Free domain name
• Unlimited disk space
• Unlimited data transfer
• Unlimited email storage
• Unix operating system
• Snapshot backups
• Shared SSL certificates
• 24-hour customer service
• Reliable and secure hosting
• $50 Google AdWords credit
• $100 Yahoo Marketing credit

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	3.8
Customer support	3.8
Reliability & Uptime	4.4
Traffic	3.8
Space	3.9
Software	3.8
Price	3.5
Quality	3.8
User-friendliness	3.8
Average Rating:	3.8

My Review

Yahoo has made some big improvements in 2010 and appear to be upgrading and improving it’s services in every category. The biggest issues of concern the past 2 years were some outdated tools and features, but Yahoo has since addressed these issues. Next year I predict you’ll see Yahoo rated as a top 5 web hosting company.

I recommend them to anyone looking for the best reliable online web hosting company, there uptime can’t be beat!

Visit http://SmallBusiness.Yahoo.com for full details.

See where Yahoo ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About Yahoo

Very Happy

Great for simpler sites, but this isn’t the route I would go if you wanna get all fancy. Site building software is good for people who don’t know the ropes of HTML/CSS. So excellent for starters and an easy program for those with experience. Never had any uptime issues, specifically, email is the most critical feature to us and having never had any problems with that either, we are very happy.

Lightning Fast Servers

Best web hosting that exists, hands down! Lightning fast servers, affordable price, A+ support, highly recommended!

I Had To Get In

My business need to be advertised more and when I saw Yahoo’s sponsored search option was for online marketing I had to get in. This service is great as my traffic has increase to my site as well as my client base and revenue. Thanks Yahoo!

love Love LOVE YAHOO!

I love Love LOVE YAHOO! Yahoo’s mysql has allowed me to be very creative & make dynamic pages on my website, its also very easy to use 2, and I have never run into ANY set backs!

YAHOOOOOO

“YAHOOOOOO” that’s what I said when I found Yahoo! Webhosting. A great company that’s willing to talk to their customers to help them step by step. Their support staff know their stuff, they have studied their material well. It’s an awesome feeling to know that my webpage is safe with Yahoo!

Rocks My Socks

Whats next for Yahoo! They know what their customers want, and care about their customers. It’s fast, reliable, and knowledgeable customer support staff that rocks my socks, what more could you want.

It’s A Sick Tool

I hadn’t heard of a SiteBuilder before, but its a sick tool. My band really needed a website of our own but we don’t really have a ton money you know… (not yet haha!) so i thought id do it myself. The sweetest thing is how we can sell albums right from our site ( well, when we get them out we will for sure! )

Have you used Yahoo as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

HostGator

Hostgator, founded in 2002 is one of the top shared hosting companies, ranking consistently among the industries best by most of the review sites. What makes Hostgator stand out from the crowd is their excellent support and customer friendliness.

Recently hostgator went green, making them one of the first main stream hosts to do so. They purchase renewable energy credits up to 130% of their total power consumption.

HostGator Overview

Hostgator offers linux hosting only (even though they are expected to start windows hosting in the near future). All their packages come with all the features needed for a serious website. Baby and Swamp packages allow unlimited domains(add on), which makes a lot of sense if you have multiple websites. They use cPanel, which is the best control panel around. You get Fantastico script installer which will install most of the popular open source scripts with a few clicks.

They support PHP4 & 5, SSH, Cron jobs, Python, Ruby On Rails etc. Also, all the packages include enough POP3 accounts(20 for Hatchling and unlimited for others).

Hostgator host their sites on top-of-the-line Dual Xeon servers in their data centers (thePlanet) at Dallas. The data centers are well equipped and connects to 10 backbone providers. They offer 99.9% uptime Guarantee which is the industry standard.

Shared hosting features include:

• Unlimited Disk Space
• Unlimited Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Accounts
• Cpanel and MySQL Databases
• 4,500 Free Website Templates
• Free SiteBuilder
• 1-Click Script Installs
• Shared SSL Certificate
• Free Web Hosting Transfers
• Guaranteed 99.9% Uptime
• 24/7 Toll-free Support
• 45-Day Money Back Guarantee

Web Hosting Features	Hosting Score	Hosting Ratings	Satisfaction Index	Trend
Tech support	5.0
Customer support	5.0
Reliability & Uptime	4.8
Traffic	4.7
Space	4.8
Software	4.8
Price	4.7
Quality	5.0
User-friendliness	4.8
Average Rating:	4.8

HostGator Reseller Hosting Packages

You’ll be amazed at just how easy, inexpensive and profitable it is to start your very own web hosting company! Hostgator provides you with all of the tools and support you’ll need to have your business up and running in only a few minutes time. All of their reseller hosting plans will allow you to create unlimited web sites under your own brand name, with their own prices, packages and features. As a HostGator reseller you will keep 100% of the money you collect!

HostGator is the number 1 rated reseller web hosting company on the internet! Reseller hosting packages are listed below, see which one is right for you.

Reseller Plan	Aluminum	Copper	Silver	Gold	Diamond
Disk Space	50 GB	80 GB	120 GB	160 GB	200 GB
Bandwidth	500 GB	700 GB	1000 GB	1200 GB	1400 GB
Monthly Price	$24.95	$34.95	$49.95	$74.95	$99.95
Domains	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Sub-Domains	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
POP3 Emails	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
MySQL Databases	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
FTP Account	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
WHM & cPanel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Private Name Servers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free Billing System	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free Templates	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
24x7 Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Instant Backups	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
No Contract!	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Site Builder	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
99.9% Uptime Guarantee	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
45 Day Money Back Guarantee	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free / Instant Setup	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

My Review

BlogAndWebsite.com is hosted by HostGator and is my preferred web hosting choice, I also use them as a reseller web hosting company. They are excellent to use if you have a large website with lots of images and files, most other hosting companies consider your site being used as an online storage and ban you (something only mentioned in small print with almost all hosting companies). Support is excellent, I had a website I own hacked (thanks to a wordpress security issue) and have had multiple database related issues, and hostgator helped me resolve all these issues very fast.

They have also been very helpful in assisting with wordpress theme conflicts. I had some themes I have used in the past on other websites and had various issues with them functioning correctly, they were a big help in helping me diagnose the conflict and correcting it. If you are planning to use wordpress on your website, then you should definitely choose HostGator as your web host, because you’ll need to use customer support and theirs is A+.

If you want the best web hosting, I recommend HostGator.

Visit http://www.hostgator.com/ for full details.

See where HostGator ranks among the best web hosting companies in my Top 10 Web Hosting – Best Web Hosts list.

What People Say About HostGator

Way More Than Most

I have used several web host companies over the years including Bluehost, GoDaddy, Yahoo, Siteground, 1and1, and several others. Some were ok, but their “unlimited” plans weren’t really unlimited. Actually none of them are. Some hosts have a limited on “multimedia” files and everyone has a limit to a certain number of ionodes, or the number of total files you can host. Hosting companies advertiser unlimited space…. as in GB, but you have to read the fine print because there is always a limit on number of files. You could have one file on the server that is 500GB and your fine, or you could have 500k files that only take up 10GB and your account will be shut down. Most hosts have a 50k ionodes limit, but Hostgator allows 250k ionodes, way more than most. With Hostgator you can upload to the server and they don’t have a limit on multimedia files either… images, video, and audio files.

Their customer service is excellent as well. I would not use any other host if I had a choice. Unfortunately, as a web designer, I deal with many of the other web hosts daily when clients already have hosting. Hostgator is by far the easiest to work with.

Best Ever

Host Gator has been a blessing to me, I went through a lot of Hosting companies and found Host Gator to be the best of all of them!

Good Access Speed & Uptime

Hostgator is a quality host. Their uptime is great (did not experience any major downtime before). Support is effective (Problems resolved in a few emails).

Certainly will recommend to anyone who is looking for web hosting.

Excellent

Having moved from another hosting company because they let me down so much, Hostgator has been fantastic. Great, reliable and value for money.

Awesome Support

I have went through about 5 web hosting companies then thought I would try hostgator. I had no clue on what I was doing when trying to build a website. I would email support and within five minutes they responded back. Never have had to wait and they have been very helpful and got me up and running. I recommend them 100%

Very Impressed

I have over 200 personal websites hosted with hostgator. I’m very impressed with their super fast servers. I’ve been with hostgator for almost 3 years. My websites haven’t been down any since I signed up with them. They have 24/7 chat, 24/7 toll free phone number, you can submit a ticket if you need help. A very friendly user forum. I love the cpanel also. I highly recommend hostgator. I plan on being with them a long long time, all other hosting companies are not worth using when compared to everything hostgator offers.

HostGator Eats Up The Competition

I’ve tried other web hosting sites, AND hostgator really does eat up the competition!

If you want the best web hosting, I recommend HostGator.

Have you used HostGator as your web hosting solution? Leave us a comment below and share your experience.

Rate This Article: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

This infographic is a variation of the Operation E-Commerce infographic done by zippycart.com. I made my custom variation about web design instead of ecommerce, I hope you enjoy it!

What it’s about:

Operation Plan, Build, Design And Optimize A Website – a game of dissecting a good website

The Face of Any Brand: Website

Characteristics of a Good Website Include:

100% customizable design – The goal of any website should be to have a professional, custom, unique and original, clean, crisp design.
Ideal logo placement – Any logo you plan to use should be placed in a position of moderate dominance. When looking at your website the logo should be easily found by the viewer.
Visitor login & membership sections – Having a login and a membership section is a great way to reduce your visitor bounce rate and let’s you stand out from sites that don’t.
Category pages – A website’s category pages helps visitors find what they want. If your selling goods, services or products it can boost sales.
Easy to use page navigation – When used properly it improves the user experience.
Quality articles with multiple images – Quality is always better than quantity. Create articles with good useful information and use 2 or 3 images related to the article subject.
Article ratings and reviews (moderated) – Ratings And reviews engage your visitors, good for search engine optimization, increases the amount of original content on your website, and the fact you offer a ratings and reviews system will lend itself to increased trust in your website and increased traffic from return visits.
Tell-a-Friend feature – Using a Tell-a-Friend feature on your website is a great way to get more traffic to your site. What is Tell-a-Friend? It’s a personal referral from one of your visitors to someone they know. If they didn’t think your content was useful they wouldn’t recommend your website.
Easy to find contact forms – A contact form is an element of your website that lets visitors enter details such as their name and email address under a number of fields. The benefits of using a contact form are: skyrocketing visitor inquiry rates, more sales and more feedback! Your visitors are inherently lazy; a contact form included within your website either near the top of your websites sidebar or as a pop up box, generates the highest response rates.
Keep website updated – It is very important that your website remains updated. Search engines reward updated content by visiting websites more often and keeping current web pages in their indexes. An updated website can be a clue to visitors that you’re still in business.

Breathing Life into Any Website: Marketing Tools

Tools You Need to Use Include:

Affiliate programs – A great way of generating traffic and sales for your business. With an affiliate program you offer affiliates an incentive to perform a particular outcome. This outcome may be to generate customer leads for your business, increase ‘clicks’ to your site or improve sales – from a banner ad, text link, graphic or other means such as a newsletter. The incentive is usually a fee, provided as a flat rate or percentage depending on your affiliate program objectives.
UPSELL/Cross sell tools – If your website offers goods, services or products; using up-selling and cross-selling can motivate your websites visitors to make additional purchases.
Coupon & discount codes – Online shoppers are always looking for discounts and promotions, it helps them save money and you make money! A win-win situation for you and your customers, and a happy customer is also more likely to be a repeat customer.
Gift certificates – 80% of people hope to receive a gift certificate/gift card instead of an actual present. The benefits of giving and receiving a gift certificate/gift card: great for last minute gifts, no more disappointment for the recipient (because they can pick out something they like), and for you they’re good for business (introducing new customers to your business and increased sales!).
Direct mail – A powerful tool for any business and should be part of every marketing plan. Direct mail has a range of benefits, from allowing you to target your message and therefore build a relationship with individuals, through to its tangibility – it can appeal to all the senses.
Brochures – Showcase businesses products, goods and services and can be powerful advertising tools that help persuade potential customers to do business with you.
Press releases – A sure-fire way to get your business known is by using press releases. A press release is written material that announces a news type event (the launch of your website, for example).
Case studies – Case studies are a very potent tool: they illustrate your point and demonstrate the benefits of what it is you’re trying to sell in a real life situation that people can relate to.
Voice mail – The voice mail system has all the features of an answering machine but is much more advanced as it is computerized with a centralized system. The key benefit of utilizing voice mail is it ensures that customers and important callers never receive a busy signal.
Media kit – A very lucrative way to monetize your website is by having direct advertisers. The first step for you to take to attract sponsors to your site is to create an online media kit.
Video Marketing – Adding video to your website can generate more visitors to your site and take on viral popularity which can be an absolute boon for any website.
Social Media Marketing – Marketing media for social interaction, and one of the most popular and effective ways to market your website. Popular sites to use include: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg and Stumbleupon.
Article Marketing – One of the most cost effective ways to advertise a website. It consists of writing articles on topics closely related to one’s business, and then submitting those articles to various directories or specialized article submission sites.
Email marketing – A very popular tool to advertise products, goods and services using email. Benefits include: personalization, global reach, it’s cost-efficient and has measurable results.

The Funny Facebook Bone: Social Media

Get the word out about your website using Facebook and other social networks with ease. Other great social media tools include the integration of Twitter buttons, the AddThis button, and the ability to post YouTube videos on pages and more.

The Pot Belly: Payment Processing

ECommerce Features to Include:

Quick checkout – You want to make the purchasing process easy and simple for your customers. A simple one or two page step process to checkout works best.
Set tax rules by location – Set taxes dependent on the customer’s location.
Google Checkout – Makes online shopping faster, more convenient and more secure.
PayPal integration – One of the most popular payment gateway services available on the web today. Integrating PayPal with your shopping cart or website is a breeze.
Multiple payment gateways – Modern websites are all about offering users the best possible experience so making sure you have multiple checkout options is a must for any ecommerce website.
Real-time credit card processing – Real time credit card processing has the advantage of great processing speed as the transaction is processed almost instantaneously, which makes it a popular ecommerce option to have.
Accept multiple currencies – Allows you to sell globally.
Accept offline payments – If your business has offline outlets as well as an Internet store, accepting offline payments may be preferred.
Accept checks – While credit and debit cards are the dominant form of payment, checks are still widely used and being able to take them can increase your online site revenue.
Automatic tax calculation – A tool that works in the background of your ecommerce store via a secure internet connection, in order to automate sales tax calculation and compliance for each sales transaction in real-time. Eliminates the tedious work and complexity of sales tax calculation and compliance.
Checkout questions option – Adding this feature gives you the option of offering more information about your product, goods or services to your customers before they complete their order.
QuickBooks integration – Helps with Keeping track of online inventory and sales.

The Charley Horse Pony Express: Shipping

Shipping Features to Include:

Multiple ship-to – The “Ship To Multiple Addresses” option allows you to place multiple orders with just one trip through the checkout process. This is especially useful when you wish to send gifts to a variety of people at different addresses.
Print Shipping labels – Making shipping labels just a Click-N-Ship away is a good feature to offer your customers and adds a nice professional touch to your ecommerce store.
Real-time rates via FedEx, UPS, & USPS integration – Adding this functionality to your ecommerce store can save you hours of administration time!
Custom shipping rules by location & weight – A Custom shipping rule based on location and weight means that a customer’s shipping prices are based on the total weight and the location of the order. Offering custom shipping is a good feature to offer your customers and helps your site stand out from the ones that don’t.
Real-time package tracking – Adding this useful feature to your site allows customers to check on their package location.
Order tracking for customers – This feature allows customers to keep track of the status of their order through each step from order confirmation to delivery.
Drop shipping support – Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer or a wholesaler, who then ships the goods directly to the customer. If your using drop shipping in your business, then offering support is a must.
Estimated shipping calculator for customers – This feature allows you to show accurate shipping rates.
Customer group based shipping rules – This feature gives you the ability to set shipping rates for groups (for example: you could create a product level discount which is only applied for the wholesale customer group).
Free shipping promotions – Shipping Promotions help drive sales. Many people actually search for “free shipping,” on the Internet. In surveys of what customers want, and even expect, from online stores, free shipping offers consistently top the list.
Multiple shipping options for customers – Customers like having shipping options, so why not offer them.

The Knee Bone Connects to The Ankle Bone: Ways to Stay Connected

Features to Include:

Live Chat integration – One important element that’s missing from most websites is the human element. On most business sites, a customer with a question can either search for the answer to the question, or the customer can email the company and wait for an answer. The customer cannot speak with a salesperson to close the deal. With live chat, however this problem is solved. The need for customer interaction to help answer questions and facilitate sales has been the problem with ecommerce since the very beginning.
Newsletters – Have amazing potential. When done well, they keep you connected to the people who mean the most to your business or organization and help to build their confidence in your brand. In addition, great newsletters help drive repeat business, new sales, event attendance, donations, and more.
Email marketing tools – Allow your business to create, design, send and track email campaigns with powerful simple to use tools. iContact.com offers the ultimate email marketing feature set and provides all the direct email marketing tools you’ll ever need.

The Knowledge Base: Admin Panel

Features to Include:

Easy access to design tools – Having access to all of the cutting-edge design tools helps you “get it right” when your designing your website.
Email access – Essential for any website. It’s fast, easy and inexpensive.
Help: helpful tips, guides, forum access, chat, etc. – Popular features found on most good websites, if it’s popular it’s worth adding.
Website access for moderators, guest authors, and others – This feature is a must for your websites long term success. More content for your site, increased traffic and more income are the benefits.
Add extensions/plugins for extra functionality – This is where it starts to get fun! Extensions are add-ons that give extra functionality to your site. By purpose the basic install only includes the basic features, to make it easy to set up a page. But with extensions you can add more or less functionality to your site. Extensions can be either modules or tags (also called plugins).
Administration shortcuts to increase user-friendliness – Create shortcuts to the pages you use the most in the admin area. It makes things easier and more user-friendly.

The Voice Box: Blogs

Provide updates to customers, disclose sales, post news, and improve SEO with an easy to use blog.

The Heart Of Any Website: Web Design

Features to Include:

WYSIWYG design editing – What you see is what you get.
Access to HTML & CSS – HTML and CSS are the lifeblood of any website design.
FTP access – FTP is used for Uploading and downloading files to and from your website.
Drag and Drop design tool – Design tools help make web design easy.
Multiple image sizes – Using images helps make your pages and posts look nice and professional.
Logical and well-organized navigation – Navigation is an important element of web design, and of any website. It is the one thing that allows users to get around a website, and is often the element in web design that gets the most attention when it comes to organizing an effective user interface.
Effective design and layout – A layout is equivalent to a map, which traces the route to a specific location. Similarly, the layout of a website is designed according to users needs. To carefully plan the layout of your site, think more of usability and easy navigation.

An effective design is Keeping your design professional and consistent. Consistency means making everything match. Heading sizes, coloring, font choices, button styles, spacing, design elements, illustration styles, image choices, etc. Everything should be themed to make your design coherent on all pages.
100% fully customizable – Allows you to get all the benefits of a professionally designed website with the options to customize whole pages, text, graphics and colors to fit your needs.
customizable premium template – Premium templates and themes offer easy to use custom design options without any knowledge of coding and come search engine optimized by default.
Widely accessible – The greatest access to the widest possible audience by use of HTML markup that accommodates most Web browsers and many alternative devices.

The Protective Rib Cage: Security

Features to Include:

SSL Technology – SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers.
Beef up your passwords – Pick strong passwords and use different ones for your email, cPanel, FTP accounts, wordpress and other accounts – otherwise, your info and your site are vulnerable. Don’t use your spouse’s name, 123456 or the dreaded password. Try using something like ur2good4me, put4091st or no50way2go.
Lock down your file permissions – Do you know what your file and folder permissions are set at? Some applications require them to be set at the open “777” to install, and then most of us forget to set them back to either “755” for folders or “644” for files. Double check yours to make sure.
Use CV2 or Captcha – These are a type of challenge-response tests used on websites as an attempt to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. Great for eliminating spam!
Keep Your WordPress Version Updated – This is one of the simplest ways to stay a step or two ahead of the hackers.

Writer’s Cramp: SEO

Features to Include:

SEO-friendly URLs – A URL is an important part of any website and it’s a good idea to make it SEO friendly. An SEO-friendly URL includes your desired keyword in your URLs, domain, and sub domains.
Ability to add static HTML pages – Static HTML pages are good for SEO as Google and other search engines crawl it and cache it easily.
Optimize Meta & Title tags – These tags are an important part of the HTML code of your web page. They are read by the search engines but are not displayed as a part of your web page design. The Title tag includes the web page title, and the Meta tag includes a concise summary of the web page content; you should also try to include your relevant keywords in them. Most title and meta tags are included within the ‘header’ code of a website.
Google Analytics integration – Allows you the ability to track your website visitors. See what pages are popular so you’ll know what content to give them more of.
Add alt attributes to images – The alt attribute provides alternative information for an image if a user for some reason cannot view it (because of slow connection, an error in the src attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader). Add alt attributes to images for better rankings in Google and traffic from image searches.
Optimize universal navigation – Good site navigation is the quintessential web usability principle. Using keywords within the universal navigation of a website is good for optimization, just don’t overdo it. Try to keep things professional and useful to users, with no pointless keyword stuffing!
Include footer navigation – Using the footer navigation has value from both a usability & SEO perspective. It is best to use the footer navigation to link to sub-pages within your own website. Using the footer navigation is an excellent way to take advantage of using anchor text, keyword rich links as well as good for usability, because the visitor doesn’t need to scroll back to the top of the page.
Manage 301 redirects – A 301 redirect is the best and only way to permanently tell a search engine spider where the new location of a web page or domain is.
Website on own domain name – People are more likely to trust your site, you’ll certainly have an easier time selling to them, and it has more value to the search engines.
Fast page load times – Google and other search engines weigh heavily on fast page load times and real-time relevant content when crawling your website. If your sites pages load too slow then they’ll stop coming!

The Rumbling Stomach: Mobile Commerce

More people are using mobile phones to surf the internet. Mobile optimized websites make reaching these people a breeze and it can increase your website traffic on this important channel.

Wrenched Ankle: Maintenance and Support

Features to Include:

99.9% server uptime – Your websites uptime (amount of time your website can be viewed online), is critical to your online success. If your websites web hosting company can’t provide you with 99.9% uptime then you need to find a new one.
Daily backups & restores – Make daily backups of all your websites files. In the event of a disaster, you will be able to recover your data and restore your website.
Phone support that fits any schedule – People love live help, so why not offer them what they want?
Email support – In the era of online communication, email is one of the most significant customer relationship management (CRM) tools. At the very least all websites need to offer this option.
Live chat support/support forums – A popular option today. Chating is quick and easy, and it’s a good option to offer people if you don’t plan on offering phone support or you’re offering limited phone support.
Online tutorials like videos & manuals – These can be very helpful to your sites visitors, and are becoming very popular now.
Regular updates to remain competitive – Websites that offer regular updates are more popular than the ones that don’t.

Rate This Infographic: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.