February 2007

Websites are an important means of promotion for your products or service. The need of the website increases manifolds if you are looking for online promotion of your products or service. A website provides a visual exposure to your product and service and you can reach your target audience anywhere in the world. But for reaping the full benefits of website promotion it is necessary that your website is attractive, has easy to read text or content, is user friendly and also search engine friendly. But where do you find websites with all these qualities? Our Web design templates are the perfect solution to your website related problem.

Qualities of good website design

A good website design should have some basic qualities to qualify as a good website design. A good website template design too should possess these qualities to be an effective website &
Attention grabbing website.

Legible content The content of the site should be readable because the purpose of the website is lost if it is not able provide the information it is designed for. Therefore, the font type, font size and the colors that are used in the design should be carefully chosen and readability should be the most important criterion.

Easy navigation The navigational element should be in a standardized format. The visitor should be familiar with the navigational buttons so that he can easily feel his way through the whole site.

Media elements Use of media elements like animation, Flash, MP3 etc. should be strictly on need basis as these elements are not search engine friendly. Though the use of flash animations is a
tempting thought it should be used with caution.

Browser compatible The design should be compatible with most of the browser if you want maximum people to view your web page. Make sure that your web design templates are visible on the major browsers like Internet Explorer or Fire fox etc.

About the author:
Miss Ruchira is a very well known author and she writes articles for www.technology.mosaic-service.com
Mosaic Services offers readymade website designs or the web design templates SEO friendly, high quality website design templates that are CSS based and W3C complaint. These search
engine optimized templates can also be customized as per your choice or requirement. We can add your company logo, your images and even change the navigation menu as per your company needs. We use the latest designing softwares Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver etc. The company also offers web development services and Search engine optimization services besides many other services. Visit the site www.technology.mosaic-service.com
for more information about the services offered by the company
and reap the benefits of an effective website.

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Q.) What are web templates?

A.) Web templates are readymade web-pages. They make the job of putting web pages on the internet really quick.

Q.) How do the templates manage to do it so easily?

A.) Web templates perform as html coded dummy web pages that carry model content. These templates can be edited with ease and can be customized. You can add content, graphics, logo, pictures etc. to create master web pages in no time.

Q.) How do I edit web templates?

A.) That’s very simple! Almost all web templates can be edited. You can use common html editors like FrontPage, DreamWeaver and GoLive along with image editors like Photoshop. These editors are user-friendly and have an easy to use interface. One doesn’t need to be an expert in html editing to use them. But if you want to add minute details and perfect them, opt for template customization services that are offered by most web template providers.

Q.) But why will I use web templates - does it do me any other
good?

A.) Web templates can in fact lend a fair bit of hand to save lots of money and time. The blend of these two with expertise makes web templates - the best option. A web designer can ask
for anything in the range of $50 to $200 for designing a single web-page and he will take 15 days minimum.

With a web template to create a website, it would come around $40 max and save 12-13 days. Isn’t that a deal? Websites designed with web templates can go live within a day after
editing and pasting graphics. Now, you don’t need to be an Einstein to figure out which one is the cost-effective and time-saving option. Do you?

Q.) What about Flash websites?

A.) Have you ever been to one of those famed jewelers websites -if you have been you will know how much time they take to open up? With an average time span of 14 secs as attention, not even 5 out of 10 people will wait for them to open up. Designing a flash website costs you money and consumes a lot of your time. This extra time is saved using web templates. But if you are really rigid on getting one, look for the template websites that offer flash website templates of good quality @ low-cost. Insert content and put ‘em up.

Q.) I need to create a copyrighted website. Help!

A.) Almost all website template providers offer an option of copyrighted or non-copyrighted templates. The difference is that the copyrighted templates are sold only once. If you buy one, as the owner of the copyrighted template you will get all user rights over it.

In the case of a non-copyrighted website, the rights of usage are reserved with the template ownership company - which they use over and over again. So in a sense, a copyrighted website is unique as it uses unique copyrighted website templates.

Q.) All this is very theoretical…just tell me how do I find a
quality template?

A.) There are little things to keep your eyes on.

Good quality web templates have the following:

- These web-templates are editable

- The web templates are 100% compatible with popular html and image editors

- The coding is uniform and friendly. This means that there is no change in the structure of the template on content or graphic inserts when you customize.

- The web template should be easy to upload on the web

- A webpage created by a web template should download in any browser minus hassles

NOTE: If you buy templates that don’t meet the terms above, sorry but your deal was a bad one. The said web templates are of poor quality.

Website templates are easy and fun. They give you flexibility and help you host your website.

There are many good web template providers on the web. Some of the ones I have had memorable experiences are buytemplate.net, templatemonster.com, templaterover.com and trendytemplates.com. They provide high-quality web templates that are easy on purse
and work beautifully.

About the author:
The author, Sharon Anderson is a Content Developer at TemplateWorld.com For further information visit TemplateWorld.Com

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In this articles you’ll discover some of the many different Blogging usages. After you read this you’ll want to check out our WordPress Theme, which are a skin (theme or template) for one of the most popular blogging software – WordPress.

It does not matter what are you blogging for as we have designs for professional bloggers and for those who target their family and friends as readers.

Our collection of WordPress Themes is updated on the regular basis so if you failed to find the design for your blog with us today give us another try tomorrow. Alternatively, you may always use our whishbox to request desirable design for your blog.

Article:Beginners Guide to Blogging
A blog is basically an online journal wherein you can digitally pen down your thoughts, ideas, opinions and practically anything that you want people to read. Blogs come in different styles, formats, and settings, depending on the preference of the user. Many blogging sites, offer built in features such as hyperlink, straight texts, pictures etc. Some blogging sites, even allow you to put video and mp3′’s on your blogs. Instead of writing texts, some bloggers choose to make their blogs more audio friendly, by using spoken word entries. This is called audio blogging. Basically a blog contains these features: title- which allows you to label your post body- this is the content of your post trackback- other sites can be linked back to your blog permanent link- every article that you write has a URL comments- this allow readers to post comments on your blog.

One of the advantages of blogging, is that it is made of only a few templates. Unlike, other websites that is made up of numerous individual pages. This make it easier for blog users to create new pages, because it already has a fix setting that include: slots for title, body of the post, category, etc. This is especially useful for first time users, since they can start blogging right away. They can chose from a number of templates that blogging websites provide. Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they”ve become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other members” blogs.

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as: sports, politics, philosophy, social commentary, etc. These blogs espouse on their specific themes. This way blogging becomes a medium in which people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics. Some bloggers even use their blogs as a means to advertise. Some authors advertise their books on their blogs.

While other bloggers, use their blogs to shed light to currents issues, events, news and catastrophes. Nowadays in education, blogs also play an important part. Professors use blogging to document the lessons that they have discussed and taught. This way, students who who have missed classes, can easily catch up with their assignments. A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net everyday, blogging has become a lucrative move.

Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. While others profit through advertisement. But by far, the most popular blog type is the one that takes the form of a personal journal. This is the kind that is usually used by first time bloggers. Individuals who want to document the daily struggle of their everyday lives, poems, rants, opinions, find that blogging offers them a medium in which to express themselves. Bloggers usually communicate within themselves. This is one of the appeals of blogging. It creates a community of people sharing their ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

Blogs varying in topics, themes, and set-ups, can be found in blog directories. First time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through a number of blogs using these directories. This way they”d get an idea of what these blogging communities are like. Blogging is popular all over the world. Blog is short for the term weblog. There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free.

There are numerous blogging websites to choose from in the net. This give first time users the option of joining a blogging community that appeals to their interests. Just search any blogging directory and you”d get a listing of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. It’’s easy to search a blogging directory, because it is organized according to category. This way you would get exactly what you are after. Blogging is really for everyone. It is fun, simple and easy.

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Many people new to websites and/or ecommerce are confused at the in and outs of ecommerce. Even many people who are fairly adept at scripting can set up a store using some popular package such as OSCommerce and then are left stumped by the idea of making it work with a payment gateway to actually collect money and put it into their account.

In this article, I will give a brief overview of how the system is set up to collect your money. I will then discuss briefly what to look for in evaluating payment gateways. As usual, I will keep this basic and understandable just as I do with all of my articles.

The Basics - How Funds are Collected

Ecommerce simply refers to the practice of shopping online. From the site owner’s perspective, it entails collecting funds from sales transactions on their website and depositing that money into the bank. In order to collect funds, you need to have a merchant account and a payment gateway (discussed below). Basically, when a person enters their credit card number on a website, the card number and buyer information is sent to a payment gateway. This is done securely. The payment gateway will interface with a payment processor to check availability of funds as well as any other criteria set for accepting transactions. If the funds are available, the payment processor will then deduct the funds.

The payment gateway will then report back a successful transaction to the merchant, at which point the merchant’s shopping cart system will respond by displaying a ‘Thank You’ type message to the buyer. Funds will sit until the transaction is settled, which means the funds are collected and deposited to your bank account. Until a transaction is settled, the transaction will not post to your bank account and the corresponding debit will not post to the buyer’s credit card account.

CRE Loaded templates
CRE Loaded templates are developed for CRE Loaded ecommerce system. CRE Loaded system is based on the osCommerce system. You will need about five minutes to switch your online shop to one of our professionally designed CRE Loaded templates.

Each week we update our collection with a couple of new CRE Loaded templates. That is why we recommend that you check our site for fresh CRE Loaded templates regularly. To use our CRE Loaded templates we recommend upgrading to version 6.2.

Merchant Accounts

A Merchant Account is a special type of account specifically for online retailers. They are designed to allow non-POS (point of sale) transactions using credit cards, or transactions where you don’t have the person’s credit card in hand. In other words, you don’t have a card swiper. A merchant account is not the same as a bank account. It acts as a go-between between your payment gateway and your bank account, accepting funds from credit cards which are then deposited into your bank.

A merchant account is a relationship based on trust between you and the issuing bank. The bank takes funds from the buyer’s account and deposits into your account. A payment processor takes care of checking for availability of funds and debiting from the credit card account. The bank issuing the merchant account is trusting that you will fulfill your end of the transaction by providing the product or service that the buyer purchased.

In case where this does not occur, the buyer can dispute the transaction. This puts the issuing bank on the line because they are then obligated to return the funds to the buyer’s carda chargeback . Therefore, merchant providers are taking a risk in allowing a merchant to take credit cards under their name.

The organization providing your merchant account will do underwriting on the account when you apply to check your credit. If you have a history of too many chargebacks, you may be denied. In fact, too many chargebacks can result in you, as a merchant, being put on the Terminated Merchant File also called The Match File. This is a blacklist which will effectively prevent you from ever receiving a merchant account again.

Payment Gateways

A payment gateway serves as the front end to your merchant account, allowing you to manage funds, transactions, and the like. It also serves as a connection between your website and your merchant account. It takes data submitted via your secure order forms and presents it to your processing bank. The processing bank then approves or declines the transaction and sends its response back to the payment gateway. The payment gateway then turns around and provides this data back to the merchant for appropriate handling of the transaction. A payment gateway, then, does not offer services such as merchant accounts or shopping carts, although some of the larger-known gateways do provide such options as value-added services.

Fraud prevention is a big one because, as stated above, too many fraudulent transactions will result in chargebacks which could end up putting you on the Match List and your merchant account closed. Some of the common fraud detection mechanisms are Address Verification AVS which compares the customer’s address with that on file with the issuing bank, CVV2 which makes use of the 3-digit security code on the credit card 4-digit on American Express cards.

Most gateways will provide instructions on how to interface with their servers from your web store. Most gateways offer two methods of integration.

One method is to have your site POST a form to the gateway’s server which is pre-populated with your customer’s information. At that point, the customer will provide the customer with the payment form which allows them to type in their credit card number in a secure environment. After processing occurs, the customer is then routed back to your website along with the results of the transaction. Your site again takes over the process.

This method is usually easier to set up for site owners and it also means the site owner does not need to purchase their own SSL certificate “allowing secure transactions on the site itself”. The tradeoff is that you do need to send your customers off of your website for payment collection. Many gateways offer ways to make the payment form look like your website using customized headers and footers, but the fact remains that the visitors are leaving your website.

The second method is totally invisible to the customer. If the site owner has an SSL certificate, they can set up security on their own site. This means they can host the payment form themselves, totally customizing it to their website. When the customer submits payment, your site will securely and invisibly submit the information to the payment gateway.

The payment gateway will do the usual processing and then invisibly send the response back to the merchant’s website, allowing it to respond properly. From the customer’s perspective, they never left your website. And they never did. This type of setup requires an SSL certificate as well as access to the CURL library.

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