Thursday, December 13, 2018

Chapter 14 Web Research: Resources on JavaScript


Chapter 14 Web Research: Resources on JavaScript


The Modern JavaScript Tutorial
Introduction of JavaScript with developer console and code editors.  It also contains JavaScript fundamentals just as variables, operators, functions, and code structure.  It continues to progress to advanced working with functions and animation.  Listed in the “part 2” section there is a document section on styles and classes with examples to try and descriptions of each.

Codecademy 
Interactive courses on JavaScript fundamentals.  This site teaches programming fundamentals and basic-oriented concepts.  The concepts covered in Codecademy set the foundation for using JavaScript.  The projects that each student builds helps them gain the skills to maneuver JavaScript.  I found this site to be very resourceful and made learning JavaScript doable as the user practices code as the site is very friendly and walks the user through every step of the way.

JavaScript for Cats
If you’re a cat who wants to learn JavaScript, there isn’t a better online book.  So easy your human companion could do it too!  This fun and light-hearted site is an introduction for new programmers.  The approach to JavaScript builds scripting confidence in almost all humans.  This site shows values and variables, functions, etc. with animated examples. “Don’t be a scaredy-cat!” Check it me-owt!

JavaScript Best Practices
Webinar that covers best practices to identify and prevent common problems in JavaScript. This webinar takes a look at syntax oddities in JavaScript. To help the writer understand the best was to JavaScript code, discovering where the issues arise and how to prevent them using strict mode.  Learning how to deal with callbacks in a low-maintenance way.

JavaScript Guide
The JavaScript Guide shows users how to actually use JavaScript and gives an overiew of the language. It is divided into several chapters: Grammar and Types, Control flow and error handling, loops and iteration, functions, expressions and operators, numbers and dates, text formatting, indexed collections, keyed collections, working with objects, details of the object model, promises, iterators and generators, and meta programming.
The simple layout enables the learner to go directly to any question or insight they might have or need about JavaScript with easy accessible links.  The introduction I found especially useful with a “what you should already know” guide.  This lets the user know what kind of background knowledge is expected and ends with a link to a tutorial for a user with no programming experience. 




Monday, December 3, 2018

Chapter 13: Focus on Design- How to design your website so that it is optimized for search engines (SEO)

Chapter 13

How To Design Your Website For SEO


Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important piece.  According to John Rampton, "SEO is a rapidly changing practice - thanks in part to the hundreds of adjustments Google makes every year to its search engine algorithm.  Because of this, you need to stay on top of the latest industry news."  


What is the latest industry news?  


While searching I came upon a checklist developed by Rand Fishkin of CEOmoz titled "DO-IT-YOURSELF SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.  

He listed six items to check for new sites:
1- Accessibility: Users and search engines need to access all of your flies
2-Keyword Targeting: Choose the right words for good search volume
3-Content Quality and Value: you want good stuff in you links
4-Design Quality User experience and Usability: go simple unless you have that talent for design and know what you're doing.  
5-Social Account Set-up: SEO and social are coming together.  It pays to be in social:facebook, twitter, linked-in, Google +.
6-Link Building: Have good quality links.

Brendan Sinclair talked about focusing on Google stating that "if you get a high ranking in google you get a lot of web site traffic, fired-up targeted visitors. Almost 80% of the searches are done on Google."  John Rampton quoted Barry Schwartz - Search Engine Land's News Editor, founder of Search Engine Table and owner of consulting firm Rustybrick - offered this nugget“The best advice, don’t follow the changes. Just focus on writing the best content for your clients and their businesses. Write expert content that is hard to replicate. Don’t become experts in the Google algorithms, become experts in the content that you have to write about. So if you are writing about plumbing, make sure you know it better than most or don’t write it. Google wants the most authoritative content to rank the best and the best way to do that is to become an authority based on being an authority in your niche.”


Rand Fishkin CEOmoz;Search Engine Optimization:http://www.diy-seo-resources.com



Brendan Sinclair: SEO;Tips for Beginners:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65PQpHcAonw

John Rampton: 25 Tips for SEO Professionals:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2015/04/13/25-tips-from-seo-professionals/#6bd5b14ecc1c

chapter 12: Focus on Web Design;Shopping Cart Usability Issues

 Shopping Cart Usability Issues

There are many shopping cart usability issues that web designers should be aware of.  The first one is trying to force users to do certain tasks. According to the UX Team Website: "Many sites fall into the trap of fighting with typical user behavior by believing they can force users to follow a certain flow and restrict them from having access to certain features. Instead of fighting with your users, you should help make their final purchase decision experience as easy and as accommodating as possible." When designing keep in mind that many shoppers use the shopping cart when it comes to making their final decision on what they will purchase.

Streamline the information.  Instead of having multiple forms at checkout, place the information all on one form.  UX Magazine conducted studies where websites changed their carts to a single-page checkout which proved to perform better than a multi-step purchase process and increased purchases up to 67%.

In conclusion when working with shopping carts always keep in mind clear expectations of how it should behave.  Be sure that buttons do what they say they should do.  UX Magazine had it right when they said, "In business and in life, integrity is key."


UX Team: https://www.uxteam.com/blog/e-commerce-shopping-cart-usability-research-findings/
UX Magazine: http://uxmag.com/articles/shopping-cart-usability