Website migration is most common development services offered by web development companies. Let us first of all discuss features and benefits of dynamic websites.

Dynamic website keep you tuned with real updates, your website is active and synchronized with other activities online; all under your control. Search engine always look for fresh content on your website, make sure one or the other activity keeps going on your website; if there is no activity on your website for a long time search engine may remove it from its index.

I am sure if you look few years back, websites were static and all the changes were to be done by developers, user have to wait for admin and admin sent it to developer and it was a long procedure with professionals involved at different steps.

With evolvement of new tools and advancement in technology, web applications and content management system came up. In the present age, technologies like RoR, Web 2.0 and LAMP have gifted us with dynamic websites. Dynamic website helps to make instant updation of on going activities of the organization, providing the current real time data. Content Management System CMS helps web administrator to control your website content (create categories, files, audio, video, documents, electronic file, etc.). Without designer and developer involvement, a person without knowledge of CMS can start up, no need to learn. CMS is user friendly, ease to implement, provides scalable solutions.

Benefits of dynamic websites can be briefed: Real time content manipulation, number of users with secure login area, privileged users, paging navigation, forums, blogs, detail site traffic report.

Most of the open source CMS are written using scripting languages like PHP and uses MySQL database. For each dynamic page generated these scripting languages create a unique link with session id variables to keep record of visitors blocking cookies; so there is unique link URL for each page accessed with strings and character sets like ?=!. From SEO point of view you need to remove these characters from the URL to push your ranking forward, for the pages generated dynamically we can go ahead by URL rewriting, this can be achieved by turning off the session id and turning on cookies in .ini file or by writing .HTACCESS file.

For developing a search engine friendly website using open source CMS we need to study well the requirements of the website to be developed and functionalities offered by the off-the-shelf-applications. I have few reasons to state why Drupal CMS is most preferred compared to Joomla and other open source CMS for developing search engine websites. Content Management System helps to develop more interactive website, user friendly interface that will help to deliver scalable solutions compared to static websites developed using HTML. These CMS provides a modular approach, categorization of content, easy management of website design and content, updation at one point is reflected throughout, database is maintained separately, no specific knowledge is required for using CMS; these all together makes CMS highly scalable.

Views may differ and I welcome my article readers to post comments, as it is my personal view that Drupal is best for search engine website development. Drupal is very powerful and can be used to develop websites of high degree complexity. Websites developed in Drupal are AOL, Yahoo, Aaron Wall’s SEObook.com, Forbes, The United Nations, The Onion, The Discovery Channel, Warner Brothers Records, Lime.com, The New York Observer, Fast Company.

Why Drupal for SEO??

Taxonomy — The modular structure of CMS works best with Drupal allows to categorize content, organize and manage it more accurately by tagging. Based on the theme of categories are formed and tags are assigned. Few categories may allow user to assign tags as per ones choice; at the same few categories may allow to tag by offering selected, existing tags, completely flexible. Hierarchy of categories is also followed if required. You can also have hierarchical categories, with single or multiple parent categories. The most important point to be considered is advanced taxonomy features allow to target long-tail keywords.

Advanced URL Control — Manipulate the URL structure easily with Drupal. Each item in Drupal is node that can be assigned a custom URL, an alias URL. Construct clean URL with Drupal, all the internal URLs are redirected (301) to custom.

Custom Content Types and Views — Using Content Construction Kit (CCK) and Views Modules new content types can be created and advance custom views can also be created without writing code. N number of content types can be created and can be displayed in n-number of ways. Examples: forum posts, blog posts, classified ads, etc.

Revision Control —Configuring Drupal lets you keep track of older and new versions if needed while editing web pages.

User Management — For community based websites Drupal is the best solution that has a functionality that helps control user access. . Different custom user role with varying degree of access levels: like webmaster, admin, moderator, etc. You can customize your website by adding or deleting features like blogs.

Page Titles and Meta Tags — It is simple and easy to manage Meta tags elements and HTML elements using specific modules of meta tags control.

Template: Theming in Drupal is easier, it uses PHP Template, Drupal Theme Developer’s Guide is a good resource.

Excellent Documentation — Excellent documentation is available with Drupal and I am sure once you install Drupal you can easy go with it. Rich documentation on massive API reference, blogs, handbooks, tutorials, video; also Drupal Dojo community is of great help for developers.

Drupal Cookbooks — If you further want to customize your Drupal solution, you can fulfill your need by using code snippet available with Drupal.org.

Large and Friendly Community — I believe Drupal is the best open source CMS solution for developing search engine friendly websites. The Drupal developers’ community is expanding and you can find lots of community created modules. If get struck up with some problem, you can join Drupal forums and users will try to solve your problem, by providing best possible solution and answers.

Join Drupal community to learn how you can promote and make your Drupal websites search engine friendly, we at open source development company offer Drupal consulting, Drupal installation, wide range of Drupal PHP templates, Drupal customization, Drupal development, Drupal programmers and maintenance of your Drupal website.

I’ve been learning Drupal on-and-off (as spare time allows) since last summer. Reading this latest Mercerian effort I’ve undoubtedly benefited from reading the Drupal 4.7 text. The 4.7 title definitely got me up and running as a Drupal novice, so this formula and style is familiar to me. There are some physical changes: the paper on this latest offering (my copy at least) has better contrast. I could not find the exact font details, but the print size is larger and so there are fewer words per line which naturally helps readability. Consequently, the 4.7 book’s 267 pages translates to 362 pages as measured to the last page of the index.

As a Drupal newbie myself I’ve struggled due to:

* The whole client-server set-up and creating a database driven community.

* Drupal’s likeness to an iceberg:

o what you can see – themes, modules, users, forums

o what you can’t see the MySQL, PHP, CSS, server, template and other files…

o Oh yes, and the things that are on the water-line – blocks, menus, ‘nodes and content’

* Drupal files and folder structure

o The location of core Drupal elements vs contributed elements (and your content)

* Security, access and permissions

o managing users

* Upgrading and configuration

o Drupal is very much a work-in-progress

* Customisation – themes, styles, being ‘original’ – extending Drupal.

The first fifty pages provide an introduction to Drupal, how it all started with its creator Dries Buytaert. Plus installing server software and Drupal itself. Several pictures of the Drupal website highlight this as a pivotal resource with its forums and great sense of community. Mercer had me wondering that you may not be pushing the envelope if you don’t need help at some stage.

On page 32 ‘The Drupal Environment’ a sentence states that readers ‘… might well prefer to dive straight in and make modifications to your Drupal site.’ This seems a bit premature to me, as six pages later we are concerned with obtaining and installing Drupal. As this is my first book review the adopted convention is a stolen sentence or two from Packt’s summary of the book, with my thoughts:

Chapter 1 introduces you to the world of Drupal and looks at where Drupal comes from, where it’s going, and what it can offer you. – The Drupal community is an invaluable resource and in addition to reading and struggling I’ve attended a user group, were everyone has something to offer and there is much enthusiasm and skills on tap. So Mercer highlights the web and forums as a source of support and might possibly have made more (even without specific details) of the number of local Drupal user groups and events. Nonetheless, this thorough introduction is capped off with an explanation about Drupal’s status as an open source project and the licence. This more than anything explains Drupal’s dynamic credentials. Guidance is provided here on building a website – including ‘phone a friend’ – and don’t forget paper and pencil for planning and developing ideas.

Chapter 2 deals with how to get everything you need up and running on a development machine and also briefly looks at how all the requisite technologies gel together to produce a working Drupal site. … – Going for a combined package, I tried ApacheTriad and XAMPP before settling on WAMP5 for the Apache server, MySQL and PHP5 software. The thing is don’t give up. I installed-scratched Drupal a couple of times; my excuse – I’d give it some time … and then leave it alone. … Like many things in life, you need to devote and invest time on which to build your knowledge and skills (even an occasional 10-15 minute session can help). This chapter is very informative whichever server approach you adopt. As the tip advises – keep that admin password safe! Mercer’s task here must be helped I believe by the Drupal 6 install process. Although not yet ‘automatic’ it has been greatly improved.

Chapter 3 sees us adding functionality to the newly created site. … – At this point David Mercer had me wondering: I’ve heard that a lot of people try Drupal and other CMSs and give up. If there were CMS exit questionnaires what would they reveal? A DHTML menu module is used as a module example and needing to find this again it is there in the comprehensive index. Blocks and menus take some getting used to, well for me anyway. It is not necessarily that they are very complex – they are just cussed on 1st, 2nd, even 3rd acquaintance. If you forget to activate a block, a menu will not show. There are graphic handles for drag-and-drop operations within menus, which helped me to finally grasp things. Mercer’s advice to check through the modules that are available for your version is well worth the effort. Yes, the number of modules can be overwhelming, but the diversity and scope provide a reason to forge on and there’s more to follow.

Chapter 4 looks at the most general settings that all Drupal administrators need to contend with. … – This chapter could be titled ‘chicken or egg’, since you need to understand the functionality of Drupal in order to commit to developing your site. There are a lot of options for site configuration and again it’s good advice to take the time and check out the available settings, displayed here in pictures with descriptions. Try to appreciate early on the role of clean urls (and path aliases p.325); using two browser windows can help too.

Chapter 5 concerns itself with the topic of access control. … – This chapter I will certainly be re-reading. It has prompted me to realise that for my new site a forum is vital. Although I’ve some static content to archive, this would be a waste of Drupal’s power. Here roles are covered, with emphasis on planning and creating an access policy p.116. Throughout the book you are reminded about only giving users the permissions they need to perform task x, y or z and NO more. Mercer points out that what roles you have and what your site can ‘deliver’ overall is also dependent on administration. Are you a one-admin band or will you have some help? It is always difficult to anticipate the future, hence the need to plan an access foundation upon which you can build.

Chapter 6 gets to the heart of the matter by beginning the book’s coverage on content. … – This chapter sheds light blog entries, book pages, forum topics and pages with these content types just the beginning. The learning here is not just the ‘what’, but ‘how’ to administer content, plus distinguishing (or not) between nodes and content. When you are working on your site and styles remember the ‘input format’ section of this chapter – again really useful. I wondered why my drop capitals and table effects were not showing. It was just that some HTML tags were not allowed through the filter.

Throughout the book the work flow approach helps instill confidence by hand-holding step-by-step and yet also encouraging you to experiment alone. Another insight for me here is the wider potential of Drupal’s RSS aggregator. You also realise how quick the publishing turn-around is these days, with the pictures of the feed aggregator are dated 02/05/2008. p.166. I have in mind a collaborative book on Hodges’ model, so the five pages devoted to the book content type proved essential reading. There are graphic handles for drag-and-drop operations within books, in addition to the menus as mentioned previously.

Chapter 7 gives you the edge when it comes to creating engaging and dynamic content. While this chapter doesn’t require you to be an expert in HTML, PHP, and CSS it does introduce you to the basics and shows how, with a little knowledge, extremely powerful and professional content can be created. … – There are some Drupal pearls here: taxonomy, the content construction kit (CCK) and HTML, PHP and content posting. There’s even a brief intro to HTML. Time also for considered reading with descriptions of terms, vocabularies, thesauri and related Drupal elements. With some awareness of clinical terminologies and having read this and other Drupal sources I wonder if I’m under estimating the power of Drupal?

The CCK section has me a little puzzled. My next task is to install CCK in Drupal 6.2 as Mercer suggests to see if it works. At the time of writing this review though the Drupal site states they are creating a preliminary, development version [of CCK] for D6 soon. As Mercer acknowledges the CCK is dependent on another module called Views, which is still not yet ready for version 6. In a way something like this is to be expected of a book that is first off the blocks. Mercer still sets the CCK up nicely though, as I’m tantalised by the possibilities, especially when combined with Views as I saw demonstrated at the NW England Drupal user group.

Chapter 8 gives you a run down of how attractive, functional interfaces are created in Drupal through the use of themes. … – Time to get the hands dirty; first though as with the modules I’ve followed Mercer’s advice and checked through the available themes. You could be excused for believing it is a waste of time poring over all the themes (although not that many are available for D6 as yet). On the other hand let physics work for you and (like me) you will gravitate towards a couple of themes. If bones are essential for structure, support and locomotion, then chapters 8 & 9 provide the meat of the book and Drupal.

Chapter 9 really adds the icing on the cake by looking at a host of more advanced topics. From dynamic and responsive content using JavaScript and native jQuery support to supporting opened and implementing actions and triggers, you learn to enhance your website and add that something special. … – I blame Mercer 4.7 (plus some exciting demos) for prompting me to invest in a specific jQuery book. (The user group directed me to another seminal Drupal book – the ‘Pro’ title.) jQuery accounts for a brief but very effective five pages, that I hope to incorporate into my test site efforts very soon. Drupal 6 has seen a major emphasis on internationalization and localisation. This is very welcome functionality for me, that Mercer serves over about 15 pages. My new website must be global in reach, Drupal can deliver and Mercer shows the way. Translation files are still in the future for this Drupal student, but for languages, cacheing, throttling and performance I know were to go for help. OPENID could be a real scoop for user uptake and is covered in just over four pages and begs further investigation. The book is peppered throughout with urls and tips for more resources and reading.

Chapter 10 takes a pragmatic look at the type of tasks in which you will need to be proficient in order to successfully run and maintain a Drupal site. … – Having backed up the database and run cron jobs manually, there is one major thing that I’ve still to do and that is the non-trivial task of upgrading. The single appendix deals with deployment.

I’ve a lot yet to prove in terms of learning Drupal and demonstrating proficiency (a deployed website would help!). I’m convinced though that Mr Mercer is helping me move forward with this latest very instructive Drupal book. Significantly there is quite a team behind this title. I wholly endorse this summary from the Packt site:

Written in the same style as the original Drupal title, this book is a pragmatic look at the steps necessary to get a website up and running. Drawing on years of writing experience, David Mercer utilizes a friendly, engaging style that is both clear and concise – perfect for the Drupal newbie.

For more information, please visit www.PacktPub.com/drupal-6-create-powerful-websites/book

 

Technical Writing Website Content

As a technical writer of website content, you may sometimes wonder where the words will come from in order to complete your technical writing job assignment. As you become more familiar with technical writing, you will begin to see a writing process that is used in each of your website writing content documents.

The writing process we are referring to, consist of the different stages of the writing process, from beginning to end. These are all necessary stages in the process of writing content for your website.

Stages of the writing process

Planning Drafting Revising Copyediting Publishing

The planning stage, begins with choosing a topic for your website content article, and then deciding how to go about shaping and organizing the information you will get from researching this topic. I have found it best to write on a subject that you are most familiar with, or something that you are passionate about.

The drafting stage of your writing is basically the beginning. This is where you will begin to write on your subject, without much concern with sentence structure, spelling or even the order of your writing. A draft is a writing that is expected to change, and be edited.

The revising stage of the website content article writing process, is the beginning of revising, and making changes to your draft. This is where you will begin to implement good sentence structure, spelling, and give order to your website content writing assignment.

After revising your website content article, it is time to copyedit it. The process of copyediting, is the final stage before you decide to publish your article. This is the time you will spend proofing your website content article for spelling, correct word usage, organization an polishing it for publication.

Publishing your website content article is the last stage of the writing process. If you will be publishing website content articles for website owners, make sure that you have used the specified keywords that they need for the page they will be placing your website content article on. If you will be publishing your article on your own website, be sure you have used the correct keywords for that page, and make sure that your keyword is in your title. Also, try to used your keyword in bold, caps or hyperlinks, in order to get the best results.