Articles

Free Tools for Enhanced Web Design

As seen in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine, [webbiz], June-2010
Author: William H. (Kip) Cozart, III, CEO, President, Co-Founder
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As websites become more and more sophisticated, many free and useful “do-it-yourself” online programming resources have also emerged to help you increase the overall scope and performance of your website. From quick and convenient “code generators” and “new content” sources to advanced search engine optimization and useful website production tools, there is a wealth of reliable, easy to use applications that can save time and accelerate your progress. Think “Web Design Shortcuts.”


Free Web Interactive Applications…What was once an elaborate and expensive process, producing common interactive applications, can now be quickly streamlined by utilizing established online tools, such as complex online questionnaires provided by SurveyMonkey.com or instant website polls that are generated by websitegoodies.com and webtools4free.com. Interactive calendars with motigo.com, and free news tickers using webtools4free.com are other powerful applications that can be easily integrated into your website.

Free Web Development Tools…Try these useful web design time-savers: A free “copyright date manager,” offered at webweaver.nu/tools/copyright-generator/ that will automatically update the current year that is posted within your website footer, a “countdown clock generator” from webtools4free.com, a page “loading speed checker” and “broken link checker” also provided by websitegoodies.com, and a convenient text and graphic-oriented “banner creation” tool available at webweaver.nu/tools/simple-banner/.

Free Web Content Sources…A wide variety of free 2-D and 3-D graphic illustrations and photo images for website use are available online. Visit free-clip-art.com, webweaver.nu/clipart, bellsnwhistles.com, 3d-animated.com, creatingonline.com and animationplayhouse.com and browse their extensive libraries. Other forms of content, updated automatically, can be found at freesticky.com. With embedded code that is added to your web page, this service delivers a regular supply of entertaining, informative content, such as the “Daily Phrazzle®” or “Ultimate Questions” (brain teasers), “This Day in History,” “Interesting Facts,” “Random Joke,” and other features.

Free SEO Management Tools…To help fine tune your online promotional strategies, use the free keyword density checker by iwebtool.com/keyword_density/ and monitor your page ranking on Google using iwebtool.com/search_engine_position/.

For more information about emerging online technologies, visit http://www.cccommunications.com/resources_articles.cfm.

About the author:

As one of the region’s earliest pioneers in the field of online communications, Kip Cozart, along with CC Communications owner/partners Russ Husky and Loretta Cozart, has consulted with hundreds of businesses and organizations to enhance and produce effective web, email, multimedia marketing initiatives and business process improvements for fifteen years. Contact kcozart@cccommunications.com or call
CC Communications at 704-543-1171.