A mass trend has hit the Internet, it sneaked in so subtly it almost went unnoticed.

The problem: The Internet is truly free, there is little or nothing you can’t get for free. Do you write standard fill-in-the-blanks legal documents? I can download them from docstoc. Do you write your own music? I can download via piratebay. Do you create websites? I can get a free one with Microsoft…

This has been damaging for so many industries, but now they’re actually playing the system and making a mint… how?

Solution: Microcharging.

iTunes are fully aware that MP3′s can be downloaded for free, albeit illegally. They came in with low low costs for singles and even less if you buy the whole album. MP3s can be downloaded for 79p! 10 years ago, I could buy a single for around £4 so that’s a big improvement. Who wouldn’t pay 79p to stay on the right side of the law for a track they liked?

Facebook charge for little graphic images, and little adverts. The majority of these cost around $1… it’s pocket money… of course who are the target market?

Digital photo printing generally costs 10-50p per print. 10-50p and the wait for delivery is well worth not having to fiddle with the printer, top up the ink and sort out paper jams, what a bargain.

Nintendo Wii. You can purchase wii points in blocks of 1000 for £7.50. For that you can download games which are now available for free online. Of course you can’t put them on your wii without a small cover charge.

In the US, mobile users pay to receive an SMS message. Twitter are cashing on to this with their mobile alerts (and a cushy deal with the networks. Which is why they stopped in the UK, here the billing is the other way round losing twitter money)

The list goes on.

Do you have something that doesn’t decrease when sold? eBooks, help-sheets, anonymous questionnaire data? These are great places to start as they require little or no action from you per sale.

Naturally this system works on volume, but with the right product(s), 1000 downloads at £1 each… I won’t insult intelligence by showing you the answer… you get the picture. If run through Paypal, your users won’t even have to hunt for their wallets (assuming they have an account)

Is microcharging the missing link in social networking sites? Is it the missing link to Twitter’s fortunes? How else could we use microcharging as individuals or a collective?

Blogging isn’t new, most people have their own blogs and can see the benefits, but some people don’t, and I want to play a part in changing that. A good business blog isn’t about inane subjects like where your last holiday was spent or your new kittens (unless you’re in the holiday or animal rescue business) and if you are an expert in your chosen field, it doesn’t have to be difficult to come up with new ideas and topics.

Top 10 reasons for having a blog:

1. SEO – The search engines LOVE blogs, more and more are appearing in the top results. Google in particular is now concentrating on newer content vs old and it’s time your static website started getting a piece of that action.
2. Credibility - By releasing well worded articles, you can prove your expertise to the general public, you will build up a reputation of being knowledgable and passionate about your chosen subject and not just following an ‘it pays the bills’ mentality about your business.
3. Free links – A good article is shared with others, the link gets emailed and posted on other’s blogs and comments, the back links help both click throughs and again aid the SEO.
4. Up-to-the-minute – Almost all industries are undergoing change on a daily basis, by writing articles about these changes and how they affect your target market, you can keep people informed, especially if you’re the first to blog about it.
5. Interaction – Blogs are usually linked by keywords, once a user has finished with one blog either by reading or irrelevancy, there is the option for them to see previous articles on the same subject, this gives more exposure, more chance of being seen and shared. Again the SEO benefits are amazing.
6. Openness – Depending on the type of business and impression you want to give as a business, adding personal blogs can be a benefit. In many businesses, the USP is the individual involved. By being open and sharing shows you have nothing to hide and helps visitors build a rapport with you.
7. I’m still here – The Internet is well over a decade old, it is full of closed business and obsolete sites. By updating a dated blog, you are showing Google and your visitors that you are still operating in full force.
8. Special offers and Updates – Blogs are a great way to update clients without hitting them with constant unread newsletters. It enables them to see smaller changes within the company, new product launches and allows you to post special offers.
9. Allows overpopulation – One of the first mistakes people tend to make with new websites is to write too much information. Some visitors want that information however and the blog is a brilliant repository. You can keep your main pages clean with good sales copy and write all the technical details and performance results in an article.
10. Feedback. – A static website is relatively flat, it can act as a barrier between the visitor and the business. A blog opens the comments channel allowing visitors to play a part in the growth of your online presence. They also tend to be written in a more relaxed way helping your visitor to feel more relaxed and less defensive to sales copy.

“But I’ll run out of things to write about”

Ask for ideas, look at similar industry blogs, read your industry’s news, blog about what you see, put it into plain English.
Accountants – Tax saving tips, How the budget effects small businesses (dumbed down version), what does the expenses row mean?, why are politicians choosing to wait until the next election to stand down?
Estate Agents – What’s happening to the property market? What should first time buyers be looking out for? What can sellers do to increase their chances?
Graphic Designers – A good designer produces work which is beautiful to look at, show it! What thought processes go behind a good design? Give us case studies, explain why a blue blob with the letter ‘Y’ just cost your client £600.
Unemployed people – I’ve been talking to a young lady who’s making a small fortune by being unemployed, she’s written a book about job hunting blogged and vlogged about it and is really pushing her online profile.

The lists are endless but you get the idea.

Don’t have a blog? have I convinced you to give it a try? How about this for numbers: I don’t put much time into my own site, I spend too much time with other people’s, but every so often I post a new blog. When I do, my site traffic spikes up 50-100% within a few days before settling down at an overall 2% increase. One blog per week will double my overall site traffic every 35 weeks, one blog per day will almost double the traffic every month!!! If I stop, a decrease will start, but for now it just grows steadily.

How do you get it? You can install WordPress (http://www NULL.wordpress NULL.org) straight on to your website with custom or matching themes, (or we could do it for you) or you can use one of the hundreds of free blogging websites. WordPress (http://www NULL.wordpress NULL.com) again is by far the best in my personal opinion and very easy to set up and use. (I’m not on commission with WordPress, it’s just really good, in fact this blog is using wordpress)

Is there a benefit to having it installed or using the free option?

The free option is excellent but does have some advertising on for WordPress and links to other people’s blogs on similar subjects. Quality here is key, make sure your blog is better than the other related articles and yours will shine through. WordPress also benefits from high seo rankings so there is a good change of being seen.

The self-hosted version loses the ads and has no competition. It helps build the seo rankings for your whole site and allows you to use your domain name, although the seo benefits may not be instant, they will be longer standing.

If you haven’t got one, get one now and happy posting.

Richard Branson’s Blog (http://entrepreneur NULL.virgin NULL.com/)
Stephen Fry’s Blog (http://www NULL.stephenfry NULL.com/blog/)
Ivan Misner’s Blog (http://networking NULL.entrepreneur NULL.com/)
Derren Brown’s Blog (http://derrenbrownart NULL.com/blog/)

Social and business networking has seriously taken off, but how did we do business before then?

Before the Internet, we had the telephone directories. A content rich book of potential clients and suppliers… the problem was we had no idea who these people were, it was a gamble every time we picked up the phone.

The search engines took over from the telephone directories but weren’t much better. As websites are cheaper to set up, it’s even easier to fall into traps and scams.

Ok go back again, before the telephone. How did people do business? Well we belonged to lots of clubs, societies and went to meetings. We had country clubs, the masons, sports clubs, big dinner parties all in the name of socialising. All the big businesspeople socialised regularly, sharing their interests and lives with each other. As needs arose, contracts went out to friends, family and friends of friends. We were people, not businesses.

This form of networking has made a big comeback online, it’s not new, it was always here and should be treated that way. If we look on it as something new, we end up making simple mistakes by trying new things, or applying the principals of ‘the website’ to these potential relationships.

“Hi, I’m Simon, I’m a web designer, you can find out about me ‘here’, do you want to connect with me?”

The classic mistake, I’ve given simple information that will only encourage people to connect if they are either desperate for a website or are interested in websites… i.e. the competition.

Change that to:

“Hi, I’m Simon, I see you are in a band, I play trumpet myself although need to bring my standard back up before looking into bands, how is the live music scene lately?”

Now I’ve read their profile, I’ve found a similarity i.e. something which we can talk about. The best thing is that the conversation will interest us both and allow a natural connection. The verb ‘To Like’ stems from ‘To BE like’. I am now showing myself as a person, a business can’t play the trumpet. (some people would argue that I can’t either but that’s open to debate)

We follow the conversation(s) through and decide to meet up for a drink (a business can’t go for a drink). I have a new friend, someone who can and will vouch for me and talk about me whenever a related conversation comes up. I will never try to sell to that friend but they will like and trust me. They already know what I do without me ramming it down their throats, I don’t have to insult their intelligence by telling them ‘I’m a web designer’ over and over. The day comes, they need a new website or just some advice, or better yet, one of their 200 clients, 10 suppliers, 400 friends or 30 family members needs a website, I’ve accidentally earned some business from this relationship.

If I never get business, I still have a friend who I can rely on when I bring my trumpet skills back up to scratch and want to find a band in my area. Oh, he’s also an accountant, I can phone him about something now my tax return is due, I need to know how to process a proportion of my rent and bills as a business expense. (while I’m there, I need a new swimming pool, the moat needs cleaning, my other house needs furnishin………

And don’t forget, relationships are bi-directional. Keep checking for replies, keep replying if one is due keep that friendship going. If your spouse kicks you out and you don’t feel you can call them to borrow their sofa, you don’t know each other well enough, keep trying!

Join in on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ecademy etc etc. and make friends and have fun, pursue your passions and they (and the business) will pursue you. Be a person not a business. I can’t befriend a business.

And don’t forget to tell me if you like this blog, comment if you want to add or reply to this or any following comments. If you also play trumpet or are a member of a jazz band, connect with me. If you know any good free resources of some smooth jazz solos, I need something easy to get my skills and confidence back. (AND never start a new sentence with the word ‘And’ it’s grammatically incorrect.)

I don’t need to worry about branding because it’s already happening…

My brand is my reputation, previous work and my testimonials (http://www NULL.ecademy NULL.com/module NULL.php?mod=guestbook&id=217922).

If someone would like to make more money online and they decide they need a web designer or a web developer, I may end up in a short list of people to research.

The second they send me a message, email or call; my brand is building in their minds. The sooner I pick up or reply, the better the initial branding process starts. If I take 3 days (especially during a call), my brand looks terrible.

I meet the client and the way I dress, look, act and smell will affect my brand. My language and the politeness instilled by my parents will show through. It may or may not be accepted, but that is my brand.

They read my testimonials and look at past work… again, the brand is built.

I discuss possibilities with the client, past successes and external factors. I am making a promise and again growing my brand.

I don’t need to worry about branding because it’s happening every day whether I’m working on it or not, whether I want it to or not.

I have a strong, unique logo, this is what many people mistake as branding, actually it’s just an identifying mark, it promises nothing when stood alone. It’s not even that well designed! But it’s unique and allows people to associate a simple image with the feeling they got when communicating with me. Whenever they see this image, those same emotions and feelings will arise.

The question is, do I continue with this ‘accidental branding’ process and hope for the best?
This will allow my connections to be more natural. There will be people out there who don’t like me, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the slower work flow will be more pleasant as will the clients.

or do I make the effort to brand myself the way I want people to see me?
This is a little more effort, it drives me to improve and be more likeable. Fixing my flaws, driving my business forward and taking control not just of myself but strongly influencing what others are saying about me.

I know the answer for me, which do you choose?

A good way to approach people who don’t believe they’re big enough for a ‘brand’ image. You’re too late, it’s already happening.

I’m constantly asked by people all over ‘How do I get to the top of Google’, ‘Company X promises a front page listing’ and the likes. What are the google tricks to get you to the top? Hopefully I’m going to dispel a few tricks with business logic.

Google is a search engine, they want to make money from advertising but for this to happen, they NEED the masses to use it for searches.

What would make you choose or stop using a given search engine? The results. To maintain your loyalty, Google works hard to make sure it understands what you’ve typed into the search box, and gives you a good answer on page 1 with x million not so good ones following. (just in case) Google is a computer program and so doesn’t understand human speech as well as we, or Google execs would like, but it’s slowly getting there.

So
Fact #1: It is in Google’s best interests to produce reliable results to keep it’s audience.

If you search now for ‘Plumber in Watford’, Google will show plumbers and directories in Watford. Sometimes you’ll see other things there, these websites are strategically incorrect. This could be them trying to cheat the system or just not optimised correctly where Google thinks it’s about plumbers.

Back to fact 1, we lead on to:
Fact #2: Google continuously monitor results to create rules to filter out non-relevant results thus satisfying number 1.

Assuming you run a legitimate business, for argument’s sake and accountant in Hemel Hempstead, and I am looking for an accountant in Hemel Hempstead, it is in Google’s best interest to show your site to me. Google doesn’t care about how it looks, or how much money you spent on it, it only cares about me and satifying my needs. If it works, I will come back and become a loyal searcher, which is exactly what Google wants.

Fact #3: Google isn’t there to penalise people not able or willing to spend money on SEO, it’s best interests are with the searcher.

Some sites appear higher in Google than others, this is because Google believes that they are more helpful. Old sites designed and forgotten in 1995 are unlikely to be in the top 10 so it needs to know that you’re still in business and that you can help me. Don’t be clever and skirt around the issue of what you do. I am a web designer, fact. I could call myself a ‘brand archetect’ or a ‘e-makeover expert’ to differentiate myself, but that’s not what my prospects will be searching for. It is getting better and understanding, but it’s not quite there. For example if I add ‘That let the cat out of the bag’, Google would have to understand that I am talking about trouble, I am not a vet, I don’t agree with animal cruelty, I do not rescue kittens from bags (although have been known to.)

Fact #4: Google makes no assumptions, it only knows what you tell it, word for word.

I will expand on that last one, Google also knows what other people say about you, but that’s for another blog.

So forget Google as the enemy, it isn’t. It wants to help searchers find what they are looking for so they come back time and time again and hopefully click on a few adverts making Google a small profit for it’s efforts. Google is a business and while there are ways of ‘tricking’ it or tweaking things, if Google doesn’t believe you can help solve a given problem, you won’t be shown in the golden position 1.

Fact #5: Google are constantly improving, there are ways to slip through the net, but these will be quickly filtered out and you could be penalised.

So don’t try fooling Google by adding 100 links to the bottom of the page going to the same place, or 15 identical pages with the place names replaced unless there is a genuine reason for doing so. Continue to write copy for your readers, not Google, but just dumb it down a little so it all makes sense to a robot. Tricks like these will only work for a short time, once Google find a way to filter it out, you’ll be dropped like a hot potato.

Likewise if you do operate in several areas, by all means do have separate pages for each area, but don’t over-link them, stay logical. Remember that EVERY page is your home page. When someone clicks through, they won’t necessarily go to page 1, they could land anywhere and need to know in an instant that they’re in the right place.

Google isn’t your enemy, it is a money making business. If you understand business, think like them and you’ll already understand.

The searches have been counted and verified, the results are in. Google Zeitgeist 2008 announced today the top google searches for 2008.

Globally, the top 10 fastest rising search terms were:

1. sarah palin
2. beijing 2008
3. facebook login
4. tuenti
5. heath ledger
6. obama
7. nasza klasa
8. wer kennt wen
9. euro 2008
10. jonas brothers

In the UK, the top risers:

1. iplayer
2. facebook
3. iphone
4. youtube
5. yahoo mail
6. large hadron collider
7. obama
8. friv
9. cam4
10. jogos

The UK’s top google searches were:

1. facebook
2. bbc
3. youtube
4. ebay
5. games
6. news
7. hotmail
8. bebo
9. yahoo
10. jobs (the only search term here showing any indication of this so called recession)

While our diets are not improving with the fastest rising recipe searches being:

1. cupcake
2. meatballs
3. rocky road
4. crumble topping
5. eaton mess
6. pork belly
7. rhubarb fool
8. lemon posset
9. honey comb
10. beer batter

So what do we want from the internet? Spot the age old questions coming top of the ‘Top of mind’ section:

What is…

1. what is love
2. what is life (Life is… not looking at Google)
3. what is java
4. what is sap
5. what is rss
6. what is scientology
7. what is autism
8. what is lupus
9. what is 3g
10. what is art

Who is…

1. who is obama (Where have these people been hiding?!?)
2. who is mccain
3. who is palin
4. who is lil wayne
5. who is miley cyrus
6. who is dolla
7. who is jonas brothers
8. who is chris brown
9. who is biden
10. who is martin luther

…and how to…

1. how to draw
2. how to kiss
3. how to write
4. how to cook
5. how to tie
6. how to hack
7. how to run
8. how to cite
9. how to paint
10. how to spell (The actual 10th entry was ‘How too Spele but google’s logic kicked in once again)

More people wanted to know how to draw than how to kiss? I suppose one is a perfectly safe natural thing… the other one is kissing… think I’ve got it the wrong way round? read about the kiss of deaf (http://news NULL.bbc NULL.co NULL.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7772902 NULL.stm) from the BBC. (Who said the TV licence wasn’t worth the money?)

So there we have it, the British don’t seem too bothered by the current credit crisis if this is anything to go on, but are certainly keeping up with World news, playing games and networking. Interestingly enough, this is even before checking their emails… Of course the stats are flawed for this kind of statement as it doesn’t count bookmarks or remembered URLs.

Well this is my last blog of 2008, I’m spending the last two weeks on the tropical island of Mauritius. Happy holidays, merry Christmas and thank you to all those readers, contacts, clients, and so on who have helped Zako Media stay afloat for 2008.

Well this one came completely unannounced. The power of Google is such that they no longer need to build up hype, it just spreads around like wildfire. I present to you. SearchWiki.

If you are a logged in google user (either of Gmail, documents, calendar or one of their zillion other services) you now alter the search results. If a site isn’t coming up which should, you can use a link at the bottom to add it directly to page 1… instantly. If a link isn’t relevant, you can use the arrows next to it to drop it down or remove it and keep the good content up top… instantly.

Now don’t get too excited, before the click wars begin, this isn’t a Google-wide change… that would be anarchy… in fact only you can see those changes, and only when logged in to your google account, but from any computer.

Why is this useful?

As Google’s search results change on a second by second basis, it can be hard to keep track on every useful site and page. Our bookmarks are filling up with sites we forget exist and things are becoming harder to find.

Now rather than bookmark it, move the link higher in the results so that the next time you look, it’s right there.

Business uses? practically none, but the next bit really caught my attention…

As well as moving Google search results, SearchWiki allows you to add notes and comments to the results. The last link underneath the site address drops down a little textbox. Again everytime this result appears in your search, you’ll get instant access to your own notes. This is useful as above but with one difference… everyone can see them… They have to click a link to, but they are visible. This means you can start adding notes not only to other’s sites but to your own. An extra few lines to promote your business and show people why your link is much better than anyone elses.

It does mean you can also comment on your competitors… This approach is not recommended as Slander and Libel cases are on the increase against digital bloggers and public internet authors.

Keep an eye on this one, perhaps with user generated results, Google may wish to start allowing the data to influence overall results… What better relevancy test than through the masses. There have already been numerous picture games associated with Google played around the world by millions of people. Only a percentage knew that they were actually describing image content for google’s image search. Google’s wonderful viral allowed it to index billions of images accross the globe in a matter of weeks.

Watch this space. In the meantime, here’s Google’s Lead Designer talking about SearchWiki:

As more and more businesses are shutting shops and offices to concentrate on their online presence, is the Internet really connecting people or is it devaluing the real connections we have and isolating us?

Despite some of our larger clients, I refuse to charge corporate fees to small businesses because I enjoy working with them so much more than faceless executives. This means I am regularly speaking to people working from home offices and around 50% of the time, work alone.

Before the Internet, this wouldn’t have been possible, a lone worker would need an office and exceptionally expensive marketing techniques. Before the telephone they needed meeting spaces and prominent postal addresses. With the Internet here and rapidly growing, the meeting space has gone, the office has been sacrificed, the telephone sits silently and formal office-wear has been replaced by the dressing-gown.

According to retail analysts: Verdict Research, in 2007 online shopping grew by 33.4% to £10.9bn in 2007. They foresee online sales tripling over the next five years. All the major supermarkets now deliver shopping for you. Pubs are closing countrywide faster than ever, real social lives are slowly diminishing.

Meanwhile, as the Internet makes working from home a more convenient and cheaper option, the media and Government are making it as difficult as possible for us to leave our homes, Petrol prices are forever rising, knife crime, war, terrorism, danger danger danger!

To fill the need for social interaction, Internet users are now resorting to Facebook, Myspace, email, instant messaging, online dating, online chat, anything to keep the social interaction going. Using these systems connects us with old friends, clients, suppliers, family and new people from all over the world, but is it enough? Today in 2008, we can wake up, have conversations with family and friends, catch up with clients, and answer a few enquiries all before brushing our teeth. What is the world coming to? We’re dropping human interaction for the convenience of the Internet, then finding a way to replace what we’ve lost through the same medium.

From a marketing point of view, this is not necessarily a bad thing, our demographic is becoming easier to find and reach as they’ve all pigeon-holed themselves to their favourite communities.

From a business and financial point of view, it helps keep overheads down and allows people to work at their own pace, particularly useful for single-parent families or other situations where available time is sporadic.

From a personal point of view, we’re connected to people we never thought we’d hear from again, but in many cases, slightly less connected to our neighbours and family. We see major family news on Facebook before we hear about it directly, with the extra connections and busier lifestyle, we leave family dinners longer and longer, people who should be close family, we see once a year.

Are we isolating ourselves in our homes and offices or are we better connected than ever before? Is networking the new socialising?

Do we need a code of conduct for writing blogs?

According to DLA Piper, only 5% of Internet users know the legal rights and wrongs of posting online. It also found that 77% of bloggers were unaware of the law surrounding publication and journalism.

The same study found that 42% of Internet users believe that bloggers should be made to follow the same legal standards as journalists. 46% like the idea of a voluntary code of conduct. Bloggers however, don’t agree, only 32% support the idea with 34% directly opposed.

According to a spokesman from DLA Piper, there is potential for bloggers to end up in court. Beyond defamation and employment law, there are plenty of other issues which bloggers could trip up on. Issues such as, but not limited to: Libel (http://www NULL.mcalesternews NULL.com/local/local_story_229160310 NULL.html), Contempt of court (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Contempt_of_court), the Telecommunications act (http://news NULL.bbc NULL.co NULL.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7373639 NULL.stm), Protection from harassment act (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Harassment_(UK)), even the anti-terrorist legislation (http://news NULL.bbc NULL.co NULL.uk/1/hi/uk/7084801 NULL.stm).

Given that nobody reads website Terms and Conditions (and many still do not have them!) wouldn’t a code of conduct be pointless? Essentially, a code of conduct is not a set of laws, followers of this conduct will however protect themselves against some potential legal surprises if UK companies and individuals do decide to clamp down. A court may even look more favourably on them for following the voluntary code if the matter does reach a court.

Who would sign up for a voluntary code of conduct? Would it be those who are already careful in what they publish? or would it be the trouble makers inspiring this discussion in the first place?

(http://www NULL.joomla NULL.org/)Joomla (http://www NULL.joomla NULL.org/)is a great web developer package, it is online software aimed to help users update the content on their website. It’s open source so all the website development is essentially done. It’s easily skinnable, that is we can apply a custom website design to the software and clients can run with it. Contributors around the world have all chipped in to make the software and modules so we can add shopping carts, blogs, forums, polls and many more!

So why don’t I like Joomla?

First and foremost, the source code is available to anyone. This means that although security problems are found quickly, they’re not always found by the right people! When they are found, another update needs to be performed to keep client’s websites completely bulletproof. These updates take time and cost money which you never expect to spend. We have and will continue to implement Joomla sites when it is the best solution but we give clients the chance to decide for themselves whether to keep updated for an ongoing fee or let their website slip and risk being attacked.

Finally Joomla’s power is another weak point. For large complex sites, Joomla does a great job at making things updatable and flexible, but unfortunately this makes it too complicated for simpler websites and/or less technically minded users. It also becomes difficult to keep updated if we change things to make it easier and better for a particular website.

These are really the only two down points to using Joomla over a custom solution, but I feel they’re quite big ones. If you don’t know how to use it and it’s insecure, it makes a really terrible website… The latter is rare, but it does happen.

An Alternative?

There are plenty of alternatives, but few really do the job, so we designed our own CMS around simplicity and security. Zako CMS is much easier to use, and aimed at your average informative website, it is focussed it at doing one thing so we feel it does it much better than any other (that we’ve seen and tested). Besides fading images and image upload, we also have a simple shopping cart module for 1-10 products (beyond this and a full ecommerce package is recommended) payments can be taken through Paypal, news can be updated, text can be changed in three steps (click text, edit, save) and audio/video can be embedded without ever having to look at code or use third party sites like youtube. 90% of our clients use this software and to date, noone has had any complaints (apart from one who had a tiny screen due to all sorts of browser add-ons so we had to adapt her version to fit in a letterbox of a browser) This, we could never have done with out-of-the-box Joomla!

Like Joomla, our software is open-source but not available to anyone. This means if you decide to leave Zako Media for any reason you can take your website, design and software to another web design company. It’s all written in PHP so any good web developer will be able to amend and make changes to the code. I want happy clients so we don’t lock anyone in just because they’re using our software, that would be like removing the engine of your car for choosing another service garage!

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to web design software which is why we have a variety of solutions mainly built in-house but with some tried and tested open source or commercial products. This gives us the flexibility to find the best solution and not try to hack our way through one to perform a task it was never designed to do. People approach us from all over Europe with one thing in common; they want to make more money. It’s my job to work out how best to achieve this goal online. To do this job properly, I need a variety of tools and not limit myself to just one or two and shrug when things go wrong.