If you are a webmaster overseeing the installation and maintenance of a company website, then do not underestimate the importance of these essential web tools and applications. First, be sure to have the latest web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8 (with full HTML 5 support), Firefox and Google Chrome.
Star Office is a popular application that lets you put documents online. Front Page Express is regarded as one of the best WYSIWYG editors, though Netscape Composer also has a following. Side Wiki is a Google tool that allows users to comment on your web pages. If you plan to present videos, then you should have software capable of displaying and editing videos, extracting images, compressing images, moving large movie files, and converting file formats. Some of the most popular programs for video content include Adobe AIR and Silverlight 3.
Statistics tools for webmasters are of vital importance if you want to track and analyze your user activity. This is crucial data if you are trying to adapt your business to the market. Some of the most popular tracking software includes Google Analytics, Stat Counter, Webalizer and AW Stats. Stats information can give you reports on overall ratings, ratings according to region, click-through or buy rates, and even key phrases that brought you the most traffic.
There are also some handy Google gadgets like Countdown (countdown to a specific date and time; great for time-based promotional offers), Translate My Page and a Slim RSS Reader. You can also benefit from tools that allow monitoring and maintenance of the site, verification of links, piracy guards and SEO promotion. Other tools include a META tag generator, which will help in targeting keywords, a copyright generator and an online banner generator.
Since many users have “graduated” from online surfing to mobile phone surfing, it makes perfect sense to have a web tool that makes your website compatible with mobile phones. The mobile phone version of your site should have limited Java and Flash options, and focus on simple text so fast downloading is possible. You can also invest in an application that reports graphical information on the loading speed of your site. There is even a new application out there that lets you “grade” your site content readability. In other words, you will be told if your site is too academic to reach a mainstream audience.
Remember, completing your website is just one goal. There are many more tools and applications you can add to enhance the user experience.
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