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Email is an essential tool in our lives and when you set up your domain name, you will usually get the ability to create email addresses associated with your domain name. If you host your website with your own Hosting Provider, you will need to use CPanel to administer your email addresses. If however you have an EverWeb+Hosting account, you can add, delete and manage your email addresses directly from your website project.

Adding Email Addresses In Your EverWeb Project

Adding email addresses takes only a couple of steps for EverWeb+Hosting account users:

1. Open your Project file if you have not done so already
2. From within your website project, double click on your website name in the Web Page List or select File-> Edit Publishing Settings.
3. Your ‘Site Publishing Settings’ will be displayed. Check that ‘Publish To’ is set to EverWeb.
4. Scroll down to the section ‘Email Addresses’. If you have already created email addresses, they will be listed.
5. Note that you will see all of the email addresses for all the domains that you have in your EverWeb account.
6. To add an new email address click on the ‘Add’ button.
7. Enter the new email address name that you want in the popup box.
8. If you have more than one domain, check after the ‘@’ sign that you are creating the address for the right domain. If you only have one domain, you do not need to check this.
9. Enter a password for the email address in the Password field. Passwords should be  strong. EverWeb will check password strength. If the password is deemed weak, you will have to add the email account again. A strong password is one where:
   1. From 8 to 20 characters in length
   2. Combines letters, numbers and ‘special’ characters. Spaces are not allowed.
   3. The password contains at least one capital letter within it.
   4. Where numbers are used as substitutes for letters e.g. 3 replaces E, 4 relplaces A etc. .
   5. The password is not easy to guess e.g. a birthdate, the word ‘password’ etc.
10. Once complete click on the ‘Create’ button to finish. Your new email address will be created and added to the list.

Deleting an Email Address

Removing an email address is straightforward:

1. Before removing an email address you may want to create an offline email back up before starting the deletion process.
2. When you are ready to delete the email account, go to the the Email Address section of the Site Publishing Settings as described in the previous section.
3. Click on the email address to be deleted to select it.
4. Click on the ‘Delete’ button to remove the email address. EverWeb will warn you that deleting the email address will also delete all the emails associated with the address.
5. Double check to make sure that this is the correct address to delete before confirming your action.
6. The email account is deleted.

Adding An Email Address To Apple Mail

One of the advantages of managing email in EverWeb is that you can setup email easily and all in one place without having to leave your Project file. One useful option is that you can add the email addresses that you have created into Apple’s own Mail program with just a few mouse clicks.

To add an email address in to your Apple Mail program:

1. Go to the Site Publishing Settings as described previously.
2. Highlight the email address that you want to add to Apple Mail.
3. Next, click on the ‘Configure in Mail’ button. If Apple Mail is not open at the time, it will launch add the email account to its program.
4. You may be asked to reenter the password for the email account that you are adding during the configuration process.
5. EverWeb may display two dialog boxes informing you that the email account can now send and receive email in Apple mail.

Checking Your Email Online

The final option in Site Publishing Settings for email addresses is to Check Email Online. This is useful when you want to check your email but do not have access to it from your computer. To check email online:

1. First click on the You can check your email over the web in ‘Check Email Online’ button in Site Publishing Settings.
2. On the Webmail screen, enter the email address and password of the account that you want to access.
3. On the next screen you have a choice of which Webmail program you want to use as default: Horde or SquirrelMail. Select one as your default.
4. Bookmark the page in your browser to save it for future use.
5. When you click on the Webmail program you will be taken to your email.

Managing Email in EverWeb offers a flexible and easy way to setup, manage and access email right from within your website project.

If you have any questions about this post, please let us know in the Comments Section below!

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

Everyone’s goal when using EverWeb is the same: To publish a website on the Internet. Although a simple goal, there are a few things that you may want to consider before pressing the ‘Publish’ button. We have made a list of tasks that are good to complete before unleashing your website on the world:

1. Test Your Website

Testing your website is possibly the most important task you can do before publishing your website. You may want to set up a test environment on the Internet to try out your website before publishing it to its ‘live’ location. If you have an EverWeb+Hosting account you can easily do this by going to the File-> Edit Publishing Settings menu.

2. Include a Favicon

Do you want to a Favicon displayed in the browser search bar for your site? The little square image that appears beside your URL in the web browser search box adds a professional touch to your website

To add a Favicon, go to the File-> Edit Publishing Settings. The Favicon section is just below the Footer Code of the Head/Footer Code section. Click on the ‘Choose…’ button and select a square image that you want to use as your Favicon. EverWeb will scale the image appropriately when you publish the website. As the Favicon needs to replicate it may take a couple of hours before you see it displayed beside your URL in a browser search bar.

3. Secure Your Website

A secure website is more important than ever for you and your customers. Apart from the privacy and data security aspects of a secure website, a secure website is also advantageous for your SEO as Google and other search engines prioritize secure websites over non-secure websites.

EverWeb provides an incredibly easy way to secure your website if you have an EverWeb+Hosting account. Just tick the ‘Use HTTPS Secure URLs’ box in your website’s Site Publishing Settings. When you publish your website end to end data encryption is automatically added to your website. Depending on your EverWeb+Hosting account, this service may be free or chargeable. To find out more please check out our blog on EverWeb Site Shield Addon.

4. SEO Important Web Pages

In addition to using Site Shield Add-on to secure your website and improve your SEO, don’t forget that SEO is also built directly in to EverWeb. As such,  remember to add keywords in to the SEO related fields of the Page Settings tab of the most important pages of your website. If you need an SEO refresher, take a look at our SEO for EverWeb Course which tells you all you need to know.

5. Add Language Localization for Better SEO

And still on the subject of SEO, setting the Language Localization for your website and any individual pages as required is also a must do task before you publish your website. Bot you and your customers will benefit as search engines will be able to serve your visitors with better targeted search results. Our blog on Language Localization has all the details of how best to implement this for your own situation.

6. Include a 404 Page Not Found Error Page

Every website you create should always have error trapping included. This is performed by a 404 Page not found page. Add a page to your website that performs this function then link it to the ‘Not Found Page’ setting in Site Publishing Settings.

Remember to create one 404 Page Not Found page for desktop and one for mobile. Link the pages together so that you see the mobile style 404 page on a mobile device and a desktop style 404 page on a desktop device. More information on creating 404 Page Not Found pages is available in our blog post ‘Control 404 Page Not Found Messages in EverWeb‘.

7. Check Social Media Links and Contact Forms

Although this should be part of your testing process, testing your social media links is something that deserves a separate mention as it is an important to many people. You can also add an image to your web pages for social media purposes in the Page Details settings of the Inspector tab of your page.

8. Check For Typos, Grammar and Spelling

If you write your own text for your website, including any blog posts, don’t forget to check for any spelling, typos and grammar glitches before publishing. It is useful to have spell check on in EverWeb if you are typing directly in to the Editor Window.

If possible, get someone else to read what you have written to catch any mistakes. It is more difficult to catch mistakes if you proof read your own work. If you do have to do your own proof reading, try stepping away the text you have written and go back to it later. You will have a fresher pair of eyes to catch any possible problems using this method.

9. Check Your Publishing Location

Publishing your website just takes a click of the Publish button, but it is worth checking the File-> Edit Publishing Settings menu option first to verify that the location set for the publish is correct. If you have set up a test website location, you will want to change this to the ‘Live’ website location. When you come to Publish your website, EverWeb will warn you that the location has changed and will ask you if you want to overwrite any site that may be in the new location you have specified.

10. Remember Your Housekeeping!

When publishing your website to the Internet, it is also a good time to consider tidying up your website. You can do this by deleting any unused assets. Unused assets take up space in the project file and it is better if they are removed when not needed. This saves disk space as well as computer memory when editing your project file.

The Assets tab is where you can remove unwanted assets. Click on the up/down arrows to the right of the word Asset just above the top of the Assets List. A dropdown menu will appear. Select ‘Find Unused Assets’. EverWeb will scan for any assets that are not being used. Use the dialog box to delete all the highlighted assets or click on ‘No’ if you want to review the highlighted assets before deleting any of them.

Once you have tested and reviewed your website, you can hit the Publish button with confidence!

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

Seconday clicking is often mistakenly called a right mouse click, however, on a Mac it is actually a two finger tap on the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad or the trackpad on your MacBook laptop. Using secondary clicking is extremely useful in EverWeb and will become even more so with the next release which is due out in the near future. Secondary Clicking…

1. Saves Time

It’s quite often quicker to use secondary click rather than going to the EverWeb’s menu system. For example, if you have an object selected on your page that you want to move forward or backwards, you could mouse over to the Arrange Menu and use the commands there. Instead, you could just secondary click on the object and select the command you want from the pop up menu.

2. Reduces RSI Risk

Repertitive Strain Injury (RSI)affects thousands of people per year. Over use of keyboard and/or mouse use are often cited as key causes of RSI so learning to use both effectively and efficiently will help reduce your risk a bit. Using secondary click will help reduce the amount of physical travel that your fingers, hands, wrists and arms need to make when using a computer as you won’t need to mouse around your screen so much.

3. Offers Unique Options

When secondary clicking, often the list of options presents some that you will not find anywhere else in EverWeb. Typically when secondary clicking on an object in the Editor Window, you will see the Pick Layer option which you will not find anywhere else in EverWeb’s UI.

4. Is Context Sensitive

Wherever you use secondary clicking in EverWeb it is always context sensitive in the choices that if displays. The list of options will therefore be completely different when you secondary click on a page name in the Web Page List to the one you will see when secondary clicking on an object in the Editor.

5. Is Available Throughout EverWeb

You will find secondary clicking available in many places in EverWeb e.g.

• The background of the Web Page List
• Page Names in the Web Page List
• Background of the Editor Window
• Objects in the Editor Window
• Background of the Assets List
• Assets in the Assets List
• Background of Blog Main and Archive Pages
• Objects in the Blog Main and Archive Pages
• Blog Pages in the Blog Page List
• Blog Page Editor Window

6. Will Have More Features Soon…

The upcoming new release of EverWeb will feature more options for secondary clicking e.g. there is a new ‘Embed In’ option for adding objects in to the new Responsive Row widget that is used in responsive pages. There will also be a couple of other options new options available in other parts of EverWeb which we will give you news on when the update is released.

Secondary click is a great time saver and gives you extra features to help you work smarter and so faster!

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

Text is always an important part of a website and EverWeb has a number of ways in which text can be easily formatted. Here are tips on how to get more creative with text in EverWeb.

1. Use Default Styles

One of the best ways to save yourself time and effort is by setting up the default text properties when you first create your website project. Use the Format-> Default Styles… menu option to set the default Body Text Font, Size and Color. When you add a TextBox to your page, the default settings will be applied. You can set up, or change, your Default Styles at any time. When doing so the changes will apply onto to new TextBoxes that you add to your page and not to ones that may be on the page already.

The Default Styles you set up for text properties will also be applied to the Styled Text Editor that will be featured in some of the new responsive widgets, and some updated existing widgets such as the PayPal Widget, in the next version of EverWeb.

2. The Text Inspector

EverWeb’s Text Inspector in the Inspector Window lets you customize text in ways that are not possible using the Fonts Panel or EverWeb’s menu system. there are a couple of settings that are good to be aware of. The first is the ‘After Paragraph’ option which is set to 15 pixels by default. The second is the horizontal and vertical text alignment buttons in the  Color & Alignment section of the Inspector. Horizontal text alignment is set to ‘Left’ and vertical text alignment is set to ‘Top’. If you are creating a button and you want the button text to be centered, set the After Paragraph setting to zero, horizontal text alignment to center and vertical text alignment to middle.

The Text Inspector’s Insert Margin is also useful if you have a Full Width TextBox on your page and want to create a left hand margin so that the text is not right up against the left hand edge of the page. This will also be useful when using Full Width TextBoxes in responsive pages in the next version of EverWeb. You will also be able to set left and right margins for Full Width objects from the Metrics Inspector in the next version of EverWeb which will give you greater control and flexibility whether you are developing a traditional or responsive website.

3. The Format Menu Option

The Format Menu is a great place to find options that save you from opening the Fonts Panel. The Format-> Font menu options include special case tools such as Superscript and Subscript. There are also options to quickly increase and decrease the size of your selected text with the ‘Bigger’ and ‘Smaller’ options, again saving you having to use the Fonts Panel.

The Format-> Transformations menu is perfect when you have set Caps Lock on by mistake. You can use either ‘Make Lower Case’, ‘Make Upper Case’ or ‘Capitalize’ menu options to change the selected text case with ease.

4. Shortcut Keys

One further use of the Format Menu is that it shows you the Shortcut keys for many text options which again should save you time.

Show Fonts (Fonts Panel): Cmd T

Bold: Cmd B

Italics: Cmd I

Underline: Cmd U

Subscript: Control Cmd –

Superscript: Shift Control Cmd +

Bigger: Cmd +

Smaller: Cmd –

Align Left: Shift Cmd {

Center: Shift Cmd |

Align Right: Shift Cmd }

Select All: Cmd A

5. The Fonts Panel

The last option for text styling is the Fonts Panel which can be accessed via the Toolbar or the Format-> Text-> Show Fonts menu. When using the Fonts Panel, the Cmd T shortcut key really comes in to its own as the quickest way to toggle the panel on and off.

The buttons in the Fonts Panel, from left to right, are for:

Text Underline

Text Strikethrough

 Text Color

Text Background Color

Text Shadow On/Off

Text Shadow Color

The four controls to the right of the buttons have the following functions:

1. Triangle Symbol Slider: Used for shadow opacity. If the slider is set at the left the shadow appears invisible. If the slider is set to the right, the shadow color will be solid.
2. Square Symbol with Shadow Background: This slider allows you to adjust the shadow blur. If set at the left end of the slider, there will be no blur, if set to the right end the shadow will be completely blurred and so not visible.
3. Square Symbol: This allows you to set the offset of the shadow from the text. When set at the left of the slider there is no offset so you will see no shadow. At the right end of the slider you will have the shadow at maximum offset.
4. Rotation Wheel: The last button is a rotation wheel so that you can change the angle of the shadow as required.

Coming Soon!

The next version of EverWeb will feature a lot more choices and flexibility in what you can do with text, especially within widgets. For a closer look, a public beta test of the new version is available in the Announcements Section of the EverWeb Discussion Forum.

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

In our previous blog we looked at how to customize images in EverWeb but how can you easily find the right images for your website in the first place? The Free Stock Photos feature introduced in EverWeb version 2.7 has the answer!

About EverWeb’s Free Stock Photo Feature

The Free Stock Photos feature includes over 500,000 free to use Stock Photos. Whilst there are many photos included, there are also other types of image files included such as computer created graphics and icons, drawings, sketches and so on covering a wide variety of subjects.

The images in the Stock Photos feature can be used without having to purchase them. As the images are royalty free you do not need to pay any licensing fees or ask permission to use them in your website.

Accessing EverWeb’s Stock Photos Feature

Accessing the Stock Photos feature is easy. There are two ways:

1. In your EverWeb Project file, click on the Media button in the Toolbar and select the ‘Free Stock Photos…’ menu option or
2. Use the Window-> Stock Photos… menu option. You can use this option from within your Project file or from the Projects Window if you want to browse images without opening your project file.

When you open the Stock Photos feature, it opens the Image Search window. This is where you search for the images files that you want to include in your website. If this window becomes obscured at any time you can use the Window-> Image Search menu option to show it above all the other windows on your desktop.

Adding Stock Images To Your Website

To add images to your web page, you first need to search for the right image(s). To do this, just enter your search criteria in the search box at the top of the Image Search window to the right of the magnifying glass. When searching, try to be as accurate with your keywords choice as possible and use as few words as you can in the search criteria. This will give you the most accurate results when you press Enter to perform the search.

When the search completes you will see a grid of images that match your search criteria. If no images are found you will see  ‘No Results Found!’ displayed. The image grid can be resized to your liking, even down to a single column, by dragging the bottom corner of the Image Search window.

Once you have found the image that you want, just drag and drop it from the Image Search window on to your page. You can only drag and drop one image at a time.  The name of the image file will be the same as your search criteria. So for example, if you searched for the word ‘Chakra’ the file name in the Assets List will also be called ‘Chakra’. The file extension will depend on the type of file you have imported e.g. a JPG or PNG file. If you are drag and dropping more than one image from the same search results, EverWeb will add a number at the end of the file name so, for example, your files in the Assets List right be named Chakra, Chakra-1, Chakra-2 etc.

High Resolution Images

If you drag and drop a high resolution image on to the page, EverWeb will warn you as doing so may slow your page loading time when browsed by your visitors. You have three choices: ‘Convert to Web Resolution’ which is recommended, ‘Add as High Resolution’ which is not recommended but available if you need to add the image anyway in high resolution and ‘Add to External Files’ which allows you to save the high resolution image file to your Assets List. Using this option makes the file available as a download for your visitors.

Downloading External Image Files

If you add the image file to your Project’s ‘External Files’ in the Assets List, the file is available for use as a download. This may be useful as it will save you having the full High Resolution file on the page itself. Your users can download the file instead if they want to. To do this, create a hyperlink on the page, e.g. a piece of text or add a special button.

One you have your text or button on the page, make sure that it is selected. Next go to the Hyperlinks Tab in the Inspector Window. In the ‘Link To’ dropdown menu select ‘File’. The options below the dropdown will then change, In the next section you will see ‘Name: No File Selected’. Click on the ‘Choose…’ button below the text. You will see the External File that you save earlier listed for use. Select the file. When you publish your website, your visitors will be able to click on the hyperlink and download the file to their computer.

Adding Images To The Assets List

Your image search may result in several images that you want to use in your website. You can easily store these images for later use in the Assets List. Simply click on the Assets Tab in the Inspector Window and drag and drop each image you want to keep into the list. When you want to use saved image just drag the file out of the Assets List and on to the page.

Using Previous Search Parameters

When using the Image Search window you can retrieve previous search keywords by clicking on the magnifying glass. A popup menu will show you your previous searches. Click on the search term you want and press Enter to perform the search again. To clear the list of search terms use the ‘Clear all searches…’ menu option.

Closing The Image Search Window

The Image Search window remains open throughout your EverWeb session until you close EverWeb itself. If you want to close the Image Search window at any time during your EverWeb session, just click on the red close button in the top left hand corner of the Image Search window.

Finding the perfect image  is easy and free with EverWeb’s Stock Photo feature!

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

As the saying goes ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ and this is more true today than ever before. The impact of a good image can never be underestimated so finding the perfect images for your website is worth taking some time and effort over. Images project how you want your website to be perceived by your visitors and how your visitors will perceive your site, brand, company philosophy and so forth. Choosing the right images starts with your Home, or landing page where your visitors usually have their first point of contact with your website.

Making sure that images are presented properly is very important as first impressions last. The images you use should be sharp and properly optimised so that the page loads quickly in your visitor’s browser. This is especially important when using an image as a page or browser background, in an image gallery or in a slideshow. Even images that you just drag and drop on to your page need to be properly optimized for use on the Web.

Finding The Right Images

Finding the right images for your page can be a tedious, time consuming process, but EverWeb’s Free Stock Photo library should take all the hassle out of searching for great free to use stock photos to use in your website. Just click on the Media button or use the Window-> Stock Photos… menu option to access the Stock Photo Library. Type in your search criteria and press Enter. Once you find the image you want, drag and drop from your search results on to the page. If the file is large, EverWeb will prompt you to import an optimized version that is web page loading friendly.

Alternatively, drag and drop your own image files on to the Editor Window. Again if EverWeb finds that the image will affect page loading speed, you will again see the dialog box asking if you want to convert the image to web resolution.

Customizing Images

Once you have drag and dropped you image file on to the Editor Window, you can start customizing it in a number of different ways. Use the following options with the image selected…

1. The Metrics Inspector

The Metrics Inspector is possibly the first place you want to go when customising an image file as often you will want to keep your image’s proportions fixed as they are. When you scale the image larger or smaller you will usually want its height and width to remain proportionate to each other to stop image distortion. To fix the image file’s proportions check the ‘Constrain Proportions’ box.

There may also be times where you want to flip the image left to right or top to bottom. Use the Rotation section of the Metrics Inspector tab to set these options.

2. Image Masks

If you only want part of your image to be displayed, use masking to hide the part of the image you do not want to see on the page. Masking is similar to cropping, but the difference is that masking hides the part of the image you do not want to see, whilst cropping deletes the part of the image that you do not want to see. The advantage of masking is that it allows you to change your mind and remark the image whenever you want. To mask an image, first select it then click on the Mask button in the Toolbar.

3. Shape Options

The Shape Options tab is where most image customization can be achieved. There are lots of great options that can be applied to your image. Make sure that the image is selected before applying one or more of these options:

1. Shape is the first option in the Shape Options tab and it allows you change the shape style of the image. Your image file is  probably rectangular, but you can change it to something different, for example an oval, or star shape, just by selecting the shape style that you want from the drop down.
2. The Image Fill options let you display the image in its Original Size or Stretched, Scaled to Fill, Scaled to Fit or Tiled. When using the Tile option you may find that you have to expand the image size using the grab handles so that the tiling is displayed. Using these options allows you the flexibility to display the image in a number of different ways to accommodate your page design.
3. You can also use Image Fill to change the image displayed when you mouse over, or mouse down, on it. Start by changing the Fill from ‘Normal’ to ‘Mouse Over’. From the dropdown list, change the fill type from ‘None’ to ‘Image Fill’. Select a different image file from the one you used in the ‘Normal’ state using the ‘Choose…’ button. Preview the page and mouse over the original image to see the mouse over image displayed instead.
4. Remember as well that the ALT Text box should always be filled in as this is useful for your SEO. The text that you use should describe what the image is about.
5. Use the Stroke option to add a border around the image, either using dashed, dotted or solid line, or using one of the 15 built in Picture Frame types.
6. Shadow and reflection options also give you design flexibility but generally should be used sparingly e.g. you may use a light shadow around an image which has a very light edge to it. The Opacity option is useful when you have an image that you want to be more in the background e,g. if you have text placed on top of it you want the text, not the image, to stand out. Usually an opacity of about 50% gives a nice background type of effect.
7. The last option is Animation. Again, this should always be used sparingly for maximum impact. Just select the type of animation you want and test it using Preview before publishing.

Customizing images in EverWeb is quick and easy and saves you time and effort as you can do a lot with an image within EverWeb itself.

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

Creating your first website is an exciting experience and EverWeb’s drag and drop approach makes it very easy to build yourself a website that is unique in a very short space of time. Designing and building web pages can also be a learning experience. You may find that your web pages change and mature over time as you develop your goals and ideas. You will also find that technology and the tools you use to create your website will also grow and evolve. EverWeb, for example, is often updated regularly bringing with it a wealth of new features that can be added easily to your website.

When creating your website there will always be good practices to follow and mistakes to avoid. Here are 8 tips to help you avoid common mistakes that we can all make when developing our websites….

1. Always Create A Mobile Website

With the proliferation of mobile phones over the last 10 years, creating a mobile site in EverWeb is essential. Creating a mobile website is advantageous as most of our browsing today is performed on mobile devices. The other key reason for putting mobile first is that Google prioritizes mobile websites in its Search Engine Results Page (SERP) rankings over desktop devices.

2. Pay Attention to SEO!

Prioritizing your mobile website over your desktop website design immediately boosts your website’s SERP rankings with Google. EverWeb itself also has built in tools to give you an extra edge in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and SERP rankings. For example, EverWeb’s Language Localization settings will help your SEO and can focus your website towards your local target market or audience. EverWeb’s Page Settings tab in the Inspector Window can also help using fields such as Web Page Title and Web Page Description completed with text and keywords that improve your SEO and  get your website higher in page rankings. Check out our SEO for EverWeb Video Course for full details on getting the best possible SEO for your website

3. Always Create Fresh, Up To Date, Website Content

Adding great content to your website is key to attracting new visitors and retaining those who have already found you. Good content is effective in retaining and growing your website’s audience.

Websites that have static and out of date content fail to attract new visitors or retain those who have already visited.  Websites whose latest content is more than a a few months old give the impression that either they are out of business or have nothing new and fresh to offer their target audience. Quick, regular, quality updates to your website are key to keeping and growing your audience.

4. Start Blogging!

If you have not done so already, creating a blog can be incredibly useful. A blog can keep your website up to date IF you create high quality content on a regular basis. Blogging is also good for your SEO as Google and other search engines like to crawl websites for new, original content. The key words here are ‘original content’. Search engines are smart and will down you for putting out content that you have put out before, such as copying and pasting paragraphs from an old blog post in to a new one just to get the post out! It is actually better not to post than to post in this way.

Whilst blogging can be advantageous there are negatives as well, so you have to decide if blogging is the right choice for you and for your website. If you choose to blog, you may have to also moderate comments that may come as a result of your posts. You also need to keep ideas flowing and find the time to create posts on a regular basis. So weigh up your choices and if you decide to start blogging plan your posts well in advance.

EverWeb’s blogging feature is a great way to create blog posts. And look out for the upcoming EverWeb 2.8 release which will have some more useful tools to make your blogging even easier!

5. Effective Website Navigation

Finding your way around a website is key to the your visitor’s experience and your website navigation should reflects this. Most websites use a menubar for desktop devices and a Hamburger Icon menu for mobile devices. You can implement both of these menu styles using EverWeb’s Navigation Menu widget.  These navigation menu styles are what most people are familiar with. If you do not want to use navigation menus, make sure that it is still easy for your visitors to identify how to get from page to page (and back!) in yuor website. Often test driving your design amongst family and friends is a good way to find out what works and what does not. Remember to be open to constructive criticism as there are many different levels of Internet user out there and what may be easy for you to understand may completely baffle others!

6. Clean, Easy Website Design

A lean and clean design will help your visitors be immediately comfortable using, and exploring your website right from the ‘landing’ (Home) page. A website  with plenty of white space and effective imagery on its pages will create an effective, efficient user experience. Sometimes in web design it is easy to prioritise form over function, but bear in mind that no matter how great your design is, can you visitors actually find their way around it easily?

7. Sending Out The Right Message!

Within your design, you will want your website to convey a message, goal or intention. This message should be clear and simple. Websites that are cluttered and have too many messages, or mixed messages, will discourage visitors from exploring your website further. A Home page with a simple straightforward message is best as it will focus your visitors on what your website offers.

8. Calls To Action and Contact Forms

Many websites have a target or goal. This can be to sell products and services, market products, collect email addresses, promote a cause or event and so on. This is where you will want your ‘Call To Action’ to be front and center. A Call To Action is the term used to get your visitor to take the next step, e.g. to sign up for a newsletter or webinar, to enter a promotion, to get a free e-book, get money off a next purchase and so on.

Call To Actions are typically a button on your page and the message in the button should be simple, clear and effective e.g. ‘Sign Up’, ‘Download’, ‘Subscribe Now!’ etc. The words used in the button are typically action oriented.

If you are using EverWeb’s Contact Form Advanced widget, make sure that it is easily visible and not buried deep down the page. The form itself should, typically, be quick, easy and simple to complete with as few fields as possible. Most of us don’t want to fill in endless details!

By using the above tips you should be able to avoid many of the most common website design mistakes people make when making their own website. It is always a learning experience designing a website, so get to know your audience and always test drive your website before going live. Get feedback on what works and what does not work so that your website gets off to a great start!

If you have a tip on website design that you would like to share with us, please let us know in the Comments Section below. We would love to hear from you!

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

If you are new to EverWeb, perhaps you need some help with installation or setting up your first website project. If you have used EverWeb for a while, you may want some help to better understand one of EverWeb’s many features. You may have a question on how best to achieve your website design goal. Maybe you have a technical issue that you cannot resolve on your own.

The problem with most questions is where to find the answer. Fortunately EverWeb has many ways in which you can get the help you need to quickly answer whatever question or issue you have. Below is a roundup of the available resources that can help you out!

The EverWeb User Manual

The EverWeb User Manual is a great place to start if you’re new to EverWeb as it explains in detail the EverWeb User Interface and how to create your first website. There is plenty of information on how to add and edit web pages using long standing and new EverWeb features right through to publishing your website on the Internet.

The EverWeb User Manual is usually updated with each point release so it is always up to date with any new or improved product features. You can access the EverWeb User Manual right from the Projects Window when you launch EverWeb or at any time from the Help-> EverWeb Manual menu option.

EverWeb Video Tutorials

Tutorial videos are really useful as they guide you through features and functions of EverWeb more easily and quickly than in written form. You can also pause the video at any time if you need a break.

You can access EverWeb’s tutorial videos directly from EverWeb’s Projects Window by clicking on the ‘Learn how to use EverWeb’ button. When you click on the button, you will be taken to the EverWeb Video Training Library that contains over 80 video tutorials.

There are hundreds of other EverWeb video tutorials available on YouTube. Videos are added throughout the month so subscribe to our EverWeb channel to stay updated!

The EverWeb Discussion Forum

The EverWeb Discussion Forum is the place where you can ask your EverWeb related questions to other members of the EverWeb community. Categories include ‘Feature Requests’ if you have an idea  for features you would like to suggest for inclusion in a future release of EverWeb, a ‘How Do I…?’ section where you can ask questions about how to achieve your design goals, a ‘Bug Report’ section where you can log any problems that you think are a bug in the product, and a ‘General Discussion’ section for anything that does not fit in to other categories!

There are two other useful categories in the Forum, the first is the ‘Announcements’ section which posts news about new product releases, beta test products and other important EverWeb related news. The ‘Third Party Products and Announcements’ section is where third party providers announce their own third party products e.g. widgets, Theme Templates, books on EverWeb etc.

The EverWeb Discussion Forum can also be accessed from your EverWeb Client Area using the Support-> Discussion Forum menu option, from within EverWeb itself using Help-> Discussion Forum menu option or via the EverWeb website.

Help Icon Within EverWeb

One of the useful Help features in EverWeb can be found directly next to many features within the product itself. The Help Icon, represented by a question mark within a circle, when clicked upon will take you directly to a tutorial video relating to the feature in question.

The Help icon is a quick and useful way to get pertinent information and help on the feature you need to know about.

The EverWeb Application Website

EverWeb’s own website serves as a great starting point for those looking to purchase EverWeb as it outlines all of the major features that can be found in the product. The website is also useful if you have already purchased EverWeb and need support or to find other EverWeb related resources. The Resources and Support menu conveniently group together everything you may need.

The EverWeb website also has its own blog with news on our latest product releases, and sometimes a sneak preview or two!

The EverWeb Knowledgebase

One of the features of the EverWeb website’s Support menu worth a special mention is the Knowledgebase option. Here you will find many useful technical and step by step ‘how to do’ articles. Just enter your search term in the Search box, or drill down using one of the listed categories. Knowledgebase articles are regularly added and updated on the website.

EverWeb Customer Support

Last but not least is EverWeb’s own Technical Support which is available if you have an active Everweb account. If you have a current EverWeb+Hosting plan you also have access to telephone technical support 24/7 on 1-888-500-2901.

This Blog

All EverWeb users have access to this blog and its extensive history of articles all about EverWeb. But if there is a topic that you think we should be writing about, or that you need more information about please let us know in the Comments Section below. What would help you build an even better website with EverWeb? We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

EverWeb on Social Media

And finally, you can always find EverWeb on the following social media platforms.

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

For the most part, our main form of input into our computing devices is either through the keyboard, mouse, stylus or finger depending on the device we are using at the time. Your Mac, however, also gives you another option: Speech. You can use your Mac’s own built in Dictation application to use Speech as an alternative method of text input into apps such as EverWeb.

Why Use Dictation?

Dictation is often used by those who have problems with mobility. It is also a good alternative for those who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or other forms of repetitive strain Injury (RSI) that affect the hands, wrist, forearm, upper arm and even shoulder areas.

Using dictation may also be advantageous if you just want a break from keyboard work, if you are a slow typist or just want to capture free flow thinking on your computer, such as when writing a blog post and you want a free flow of spoken thoughts instantly translated into text straight away.

Using Dictation is remarkably easy and accurate. There are also some great shortcuts that can be used to help you rely more on your voice rather than on the keyboard.

Setting Up Dictation On Your Mac

Using Dictation is actually a feature of your macOS and is enabled in your Mac’s System Preferences. You can choose to use Standard Dictation or Enhanced Dictation. The Enhanced version allows you to use dictation even when you are working offline and also included live feedback as you speak. The other difference with Enhanced Dictation over Standard Dictation is that it will take up 422MB of your local hard disk space. If this is not an issue for you, it is recommend that you use Enhanced Dictation as it offers you more flexibility and freedom.

To install Dictation on your computer:

1. Open System Preferences. You can quickly do this by pressing Cmd+Spacebar to activate a Spotlight Search. Start typing ‘System Preferences’ in the search box. As you type, your macOS will refine your ‘Top Hits’. When you see System Preferences listed, double click on it to launch.
2. In System Preferences, double click on the ‘Accessibility’ icon.
3. Scroll down the list in the left hand side column until you reach the section ‘Interacting’. The first option listed is for ‘Dictation’.
4. Once you have selected ‘Dictation’ the panel on the right will show you various options, most of which are at present greyed out. Double click on the ‘Open Dictation Preferences…’ button.
5. On the next screen you will see that Dictation is currently set to off. Click on the ‘On’ radio button to set dictation on. Notice also that Enhanced Dictation is automatically applied by default. If you do not want this, uncheck the ‘Enhanced Dictation’ checkbox.
6. If you have kept the defaults unchanged, Enhanced Dictation will now be downloaded to your computer.
7. If you wish, change the Language and default Shortcut Keys to activate dictation using the appropriate settings.
8. Once Enhanced Dictation has downloaded and installed on your computer, dictation is ready to use and you can close System Preferences.

Using Dictation in EverWeb

Now that your macOS’s diction feature has been installed you can use it in EverWeb and in many other applications on your computer that support this feature.

To use dictation in EverWeb:

1. Go to a page in your project file, or to the Blog Post Editor Window of a blog post that you want to dictate.
2. If you want to add text on to a regular page, either add a new TextBox or click in an existing TextBox. If you are dictating text in to a blog post, place the mouse cursor at the point in the Blog Post Editor Window where you want to start dictating.
3. Press the ‘Fn’ key twice quickly to start Dictation. Alternatively use the Edit-> Start Dictation menu option. You will see a microphone displayed. As you speak the volume level in the microphone will go up and down accordingly. As you speak, you will see your speech translated in to text.
4. When you are finished, press the ‘Fn’ key once to end dictation or use the Edit-> Stop Dictation menu command.

Tips on Using Dictation

When you use Dictation, it will more accurately translate your speech in to text the more you use the feature. So if at first the speech translation is not too accurate, persevere a little so that your macOS gets to know your voice better over time.

There are also a number of shortcuts available if you make mistakes when dictating that will save you having to use the keyboard, for example, if you want to finish a sentence with a period (‘.’) just say ‘Period’. If you then decide that you did not want to finish the sentence, say ‘Delete’ and the cursor will backspace over the last character.

There are many other shortcuts available from this ‘Use your voice to enter text on your Mac‘ Apple Support Document.

Finally, don’t forget that dictation can be used in many other applications on your Mac. If an application supports dictation, you will find the feature listed on the application’s Edit menu.

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw

Working in The Cloud is an increasingly popular option for many of us today. In a world where we are more ‘mobile’ than ever, the need to be able to work and access our data and information wherever we are has become increasingly important, for some a necessity.

Cloud based services offer free or cost effective solutions to help us stay connected to our data wherever we are in the world. The addition benefit of these services is that they also provide automatic data backups so we don’t even have to worry about keeping copies ourselves if we don’t want to. We do however recommended that you keep local backups of your data just in case of emergencies.

There are other advantage of Cloud based services is that they take the strain off local our storage devices, especially mobile phones and laptops. It is also very easy to share files with others across the Internet – almost instantaneously. However, Clouds based services also come with some disadvantages, the most obvious being that they require a connection to the Internet. If you have a slow connection, this can affect your productivity. There are also concerns about data privacy so check the T’s and C’s of any Cloud service provider (even if it is free) before signing up and storing your data. Also be aware of data synching requirements across your devices as well so that what you see on one device matches what you see on all your other Cloud connected devices.

You can use Cloud based services to store and access your EverWeb project files as this may be advantageous if you often work in different environments e.g. on a laptop and desktop. You probably do not want to have to copy your EverWeb Project file from one machine to the other every time you switch computer. Working in The Cloud gives you a great solution and the following tips should help you get the best out of the experience with little or no hassle or frustration.

Working with the EverWeb App

You can access and use EverWeb’s Project files stored in The Cloud but the EverWeb application itself must be only installed locally on your computer. The EverWeb app does not have file locking and sharing capabilities and is not a network app. As such only install the EverWeb application in in the Applications folder of your local  computer!

Adding EverWeb Project Files To The Cloud

You can move EverWeb Project files to The Cloud by using the following steps:

1. It is recommended that you first create a folder in your Cloud drive named after your Project file.
2. Once you have created a folder in The Cloud, launch EverWeb if you have not done so already.
3. On the Projects Window click on the up/down arrows to the right of the Project you want to move.
4. Select ‘Show File On Disk’ from the menu. This will take you to the location of the Project file on your local hard disk.
5. The file name will appear as a long series of letters and numbers with a .EW file extension. The name you usually see on the Projects Window is in fact an ‘alias’ for the real file name that is stored on your computer.
6. Move the selected file to the folder you created on your Cloud drive.
7. Once you have moved the Project file, go back to EverWeb and close the app.

Working with Project Files in The Cloud

Once you have moved the Project file in to your Cloud drive, remember to take in to consideration the following:

1. It is recommended that EverWeb’s Backup and Auto Save features are enabled. A local copy of the project file can be stored using EverWeb’s backup function in the EverWeb-> Preferences-> Backup menu for extra safety and security.
2. When you next launch EverWeb after moving your Project file to The Cloud, you will no longer see it listed in the Projects Window. Instead,  use the File-> Open menu option and navigate to the Cloud location of your Project file and select it from there. Alternatively, double click on the Project file in your Cloud drive to launch EverWeb and open the Project simultaneously.
3. When you move a file from your local hard drive to The Cloud, EverWeb’s Project list will only be updated with this change when you quit EverWeb and relaunch it.
4. When working on two different computers, remember to save your project file and exit EverWeb on the first computer before starting to work on the Project on the second computer. If you don’t do this you may inadvertently overwrite your work with an older copy.
5. Beware of Cloud drive synching lag. Make sure that your Cloud service has successfully saved and synched the Project file on one computer before opening the Project file on a different computer. Usually you will see a circle displayed to the right of your Cloud drive service in Finder when saving and synching are taking place. The empty circle will gradually fill until complete. When the circle disappears you know that the save and synch are finished.
6. If you use Google Fonts in your Project file, make sure that the fonts used are installed on both computers you are using.
7. If you use third party widgets, these will also need to be installed on both computers. Check with your third party supplier to make sure they are happy for you to do this.
8. Check your EverWeb-> Preferences settings (including log in details!) and Format-> Default Styles menu match up for both copies of EverWeb that you have installed.

Working with EverWeb Project files in The Cloud adds great mobility and flexibility to working with EverWeb, just bear in mind that you need to remember some of the caveats and potential pitfalls of doing so.

EverWeb on Social Media

You can also find EverWeb on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Google+

Flipboard

YouTube

Twitter handle @ragesw