1. What is Google analytics?
In it’s simplest form, Google analytics is a set of tools to enable you to track the visitors of your website. However it can be used to discover trends in your website, such as which are the most popular sections or pages, and what content people most often read. With this you can then tailor the site to meet the expectations most of your visitors have.

2. When should Flash be used?
The answer is simple. If you are wanting to use Flash simply because you think it looks nice, don’t. Flash is best used to accomplish something that’s not easily done in HTML. For example, a presentation, video or visual instructions.

Flash should not be used for navigation for three reasons. Firstly, it takes far longer to load a flash animation than it does a few links or images. Secondly, the contents of flash are not exposed to a search engine. Menus are commonly used by search engines to discover what is where in your site and increase it’s pagerank, if they cannot get to the menu it will hurt where your page sits in search results. Thirdly, flash requires that a third party application is downloaded to the viewing machine. There are people who view requests such as this as dangerous and will not download them, and there are companies who will not allow Flash to be installed on their machines. If the menu is the only way of navigating your site, people without access to Flash, which can be up to 15% depending on the version of Flash used, will be unable to browse your site.

3. How do I resize an image?
To resize an image you need to use some image manipulation software, such as Photoshop or Fireworks. There are also free alternatives such as Gimp or online editors such as Photoshop Express.

4. How do I write for the web?
Writing for the web is very different to writing for other media. With the nature of the web people tend to be looking for information quickly. To accommodate for this you writing should be short, to the point and easily scannable – that is to say that someone can skim read it and still come away with all the details. You should also try and answer questions as briefly and concisely as possible using plain english. Using obscure acronyms and technical jargon may end up hurting your search results.

5. What are accessibility guidelines?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are a set of rules which are designed to make web content accessible to those with disabilities. They promote the use of good design, rather than changing designs to suit different needs. For example, by following the guidelines it is possible to create a content rich website with images and animations that is still user-friendly to those with poor vision.

6. How do I improve my website’s Google rank?
There are many things that can be done to improve your page’s rank in Google. However, none of them will absolutely guarantee a high position. Google provide tools to aid your site’s rank, such as website verification and sitemap submission and there are things you can do on your own site, such as including meta keywords and descriptions on all pages. However, the best thing you can do is to ensure your content of your site is up-to-date and is exactly what the people visiting your site are looking for. Then you’ll find external sites will link to you which is the biggest boost to your rank.

7. How can I update my own website?
Websites are written in a mixture of different languages which determine the look of the website, and how it functions. The easiest way of updating a website without having to consult technical guides is to have one built incorporating a Content Management System, or CMS.

A CMS allows you to log in to an administration system from which you can create, alter and delete the pages of your website through a template system. It allows you to have complete control over exactly what is shown on your and can be tailored exactly to your needs.

8. What company information do I legally need to have on my website?

Service providers, whether involved in e-commerce or not, should provide the following minimum information, which must be easily, directly and permanently accessible:

• The name of the service provider must be given somewhere easily accessible on the site. This might differ from the trading name and any such difference should be explained – e.g. "XYZ.com is the trading name of XYZ Enterprises Limited."
  
• The email address of the service provider must be given. It is not sufficient to include a 'contact us' form without also providing an email address.
  
• The geographic address of the service provider must be given. A PO Box is unlikely to suffice as a geographic address; but a registered office address would. If the business is a company, the registered office address must be included in any event.
  
• If a company, the company's registration number should also be given.
  
• If a company, the place of registration should be stated (e.g. "XYZ Enterprises Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 1234567") though this is a requirement of the Companies Act as from 31st December 2006, not the E-commerce Directive.
  
• If the business is a member of a trade or professional association, membership details, including any registration number, should be provided.
  
• If the business has a VAT number, it should be stated – even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions.
  
• Prices on the website must be clear and unambiguous. Also, state whether prices are inclusive of tax and delivery costs.
  
• Finally, do not forget the Distance Selling Regulations which contain other information requirements for on-line businesses that sell to consumers (B2C, as opposed to B2B, sales). For details of these requirements, see our article, The Distance Selling Regulations - An Overview.

Courtesy of out-law.com