Max Hits: Building and Promoting Successful Websites (Digital Media Design) [Paperback]

Mike Slocombe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Digital Media Design | Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Debunking many of the myths and obstacles surrounding web design, this title shows that you do not need big budgets or the latest technology to produce a successful site. Readers can discover how to benefit from research and planning and learn the practical processes of design, navigation and content management. Key issues such as accessibility, usability and information architecture are discussed and analyzed with case studies and examples. But successful websites are not just built; they have to be actively promoted and marketed. "Max Hits" shows you how to construct and deliver an effective on-line marketing strategy, how to provide "sticky" contents and, crucially, how to bump your site up the search engine ratings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sometimes all one needs to finally "get" a concept is to hear it reworded in a friendly, less technical way. Top Web designer Slocombe (urban75.org) demystifies the entire Web site production process with a fun, slang-filled text in Max Hits: Building and Promoting Successful Websites. He makes ideas that novices often find confusing, like XML, SVG, and CSS, seem easy and points the way to further reading and useful applications. Not strictly a how-to manual, the book is rich with screen shots and bite-size blocks of text, with a hip layout by Bark Design that makes it more entertaining than most technical books.

Slocombe dispenses a lot of hard-earned wisdom. Rather than teaching all of HTML, he gives a simple tutorial that gets across the main idea of how tags work and then sends the reader off to look at source code, consult online resources, and/or use an HTML editor like Homesite. When discussing how wide a site should be, he gets right to the crux of the problem: should a Web designer worry about how the site looks on every monitor from plasma to PDA? What are the pros and cons of specifying the table tag width at 100 percent? Again, he points the way to places online where readers can check how their site displays in different browsers and resolutions.

Pros and cons come into play in most Web site design decisions. For example, developers must weigh design versus download time or latest technology versus browser compatibility. These decisions are unique to each site and Slocombe helps readers make knowledgeable choices. His advice can be as simple as hitting the auto button on the levels panel in Photoshop to clear up a muddy photograph or as complex as delivering appropriate content to your audience.

This is a hip book that looks at all the details involved in making a Web site. It's well written, well designed, well coded, and gets lots of attention from search bots. And it clues readers in to some of the coolest sites existing on the Web today. It may just be the pat on the fanny you need to get off to a good start with your own Web site. --Angelynn Grant --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mike Slocombe has been described by Internet magazine as one of the 40 most important people on the Net. His work and opinions regularly attract media attention. As well as running the activist website Urban 75, he works as a freelance web journalist and Internet consultant. He is based in London, UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: RotoVision (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2880467659
• ISBN-13: 978-2880467654
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, February 12, 2002

By 

"mary3333" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max Hits: Building and Promoting Successful Websites (Hardcover)

Got the book yesterday and didn't put it down till I read the whole thing from cover to cover! This is great book for anyone wanting to learn the best way to plan, prepare and promote a website and the author's succinct and witty style doesn't make it feel like a class lecture! The in-depth guides about search engines and information architecture means I've learnt how to get my next site right from the start and there's some great inspirational illustrations in there too.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This should be on every designer's bookshelf!, October 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Max Hits: Building and Promoting Successful Websites (Hardcover)

An intern brought in a copy of this book into the office and before I knew it, all the designers were demanding they got a copy too!

It's a great book that deals with the stuff that's often forgotten when building a site - like explaining the benefits of good planning from the outset and then getting the thing ranked highly on search engines!