Category: Web Development

Professional Arizona Web Design and Development

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, having a compelling online presence is not just an option; it’s a necessity. As the modern world becomes increasingly interconnected, businesses, whether large corporations or small startups, need to harness the power of the internet to reach their target audience effectively. This is where top-notch web design comes into play. At Eliyahna Creative, LLC, we pride ourselves on being the forefront of Arizona web design, particularly through our dedicated Tucson Web Development Team.

The Essence of Effective Web Design

Web design is more than just aesthetics; it’s about creating an intuitive, engaging, and seamless user experience. When visitors land on your website, you have mere seconds to capture their attention and make a lasting impression. A visually appealing design combined with user-friendly navigation can significantly impact how users perceive your brand. Our Tucson Web Development Team understands this, and we strive to craft websites that not only look stunning but also function flawlessly.

Unveiling Eliyahna Creative, LLC

Eliyahna Creative, LLC stands as a beacon of innovation in the realm of Arizona web design. Our team comprises skilled professionals who are not only passionate about design but also well-versed in the latest web development trends. From dynamic layouts to responsive interfaces, we employ cutting-edge techniques to ensure that your website adapts seamlessly to various devices, be it a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

The Tucson Web Development Team Advantage

At Eliyahna Creative, LLC, our Tucson Web Development Team is the driving force behind our success. We understand that a website is the digital face of your business, and its effectiveness hinges on the expertise behind its development. With years of experience under our belts, we have honed our skills to create websites that not only reflect your brand identity but also elevate your online presence.

Customized Solutions Tailored to Your Needs

No two businesses are alike, and thus, no two websites should be identical. Our Tucson Web Development Team takes a personalized approach to every project we undertake. We collaborate closely with our clients to understand their goals, target audience, and unique selling points. This information fuels our design process, enabling us to create bespoke websites that resonate with your brand values and speak directly to your audience.

The Intersection of Design and Functionality

The synergy between design and functionality is where our expertise truly shines. Our Tucson Web Development Team crafts websites that not only captivate visitors with stunning visuals but also engage them through intuitive functionality. We believe that a well-designed website should offer more than just aesthetics; it should provide users with a seamless browsing experience that encourages them to explore and interact.

Elevating User Experience Through Innovation

In the fast-paced digital world, staying ahead of the curve is paramount. Our Tucson Web Development Team is well-versed in the latest industry trends and technologies. We infuse innovative elements into our web design process, ensuring that your website remains modern and relevant. From interactive features to captivating animations, we leverage these tools to enhance user engagement and leave a lasting impression.

Crafting the Future of Arizona Web Design

Eliyahna Creative, LLC, along with our dedicated Tucson Web Development Team, is committed to shaping the future of web design in Arizona. We believe that a website is more than just a virtual storefront; it’s a powerful tool that has the potential to drive growth, foster customer relationships, and solidify your online presence. With our expertise, creativity, and unwavering dedication, we aim to redefine the standards of web design and set new benchmarks for excellence.

Your Journey to Exceptional Web Design Begins Here

If you’re ready to embark on a journey to elevate your online presence, the Tucson Web Development Team at Eliyahna Creative, LLC, is here to guide you. Our commitment to excellence, paired with our passion for innovation, makes us the perfect partner to bring your digital vision to life. Let us collaborate to create a website that not only meets your expectations but exceeds them. Contact us today and take the first step towards a captivating and impactful online presence.

August 20, 2023
Why is a WordPress Child Theme Necessary?

In the ever-evolving world of web development, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. Websites built on WordPress have gained immense popularity due to their flexibility, user-friendly interface, and extensive range of themes and plugins. However, one aspect that often gets overlooked is the importance of using a WordPress child theme. In this article, we will explore why a WordPress child theme is necessary and how it can significantly enhance your website’s performance and functionality.

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the benefits of a WordPress child theme, let’s quickly grasp the concept behind it. A child theme is essentially a theme that inherits the styles, functionality, and templates of its parent theme while allowing you to modify or override them without affecting the original theme. It acts as a layer of customization on top of the parent theme, giving you the freedom to make changes without the risk of losing them during updates.

Safeguarding Your Modifications

One of the primary reasons why a WordPress child theme is necessary is to safeguard your modifications. When you make changes directly to the files of a parent theme, you run the risk of losing all your customizations whenever the theme updates. By using a child theme, you create a safe and secure environment to store your modifications separately. This ensures that your hard work remains intact even when the parent theme undergoes updates or enhancements.

Preserving the Original Theme

Another advantage of utilizing a child theme is the ability to preserve the integrity of the original theme. When you directly modify the parent theme, any changes you make become a part of its core files. This can lead to complications if you ever decide to switch to a different theme or update the parent theme. However, with a child theme, your modifications are confined to its files, keeping the original theme untouched. This way, you can freely update or switch themes without any worries.

Customization without Boundaries

With a WordPress child theme, the sky’s the limit when it comes to customization. You have complete control over the appearance and functionality of your website. Whether you want to modify the header, footer, sidebar layout, or even add custom CSS styles, a child theme empowers you to do so without limitations. You can experiment with different designs and functionalities, tailoring your website precisely to your vision and brand identity.

Testing Ground for New Features

A child theme can also serve as a testing ground for new features and enhancements. If you’re unsure about making drastic changes to your live website, you can create a child theme and experiment with various modifications. This allows you to preview the changes, test their impact, and gather feedback from users or clients before implementing them on your main site. It provides a risk-free environment to refine and perfect your website’s design and functionality.

Seamless Updates and Maintenance

WordPress frequently releases updates to enhance security, fix bugs, and introduce new features. With a child theme in place, updating your parent theme becomes a breeze. Since your modifications are safely stored in the child theme’s files, you can update the parent theme without worrying about losing any customizations. This ensures that your website remains up to date with the latest improvements while maintaining the unique modifications you’ve made.

Boosting Performance and Speed

A well-optimized website is essential for providing an exceptional user experience and achieving higher search engine rankings. By utilizing a WordPress child theme, you can optimize your website’s performance and speed. Since a child theme only loads the modified files and inherits the rest from the parent theme, it reduces the overall server requests and file sizes. This streamlined approach results in faster loading times, which can significantly impact your website’s user engagement and search engin e visibility.

Still need a child theme for your website? Contact us today!

June 16, 2023
Understanding Hicks’s Law: Simplifying Decision-Making
In the realm of design and user experience, decision-making plays a crucial role in determining the success of a product or website. One principle that sheds light on this process is Hicks’s Law. By comprehending this law and its implications, designers and UX professionals can create more streamlined and efficient user interfaces. In this article, we will delve into the core concepts of Hicks’s Law and explore its practical applications.

What is Hicks’s Law? Hicks’s Law, also known as the Hick-Hyman Law, is a psychological principle that describes the relationship between the number of choices and the time it takes to make a decision. Named after British psychologist William Edmund Hick and American psychologist Ray Hyman, the law suggests that the time required to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of available options.

The Principle in Action: To understand how Hicks’s Law operates, let’s consider a real-life example. Imagine you are at a restaurant and presented with an extensive menu featuring numerous dishes. In this scenario, making a decision becomes increasingly challenging as the number of choices grows. The more options there are, the longer it takes for you to select your desired meal.

Implications for Design: Hicks’s Law has significant implications for design, especially when it comes to creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. By minimizing the number of choices or steps required to complete a task, designers can enhance the user experience and encourage swift decision-making. Here are a few practical tips for applying Hicks’s Law in design:

Simplify User Interfaces: Reduce complexity by presenting users with a limited number of choices at any given time. By eliminating unnecessary options or steps, you can streamline the decision-making process and improve overall usability.

Categorize Information: Organize content into logical categories, making it easier for users to navigate and locate what they need. Grouping related items together reduces cognitive load and simplifies decision-making.

Prioritize Key Actions: Identify the most critical actions or choices users are likely to make and ensure they are easily accessible. By highlighting these key elements, designers can expedite decision-making and guide users towards desired outcomes.

Hicks’s Law serves as a valuable guideline for designers and UX professionals seeking to optimize decision-making in their creations. By understanding the relationship between the number of choices and decision time, one can implement strategies that enhance user experience and simplify the decision-making process. Incorporating the principles of Hicks’s Law into design practices can ultimately lead to more efficient and user-friendly interfaces.
June 7, 2023
Is My Website Alive!? How Is It Changing?

Is My Website Alive!?
When things start changing on their own or your website suddenly stops functioning for no apparent reason, you might wonder “Is my website alive? What is going on here?” Well, you could say that your site is alive
(more…)

February 12, 2019
Should You Use A CDN? Why or Why Not?

Should you use a CDN?
One of the biggest goals of website owners and developers is to serve their data quickly. When someone visits on a desktop computer or a pocket-sized smartphone, they should have equal ability to
(more…)

February 5, 2019
What is Eliyahna Creative, LLC.?

Eliyahna (E-lee-YAH-nuh) Creative provides professional services to small, medium, and large businesses all over the world, remotely. Some of our services include custom web development, web design, graphic design, video editing, intros, outros, jingle creation, application development, website hosting, package design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, pay-per-click management, and website maintenance and security.
Eliyahna Creative began in the late 1990s as a web and graphic design resource for Yahoo and first-time website owners… mainly creating advertising banners and providing website coding. Over the years, managed and unmanaged hosting was added as well as more complex offerings like custom scripting of interactive elements. At that time, most elements were handwritten in Javascript or CGI scripting with database or XML driven interactions.
As time progressed, social media post design packages were added to the menu for beautified and royalty-free postings on Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn. Facebook targeting and using Facebook Pixel on new websites enabled the ability to push the ads to highly targeted audiences as well as past site visitors. Ad publishing, tracking, and analytics have become one of the most popular services we provide still today.
Websites are always the number one resource for good modern business exchanges… building them, maintaining them, and designing them for the highest return on investment is still our highest requested product or service. New websites on our VPS server normally include one-year hosting and maintenance to ensure satisfaction and functionality including software updating and regular testing of interactive elements like forms or shopping carts.
Eliyahna Creative provides the creation and integration of animated graphics, 3D modeling, UX design, and video editing. We’ve had the privilege of working on projects for fortune 500 company’s as well as designing pitch-decks for people with brand new ideas. While creating custom designs and coding up elements that provide interactivity is a lot of fun, the best part is seeing them help businesses grow by improving relationships with customers and by increasing conversion numbers with new traffic. The lasting relationships we forge with our fellow business owners, whether local or worldwide, are symbiotic catalysts that work to generate success on a day to day basis, all year long.
Advertising agencies are often asked to provide web development, even though they only have the staff for print or digital design. They come to us for white-labeled services that are fast, reliable, and responsive to their clients’ needs. We meet deadlines, make revisions, and even provide consultation for new and existing web and advertising campaigns. All of our design and development services are geared toward conversion on sales and reservations. Branding, logo design, and package designs are created on demand that couple with advertising and social media marketing to make a rounded out campaign that has all of the pieces required to get the whole return.
Our graphic designs and websites can be seen in many genres from law to retail and everything in-between. It’s an awesome way to meet people in many different businesses and geographical areas and we love learning about each one individually. We take the time to ensure that we properly identify and solve problem elements so that you get the highest return on investment possible. Contact us about your website or business goals today. We’d love to help your business grow!

September 11, 2018
Web Developer or Web Designer? Which is better?

Should you choose a web developer or web designer?
The terms are interchangeable in many circles but are they really the same? It depends!!
A person who chooses to call themselves a web designer might decide to do so if they’re better at design than coding. They might enjoy taking previously created templates that are already built and redesigning the photos and/or colors to suit the new project. Some web designers are strictly graphic designers… they literally design the website as an image and then hand it to a developer who can make it happen online. Then some web designers actually use the title because they believe that more people search for that phrase when looking for their services, even when they’re usually coding.
In general, people choose the word “designer” to express the notion that they’re a creative who uses their vision of what the finished product should look like to guide their preferences while working on projects. Some web designers work at a lower rate because of their lack of coding experience and some charge extra because of their design prowess. Most web designers will be able to at least alter existing code when necessary and can do a lot of filling in for missing graphic designers. Some web teams are required to work with whatever media is provided by the graphic design team and some are expected to obtain or create the media in a manner that would be user-friendly to viewers online.
Web designers are concerned with the appearance of the front side of the site that visitors see and are helpful with sales funnels and what the industry terms “UX” or “user experience”. They might also be helpful with tasks like ad design for banner and display ads.
A person who calls their self a web developer is probably much more capable with a website’s backend or interactive features. They might also be great with design but they just want to showcase the fact that they know coding too! They know how to take the design and bring it to life online with elements that engage the viewer and with scripts that work to complete tasks. A web developer would, for example, be adept at creating and using databases and would be able to make the site responsive to various sized viewing devices. They would be able to ensure that the site is optimized for search engine ranking and would keep the site secure.
Some web developers charge less when performing web design duties and a little more for complex scripting or programming. In general, developers tend to charge more because of the many benefits they provide. For example, they can integrate software or scripting that works on your own server eliminating the need for third party subscriptions to services for mailing campaigns, analytics, chat, or form processing.
So which should you hire for your project? Ideally, a person or small team offering both UX design and web development is the best bet. Many designers and developers, as they progress in their careers become aware of the fact that being solely one or the other is not profitable, so they do both. How well a person does both depends on factors like talent, skill, experience, and attention to detail.
A full-service web agency like Eliyahna Creative or an advertising agency will have staff ready to handle requests for both web design and web development as well as SEO and graphic design. This kind of agency is the perfect answer for most business projects online because it allows you to keep everything together so that the developer knows what the designer recommended and the SEO works with the developer to ensure premium placement and exposure after publication.

August 7, 2018
Website Development Terms Defined

Web Development Terms Defined
Over the years, a huge variety of people have come to me for a website or application from all walks of life. The transition from not having a great website to getting the new build should be a smooth one with lots of happy milestones. There are sometimes web development terms or concepts that can seem complicated at first for the analog person, so I wanted to compile something especially helpful for them.
An analog type person or company is not accustomed to doing business online because they typically do everything offline. These are highly skilled tradesmen, retail or construction services that are delivered or experienced in person from start to finish. An analog type is usually a brick and mortar business like a local emergency repair or service provider. They get a lot of foot traffic and they may have been too busy offline to consider the value of an online presence before and may have no idea what’s involved. They normally need to know a few definitions that the rest of us take for granted and ask for many of the same ones over and over. Here’s my list of web development terms. Let me know any others that you think should be included here!
Domain – Your domain name or “domain” is the address used to reach your website. Examples would be google.com, facebook.com, craigslist.com, or twitter.com.
IP – An IP address or (Internet Protocol address) is a numerical label assigned to every device that is connected to a computer network and uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. An IP address provides an identity to a networked device. Similar to a home or business address supplying that specific physical location with an identifiable address, devices on a network are differentiated from one another through IP addresses. For example, when I enter a website like eliyahna.com into my browser, my request to load that page is sent to DNS servers that look up that hostname (eliyahna.com) to find its corresponding IP address (173.247.255.28).
Registrar – A domain name registrar is an organization that manages the reservation of Internet domain names. A domain name registrar must be accredited by a generic top-level domain (gTLD) registry or a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry. This is the company you purchased your domain name from. It is where your domain is registered.
Hosting – If your website is the house, hosting is the land it sits on. Your website host provides the disc space, the bandwidth, and everything server related that is necessary to hold your website data. Hosting can be shared or dedicated to your site only and plans are renewable every year.
Backend – This refers to the underlying coding and instruction that controls what is displayed to the viewer. A website’s backend can sometimes require administration and updating to ensure ongoing compliance and functionality.
Frontend – Elements that are accessible from the frontend are found within a web page’s viewable area.
Algorithm – A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. Usually, this word refers to the latest set of rules governing a website’s search engine ranking. Adhering to these rules when configuring your website’s front and backend will result in a better ranking for your genre.
Backlinks – These are websites that display a link to your website on their page. It is always beneficial if they are a high ranking website in your same business genre. It is also a good idea for them to include a descriptive key phrase within the link. These gracious elements will increase your site’s validity for your genre and will help you to achieve a higher search engine ranking within your category.
Browser – The browser is used to view the internet. Examples are Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
FTP – FTP or file transfer protocol is a service used to connect to your server in order to upload or download files.
Slider – A slider is a large photo or image, usually at the top of the homepage, that features a new image which “slides” into place over the previous one every few seconds or so. This kind of element is generally used to make the most of the “top fold” or first 1/3 of your web page.
Menu – The “menu” is the navigation element that is normally found across the top of the site or underneath a hamburger (three stacked lines). Page names are displayed and can be clicked to transport the viewer to specific areas of sites or pages.
Captcha – Is a program or system that is used to help distinguish real visitors from scripts or computer bots. It is often appended to contact forms to prevent spamming and requires the confirmation of specific words or images to proceed.
Alt Text – When posting an image on a web page, “alt text” can be used within the code to describe that image in words. Alt text helps the search engines with ranking objectives and provides a definition to viewers who can see text only on their device.
Favicon – This is the little image you see on the tab of your web browser when you’re visiting a website. Facebook, for example, uses a blue square with a white lower case “f”. This is also used as a visual reference on mobile screens and bookmarks.
Wireframe – A wireframe is a preliminary draft of the final design that is a very basic sketch. It focuses on defining the layout, flow, and framework rather than the design.
Analytics – Analytics are data collected from a website or app over time like the number of visitors, how much time was spent on each page, or the path a user takes once they’ve arrived.
Responsive – A website that is responsive will have elements that rearrange or even disappear and reappear depending on the size of the view screen. A site that is not responsive will either end up showing a limited view with sideways scrolling or will shrink very tiny on smaller devices, rendering the content illegible.

June 26, 2018
5 Tips for Choosing A Web Developer

Choosing a web developer can be a daunting task.
Everyone from your cousin Eddie to Mr. Gotrocks seems to think he’s the one for the job. But there are some good ways to determine whether the person you’re considering really is the one for the job or not. Gain some perspective by reflecting on the practices of your top ten competitors. Would the CEO of Nike or Toyota hire his cousin Eddie to develop his business’ website? Would he simply settle for the most expensive option, hoping that he’ll somehow get what he paid for? No. And if you’re serious about your entrepreneurship, you shouldn’t either! Here are 5 tips to help you select the web developer that’s best for your project.
1.) Experience – How much experience has the candidate had? A complex development project with goals regarding sales funnels, load time, responsive frameworks for mobile devices, analytics, and conversions might be a bit much for a junior developer. For someone who is serious about obtaining the best for their business, a senior developer is a better investment. Most senior web developers will indeed measure the forecasted return on investment against the cost for completion to ensure that you come out on top. A senior developer can also foresee obstacles with coding longevity or interactive elements in order to keep things running smoothly.
2.) Compatibility – Check out some of the work that this individual has completed in the past. Keeping in mind that the developer is not necessarily responsible for the graphic design, everything should at least be functional and viewable on any sized device without just shrinking so small that nothing is legible. Try to gauge their work ethic. Are there many incomplete projects? Do they mention the ability to keep projected deadlines? Will they be around two or three years from now? Are they willing to commit to maintaining the build for you after publication?
3.) Availability – When choosing a web developer, keep in mind that many developers are hired for multiple projects at a time and work on them in tandem. Get at least an estimated date of completion… ideally as part of a greater outline of the phases involved so that you can follow along to ensure that everything is progressing as you require.
4.) Clarity – Your web developer should provide you with a proposal that clearly outlines the project details including tasks involved, phases, cost, estimated date of completion, options for additional requirements that might come up, any payment plan arrangements, and all of their pertinent contact information should you have any further questions or concerns.
5.) Accuracy – Communication is the key to success in any endeavor. If your candidate cannot speak or articulate accurately via email or telephone, that is a red flag. How will they correctly convey your message via code or UX design if you are unable to understand their words, their work is sloppy, or they are unwilling to clearly define objectives.
Working with a web developer on your business’ website or application project should be an enjoyable experience that helps your business grow. Contact us to discuss how we can help with your app or web development project today!

May 14, 2018
How To Know If You Need A New Website
Every website owner comes to realize pretty quickly that truly, a website is never complete.
You can think of different improvements constantly whether they be code or design related. A website is an ever evolving conglomeration that grows with your business needs and digital technology every day. The use of mobile devices has greatly impacted the need for a proper design online.
Aside from personal preference, when do you really need to replace your website? A completely new build may not be necessary. Fortunately, sites built on what is called a “content management system” which use a database like WordPress or Joomla can most times get by with a new template integration. A new template installation and formatting would leave the current content intact while changing the appearance, element arrangements, and enhancing functionality.
Here are a few reasons to consider an overhaul or new build:
Your site is not responsive to mobile devices – 60% of your visitors are now showing up on something other than a desktop computer. Your site needs to do more than just shrink really tiny. It should have an alternative layout that is optimized for mobile viewers.
Your code is deprecated – While a website written in an expired coding language version might still look okay to the eye, search engines will not rank these dinosaurs since too many of the newer viewing devices are not able to utilize them correctly. If your code has been compromised by hackers, your site can be cleaned or rebuilt and replaced.
No call to action – If your website doesn’t tell the visitor who you are and what you want from them on the top section of the front page, you need a redesign. Again… the popularity of mobile devices have done away with long-winded explanations and stories. You need to make your point fast from the first page load. Contact information should always be included there as well.
Too much text or whitespace – Nobody wants to have to read war and peace on their cell phone. Visitors who have to scroll through huge sections of text or whitespaces will become frustrated and will likely, click away. Keep your sections tight and make your margins responsive using percentages instead of hardcoded spacing. Use collapsible sections or excerpts with links to more information.
You’re not getting a return – If your website design is not accomplishing what you built it for, of course, you might consider a new build. Consider the possibility that your current site could be optimized for better search engine optimization or visitor flow as well. A/B testing can be used to determine the best path to guide the viewer through from arrival to purchase or contact.
If your site has any of the problems listed above or you just want something more beautiful, functional or competitive for the new year, contact me. I’ll be happy to work with you toward achieving your online goals and would love to surpass your expectations.
Best,
Eliyahna
December 17, 2017