The 3.4 release introduces new features into the CMS such as improved front end module editing, decoupling of weblinks, composer integration, Google new reCaptcha and security improvements by implementing UploadShield code which can detect most malicious uploads by examining their filenames and file contents.

This release was possible thanks to a hard work of over 130 different volunteer contributors.

Over 700 bugs have also been resolved with the 3.4 release of the Joomla! CMS.

Halloween Special Edition

Google and other search engines include Twitter profiles and messages in their search results. Search engines use "signals", such as the number of social media shares of a link, to determine how that link ranks for a given keyword. This is now called a "social search". 

It is official. Social media matters now more than ever. it matters for SEO and it matters for Marketing in general. You've got to get on top it.

This post concisely describes how to use Twitter for website marketing and SEO.  We explain how to use your Twitter smartly to get higher ranking for your website on Google and other search engines. 

If we could tell you one thing and one thing only about how to use Twitter and social media in general to get higher ranking of your corporate website on Google and other search engines, this will be the following: "Create and tweet/retweet only highly useful and valuable content". If you don't have time to learn or do anything else, applying this rule alone will eventually generate a social following for you and will establish you as a thought leader in your field.  If you'd like to do more, here are 13 quick and easy tips you can employ:

Every web marketer uses their own tools, but there is a list of tools that all marketers use or at least are familiar with. Moz published the results of their 2012 survey on the status of SEO and web marketing industry. These results are very useful, especially if you are just starting with SEO and website marketing and looking for some benchmarks.

Below is the Moz list of the most important website marketing tools by category and by percentage of respondents (out of 1600 respondents in total, if we are not mistaken). Joomla Bliss in Ottawa adds one category to this list at the very end.

Every two years, one of the leading web marketing firms and tool developer Moz produces results of their survey on search ranking factors. Below are their findings. Note that it is not clear how exactly they estimate the values and the total points, but in general, their guidelines are valuable.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Client Support Portal. The support portal allows our clients submit and trace all technical support issues related to their websites. The new support portal offers an ability to quickly view submitted requests, trace their status, add attachments, and comment on follow up actions. The support portal sends automated email notifications and reminders, providing an added convenience of hands-free project management.

The Joomla Bliss Support Portal currently includes the following features:

Having completed the site's development prototype stage and received approval from the client, it is important to proceed with certain Quality Assurance (QA) check points in mind. Working "backwards" this way ensures a higher quality of the final website.

Needless to say, upon completion of the website design, the first round of testing should check off the following points:

Please note that the website QA check list below, while applicable to all types of websites, applies to Joomla websites design primarily.

Interface

1. Ensure that the site’s name is correct
2. Make site name in the footer right after the copyright as a link to the home page. Insert following code instead of %sitename% in /language/en-GB/ en-GB.mod_footer.ini: <a href="/" title="%sitename%">%sitename%</a>
3. Add customer’s logo. Change template to store logo in /images/stories/ folder to let client easily change logo. If logo is not available, ensure that their business name appears at the top banner in text, making sure that it looks good and fits the overall style of the template.
4. Remove Joomla’s favicon. Add customer’s favicon, if it is available. If not, place a temporary favicon of your choice.
5. Contact page. Check capitalization in all fields on the contact form; add the updated contact info, ensuring consistency and nice display; test the form to make sure it is working.
6. Install error404 component (or errors2site and add settings recommended by errors2site to the .htaccess file) and configure error message. Check its display. (Was Modify the 404 error page - to reflect the colors of the template (the background of the title bar and the border of the box)).
7. Check the color scheme to reflect the particular needs of the client.
8. Ensure borders around the menu bar look nice and consistently the same for the 2nd and 3rd level.
9. Ensure that all edges and corners on all boxes and bars, etc. appear nicely
10. Ensure that the background image looks nice, especially if a gradient image is used, that no content is accidentally being "smudged over" by the background.
11. Ensure smooth transition for the gradient images.
12. Ensure that link hover/active is consistent throughout all elements of the site (check search, various modules, error page, contact, static pages, etc etc)
13. Test to see that all buttons look good (contact, newsletter signup, search results, login form, and similar elements
14. Check bullets and other formatting and make sure they are all available for use inside the content article inside the current editor (create a content page and use various styles to make sure all options display properly)
15. Ensure all images display properly and that appropriate imagery is used (do not use copyrighted images!). Make sure there are no articles which have /components/content/article/... in their address, i.e. not connected to any, even fake, menu. If necessary, add those menus to site map.
16. Test all forms and functional components, make sure to test them all one by one and correct visual imperfections to reflect the style of the template, e.g.:
    • Square buttons vs. oval buttons
    • Thick borders vs. thin borders
    • Background color and shades
    • Link color and hover/active color
    • Header and sub-header styles 
    • Bullet styles 
    • Font styles Completed
17. Translation pages and search results (page titles, images, etc.) 
18. Go over every page one by one and conduct a visual inspection, looking for inconsistencies in tags, titles, email formats, empty spaces, too much/too little spaces between sections, etc. etc.
19. Check all modules and ensure that the display is correct, no uneven spacing, no border overlapping, nice alignment, etc.

Planning on undertaking a website design or website redesign project? Allow us to present the ultimate website redesign checklist.

1. Kick off the project. Get executives on board
   • Schedule informal one-on-one meetings with your key executives and ask them what they would like to see in a new website.
   • Then schedule a group meeting with all key executives.
   • Get their consensus on all main points regarding the future website's usability and look and feel
   • Define roles and get proper authority for yourself. Get your executives to officially appoint you as the Project Lead by sending an email announcement to everyone in your company who maybe involved in this project.

Why free open-source software products are so good?

It is somewhat counterintuitive to accept the fact that open-source web content management systems (CMS) or other open-source projects, for that matter, are actually of higher quality than their commercial counterparts. There are several reasons behind this phenomenon, representing a peculiar mix of social and technical factors. 

Joomla today announces that its core files have been downloaded more than 30 million times from Joomla.org. Joomla now averages around 1 million downloads every month.

Joomla Bliss appreciates that a website design project involves multiple stakeholders; it requires clear and consistent communications and disciplined project management practices. We understand that some rework is unavoidable and will work until we are ensure that the client is fully satisfied with the results. Based on our experience and client feedback we developed what we believe is a “ZERO-RISK” strategy for our clients:

Designed-in quality:

• Use cases are mapped out in granular detail and discussed with the client
• Live prototype of a website and navigation/usability flow is created early in the project (design-from-the-end strategy)
• Coding and QA are conducted by a professional software developer

Prompt communications protocol:

• All emails are acknowledged
• Replies are provided promptly
• Meetings are scheduled upon client request at no additional charge

Granular project management:

Fixed-cost all-inclusive contract:

Client involvement in the design process: