6 Best JQuery Lightbox Scripts For Your Images Effect

Do you remember life without the lightbox? It wasn’t that long ago, yet lightboxes are popping up everywhere, literally. In 2006, the first lightbox script was released by Lokesh Dhakar and has become a staple for websites and blogs alike. Though they’re mainly used for larger items, even companies like Facebook have adopted lightboxes to display photos in an easy-to-see, easy-to-scroll manner. The original javascript had plenty of good qualities, but it became widely adopted when web developers started making their own lightbox applications.
The original Lightbox has not been lost in newer formats. In contrast, lightboxes have been improved and now incorporate features and functions that enhance the overall quality and user-experience. It is hard to rank the best scripts in any specific order because they all have been crafted extremely well. Choosing the best script for your site will really come down to coding preferences.

1. Fancybox

Fancybox has taken a pretty direct approach and is an upgrade from pure javascript to jQuery. The overall appearance of this lightbox is like the name says, fancy. The interface is clean and displays images and associated caption text nicely. In addition to looking nice, this script displays HTML elements, SWF movies, iframes and AJAX requests. This script is truly a techie’s dream come true.

In addition to delivering such great features, you can customize this Lightbox to your liking with CSS, choose to display a drop shadow under the frame, or employ “fancy” transitions for true customization. The possibilities with this script are almost endless, making it a great fit for many.

2. Shadowbox

Though it doesn’t have the same aesthetic appeal as Fancybox, Shadowbox has plenty to offer for those who are interested in it. This script is highly customizable allowing you to adapt it to your specific needs. The code is both lightweight and neat which delivers supreme flexibility for editing and tweaking the default script.

Shadowbox can display images, HTML, Falsh, SWF movies, Quicktime and even external websites. The framework for this application has not been fixed in place which makes it an exceptional choice for sites with highly specific needs. In addition to being able to modify and manipulate the code to the framework you like best, it can be used as a standalone application.

3. jQuery.popeye2

jQuery.popeye is an advanced image gallery script built on the JavaScript library jQuery. Use it to save space when displaying a collection of images and offer your users a nice and elegant way to show a big version of your images without leaving the page flow.

4. ColorBox

ColorBox helps bridge the gap created by Fancybox’s aesthetic appeal and the flexible and lightweight code of Shadowbox. ColorBox strives to deliver a customized lightbox to their user that is unique every time. This helps the end-user deliver easy accessibility, W3C standards and good design and internet practices.

Like most in its class, ColorBox supports photos, file grouping, slideshows, AJAX, inline and iframed content. Users can customize the application through CSS and it has been written in jQuery allowing it to be chained with additional jQuery commands. Proving just how lightweight and easy-to-use it is, ColorBox uses less than 9kb of javascript coding which can be extended using callbacks and event hooks without ever having to edit source files.

5. PrettyPhoto

If you’re just interested in a very simple lightbox, PrettyPhoto is in essence a clone that has been built on jQuery. It doesn’t support as many files as other scripts but it does deliver the basics with support for images, videos, flash, YouTube and iframes. This script is easy to get running and has a nice, simplistic appearance. Though it is not fully customizable, it does have some flexibility that should allow you to alter it to fulfill your needs.

6. Lightbox2

Though improvements and breakthroughs in code have greatly modified the original lightbox, it is still a script well-worth using. What it lacks in features and increased functionality, it makes up for with its recognizable and respected interface. This model for the modern day lightbox is simple, features lightweight code, and easy to setup and use for those less interested in fancy features, colorful frames and enhanced editing.

No matter which script you are more attracted to or interface you find more appealing, one thing is sure – lightboxes have revolutionized the way we display images and videos on the internet. With a wide range of options and customizable features, developers are sure to find a script that matches their coding and visual presentation needs. If not, you can always tweak the code.

About the Author: Katie Campbell is an editor for Bestcovery.com where she writes software and internet reviews. She became interested in lightboxes when they first started lighting up her screen and as the owner of an image library of over 3,000 files, takes a keen interest in their development.

The Essential Elements of Building an E-Commerce Website

If you plan to sell anything online, having an e-commerce plan is as important as your original business plan.
The first step in writing an e-business plan is to decide what kind of experience you want your online customers to have. Think not only about today but also two and five years down the road.

Your e-commerce plans starts with website goals. Who are your target customers? What do they need? Are they getting information only, or can they buy products at your site? These key questions, asked and answered early, will determine how much time and money you'll need to develop and maintain an online presence.

Second, decide what products or services you will offer. How will you position and display them? Will you offer both online and offline purchasing? How will you handle shipping and returns?

Additionally, don't overlook the customer's need to reach a live person. A toll-free phone number should be prominently displayed that customers can call anytime to get their questions answered by a live person.

If you decide to sell online, you'll need a shopping cart component, which is a means of handling credit card processing, and an organized order fulfillment process.

Finally, even if you build an amazing website, don't assume people will find you on their own. If you want to develop a consistent flow of traffic to your site, it's essential that you plan and maintain an ongoing and multifaceted promotional strategy that's carefully targeted to your audience.

Once you've decided to have a website, one of your first 'to-do' items is to make a list of possible website names or URLs.

Then run, don't walk, to the nearest computer, log on to the internet, go to your favorite search engine, and type in "domain registration." You will find a list of companies, such as networksolutions.com, godaddy.com and register.com, that will guide you through the simple domain registration process.

For a modest fee ($8 to $75), you can register a domain name for one or more years.

From the available names, choose one that's easy to spell and remember, and describes what your company does. Make sure, however, you're not imposing on someone else's trademark or copyrighted name. In many cases, the name of your company, with the addition of dot-com (www.[YourCompanyName].com) is a suitable domain name that you should definitely register.

Once you've registered your domain name and have a plan in place for what you want to offer prospective and existing customers online, the next major challenge is designing and building your actual website and online presence.

What makes a good website? Before getting enmeshed in design details get the big picture by writing a site outline. The content you develop and publish should directly relate to and help you achieve the goals and objectives you've set for the website.

A well-thought-out site outline includes:

Content. The key to a successful site is content. Give site visitors lots of interesting information, incentives to visit and buy, and ways to contact you. Once your site is up and running, continually update and add fresh content to keep people coming back.

Structure. Decide how many pages to have and how they'll be linked to each other. Choose graphics and icons that enhance the content.

Design. With the content and structure in place, site design comes next. Whether you're using an outside designer or doing it yourself, concentrate on simplicity, readability and consistency. Remember to focus on what you want to accomplish.

Navigation. Make it easy and enjoyable for visitors to browse the site. For example, use no more than two or three links to major areas and never leave visitors at a dead end.

Credibility. This is an issue that shouldn't be lost in the bells and whistles of establishing a website. Your site should reach out to every visitor, telling that person why he or she should buy your product or your service. It should look very professional, and give potential customers the same feeling of confidence they would get with a phone call or face-to-face visit with you. Remind visitors that you don't exist only in cyberspace. Your company's full contact information -- company name, complete address, telephone, fax and e-mail -- should appear on all or most of your individual web pages and be displayed prominently on your site's home page.

An outline helps you get the most out of your website design/e-commerce budget. It will also help you determine whether you, or someone in your company, can design portions of the website, or if you need to solicit outside help. That way, when you hire someone, it will be for only the parts of the job that you'll need to have outsourced.

Visit Web Design Company in Dehradun if you want to hire web design professional.

Best WordPress Plugins, Resources and Tips for Business

WordPress is a trusted website building and blogging platform that’s proven popular among small business owners. It allows for easy updates and plenty of customization.

And while it appears simple on the surface, there’s a lot to consider when managing a WordPress site. We’ve been covering updates and providing resources for our readers who operate or are considering building a WordPress site for quite some time. This guide showcases many of our articles on this topic.

5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress

Contact forms are a great way to start engaging with potential customers. There are many ways to get a contact form on your company’s website but these are some we’ve found to be the best of the best.

The WordPress contact form plugins found here are easy to use and allow you to customize the forms to match the look of your website. The article also lists plugins that make it easier for you to manage the information you’re collecting through the form.

Top 10 Social Media Plugins for WordPress

Connecting your company’s website to your social media channels is almost imperative these days. Here are 10 really good social media plugins for WordPressthat allow you to integrate your social streams. These plugins allow your customers more ways to connect to your company and its website, making it easier to stay engaged with your brand.

Best 10 Responsive WordPress Themes for Small Business – All Free

If your company’s website features a “responsive design” that means visitors will get virtually the same experience whether they’re on a PC, tablet, or smartphone. Responsive design themes for WordPress sites are being created regularly. This list includes 10 of the best responsive WordPress themes available. And better yet, they’re all free to install.

The 7 Best WordPress Alternatives

Of course, WordPress isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to creating a website for your business. Other platforms are giving businesses the opportunity to build an aesthetically-pleasing and highly functional site too. Here are sevenWordPress alternatives that can get your company’s website live and adapt to your business’s changing needs.

5 Things that Make Your WordPress Site Run Slow and How to Fix Them

If visitors to your WordPress site aren’t getting an optimal experience, they might be hesitant to come back again.

Slow loading pages and other generally slow functionality could ultimately hurt your business. These issues are likely to cost you visitors and potential customers. And long-term they will damage your brand’s reputation. Fortunately, this article looks at five issues that will slow down your WordPress site. But better yet, it also discusses fixes for each that will get your site back to performing at its best.

10 LinkedIn WordPress Plugins to Consider

Integrating your LinkedIn profile with your company’s website makes it easier for your site visitors to connect with you on your LinkedIn profile too.

There is a seemingly endless stream of LinkedIn plugins available for WordPress sites enabling you to integrate your company website with your LinkedIn community. But how do you sift through all the possibilities out there?  This article does the heavy lifting and suggests the 10 LinkedIn WordPress plugins we think small business owners will find the most useful.

10 Best WordPress Plugins for eCommerce

If you’re planning to set up a store on your company’s website, WordPress offers quite a few eCommerce plugins that integrate into your site. Here are WordPress plugins for eCommerce that seem particularly dependable and easy to use. These plugins allow you to focus on managing your inventory and tracking your sales.

Sneak Peek at WordPress 4.0

A new version of WordPress has been launched. And with that upgrade comes changes for those who use WordPress sites for their businesses. We were able to get an early look at WordPress 4.0 and have provided this guide to help you navigate the changes in this latest version of the content management system.

10 Google Plus Plugins for WordPress

You already know Google is important to your WordPress site, making sure you and your business can be found on the Web.  The same goes for the company’s social media site, Google Plus.

You can integrate your site with Google Plus using WordPress plugins. The plugins are similar to those that allow integration of other social media sites with a WordPress site. Here are 10 Google Plus plugins for WordPress that are adaptable to your site’s theme, and offer different styles that determine what information you share from your social account.

15 Clever WordPress Plugins For B2B Consultants

B2B consultants already rely on WordPress to help them create an engaging and functional website. These websites can really make a different when acquiring new clients. As it’s already a popular platform for B2B consultants, there are myriad plugins to build a better website. Here are 15 clever B2B plugins for WordPress to consider.

14 WordPress Content Marketing Plugins

The great content on your WordPress site is only useful if a lot of people are reading it. There are numerous plugins available for WordPress that afford you the ability to plan promotions for posts weeks in advance. And others ensure your posts are optimized for search engines. Here are 14 quality WordPress content marketing plugins that may be of help.

29 Killer Image Slideshow Plugins for WordPress

If your website showcases a lot of high-quality photography and images, it’s best to show your readers all you have to offer. Slideshows are a great way to display multiple images on one page in an attractive deign. There are so many slideshow plugins available for your WordPress site. Here are 29 slideshow plugins for WordPress you may want to consider to see which will work best with your site.

Is WordPress Easy To Work With? That Depends on Your Web Developer

If you’re planning to do much of the updating on your company’s WordPress site yourself, it’s important to make the process as easy as possible. To reach that simplicity, your Web developer will need to set up the back end of your site in a way that works best for you. This guide helps you get the most from yourWordPress developer as far as website functionality goes.

2014 WordPress Website Trends: What’s Hot and What’s Not

Web design is ever-changing. What’s hot today may not be tomorrow. And that’s true on WordPress, too. Here is a look at some of the projected trends and how they may effect your website design. The results may guide your company in following WordPress website trends that keep your site current and in touch with visitors.

20 Pinterest Plugins For Your WordPress Site

A Pinterest badge on your company’s website is a great way to connect your readers to your profile on the social network. A well-placed Pinterest badge could also add some striking visual imagery to your company’s site too.

Here are 20 Pinterest plugins for WordPress that can better integrate your WordPress site with the image based social media platform. Consider whether this is something that would interest your visitors.

10 WordPress Backup Tools to Protect Your Blog and Site

It’s the biggest fear of any small business owner with a website – in the blink of an eye, losing all the data on a site it took you so much timer to create.

Just as important as it is to have backup for the information on your computer, it’s equally important to do so for your website. That’s especially true if your site is a critical part of your business operations. Fortunately, WordPress has options available. This article shares 10 of the top WordPress backup tools you may wish to investigate.

14 Rockin’ Analytics Plugins for WordPress

Analytics for your website allow you to determine what is and what isn’t working. What’s drawing visitors? What isn’t getting the attention it deserves? And what content just isn’t clicking with your community at all?

WordPress allows you to install analytics plugins that provide that sort of data and more. This article examines 14 analytics plugins for WordPress.

How to Choose a Hosting Company for Your WordPress Site

Choosing WordPress as the platform for your company’s website may be the easiest decision you make. It’s popular and relatively easy to use and the millions who’ve already downloaded the platform are a testament to that. But it’s also important who hosts your WordPress site, too. Some hosts make WordPress set-up really easy, too. This guide looks at who should be hosting your WordPress site and why.

Create Your Online Identity with a Eye Catching Website Design

Eye Catching Website Design

Starting a business and running them may not seem to be a very difficult task for many, but the promoting them and making the customers aware of your presence is cumbersome. The customers do not have idea about your future course of action and making the prospective customers feel your presence is very important. Well, this was about the big enterprises, and the small companies surprisingly do not look at the severity of having an online presence seriously.

A survey revealed, any business that does not have a website is missing out, one the powerful marketing tools available to them. It is no wonder that, maximum number of people goes online and research products and details and authenticity of the company. Having a website helps in establishing credibility of your business and it tells a lot about business. Thus, it is important to have an esteemed overture that would send a positive vibes to your customers and make a good impression.

There is no shortcut to success and building a website also is not an easy task, it requires ample number of experience, diversification and versatility on the part of website Design Company. However, the World Wide Web is far more evolving and ever changing, thus the web designers should have the skills to adapt changes. The designers should follow the fundamentals to make the site more appealing and attractive, enhanced look, and overall feel of your business. The design is the most important aspect and if it is slow, filled with errors, encrypted and cluttered image will result I dissatisfactory result. If the website is fast, with error, free navigation and smooth navigation and they are able to find everything with one click; it can be an influencing factor. The about us page of the website is the USP of your site, and it outlines the principles and goals of your site. Keeping the page simple with correct information will open a gateway to outstanding results. 

Never try to be implementing any rule in your website that goes against your sustainability. It is surprising to know how the minute details plays important factor that is generally overlooked. To give a polished effect, make sure the links are easily found and clicked at once to navigate the pages. The only way to convert the visitors into buyer is through forms, the web designers should always keep the usability of form in mind. The responsibility of the website design company is to make your site a wealth of information, without hindering in the way of design. So place all the information in the footer, which is considered to the most logical location.

While there are many components, that make a website a perfect mode of platform to convey your message to the clients. The web design company with their constant research, expertise and proficiency in the arena of web development and web designing. Different web design companies specialize in building a specific type of website; some might concentrate on large companies while others are specifically made for small and medium enterprises.