What is it?

PSD to HTML by psd2html.com code W3C valid XHTML and CSS based websites based on designs that clients submit to them. Aimed mainly at designers, PSD2HTML professionally code any design given to them. So what do they have to say about themselves?

PSD2HTML.com provides fast, high quality conversion of graphic Web design into Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and its extensions. We accept source files in all common formats, including PSD, PNG, AI, and even HTML (existing markup). We support the following markup specifications:

• W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict
• W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional
• W3C Valid HTML 4.01

So they are flexible with formats, and can code according to a variety of W3C Doctypes. And what about the end product - the code?

The following points summarize our strict guidelines:

• The markup looks exactly the same as the original design
• CSS classes and images are intuitively named to correspond to their sense / content
• The code is correctly indented to correspond to the nesting level of each element
• As an option, the code can be separated into templates represented by logical parts (files), such as navigation, content, header, footer, and so on

So it’s more than just looking like the submitted design. The code produced is thought through and semantic as a result. So is the service simply coding a single template?

PSD2HTML.com has launched a number of options to implement your design as WordPress, Movable Type, Drupal, Joomla!, Pligg, Blogger, Shopify, X-Cart, CMS Made Simple, and CubeCart.

Obviously, the service extends to more than simply coding a website. Themes/Templates for major blog, content management and e-commerce systems can be ordered.

How are they different?

There are a lot of similar services around, so let’s see what makes PSD2HTML different. Initially, three things set PSD2HTML apart from the (mass of) competition:

Firstly, they were the pioneers of this type of service, launching in March 2005. They have experience and have stood the test of time, in internet years. A sure sign of quality. Secondly, reviews on their service are positive, some exceptionally so. And finally, turnaround. Coding designs into websites in under 8 hours is no mean feat. And judging from reviews, it seems on the majority of occasions websites are delivered on time.

Ordering Process, Pricing and Support

The ordering process is painless. Essentially, a comprehensive ‘Order Now’ contains markup packages and a full set of all necessary markup options with detailed descriptions. The order form allows one to select from two preset packages. Both use modern coding techniques (Tableless HTML & CSS), but the ‘Hi-End Package’ is coded to a XHTML 1.0 Strict doctype instead of Transitional. Also, the upper package includes a more SEO friendly coding method and better page optimisation.

Once a package is selected, extra options are available. ‘Layout options’ cover the basics to do with site wrappers/containers - widths and alignments essentially. ‘Advanced markup’ considers more browser compatibility, fancy fonts and more thorough HTML/CSS coding. ‘Software implementation’ includes the aforementioned integration with popular web software.

Options are simple to pick and choose, with the price updating ‘on the fly .’ Prices start from $117 (no extras) to $800+ including integrating CMS software. The package, costing $153 and $211 are very fair given the short turnaround and offering a flexible, option-laden service makes them very competitive within their industry. The service includes one single page, but more pages can be added discounted by 50% of the cost. Once ordered, any issues are ironed out and queries resolved before work commences.

Support is available throughout the project via the client area or on the phone. Although untested by myself, I’m assured that the support is through a “Highly qualified support team, extremely attentive and scrupulous.”

The End Product

A review can’t be complete without reviewing the end product so lets take a look at some examples. I’m paying particular attention to the coding, both XHTML and CSS.

DotSchools ~ Visit

DotSchools looks near identical across browsers so plus points there. It suffers from a missing xlmns attribute so that breaks validation, but this can easily be put right. CSS is fine. Code is efficient and semantics have been followed throughout the HTML.

iQualifyNow ~ Visit

iQualifyNow also remains consistent across major browsers. I prefer the use of real text where possible in this design compared to DotSchools. It will highly benefit SEO. My only gripes are the menu could use real text although I assume the client has specified the font. XHTML suffers the same error as DotSchools but again, CSS is valid. Given the amount of time given to build the site, I’m very impressed with the well structured CSS and XHTML.

PSD2HTML ~ Visit

I couldn’t resist peeking at their own code and I’m happy to report that XHTML and CSS are both valid. Code is semantic in most parts as advertised in their service and doesn’t suffer from code bloat. It’s succinct, only using necessary tags. A few extra divs are present but I can’t really complain here. Great stuff.

Conclusion

Whilst I was unable to put a site through the whole process, I’ve reviewed all the constituent parts of the PSD2HTML service bar their support. The website explains the service fully and sets the expectations of the designer as to what quality of code they will get. The order process is simple and options are abundant and flexible. The end result is a web-page/website with clean, semantic code and well-structured CSS that behaves consistently across specified browsers.

If you were a designer needing a very quick turnaround on a budget, I would point you in the way of PSD2HTML.

Last Word

I?ve said the following far too many times before about these types of service, but it?s worth mentioning yet again.

To get the most out of this service, a good design talent is needed to create the design in the first place. If you?re a designer without coding knowledge then this service (or a competitor?s - they happily list them on their site) could be for you. It?s also worth me pointing out that these types of services span two categories; the professional, code-loving type in this review and the slicing monkeys that don?t help anyone (read my comment to find the difference). If you?re a designer looking for this type of service then ask someone to look over code samples - it?s worth it. It?s also better than buying a template from Templates R Us. It?s the difference between buying mass produced cheap food and the organic stuff. Don?t expect the moon on a stick given time and budget constraints, but do expect good code and a site that looks almost identical to your design.
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What is it?

W3<MARKUP/> (order here) offers a service to designers (or developers without enough time to complete a project I guess) where the designer submits a design (in ‘unflattened’ form e.g. a Photoshop/Fireworks file) to W3<MARKUP/> and they code it in HTML and CSS. This is not to be confused with amateur “slicers” - they claim to carefully craft the code according to standards and use modern front-end coding techniques. Picking out the more interesting aspects of their service, straight from the horse’s mouth:

We Provide:

• Pixel-precise PSD conversion to CSS / HTML by hand (W3C Valid)
• Design implementation into skins, themes, CMS, shopping carts or other software

With:

• AJAX, sIFR, swfIR, mootools, script.aculo.us, jQuery, Prototype code,
• Search engine friendly / semantic code,
• 100% control of code style and preferences via our order form,

Who it is for?

Again, the service is primarily aimed at graphic designers with no or limited experience of coding for the web. It could also appeal to those front-end coders with little time or resources to produce the XHTML/CSS for a website. The service would be of use to those with some experience, but without the confidence to code to W3C standards. Those that want a theme for a particular blog/CMS/e-commerce package could look into W3<MARKUP/>’s services.

A quick look around their site

Whilst I shall concentrate on their service in this review, it is worth making a few points about their website. After all, you have to use it to get your design coded.

The design is a little off-beat (in a good way.) The site is unusually right-aligned with a bold, textured background at higher resolutions. I think that the website flows nicely with use of the “splatters” and “brush strokes” although the main brush stroke sometimes obscures content for me.

Compared to competitors, the site offers a whole host of information, answering every question I could think I’d need to know the answer to. Whilst the home and ‘why w3′ pages cover the basic, my favourite pages are the FAQs pages and the ordering page itself.

FAQs: The FAQs page (or section I should say) is vast. There are many, many questions conveniently categorised for your sanity. This smashes the opposition where depth of information is concerned.

Order: The page I was most impressed with was the Order page. I was expecting the usual name, email and requirements boxes but was presented with a clever form asking me nearly everything about my imaginary project and adding up the cost as I went along. Nice one, W3<MARKUP/>. One (minor) niggle is that the order page doesn’t seem to be well linked to. It’s a shame that it may be missing out on exposure due to people not finding it.

The Quality of Service

What would we look for from a company that codes other people’s designs? I’d personally look for the following two things:

• The similarity and attention to detail between the mockup and the final output. The customer expects this. That said, we know that coding in XHTML and CSS is not a pixel-perfect art. Attention to detail is key, but the odd pixel difference between browsers and platforms is expected.
• Quality code. Simple enough - but a short turnaround adds extra pressure into the equation. Let’s see how the XHTML and CSS hold up.

Let’s review some examples:

1. getpaid4yourrecipes

The first example is getpaid4yourrecipes. The coded version from their example section is W3C compliant for XHTML and CSS. Bonus points for adhering to XHTML Strict doctype standards. The code is extremely concise and there are no real cases of divits. Accessibility-wise the web page passes Priority 1 accessibility (without a manual check) but fails at Priority 2. The error brought up is repeated link text, probably brought on by the sample links to ‘Shirley.’ So we’ll forgive them this time as it’s only a sample.

I’d be very pleased if I were the client in this case as attention to detail has been near-perfect.

2. RockMeTV

The second example is RockMeTV. And the quality of code? One easily rectified error in the XHTML here. Same with the CSS, although this will be valid when CSS3 becomes official. I’m generally more interested in the quality and craftsmanship of the code and again things are rosy. Code is semantic, concise and doesn’t suffer from tag bloat.

3. Right-Reg

Again, XHTML is valid and CSS has one error. The thing that stood out the most with this design is that it is coded very semantically and also is very SEO friendly. Also, a good use of sIFR. Excellent considering a short (I assume) deadline

Conclusions

I haven’t had the opportunity of putting a design through the process and cannot comment on that aspect of their service, but here goes for the rest:
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Pros

• Very high quality of coding shown in portfolio
• High degree of flexibility/customisation - unlike most competitors.
• Doesn’t feel like Joe Blogg’s Slice’n'Dice Web Shop - more like a Quality Web Boutique.
• The price is very competitive given the attention to detail.

Cons

I’m struggling here, but:

• Service only as good as the designer (but I guess it is the same with all websites.)
• It would be nice to see the original design files on the website for comparison.
• The name W3<MARKUP/> could be easier to type in reviews. ;-)

Last Word

I’ve said the following before about these types of service, but it’s worth mentioning again.

To get the most out of this, a good design talent is needed to create the design in the first place. If you’re a designer without coding knowledge then this service (or a competitor’s - they happily list them on their site) could be for you. It’s also worth me pointing out that these types of services span two categories; the professional, code-loving type in this review and the slicing monkeys that don’t help anyone (read my comment to find the difference). If you’re a designer looking for this type of service then ask someone to look over code samples - it’s worth it. It’s also better than buying a template from Templates R Us. It’s the difference between buying mass produced cheap food and the organic stuff. Don’t expect the moon on a stick, but do expect good code and a site that looks almost identical to your design.

Based on what I’ve seen, I’d have no issue recommending the service to a graphic designer friend.

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What is it?

Max Web Design Blog is a blog encompassing web design, marketing and programming. In the words of the blog’s founder, Robert G:

I created this blog to write as much as I can about my projects, my websites, marketing and search engine optimization tips. Also I will describe different softwares I use, websites and other stuff.

So, a large range of content. We’ll see how that works out later when we come back to it. Firstly, let’s delve into the design…

Design/Code

The site runs on Wordpress and the design is powered by the Magazine News theme.

My initial thoughts are that the design looks clean, welcoming and well structured. Content is organised in a logical manner whilst also injecting some individuality with the placement of the featured article followed by the latest article and finally followed by a ‘river of excerpts.’ However, the featured article does look very similar to the one used on NorthxEast - a little originality wouldn’t go amiss.

The theme appears to be unmodified and I would suggest that if a theme is necessary, consider making it your own. I would suggest changing the colours to suit your personality or perhaps use the theme as a base and add your logo or swap some elements around to promote certain features.

The coding behind the theme is sound. Code is concise and semantic, although validation errors are present. Most of these errors are avoidable with a little editing. Coding is well thought through and commented appropriately -I feel like I could edit the design without any problems. That’s always a testament to the designer.

Usability/Accessibility

The theme behaves how a blog is expected to behave, with the exception of the featured article always being present. Navigating posts, pages, categories etc is intuitive as it’s set up like most Wordpress themes. I had no trouble drilling down to content in various ways. The only confusing thing for me usability wise is that there are two search boxes.

The website functions and appears correct across major browsers (IE7, IE6, Firefox, Safari, Opera) so I can’t fault it there. Text resizes without destroying the layout so that’s another plus point.

Content

What’s a blog without its content?

Robert covers a wide range of content. This can be make or break for a blog. We cover a lot of material here, but I wouldn’t dream of writing about all the subjects covered. After reading most posts on Robert’s website it appears that Robert really knows his stuff, especially where SEO (example) and the web industry (example) is concerned. I get the impression (I may of course be wrong) that his passion lies partly in coding and partly in marketing/SEO. Posts on these subjects are informative, well thought through and they kept my interest. Posts on other subjects seem to lack his passion.

So my advice with the content would be either to concentrate on core subjects instead of diluting content or perhaps get more people on-board to cover all the bases.

Summary

Likes:

• Easy to get to the juicy content, whichever way you choose to drill down to it.
• Robert’s posts on SEO are top notch.

Dislikes:

• If posting about web design, why not have a unique (or at least modded) theme?
• Content range is a bit wide, all for one person. Go niche?

I wish Robert the best of luck in growing the Max Web Design Blog. I hope to (and can’t see why I won’t) be competing with him within 6 months!

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What is it?

XHTML/CSS offer a service involving the coding of a submitted design. Essentially, Joe Bloggs would submit a psd/jpg/ai file to XHTML/CSS and they would code the design into XHTML and CSS with a three day turnaround. In their words:

How It Works

1. You send us the design that you want turned into XHTML/CSS.
2. Once payment is received we begin coding your design.
3. Within 3 days we send you your design as valid XHTML/CSS.

Who it is for?

The service is primarily aimed at designers; designers that have the talent to create ‘design mockups‘ but without the ability to transform those designs into XHTML/CSS. Maybe even designers that can code to some extent, but wish to have their design coded according to web standards, as is part of the service. The service is unlikely to appeal to other folks in the industry and may not be a wise decision for the average person that think they can design. The service is perfect for those with fantastic graphical skills but little/no knowledge of web design.

The Quality of Service

What would we look for from a company that codes other people’s designs? I’d personally look for the following two things:

• The similarity and attention to detail between the mockup and the final output. This is the cornerstone of services like XHTML/CSS. The customer expects this. That said, we know that coding in XHTML and CSS is not a pixel-perfect art. Attention to detail is key, but the odd pixel difference between browsers and platforms is expected.
• Quality code. Simple enough - but a three day turnaround adds extra pressure into the equation. Let’s see how the XHTML and CSS holds up.

It’s one thing describing the service, now let’s look under the surface at the portfolio.

1. Sales Manage Solutions Blog

View Screenshot

The first case study of two is the Sales Manage Solutions Blog. Comparing the screenshot that the designer submitted and the coded version from portfolio, we can see that it has reproduced faithfully. Graphically, the output is sound. Criticisms with the look (what little there are) would lie in three areas:

1. Shadows around some elements are a little harsh.
2. The logo seems to differ in type setting. (This may have been to the clients request. That’s what I assume.)
3. The typography seems to differ slightly between the original and the final design. I’m assuming again that this could have been at the client’s request.

So the front-end design has passed the test - let’s view-source and take a gander at the code.

• XHTML: Technically (ignoring character compatibility), the document passes validation tests at XHTML Transitional. A good thing for any service in this market. It would be easy to rush and ignore standards to meet the tight deadline. Applause for XHTML/CSS. What puzzles me though is the fact that it validates to XHTML 1.0 Strict. Why not use that Doctype? A look through the source shows that it is in most cases semantic and efficient. There is a small case of divitis but this may be expected when coding other people’s designs.
• CSS: Most of the CSS seems to be efficient. It may not be perfect but it is clean and understandable for the end user. I’d have no problem editing it. Often, short hand is used where it can be so that’s a plus. There is one validation error, but this is due to the png fix for IE. I’ll let that slide. (I tend to be of the opinion that XHTML should be perfect but CSS can be invalid if there’s good reason and it is tested.)

So, on the whole, I’d be very pleased if I were the client. Next case study…

2. Music Snob

View Screenshot

The second case study is Music Snob. Comparing the screenshot that the designer submitted and the coded version from portfolio, we can see that it has also been reproduced faithfully. Points of criticism include:

1. The spacing on the main header (H1) seems to have changed. For the better though in my view.
2. The logo seems a little blurred as a result of optimising for the web, although a decent version may not have been supplied.

And the code?

• XHTML: Valid XHTML Transitional again. Thumbs up. But not valid at XHTML Strict. It wouldn’t be hard to get this valid to strict as the errors are trivial. (For the record, I know it’s not quoted as Strict XHTML on their site - just an observation.) The occasional superfluous div and br is present but this doesn’t let down the quality of the coding too much. It’s good, again.
• CSS: CSS is valid, efficient and easy understand. No criticisms here at all.

Conclusions

Looking through other designs in the portfolio, I can see that on most occasions the designs are reproduced in XHTML and CSS with accuracy. There are occasional differences but not enough to shout about. The changes may have also been requested by the client - I cannot be sure. The markup is fairly good - semantics, standards and general coding practices are followed where possible. It is not of the same high quality as the standards gurus out there - but not too far off. That said, for the cost and turnaround I don’t think that would be humanly possible. Without using this service, I could happily recommend it to someone with a low budget and some design skills.

To get the most out of this, a good design talent is needed to create the design in the first place. If you’re a designer without coding knowledge then this service (or a competitor’s - they happily list them on their site) could be for you. It’s also worth me pointing out that these types of services span two categories; the professional, code-loving type in this review and the slicing monkeys that don’t help anyone (read my comment to find the difference). If you’re a designer looking for this type of service then ask someone to look over code samples - it’s worth it. It’s also better than buying a template from Templates R Us. It’s the difference between buying mass produced cheap food and the organic stuff. Don’t expect the moon on a stick, but do expect good code and a site that looks almost identical to your design. I’m sure XHTML/CSS will provide it.

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What is it?

It may be easier to start with telling you what aftervote isn’t. It isn’t an average search engine. Aftervote is a social search engine. But what does that mean? From Aftervote themselves:

AfterVote(Younanimous) is a new twist on a old idea. For years now, sites have existed as “meta search engines” which would search Google, Yahoo and MSN. The problem with these search engines is that they were unbearably slow, as they had to query Google, Yahoo, and MSN before they had anything to display.

Enter AfterVote(Younanimous): With an AJAX backbone, YOU Search Google, MSN, and Yahoo and let us know what you found and then we rank them for you, while providing additional detail about each result such as Alexa ranking, Google Pagerank, domain age and much more.

So what does that mean? Well, two things really. The first being that results are based upon websites from the indexes of the top three search engines meaning that a vast number of webpages are ‘crawled.’ The second, and perhaps more interesting feature set, is the interactivity. You have control of searches. To find out more about these, let’s take a look at the feature set…

Features

Search Result Voting

In true Reddit style, search results can be upvoted (or bookmarked) or downvoted (or blacklisted) so future searches are more tailored to you.

Critics may think that this is rather gimmicky but it does makes sense. Continual usage will provide good results for the end user.

Search Result Actions

This is the most social aspect of aftervote. Within the search results page the user can do the following:

• Submit the result directly to Digg or del.icio.us.
• Email the result.
• Translate the page.
• View BugMeNot login details for sites.
• Use the WayBack machine on a result.

Editing one’s settings will allow different social features to be present the results page. The list is impressively extensive. The only drawback for me with these features is the logic. Assuming you don’t know whether you like the result yet, you’d have to click the result then hit the back button before making use of these features.

Search Result Details

Aftervote also provides some site parameters for the user. Pagerank and Alexa rank. Although this may be useful to some, I think these stats are rather misleading and outdated. I personally don’t visit a site depending on its PR or Alexa rating. Maybe time to replace them with more tools for the social search?

Search Bar Option

Firefox users (and others?) will be pleased that aftervote can be added straight to the search bar. It’s a simple feature but an indispensable one for the hardcore aftervoter.

Other Features

There is more to aftervote. I believe that I’ve given you an explanation of the core feature set. Feel free to explore the search engine and feedback with features or settings you found interesting.

Summary

In short, this isn’t a Google-beater. But it’s not trying to be. Aftervote is trying to perfect social search. Some search engine purists will hate it and prefer results to be clean and untouched. Others will find the combinations of search functions and social aspects a real treat to use.

Likes:

• Social filtering of search results
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Plugs straight into Firefox

Dislikes:

• A bit slow when performing searches (but it does pull in a lot of data)
• Logic of social submission buttons.

I wish the small albeit innovative aftervote team the best of luck. Something like this could quickly evolve into a world-beating social search engine. This could go big-time.

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