Janice Schwarz's Blog, page 4

How to Get Your Small Business, MORE BUSINESS, During the Holidays

Have you bought Janice's book yet? Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven: A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English

Get your copy today and get the most of out of your website! http://www.geekartist.com/product/boo...

This post is for online stores, local shops, and all the small businesses out there…

First, Kabbage has an excellent page: 30 Creative Ideas to Promote Your Business for the Holiday Season. Make sure you check it out. That said, I’ve got more to add.

“Kabbage puts the power of business growth back in your hands by giving you instant access to funds. Enjoy ongoing access to your line, and take the funds you need day or night. Pay only for what you take and draw against your line as often as once a day.”

Kabbage has a variety of options to get cash for your business. I have not worked with them personally, but after some investigation, the results look good. I also called their sales office and asked questions: lots of good answers with ZERO PRESSURE sales. They are quite passionate about helping small business owners. You can find them at kabbage.com. Frankly, when I’m in a position to take out a loan, I intend to work with them. I like what I see.

Now then:

The problem for most small business owners: we’re doing almost EVERYTHING. We can’t afford to outsource or hire people, especially if we’re just starting out or in our “dry season”. Or you’re like me and you’ve hired a virtual assistant, have a few subcontractors, and that’s about it. But YOU are doing the PR, project management, ordering inventory, working on a website (or with a web designer), doing advertising, and more.

Being a small business owner is not an easy job. We don’t sleep a lot. We’re ALWAYS on call. And as Hopper said, in It’s a Bugs Life, “First rule of leadership: everything is your fault” (which, frankly, I prefer to working for someone else and dealing with their mistakes). It takes GUTS to run a business (or you just have to be my kind of crazy).

So to improve holiday sales, a few pointers:

1. Make a Calendar of Holidays

Mark when you should start preparations. Use something like Google Docs or EverNote to make a list of everything you need. Prep 3 months in advance, minimum. Especially if you are going to have to wait for:

inventory
print jobs
web designer’s schedules

and other variables.

2. Make a List of Holidays

Most businesses do the Federal and State Holidays. But what about your local demographic? Big Muslim or Hindu neighborhood? Run sales on THEIR holidays. Throw in some for the Christians too, who are still the dominant religion in the U.S. Just don’t forget that your demographic, like mine, may be VAST. My customers, that I know of, are:

Jewish
Muslim
Hindu
Pagan
Christian

So one thing I’ve started doing on social networks is just at least sending a shout out for their holiday. Just so they know that I recognize and respect them, and remember them. Not sure when all those holidays happen? If you use Google Calendar, there are calendars for everything on the planet that you can plug into your calendar.

3. Advertise the Sale in Advance

Don’t wait until the last day. Or even the week before. Start a month out, just a mention that it’s coming, is good. Then: two weeks out, to remind people.

Promote it on social media, if you use it. Put up signs in your store. If you have a newsletter for your business, send out a notice 1 month before, then 2 weeks before, then the week before. Then: on the day of the sale. Tell them to mark their calendar’s! Better yet, if your newsletter service has a way for customers to embed a Google Calendar reminder: go for it!

Just don’t get TOO spammy with all the newsletters. That’s why you want to space them out. When it comes to newsletters, more is NOT better. You’ll just piss off your audience and they’ll unsubscribe due to the sheer volume of email from you (that is likely all saying the same thing).

And remember: tell your customer’s what’s in it for them.

 4. How to Compete with the Big Dogs

Tell your customers WHY you are better than the big box stores. For example,

Personalized service
Friendly, relaxed atmosphere
Stress-free shopping
You get to know your customers by name

And so on. A lot of people like to shop local for these reasons, and more. So remind your customers why you ARE better than the big dogs in the marketplace. Advertising by the Big Dog’s makes it easy for your less loyal, less regular customers to remember you.

To sum up:

1. Make a Calendar of Holidays (Plan in Advance)

2. Make a List of Holidays (More: Plan in Advance)

3. Advertise the Sale in Advance (and know when and how)

4. How to Compete with the Big Dogs (tell everyone why YOU are better)

Got more questions? Get in touch! Also, check out my book for website owners: Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven – A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English. (Also available on Kindle and Nook.)

The book is NOT about how to make a website. It covers ALL the mistakes I’ve watched people make in the past 15 years. It covers law, website promotion, terminology, how to find and work with a web designer, newsletter best practices, site promotion, and more.

And as always, if you have questions, get in touch! You can also subscribe to the book email list (see right sidebar) for future Q&A sessions, whether you’ve bought the book or not. And I have communities for website owners where you can get your questions answered over on Reddit and Goodreads.

Happy ALL the holidays to you! Wishing you all a PROSPEROUS 2015!

The post How to Get Your Small Business, MORE BUSINESS, During the Holidays appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

Shady Tricks In the World of Web Design & Site Promotion

Have you bought Janice's book yet? Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven: A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English

Get your copy today and get the most of out of your website! http://www.geekartist.com/product/boo...

I’ve been admitted to a great, select group of bloggers: Word Carnivals.

Our January topic: Controversial techniques in your industry.

“The New Year is bright with all sorts of new ideas, but in certain circles there’s still plenty of shady tricks and underhanded practices that we think should be called out. This month’s word carnival: Dirty Deeds and Due Diligence – what to watch out for in 2015!”

There are a LOT of shady techniques when it comes to web design and SEO. Know what to watch out for, when hiring someone to make your site.

Admittedly, in my field, sometimes it is hard to know if someone is actually shady, or just has no clue what they are doing. Either way, that will come back to bite you.

Let’s start with Making Websites/Hiring Web Designers

There are a lot of people that claim to be web designers, but are con artists. They’ll take your money and disappear. Others are so new to web design, they can’t make you a site worth the money you  paid.

Worst yet is if you go overseas for cheap web design: you may not get a website at all; again, another con. Or you’ll get one, but not what you wanted. Unless you can afford to fight an overseas court case, you’re out of luck. Mostly: you’re out of luck. To be fair, some people have had good experiences hiring overseas. Others, not so good luck.

What to Look For

When looking at a web designer’s site, look for terminology such as:

Web standards
Accessible or accessibility
SEO or search engine optimization
Usability
Target demographic
Cross-Platform and/or Responsive Design

This is what you need to make a website. Web design is more than a pretty site. Web design is about making a functional, useful marketing tool. Without the criteria listed above, all you have is a pretty picture for which you paid a bunch of money.

However, looks DO figure heavily in web design. So examine the site of the web designer. Does the site look professional? Does it look like it is using current design trends, or does it look like the older style websites? Check out their portfolio too. Make sure each project links to an existing, functional website so you can see their work in action.

If all the web design has are screenshots to websites, not live, functioning links: run. Hit that Back button and get out of there.

If the web designer can’t provide any references from current or past clients, again, Run away!

Only screenshots on a site are either a sign of a con artist, or someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. Either way, run.

Get it in writing!

Always have a contract. If the web designer refuses to use a contract, that’s a sign of a shady character. NEVER work without a contract! Even when I make sites for friends and family,  I always use a contract. That’s how you keep your friends and family. Friend or family member refuses to use a contract because “we’re friends” or “we’re family”? Again: RUN! If anything goes wrong with the project, you’re on your own. And have likely lost a friend or family member.

Buy Your Own Domain

This one also falls into the realm of: either they are a con artist or incompetent. The web designer may be like me, and be a reseller. HOWEVER, when you buy a domain through me, YOU are listed as the site owner. I am only the technical and billing contact.

I’ve had too many customers come to me because the web designer they hired bought their domain,  (and was not a domain reseller), took off with their domain, the site owner can’t reach that person anymore, and the domain isn’t in the customer’s name, but in the web designer’s name. Naughty, naughty! Don’t get caught on that one. The site owner had the “web designer” buy the domain for them, because they were intimidated by the ordering process. Regardless of how nervous you feel, talk to other people with domains and find out where they registered theirs and if they’re happy with them still, then sign up and get your own.

Your web designer was either a con, or moved and never knew to make you the site owner on the account and never gave you their contact info after the move.

Once that “web designer” disappears, you can’t get that domain back. Period. The web host can only release it to the name and contact info on the account, and that’s not you, since you do not legally own it (in other words: you are not listed as the site owner). Nothing left to do but get a new domain name.

Not sure who’s name your site is in? Try a WhoIS lookup. Unless you or the person that bought it paid extra for privacy settings, you can see who is listed as owner, contact info, who their host is, etc.

Stolen Text Content, Design and Images

Sometimes, I have a customer come to me and say: “I want a website that looks EXACTLY like such-and-such’s site”. They don’t realize: that is theft and illegal, even if it’s for personal use.

Whoever is making your site, however, should know better. They should be using images licenced for free use or have you purchase images for the site. Your written content should not all come from another site either.

I’ve known of cases where an entire site’s logo, images, written content and code were used on someone else’s site, in a similar industry, without ever asking first. That was outright theft!

Even though you didn’t make the site, you own it. When you’ve paid your money and the “web designer” runs, and someone contacts you of the theft: you are liable.

Black Hat SEO

If you think of bad guys and good guys in the old Western movies, you’ve got the general idea.

Anytime someone chooses to put on a black hat in life, there is a lot of money to be made. Oh yes, black hat SEO is big money, and fast. But as with all bad guys, in the end they often get caught, and they can kiss all that money goodbye.

Unfortunately, some people get sucked into black hat SEO without knowing it. Some may do it while doing their own SEO and not know better. Some may hire others to do the SEO, unaware that the hired individual or company is using black hat practices.

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker asks how he’ll know the Dark Side of the Force when he sees it. Some website owners may ask the same question: how will I know if I’m doing Black Hat SEO?

For starters, Google gives a list of things you can do to improve rankings with them. At the end of that page is a list of things not to do. If you’re doing those things, you’re doing black hat SEO.

Think of Google rankings like a popularity contest: the higher ranked sites you are linked to (big names like Facebook, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau), the higher up you go. If you are linked to low ranking sites, it drags down your ranking. Be careful what your web designer and/or SEO person does to promote your site.

When coding images to a site, excessive keywords in two tags: “alt” and “title” can also get you knocked down a notch. Same for lengthy page names stuffed with keywords. For example: “myawesomesite.com/web-design-developm...”.

That right there: excessive. And alt tags should describe the image, so the blind using screen readers know what the image is. Alt tags should not be SEO tools; they are for accessibility for those who use screen readers (software that reads web pages to them).

Some SEO web designers use something called keyword stuffing. This won’t help. Or, it will in the short term before Google boots your butt out of their search engine. And REMEMBER: where Google goes, all other search engines follow. This is an old, out-dated trick.

Another is hiding key words in code, and making the words the same color as the background of the page. Again: old trick, Google boots you.

Also, Google discusses how they don’t like link schemes.

Remember: what Google does, other search engines do too. Most of them try to duplicate Google’s success by copying its practices.

On that article about link schemes, Google says:

Examples of link schemes can include:

Links intended to manipulate PageRank
Links to web spammers or bad neighborhoods on the web
Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging (“Link to me and I’ll link to you.”)
Buying or selling links that pass PageRank


Wanna Kill Your Business? Buy An Email List

A lot of individuals are taken in by the hype surrounding email marketing. The websites look great and the results sound promising. I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again: “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.” The Internet is just like your offline life. Never believe the two are different. Just because it’s in writing doesn’t mean it’s true.

So why would I say buying an email list is bad when so many say it’s so good?

For starters … those saying it’s so good are frequently after your wallet. Ask yourself: who’s saying it’s so great? Are they in the business of selling those lists? Or are they in a business that is in any way related to that? Or maybe they’re a novice touting themselves as experts, just parroting what they’ve read (and believe me, there are a lot of those).

At the VERY LEAST: vet the company you are looking a buying a mailing list from. Many claim they have opt-in subscribers. But the opt-in is hidden in fine print and in the end so their subscribers have no clue they opted-in.  Then, you get reported as a spammer. This is bad; your site could get shut down or at the least, your mail is not going to work.

These are just some of the shady tricks to watch out for:

Sites with just screenshots of past work, no link to those sites
No contract
You let your web designer buy your domain
Stolen content
Black Hat SEO
Bad mailing lists

The quoted sections above are from my book. Want to learn more? If you thought this advice was useful, you should see what other tips I wrote in my book. The book tells you what to do and what not to do, in greater detail than you’ll find here. My book is a great reference guide, written to be as non-technical as possible: Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven – A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website in Plain English

Questions about any of this? Just post a question! I’m happy to help!

The post Shady Tricks In the World of Web Design & Site Promotion appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

Interview with a GeekArtist e-Commerce Customer

Have you bought Janice's book yet? Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven: A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English

Get your copy today and get the most of out of your website! http://www.geekartist.com/product/boo...

Featuring Tempest Mystic Products!

An interview with Cyndi Premazon, owner of Tempest Mystic Products. We don’t get to work on e-commerce sites often around here, but I wanted to ask her a few questions about her experience, so the rest of you can see what we can do for e-commerce.

Note: Janice is often referred to as she is the primary point of contact and project manager.

Tell me a little about Tempest Mystic Products. How did you get started? What do you do?

Tempest was the opportunity I created for myself when I needed it most, Janice. I had been laid off back in 2011 from a long-term job at a major corporation. I’d been there about 13 years. When something like that happens, you can either start looking for just another job, or, you can take something you love doing and make that your business. I’m lucky enough to have a spouse who supported my endeavor when I launched Tempest Mystic Products. He still helps me by promoting my products to his vendors (did I mention my husband owns The Magick Cauldron?). He also helped us get our start with our shop at The Texas Renaissance Festival.

What do we do?

Our primary product is handmade incense. I make the sticks and cones here at the house. I have the best smelling garage in Houston! I also make incense resins and powders. Some customers would rather burn oils (or wear them, for that matter), so I also have a line of my own oils. Alas, I do not distill; however, I can assure you that my oils are either going to be essential or a high quality oil safe for use in soap making. I strive to keep my line as natural as possible. Lastly, I have a line of aromatherapy room sprays, and an all-natural mosquito repellent.

When you determined your website needs, what was your experience in building your website?

Janice made the entire experience smooth and easy, from beginning to end. She let me know exactly what information she needed from me, the type of files, what size and types of images. I liked the fact that I had my own action items and clear deadlines, too. That’s what helped make the process flow without any bumps in the road. We had fun when it came down to finding stock images for all the different product I had. Janice ran all of the images by me for approval. She had a great eye for imagery that conveyed the meaning or feel of the product.

Was this your first website?

Technically, yes; however, I had previously setup a catalog for Tempest Mystic Products on WordPress. I just didn’t have the ability to make a cart. So I detailed my products and posted contact information. I had absolutely zero traffic. In contrast, GeekArtist built this site and I’m getting traffic – not only on the site but also on my social media pages. Suddenly I’m visible. Not only that, but I’m making sales!!

How long have you been up and running with GeekArtist?

TempestMysticProducts.com went live October 1, 2014. Janice had a tight deadline to meet on that one, too, BTW. The website list of needs was hammered out around mid-August, and we got the website estimate on August 24th. All this was done in time for the launch of “Magickal Scents”, our shop at Texas Renaissance Festival. Janice pulled off the impossible, in my opinion. :)

How has your experience been since launch?

We’ve had a great experience. I think there’s only been one technical issue and that was resolved within a day. Zero business impact. I, personally, have had such a good experience that I’m telling all my friends who might need a website to consider GeekArtist. Yes, I’m pimping your service. I don’t do that for everyone, just the people who impress me. :)

Janice: Thanks Cyndi! And remember: all customer referrals who sign a contract and make a deposit get an hour of free site maintenance. We can do a LOT in an hour!

Have you received customer feedback on your website?

YES!! We have had customers tell us that our website is pretty, that it’s easy to find things, and that it doesn’t look “cookie-cutter”. Customers tell us they like the look and feel of the website, and they like the color scheme. Oh, and they like the fact that they don’t have problems with our mobile layout.

Janice: Dear visitors, I’d like to point out that we use the StyleShop theme from Elegant Themes, and we customized it so heavily, NO ONE can tell this is a pre-made template.

What do you like about your website?

I like the fact that it’s unique to me. I was involved in the process from beginning to end. That pretty background picture? I created it. Some of the other pictures are my creations, too. I’m proud of it because it looks so beautiful and it’s so easy to use! And I couldn’t have done any of it without the people at GeekArtist.

Janice: Thanks Cyndi! I really appreciate your feedback! My goal is to make websites that WORK. And boy, does yours work it! That is one of the best feelings in the world for me: a website that gives a great ROI!

The post Interview with a GeekArtist e-Commerce Customer appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

Website Redesigns – Part 2: How To Make an Effective One

Have you bought Janice's book yet? Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven: A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English

Get your copy today and get the most of out of your website! http://www.geekartist.com/product/boo...

And now…

Time for a website redesign.

The site you’re seeing now is a complete redesign and rebranding, that launched December 2014.  A LOT of time and planning went into this.

With a website redesign, you don’t just sit there and start throwing out ideas, or haphazardly adding or removing content or site features. There are specific steps to take for your website redesign to truly accomplish what you desire.

Which brings me to my first point.

1. What are Your Goals for this Site?

Drive traffic to a contact form? Sales through the site (e-commerce/online sales)? Other? Think this through, and build a site strategy around that. Write it down so you always have this in mind as you work with your web designer or make the site yourself with a website builder. Create a flowchart and/or outline to help you figure out to get visitors from point A to B. And remember: not all visitors arrive via your home page.

2. What do Your Visitors Want From Your Site?

Do you know your target demographic? (Age, sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, shopping habits, B2B or B2C styles, goals, etc?)

Has anyone given you feedback as to what the stumbling blocks are on finding things on your site? Worst case: send out a poll via newsletter, using WordPress or other CMS poll plug-in, or use a polling service to get feedback on how well your site is working for your site visitors. Find out what your customers want to see on your site, that isn’t there.

3. Put Together Your Content FIRST

I always tell my clients: “give me your content, I will design around that”. You shouldn’t make a site, then try and slap content in there. It looks too careless and goal-less. Write down what you want to say and on what pages you want. Figure out what images, or what kind of images you want. (Yes, stock photography is OK, so long as it is in-context and not the generic smiling person with a headset on your contact page.)

You can work with your web designer on what content will be best placed on different areas on a page of your site. You may want to start with an outline, and go from there. To get an idea of what content you want to go where, try looking at some quality themes and see how they are laid out. For example, I’m a fan of Elegant Themes (full disclosure: I am an affiliate). I recommend always looking at the responsive themes, if you decide to use any theme. The main point is: look at other website layouts, and see what content goes where. This will also help you write your content for your redesign.

 4. Be Realistic on Your Time Frame for Completion

Treat this like getting a new website: it is going to take 6 to 9 months. And that is because all the content comes from you, and you’re busy! Even if your web design firm writes your content for you, you still will need time to answer their questions so it can be written. There will be lots of email and phone communication along the way, to make sure details are correct. We’ll also need your approval on any stock photography, and stock photo search is a lengthy process, especially if you’re not sure what you want (or even if you are sure…some images are hard to find or your web designer may have to make custom images and icons for your site).

 5. SEO is a Moving Target

What works 5 years ago, a year ago, or maybe a month ago won’t work now. So your web designer should be writing code and naming pages to target the keywords you want. And your content should also contain those same keywords. Make sure your web designer is up on Google’s latest SEO do’s and don’ts. Because where Google goes, so do all other search engines.

 6. Make Sure Your Site is Responsive

In other words, make sure that your new site looks good and functions well on all devices. This includes different browsers on Windows or Apple OS or Linux, tablets, and smartphones. The site doesn’t have to LOOK the same on all devices. But the look should be consistent and the menu easy to find with the site easy to navigate. Don’t leave all the testing to your web designer. When they say the site is done, test it on as many devices as you can too. Ask friends and family that have devices you don’t have, to test them. If anything looks weird, make sure you take a screenshot and send it to the web designer so they know what to fix.

7. Make Sure People Can Tell What You’re All About

Most people should be able to look at your site and know that, “oh, this is selling XYZ”. They shouldn’t have to guess. Ensuring clarity of what you do is an important factor as part of your website redesign. This means: pay attention to what is written. Avoid industry jargon, unless your target audience KNOWS that jargon.

8. Don’t Lose Your Traffic!

With updated SEO and new page names, your old page names need to be redirected to the new ones. This way, you don’t lose traffic or your visitors don’t end up on a 404 page (the page that tells them the site can’t find the page). That said, try having a helpful 404 page that has a search box or reminds them to use the navigation menu. Funny and memorable 404 pages,  like this one, are also handy for not losing customers. This should be done by your web designer.

 9. Don’t Make User’s Think!

Bear this in mind when working on your redesign. Your users should know what your site is about at first glance. They should be able to find what they want in a click or two. Keep clutter on the pages to a minimum. If you’ve never read it, a great book by an awesome author, Steve Krug, has a non-techie book called Don’t Make Me Think! Get it. Read it. You and your site will be better for it. There are both print and Kindle editions.

10. Try Some Free Google A/B Testing

An A/B test lets you test 2 different versions of the same page. Google Analytics has this capability. They have instructions on how to do it. So if you’re of two minds on something, an A/B test is a good way to go. This will tell you which page is most effective at getting customers to take the action you want them to take (buy something, email you, and so on). This is best done after site launch though.

Also, here’s an oldie (but still relevant) post from every web designer and developer’s favorite blog, Smashing Magazine. Check this out for great tips on making a better site.

 Questions about website redesigns? Just ask!

The post Website Redesigns – Part 2: How To Make an Effective One appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

I Have My Book & an Author Page on Goodreads

Check it out!

Q&As are already up.

Feel free to ask your own questions too! Happy to answer!

See latest blog posts and what I’m reading.

Keep up with any special events for the book.

FYI: a new book in process right now, for  kids, about autism.

https://www.goodreads.com/geekartist

 

 

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Reddit Users: New Subreddit for Site Owners

Have you bought Janice's book yet? Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven: A Guide to Creating a PROFESSIONAL Website, in Plain English

Get your copy today and get the most of out of your website! http://www.geekartist.com/product/boo...

Are you on reddit? Well, now I’ve got my own subreddit: WebsiteOwners101

Join and learn more to get the most out of your site.  Ask questions. Get answers from me and other group visitors.

Visitors may also share content, so long as it is relevant. Even links to your own web design blogs.

The information MUST be accurate and on-topic to be posted.

https://www.reddit.com/r/websiteowners101/

The post Reddit Users: New Subreddit for Site Owners appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

Reddit Users: New Subreddit for Site Onwners

Are you on reddit? Well, now I’ve got my own subreddit: WebsiteOwners101

Join and learn more to get the most out of your site.  Ask questions. Get answers from me and other group visitors.

Visitors may also share content, so long as it is relevant. Even links to your own web design blogs.

The information MUST be accurate and on-topic to be posted.

https://www.reddit.com/r/websiteowners101/

The post Reddit Users: New Subreddit for Site Onwners appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

Website Redesigns – Part 1: Why You Need One

So you’ve had your site for a few years, and not much has changed. Maybe you’re getting a lot of traffic. Maybe you get little to none.

Time for a website redesign.

And you ask: “Why? Why do I need to spend time and money on a website redesign, when mine is just fine. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Well, that’s the thing: YOU think it’s not broke. But odds are good, if it’s sat there with the same look and code for a few years, it’s broke.

1. SEO Changes Constantly

What were best practices for coding your site for SEO a year ago, or 3 or 5 years ago, no longer apply. SEO is a moving target. If you want to keep up with page rankings, a redesign is a good way to go. Additionally, if you have a WordPress site, there are new and improved plugins for SEO. My favorite, for all sites, is WordPress SEO by Yoast. This plugin developer is constantly updating his plugin to keep up with search engine algorithm changes. He also provides lots of excellent features for SEO. It’s also very easy to use.

2. Your Site Looks Dated

If your site looks like it was made 5 of 10 years ago, or even 3 years ago, it looks unprofessional. You look like you don’t keep up with trends or pay any attention to your site or online business. It also looks like you have no attention to detail and aren’t very savvy regarding web design trends. Your average customers have noticed how sites start looking different over time. Younger customer especially see the trends. Anyone that works in the tech industry definitely will look at your site and say “bleah” and hit the Back button.

3. Your Site is Not Responsive

In other words, your site was made before everyone was looking at websites on phones and tablets. A website redesign should include a responsive design, so it functions well and looks great on any device. Otherwise, you only frustrate and drive away customers.

 4. Your Site Isn’t Getting Results

Maybe it’s time for a new designer to step in. Or maybe your old designer has gained more experience, and can make your site much more user-friendly. When it comes time to redesign, you’ll first need to determine what you want to accomplish with your site (more on that in the next post, Part 2). If your site isn’t getting what you want, then it needs to be examined as to WHY you aren’t getting the results you want.

BTW, did you know we offer website design critiques? These come with a full report on what to fix to improve your ability to meet your goals. We even check things like SEO best practices and page load times. As an aside: did you know page load time figures into SEO ranking?

5. Your Branding Has Changed

So you have a new logo and color scheme. It’s on your business cards, pamphlets…everywhere except your website. This inconsistent experience leaves customers confused. If you hand them a business card, and they go to a site that in no way matches you new branding, your customer won’t be sure they’re even on the right website.

 6. Your Competitors are Redesigning Their Websites

It doesn’t look good if you’re the only one not doing it. They’re keep up with trends, make the site be the best it can be. Your’s still looks like it was made 3, 5, or 10 years ago. No bueno.

 7. To Add New Content

You may want to add more content for customers and SEO purposes. It’s a bad idea to keep slapping more info into a site, without a redesign. For new web designs and website redesigns, I always recommend my clients give me their content FIRST, and we design around that. Otherwise, you end up with a jumbled mess with hard-to-find information that will only frustrate your customers. Even doing things like adding social media icons isn’t always just a “quick fix”. There may not be enough decent real estate on your current site for those to fit on, without the site looking uglier.

But Wait…

All this said, your redesign does not have to be radical. It can be just enough change to look better, but not annoy your customers. Or, it may be time for you to go a whole new direction, especially if you have re-branded your business, non-profit, or yourself as an individual.

 Next up: HOW to go about getting a good redesign.

What to ask yourself
What to consider
How to do A/B testing (user testing)
Making sure you do things like redirect old page names to new pages (so you don’t lose traffic)

And more!

 Meanwhile, take a look at some Before and After’s for website redesigns that we’ve done!

The post Website Redesigns – Part 1: Why You Need One appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

A Look Inside the New e-Book

Website Wonder Made Easy: Websites Unwoven
A Guide to creating a PROFESSIONAL website, in Plain English

 

It’s time a gave you a little more of a peek inside the book. I have a few .  If you look at the book’s sale page, you can see what the chapters cover. But let me show you a little bit more….

First, a freebie. The first chapter in the book addresses what the book is and is not. It also has a whole section on terminology. Which, is in the book, and in the book there is a link to this page, where you can access all the web design dictionary for free. Ta da! Bookmark the page for future reference.

Chapter 2 discusses Your site and the Law. Here is just a little bit from the site:

Fair Use Myth

Once presented with this information, a lot of people come back with “but this qualifies under fair use!” Nope, it doesn’t. The vast majority of people have an inaccurate understanding of what “fair use” is and is not. So let’s clear that up for you.

Myth 1: It’s for a personal site.

Reality: It doesn’t matter if you are making money off of the intellectual property or not; you must gain permission to use it first.

Myth 2: It’s for an educational site.

Reality: See answer to Myth #1. It doesn’t matter if you are making money off of the intellectual property or not; you must gain permission to use it first.

Myth 3: I found it on the Internet.

Reality: The Internet is not a playground of freebies.

Myth 4: It’s old and the copyright expired.

Reality: Maybe. Copyright laws, depending on the country (and remember, not every website is made for and by the country you live in), can last up to 70 years. Additionally, copyrights can be renewed. This is often done by the estate of an artist long after their death.

Myth 5: I changed it 10% or more.

Reality: Even if you changed the original, it is still not “fair use;” and no matter how much you change the original work, that doesn’t suddenly turn that product into “fair use” for you to use.

Chapter 3:  Setting Realistic Expectations

Most people step into their first website with very unrealistic ideas. The average person tends to mis-estimate:

the amount of time and money involved in having a professional make a site for them;
the amount of time needed to learn to do it themselves;
the amount of time they have available to assist their website creator in making a website for them;
how quickly they’ll see a return on their investment;
how quickly they’ll see their site listed in a search engine; and
what a realistic search engine ranking is for their site based on the time and money they have put into the site.
So let’s get you moving with some realistic expectations on what you can expect while creating a site and after it is built.

This chapter goes on to address the realities of getting a website made, and what you can expect in the process. This chapter also busts a lot of myths about making websites, how fast you can make money, promoting your site, and more.

Chapter 4: Make a Plan

Before you have a website, you need a plan. Just diving in is a good way to end up with something that is not worth the time and money you invested. Whether you go the DIY route or hire someone to make the site, have a plan.

In case you missed it in Chapter 1, remember this:

Things You MUST HAVE to Have a Website

Domain
Web Host
Web Pages

These are not optional.

We’ll get to how to choose those later.

This chapter provides a list of questions to ask yourself. Questions that never occur to most people, when starting out on a new web design project. Then there are TWO website checklists:

one for a brochure website (no online sales)
and one for an e-commerce website.


Chapter 5: Buying Services to Get Your Site Started

How to Choose a Domain Name

Choose your domain name carefully. It will follow you forever.

Look for one that has your business name or product/services you sell. Keep it as short as possible. A short domain name is memorable, and easier to read and say. But don’t make it so short that the domain name appears unrelated to your business either.

A good domain name may help with SEO. But don’t choose your domain name just for SEO purposes either. Domain names aren’t the biggest factor in search engine rankings.

Get variations on your domain name. This includes anything that is similarly spelled or people may mistype. For example, my husband bought the following domains, in addition to his domain weaselpants.com:

weaselpantsproductions.com
weaselpants.com
wesellpants.com
weselpants.com
weaslepants.com

Most people buy TLDs (Top Level Domains), which are those ending in .com, .net, and .org.

If you can buy the .com version of your name, I also recommend getting the .net too. You may also want the .co version as well. Some people get the .org just to cover their bases (although technically, this is generally reserved for non-profits, but some like to cover their bases to prevent confusion). Getting all domains with the most commonly used extensions means that in the future, if you have a competitor with a similar name, you are less likely to be confused with them. That said, sometimes your only option is to get a domain name similar to another one that exists because you can’t get the one you really want. In that case, take it. It’s better than nothing, and you may be able to either buy the other domain from the owner, or they may let the domain expire one day and you can buy it then. Personally, I’ve done both.

PRO TIP: If your domain involves a word that is often misspelled, get the misspelled version too. You can set that up with your web host to redirect to your primary website. This way, if someone misspells the address, they’ll still find you. This is why my husband also got weselpants.com when he purchased weaselpants.com.

And this is just the first page or two of the book. There’s a lot more in this chapter to set you on the right path to creating a quality website, and how to get all the services you need.

Chapter 6: Styling Your Content

This chapter tells you simple tips to make your site and newsletters look professional, instead of amateurish. Topics include:

How to use bullets
Color contrast for easier reading
Font choice
Font size
Font style
Font combinations

The chapter gives visual examples of good and bad text. And has visual demonstrations of how to properly combine fonts so they look professional.

Chapter 7 is about Getting the Site Made

This chapter covers a variety of topics, such as:

Doing it Yourself
How to Find a Web Designer/Developer
How to Choose a Web Designer/Developer
How to Work with a Web Designer/Developer

You get a lot of detail on all of those subjects, so you have a better experience in finding the right professional, and in understanding how to work with them. And there are tips for those with the time and tech savvy (and no budget) to try the DIY approach. The book also addresses what mid-size to larger businesses need to look for when hiring for in-house professionals.

 Chapter 8: What To Do When Things Go Wrong

It’s uncomfortable and  something no one wants to think about. But these things happen. I see them all the time (which is sometimes how I end up with new customers; they need help).

The chapter covers:

Web Designer Vanishes
Can’t Access Domain Registrar and/or Web Host
I Don’t Have the Email Address I Used to Sign Up for a Domain and/or Web Host
Project Taking Too Long
Web Designer/Dev Uses Stolen Material to Create Your Website
My Site Is Not Working!
My Site Visitors are Complaining About My Site
Someone Stole My Stuff!

The last chapter covers website promotion. Everything from search engine marketing to social media. That’s a lot of ground to cover; I address best practices for SEO and the most popular social networks, and if you, your business, or non-profit should or should not use certain types of social media.

Like what you see? The book is available as a a downloadable PDF on this site. It is also available for Kindle on Amazon. Later: it will be available for Nook through Barnes and Noble.

Can’t wait for Nook,  Smashwords or Goodreads?

 

Next posts: A two-part series on why, when and how to do an effective website redesign.

The post A Look Inside the New e-Book appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.

For Sale: e-Book For Everyone

I finally finished it!

Website Wonders Made Easy: Websites Unwoven

Buy the e-book in PDF format for only $9.99.

This book is for:

New Site Owners
Current Site Owners
Small Business Owners
Big Businesses
Non-Profits
Individuals
Web Designers
Web Developers

Chapters include

Terminology and Definitions

Your Site and the Law

Setting Realistic Expectations

Time and Money
Realistic Timing/Scheduling
How Much Does a Website Cost?
How to Make an (Experienced) Website Creator Laugh
To Sum Up Time & Cost
Common Myths and Misconceptions
People Who Should Not Make your Website

Make a Plan

Things You MUST HAVE to Have a Website
Questions to Ask Yourself
Website Checklist
e-Commerce Website Checklist

Buying Services to Get Your Site Started

Styling Your Content

Getting the Site Made

Doing it Yourself
How to Find a Web Designer/Developer

What To Do When Things Go Wrong

Website Promotion

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Social Media

Useful Resources

And so much more!

If you want the book for Kindle, Nook, or other devices, I am in the process of modifying my files for those sites.

I intend to make the book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and Smashwords. Just bear with me as I reformat for those sites.

LATER…

I plan to do Q&A’s and webinars for book owners.

Join the mailing list to keep up with the events!

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The post For Sale: e-Book For Everyone appeared first on GeekArtist Web Solutions, LLC.