In the past, I’ve configured WordPress to use the permalink structure Day and Name, which formats the URLs for posts as /%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/. Although I knew that a simple %postname% would produce shorter, more memorable URLs, I avoided that structure because it had been shown to result in slower performance.

WordPress 3.3 fixed that issue. The 3.3 release notes in the WordPress Codex say, “Use
the postname permalink structure without a performance penalty.” WPCandy also covered this improvement in the articles Recent commit to 3.3 eliminates performance issues with postname permalink structure and Everything we know about the newly released WordPress 3.3.

So, how do you safely change the permalink structure of an existing site to postname, without breaking all the external links to your posts? You’ll probably need to generate redirects to add to your .htaccess file. Renowned WordPress developer Joost de Valk has a generator in his article How to Change WordPress Permalinks. The tool gives you the redirect you need to add to the top of your .htaccess file.

These are just a few of the topics covered:

• The Dashboard
• Creating a New Post
• Using Categories and Tags
• Creating and Editing Pages
• Add Photos and Images
• Managing Comments
• Adding Widgets

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This SitePoint kit is packed with actionable advice and recommendations for web design and development businesses. The author draws on 10 years of firsthand experience plus tips from other successful web professionals. It’s a well-organized, easy read with summaries and key points. There are plenty of anecdotes and case studies to illustrate the concepts. Overall, it’s both practical and incredibly motivational. I highly recommend it!

One thing that stands out is how much time Sinclair devotes to hobnobbing with prospects and clients. As the executive director of his web development and marketing firm, he has other people to do the actual design and development work, giving him time to spend on socializing and marketing. Since I’m running OptimWise as a freelancer, I need time to build websites as well as find prospects and keep in touch with clients. However, I fully acknowledge the importance of working on your business as well as in it.

My favorite topics were pitching, marketing, developing your unique advantage, sales and add-on sales, and client relations. A few topics weren’t relevant to me at this time, such as finding large clients, managing employees, finding an office, and expanding the business.

A second binder contains sample documents including a business plan, promotional letters, thank you letters, proposals, and contracts/service agreements. These weren’t as helpful as I thought they’d be, probably because I’ve already looked at so many examples when creating my own.

Major points

It’s never about the price. It’s about the perceived value for money.
Contact + care = profits. Communicate regularly with clients and provide superior service. Build a database of prospects and clients, including their birthdays, interests, etc., and use this to find reasons to contact them.
Rewarded behavior gets repeated. Send thank-yous and gifts to clients, business partners, contractors, and referrers.
View sales as creating long-term relationships, not making short-term transactions.
Pre-qualify clients by asking lots of questions to understand their true needs.
Most work will come via word-of-mouth, within a 50 mile radius from you.

Presentation and perception

Clients don’t care about your abilities. They only care about whether you’ll make them money. So, they judge you on dress, communication, and professionalism.
The client’s perception of you is reality, regardless of facts. Present yourself as skilled and successful.

Marketing

Ask clients how they found you or your competitors, then use those marketing channels.
Your marketing message: tell the prospect their problem (such as not making enough money), then offer the solution: a better website. Finally, ask them to contact you. Be professional but entertaining to stand out.
Don’t provide free work unless there’s an obvious and achievable benefit, such as referrals, publicity, making a good portfolio piece, etc.

Promotional options

• write articles
• hold seminars
• ask for referrals, especially from local computer and Internet businesses
• write reports and offer them free
• speak at events
• send newsletters
• attend networking events
• write press releases

Pitches, proposals, and quotes

Your business exists to help your clients prosper. For business clients, this means making them more money.
Clients care more about convenience and value for money than price.
Provide a proposal, not a quote. A proposal includes recommendations and quantifiable benefits (financial or otherwise) of the site.
Ask the client what their budget is, in order to provide an accurate proposal.
Overcoming budget objections: break the proposal down into pieces to show the value of each, and complete the project in phases. Don’t give anything for free!
When a client says no, they often just mean, “not now.”

How to pitch to prospects

Put on a show, demonstrate expertise, and charge accordingly.

1. Demonstrate your expertise by mentioning your experience and results.
2. Tell stories and anecdotes.
3. Prove your credibility with testimonials or media appearances.
4. Leave price until the end, once you’ve quantified benefits.

Pricing

Don’t charge hourly or match your competition’s pricing; those don’t scale. Charge based on the value you deliver to the client.
Charge clients up front a 50% deposit plus the cost of purchases made on behalf of the client.

Sales

Sales isn’t manipulating people to do something they don’t really want to do; it’s persuading people to do what they want to do.
Tell prospects and clients what their problems are, then offer the solution.
Show clients that you can make their business succeed and be better than their competition.

Offer superior service, not price, as your unique selling proposition.
Communicate regularly with prospects, clients, and even prospects who’ve rejected you. The more contact, the more sales.
The longer you spend with prospects, the more likely they are to buy.
Ask for the sale. Don’t just send a quote. Walk through the proposal, then ask, “Would you like us to work on this with you?”

Repeat and add-on sales

Offer add-on sales to existing clients. Educate them about new technology and trends and propose adding them to their sites. Recommend add-ons when nearing completion of the initial site, and also after launching the site.
Don’t offer add-ons as options; offer them as custom solutions you recommended. Clients want solutions, not a range of choices.
Don’t include maintenance in the initial proposal. Say that you’ll provide a proposal later, near the end of the initial design. Propose when about 75% complete. They’ll be more likely to agree because they’re financially and emotionally committed to the site.

Client relations

Service is more important than product or price.
Show clients you care by keeping them informed.
Satisfied clients won’t stay with you; only delighted ones will. Exceed their expectations, and make sure they know it by telling them what extras you’ve given them.
Stay in the minds of prospects and clients by using phone calls, handwritten thank-yous, occasion cards, and gifts.

When the client asks for something out of scope, say, “Good idea. I can do that for $x and it will delay the site y days. Would you like to proceed?”
Actively seek out complaints to learn how to improve and satisfy clients.
Don’t undervalue your skills by making your work sound easy.
When possible, buy from your clients’ businesses to show your support.

Legal

In your agreement letter, state that payment of invoice represents agreement to terms.

View all my reviews

Zeeland Civic Chorus: zeelandcivicchorus.com

The Zeeland Civic Chorus presents Handel’s Messiah each year near Christmas. The chorus needed a website to provide information about their performances. They had been relying on announcements in newspapers and church bulletins, but people would miss these and call chorus members for information.

The chorus also wanted to sell their CDs year-round, not only at live performances. I put a few sample tracks on the site, with a way to order the CDs via PayPal.

The site also features information, pictures, and a video of the chorus and soloists, a contact form, and a page for donations.

Visit the live site at zeelandcivicchorus.com.

CCHS Retirees: cchsretirees.org

Covenant Christian High School wanted a site to commemorate the careers of two retiring teachers. They wanted to provide information and pictures of the teachers, plus a way for people to leave public comments and send private congratulatory messages to the teachers.

I built a simple site with the teachers’ biographies and space for comments, as well as a photo gallery with vintage photos of each teacher. I also gave each teacher a contact page for people to send private messages directly to the teachers.

Visit the live site at cchsretirees.org.

Holland Protestant Reformed Church: hollandprc.org

Holland Protestant Reformed Church (PRC) uses their site primarily for posting sermons. In addition to an embedded Flash player from SermonAudio, they now include an HTML5 audio player with each sermon post.

I used a responsive design to make the site usable on smartphones and tablets. The site also features information about the church, a contact form, a map with directions, live sermon streaming, and a small photo gallery.

Visit the live site at hollandprc.org.

OptimWise LLC: optimwise.com

I refreshed my branding for 2012 because I converted OptimWise from an IT services business to a web design business. The branding refresh included a new logo and color scheme, so I redesigned my web design business site, OptimWise.com.

Besides branding, the other impetus for the redesign was to use a responsive design that adapts to fit various screen sizes, so it works on smartphones, tablets, and traditional computers.

I wanted to preserve the clean and simple design of the site, so the navigation remains minimal. It points to my web design services, a contact form, information about OptimWise and me, and the OptimWise blog. I kept my picture in the sidebar because it adds some personality.

Visit the live site at optimwise.com.

Meridity LLC: meriditytech.com

Derek Wolters needed a website for his new IT services business, Meridity LLC. The site includes an introduction to Meridity and Derek, a list of the IT services he provides, and a contact form for prospects and clients to send messages to Meridity.

Derek recognized the importance of positive reviews in lending credibility to a new business, so there’s a testimonials area along the side of the site. The Remote Support page features a way for Derek to remotely connect to clients’ computers to assist them.

Derek was kind enough to write me a LinkedIn recommendation: “Chad helped me design a website for my business. As one of his first clients, I was excited to work with him and to see what he could do. He did not disappoint. He walked me though the design process by providing me with plenty of recommendations and examples that I could use to build my site from. He was always punctual with deadlines and responded to questions quickly and made sure I was up to speed every step of the way. At the end, everything was thoroughly explained in a clear and concise manner so that I would be able to manage the website myself if I desired. He optimized my site and made sure I was wiser about it!”

Visit the live site at meriditytech.com.

Friends of CASA: ottawcasa.org

Friends of CASA is a nonprofit that provides resources, training, and funding to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). CASAs are volunteers who are appointed by the court to make reports and recommendations concerning a foster child’s best interests.

Friends of CASA had a basic website, but they needed it redesigned to include new functionality and a fresh look. The new site provides more information about the nonprofit and its work, acceptance of one-time and recurring donations, and links to social media.

They wanted a colorful, inviting site reflecting their work with children. I used kid-friendly colors and lots of pictures, plus a header image that changes each time a page loads. A few of their pictures included children drawing with sidewalk chalk, so I selected a chalk style font for the navigation and headings.

Alicia Carrasco was kind enough to write me a recommendation on LinkedIn: “As a non-profit agency, dependability, expertise, and follow through are traits we don’t take for granted. When we decided to re-design our website it was important to us that we find someone with those traits to help us accomplish our goals. Chad Warner at OptimWise LLC is someone who not only possesses those traits, but so much more! Since we are a non-profit, our only way of communicating our mission and programs is through our website. Chad was able to help us accomplish just that. His eye for detail and his knowledge of web design helped our agency get back on our feet and headed in the right direction. Friends of CASA of Ottawa County recommends Chad Warner for all of your current and future web design needs.”

Visit the live site at ottawcasa.org.

I redesigned OptimWise.com to feature a new color scheme and a responsive design that adapts to fit your screen size, so it works on smartphones, tablets, and traditional computers.

My friend Todd Karsemeyer of DESiGNTEK Graphics created the new logo which represents the Web and optimization, and hints at the letters “O” and “W” for OptimWise.

The WordPress theme, OptimWise 2.0, is a child theme of Twenty Eleven, inspired by WPBeginner.com’s Speaky theme.