Hiring a web designer doesn’t mean you hand it off, disappear for three weeks, and come back to the perfect website.

(Wouldn’t that be nice though?! 😜)

The best website projects are a team effort. What YOU do before, during, and after the project makes a huge difference in having a positive experience — and how much you end up loving your new site.

Here are some tips to make this whole experience a total win.

Before You Hire a Web Designer

A little clarity before the project begins makes everything easier and helps you end up with a website that actually works for your business.

1. Get clear on what you want your website to accomplish.

Before you think about design, think about results.

• Do you want more leads?
• Booked discovery calls?
• Online sales?

Your website should support your business goals, not just “look nice.”

2. Think beyond your website’s design.

It’s easy to get starry-eyed over beautiful websites on Instagram (been there!). But how it actually works matters just as much.

Think about things like:

• What do you want someone to do when they land on your site?
• How should your website guide them from one step to the next?
• What features do you need (like contact forms, online scheduling, or selling products)?

A beautiful website is great… but if it’s not clear and easy to use, it won’t do much for your business.

3. Plan your content ahead of time.

Your designer can’t design around blank pages. (Trust me, I’ve tried. It doesn’t go well.)

You don’t need everything to be perfect. But having your content ready (or close to it) before the project starts will help your designer create page layouts that fit your content and make a better user experience.

4. Don’t overlook your branding.

Your logo, colors, fonts, and overall vibe shape how your website looks and feels.

If you’ve already got that figured out… great! If not, this is something you’ll want to include in your web design project. It plays a big role in how everything comes together.

5. Gather some inspiration (but stay open-minded).

It’s helpful to share websites you like. It gives your web designer a feel for your style.

Just keep in mind: your website should be designed for your business, not a copycat of someone else’s.

6. Be honest about your budget.

Being upfront about your budget helps your designer point you to the right option from the start. It also avoids unnecessary back-and-forth on things that may not be realistic for your project.

7. Understand what’s included (and what’s not).

Every web designer works a little differently, so it’s important to know what’s part of your project and what isn’t.

Make sure you understand things like:

• How many web pages are included
• How many rounds of design revisions you get
• Whether copywriting and images are included – or if you need to provide them
• What you need to do and when
• How additional changes are handled
• What support looks like after your site goes live

Getting clear on this before your project beginshelps avoid confusion and keeps your project running smoothly from start to finish.

8. Choose a web designer you trust.

You’re not just hiring someone to build a website. You’re trusting them with a really important part of your business. The right web designer will guide you, support you, and create something that truly supports your business, not just something that looks good.

Pay attention to things like:

• Whether they take the time to answer your questions clearly
• How they communicate (and how quickly they respond)
• If their personality feels like a good fit for you
• What past clients say about working with them
• Whether they ask you thoughtful questions about your business and goals

And watch for red flags, like:

• Vague answers or unclear processes
• Poor communication
• Not taking the time to understand your business

During the Design Process

This is where the magic happens! Your designer is head-down building your dream site. And what YOU do on your end makes a bigger difference than you might think

1. Trust your designer’s expertise.

A big part of your designer’s role is to bring strategy, experience, and an outside perspective to your project. Being open to their recommendations (even when they’re different from what you had in mind!) often leads to an even better website.

2. Keep your feedback organized.

Try to consolidate your feedback into one place instead of sending a stream of separate emails. This helps avoid confusion, keeps things moving along, and prevents things from falling through the cracks.

3. Give specific, helpful feedback.

(Please, we beg you! 😂)

Instead of “I don’t like this,” try to explain what feels off. The more specific your feedback, the more effectively your designer can make it right.

4. Limit how many people are giving input.

Getting input from a trusted person can be helpful. But too many voices can slow things WAY down and make decisions harder. You hired a designer. Trust the process!

5. Respect the timeline.

Delays in content or feedback can push the whole project behind schedule. Staying on top of your to-do’s helps keep everything on track. Ain’t nobody got time for a project that drags on forever!

6. Speak up early if something feels off.

It’s so much easier to adjust things along the way than to completely redo something after it’s been finalized. If something feels off, say something. Your designer wants you to love this!

7. Ask questions when you need to.

You don’t need to understand every techy detail — that’s literally what you hired someone for. But if something isn’t clear, ask! A good designer will walk you through it.

After Your Website Goes Live

Cue the confetti!  Your new website is live and you’re finally proud to share it with the world.

But heads up: your website isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. It needs to be maintained and updated to keep supporting your business. Here’s what to keep in mind:

1. Actually USE your website.

Send people to it. Link to it everywhere. Share it in your social media bios, your email signature, and your content.

2. Plan for ongoing website maintenance.

Websites need regular TLC to stay secure and humming along behind the scenes. Things like plugin updates, backups, and security checks may not be glamorous; but they’re essential.

If you don’t want to deal with the tech stuff, that’s totally valid. Handing over the website maintenance to someone you trust means one less thing on your plate.

3. Keep your website content current.

Your services, offers, and messaging will change over time, and your website should reflect that. Keeping your content up-to-date helps your website stay relevant and aligned with your business.

4. Pay attention to what’s working (and what’s not).

Over time, you’ll start to see which areas of your website people respond well to. You may also notice people not taking action, asking the same questions, or getting confused about what you offer.

Those patterns can help you see what’s working and where something could be clearer, whether it’s your messaging or how things are set up.

Use that information to make small improvements that strengthen your site.

Working with a web designer doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

When you go into the process with a little clarity, stay engaged during the project, and continue supporting your website after it’s live, everything just works better. The end result is a website you’re proud to send people to, and that actually helps your business grow.

Ready to get started?

If you’re looking for a web designer who’ll guide you through the whole process — without the tech headaches or the overwhelm: let’s chat.

Download my Services & Pricing Guide to see if we’re a good fit!

Mistake 1: Not Doing Regular WordPress Website Maintenance

The number one mistake I see entrepreneurs make with their websites is not doing regular website maintenance. Your website is a crucial part of your business, so it deserves more than just a once-over yearly check-up.

WordPress websites require routine maintenance, which can include database optimization, plugin updates, theme changes, and more. If you don’t keep up with these tasks on an ongoing basis, you’ll likely find yourself dealing with things like slow website loading speeds, errors appearing on your website, and security issues.

Mistake 2: Not Having Recent Website Backups

Having a recent backup of your WordPress website is important in case your website needs to be restored. For example:

• if there are any errors that start appearing on the website
• when an updated plugin or theme causes issues on your website
• if your website gets hacked
• if there’s a data loss on your web hosting account

A good backup plan for your website includes:

1. following a regular backup schedule (at least weekly; preferably daily for ecommerce website and sites that are updated frequently)
2. creating multiple sets of backups. While backups are included with many hosting plans, I recommend creating a second set of backups as well. This way you can rest easy knowing you have another backup available in case anything goes wrong with one of them.
3. at least one set of your website backups should be stored in a different physical location from where your web hosting account is. This way you can retrieve the backup even if your web hosting account is inaccessible.

Learn more about creating a backup plan here:
How to Backup your WordPress Site

Mistake 3: Not Installing WordPress Updates

Another common WordPress website mistake is not installing WordPress updates when they become available. Most people don’t realize how often their website files need to be updated. There are always new updates coming out to keep up with best practices in security and usability standards.

WordPress is a great blogging platform, but it can be insecure if you don’t keep up with updates. If your website code is outdated, you’re at risk for hackers and other vulnerabilities that can damage your website.

There are three types of updates that need to be managed on your WordPress website:

1. the WordPress software itself
2. WordPress plugins
3. WordPress themes

All of these updates should be installed soon after they become available, as they often contain security patches. Many websites become vulnerable because these updates aren’t installed by their owners.

To learn how to do this, check out:
Installing WordPress Updates

Mistake 4: Not Having a Website Disaster Recovery Plan

What happens if/when your website is displaying errors – or worse yet, crashes? Do you know what to do next?

Creating a disaster recovery plan for your website is critical if you want to protect yourself from losing money and time in the event of a hack or other technical issue on your website. Some things to consider are:

1. Who will be responsible for getting your website back up-and-running quickly? (Do you have a dedicated member of your team that can handle this? Do you have a Website Care service that can help you?)
2. Do you have recent website backups? Do you know how to access them – and how to restore your website from the backup?
3. Do you know how to determine what caused the issue on your website… and how to prevent it from happening again?

Planning ahead for how to handle website disasters will help you get your website up-and-running as quickly and as stress-free as possible.

Mistake 5: Lack of Website Security Measures

Not having security measures in place on your website is like leaving the door of your house unlocked at night. WordPress is the most popular website platform; but it’s also a big target for hackers. It doesn’t matter if you run a small blog or an entire business, your website will be targeted by hackers sooner or later.

To protect your website from these attacks, you need to set up some basic security measures like using strong passwords, installing an SSL certificate on your website, and running regular website security scans to detect malware.

For a list of tips to keep your website safe, see:
WordPress Security Tips for the Non-Techy Entrepreneur

Mistake 6: Using Poor Web Hosting

Your choice of web host can either help with – or be the cause of – some of the mistakes mentioned above. Cheaper web hosting plans tend to:

• lack essential features (for example, daily backups)
• have weak security measure in place
• offer poor support
• cause slow website loading times

Your web hosting account has a direct impact on your how your website runs. Without a good web host, you are vulnerable to hackers and other security risks. You also risk downtime or slow page loading times. This can be disastrous for any entrepreneur who relies on their website being up 24/7.

For web hosting tips, read:
Choosing the Best WordPress Hosting for Busy Entrepreneurs

Mistake 7: Trying to Do Everything Yourself

It’s easy for us entrepreneurs to feel like we have to do everything ourselves. But life is much easier (and more beneficial for your business!) when you can focus on building your business – and trust someone else to handle the tasks you’re not skilled at or that take up too much of your time.

A lot can go wrong when you don’t have the experience needed to look after your website. It’s risky to attempt website maintenance tasks that you don’t know how to do. But it’s even riskier to neglect website maintenance altogether.

Unfortunately, many people don’t realize just how much time and money they could save by outsourcing their WordPress maintenance to an expert. Letting someone else handle your website maintenance work will save you time and frustration – so you can spend your time doing the things that help your business grow.

WordPress Website Maintenance Help

Your website is one of the most important assets in your business. But website maintenance can be complex and confusing. And most business owners are so busy running their own company that they don’t have the time to take care of things like updating plugins or keeping their site secure.

That’s why I created my WordPress website maintenance plans. I help small businesses with their website maintenance tasks on an ongoing basis, so they can focus on what matters most – growing their business! The website maintenance plans include website backups, installing WordPress updates, running security scans, web hosting, and much more!

If you need someone to take care of your website for you, check out my Website TLC plans.

Installing updates to your WordPress website is just as important as car or home maintenance. If you neglect regular updates to your website, car or home, eventually things will break down and you’ll have problems.

Take a look at these statistics from DataProt.net:

• There are up to 90,000 attacks on WordPress websites every minute.
• Around 73% of WordPress installations are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
• And 37% of WordPress sites that get hacked weren’t up-to-date.

It’s very important that you regularly install any available updates to your website’s software. The updates may include new functionality, or they might include fixes for any bugs in the code. But even more importantly, the updates will also include security updates to help protect your website from attacks.

For more information about WordPress website security, check out:
WordPress Security Tips for the Non-Techy Entrepreneur

There are three types of updates that need to be managed on your WordPress website:

1. WordPress Core Software Updates – New versions of WordPress are available periodically.
2. WordPress Plugin Updates – The plugins installed on your website will have regular feature and security updates available.
3. WordPress Theme Updates – Your website’s theme will also have updates available periodically.

All these updates should be installed soon after they become available, as they often contain security patches. Below I have included instructions for how to install each of these types of WordPress updates.

Before You Install WordPress Updates

There are occasions where an update might not be compatible with another plugin or theme – or with the version of WordPress you’re using – or with a setting on the web server your website is on. So before installing any updates on your WordPress website, make sure you have a recent backup of your website. This includes backing up the files in your website as well as the database used by WordPress. If there’s any issue with your website after you install an update, you can restore your website from your backup.

For more information on backing up your website, check out:
How to Backup Your WordPress Site

How to Install WordPress Updates

Your WordPress Dashboard will show you updates that are available to be installed. If there are updates available, a number icon will appear next to the “Updates” menu link. This icon shows you how many updates are available. These could be updates for WordPress itself, for your plugins and/or for your themes.

Click on the “Updates” menu link to get to the WordPress Updates screen, which shows you everything that needs to be updated.

Installing WordPress Core Updates

New versions of WordPress are available periodically. These should be installed soon after they’re available, as they often contain security patches.

If there is an update available for WordPress, you’ll see a notice on the WordPress Updates screen, plus a button that you can click on to install the latest version of WordPress.

Installing WordPress Plugin Updates

On the same WordPress Updates screen, below the WordPress version section, is the Plugins section. This section will show you if there are any plugins that need updating.

You can click the checkbox next to the plugin you want to update, and then click the “Update Plugins” button to update it. If there are multiple plugins that have updates available, you could select all the checkboxes and update them all at once. However, I recommend updating your plugins one at a time. That way, if there’s an issue on your website that occurs after you update the plugin, you know exactly which plugin caused it. If you update all the plugins at once, it’s more difficult to figure out which plugin is the one that’s causing the problem.

You can also manage your plugin updates on the Plugins screen (click on Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress menu). If there are plugin updates available, there will be a number icon next to the “Plugins” menu link, indicating how many plugin updates are available.

On the Plugins screen, the plugins that need updating will have a colored notification bar.

To only see the plugins that have updates available, click on the “Update Available” link at the top of the screen.

• Click on the “details” link to read more about the plugin’s update.
• Click on the “update now” link to update the plugin.

Sometimes a plugin update also requires an update to your WordPress database. If this is the case, you’ll see a notification at the top of the Plugins screen. And you can click the link to update the database.

REMINDER: Make sure you have a recent database backup before updating it!

You might have some plugins that are inactive on your website. This means that your website isn’t running that plugin; but the files are still installed on your website.

• If you think you might use the plugin again soon – and you just have it temporarily deactivated: you should still update the plugin. There may be a security fix in the updated plugin that’s needed, regardless of whether the plugin is activated or not.
• However, if you have no plans to use the plugin again soon, then you don’t need to update it. Just delete the plugin from your website.

Installing WordPress Theme Updates

If any WordPress themes on your website need an update, you’ll see them listed at the bottom of the WordPress Updates screen. Just like with your plugin updates, you can update your themes right on this screen.

You can also update them on the Themes screen (click on Appearance > Themes). If there’s an update available, you’ll see a message on top of the theme that says, “New version available”.

 To update the theme, click on the “Update now” link.

Just like with plugins, you might have additional themes that are inactive on your website.

• If you think you might use that theme soon (for example, if you’re in the process of switching to a new theme; but you aren’t quite ready to use it just yet): you should still update the theme.
• However, if you have no plans to use that theme any time soon, then you don’t need to update it. Just delete the theme from your website.
• In some cases, you may be using a “child theme” on your website. A child theme is used when you want to change or add some functionality to a theme that you’re using on your website. Using a child theme allows you to overwrite code or add new code in your theme, without touching the files that are included in your theme (your “parent theme”). Instead, you add your code to a different location (your child theme) that won’t get overwritten when you update your parent theme. If you’re using a child theme, and there is an update available to the parent theme, you should update the parent theme as well.

After You Install WordPress Updates

After you’ve installed any WordPress updates, test your website to make sure there aren’t any issues. To do this, logout of your WordPress Dashboard. Then look through your website, paying extra attention to any functionality that you know was updated. For example, if you updated a calendar plugin, check your online calendar to make sure it’s still working.

Scheduling WordPress Updates

Regularly checking for new updates, making sure they’re installed on your website, and testing afterwards does take time. But it’s a critical task that needs to be done regularly to keep your website secure and visible to your audience. I recommend you schedule an hour each week to take care of any WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates.

If you find yourself falling behind on your website updates – or if you’re a little squeamish about installing your website updates, a WordPress Care Plan from an experienced WordPress agency can bring you peace of mind and an expert pair of hands to assist you if there’s ever an issue with your website. That way you can focus on your business and not worry about updating your WordPress software, plugins, and themes.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for products or services that I personally use and highly recommend. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and clients. (I don’t recommend junk; that’s not how I roll.)

Protect your Website from Hackers and Malware

WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms in the world. Unfortunately, that makes it a big target for hackers. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you take steps to protect your website.  Here are my WordPress Security Tips to help keep your website safe – even if you’re not techy!

Your Computer

The first thing you can do to protect your WordPress website is to protect your own computer. It might not seem related; but it really is. If your computer gets a virus or spyware, it can then infect your website when you work on it. So:

• Run good anti-virus software on all computers that you will be using when you’re working on your website.
• Use strong and unique passwords for every website and online account that you access. You can use the Strong Password Generator website if you need help with generating a strong password.
• Use a password manager to store all your passwords, instead of saving them in your browser or in a file on your computer. I use (and love!) 1Password. Another option for a password manager is LastPass.

Your Web Host

Your web hosting account has a direct impact on your WordPress security.

• Use a web host that has strong security measures in place to protect your website.
• Make sure your hosting account is setup to meet the minimum requirements to run your WordPress site at optimal speed and at optimal environments. You can find the web host requirements for WordPress here.
• Use strong and unique passwords for your web hosting account, including any FTP logins, your website database, and your email accounts.
• Install an SSL certificate on your website – and then setup your WordPress website to use it. After you do this, your website will use HTTPS instead of HTTP – and you’ll also see a padlock icon next to your website address in the browser.
• Run regular security scans to detect malware on your website.
• Regularly save full website backups off-site (not your hosting account).

For more information on creating WordPress backups see:
How to Backup your WordPress Site

Some web hosts have a lot of this functionality already built-in on your web hosting account. If yours doesn’t, you can install a plugin to do this. (I’ve included more information on WordPress Security plugins below.)

WordPress Security

There are a few simple things you can do right within WordPress to make your website more difficult for hackers to access.

• Don’t share your WordPress login with other people who need to access your website. Setup each user with their own username and password.
• Setup user accounts with only as much access as they need. Be especially careful setting up users with the administrator user role, as this role gives the user full control of your WordPress website.
• Don’t use “admin” as a username. Because this is the default username that is used when installing WordPress on a new website, it is the first username a hacker will try to get into your site. (If you already have a user account setup with the username “admin”, here’s how to change it.)
• Make sure all the administrators on your website are using a strong password and are changing it periodically.
• Delete any WordPress users from your website as soon as they no longer need access to it.
• Set a limit on the number of failed login attempts that are allowed. If a user tries (and fails) to login more than that number, the login function is disabled for them. This helps stop brute force attacks (hackers trying different usernames and passwords, over and over again, until they get logged in).
• Only install reputable themes and plugins that are regularly updated.
• Make sure you are keeping the WordPress software, your themes and your plugins updated. That way you are fixing any security problems soon after they are discovered.
• Delete old themes and plugins that you no longer use – because these can be security risks, too.

WordPress Security Plugins

You can use a WordPress security plugin to protect your website from malware and hacking attempts.

There are many different security plugins available. The two I recommend are:

• Wordfence Premium: $99/year
• JetPack Security – $25/month

Both plugins offer free versions; but you’ll want to go with their Premium versions. And to clarify – just choose one security plugin; don’t run both of them on your website.

Another option is to go with a high-end web hosting company that handles the security features that these plugins include. I use Flywheel web hosting because their hosting plans already include security features – so you don’t need to use and pay for a separate security plugin.

For more tips on web hosting check out:
Choosing the Best WordPress Hosting for Busy Entrepreneurs

In addition to all of these WordPress security tips, there are some additional (quite techy) steps you can take to secure your WordPress site. But following this list of tips will definitely make your website much more secure.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for products or services that I personally use and highly recommend. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and clients. (I don’t recommend junk; that’s not how I roll.)

Have you ever worked really, really hard on something on your computer… and lost it because you didn’t have a backup of it saved? Well, the same scenario applies to your WordPress website.  

Creating regular backups is one of the best ways to protect your website. This way, if anything goes wrong with your website in the future, you have recent backups available to restore your website.

Here are three key things you need to think about with your website backups:

Create a Regular Backup Schedule.

Your backup schedule will vary depending on how often you update your website and the type of audience you serve. For the average small business WordPress website, a full backup once per week may be sufficient. For ecommerce sites and websites that are updated frequently, daily backups may be a much better recommendation.

Don’t know which schedule to choose? Think about what would happen if you needed to restore your website from a backup TODAY. Would a backup from a week ago be acceptable to you? Or would you feel better using a backup from yesterday?

I update the content of my website at least once a week (for example, by writing a new blog post). But I also accept orders for digital products on my website. And those orders are part of my website data that gets backed up. So I choose to do a daily backup schedule.

Create Multiple Sets of Website Backups.

“Two is One. One is None.”

Have you ever heard that saying? It means you should always have a backup plan. (No pun intended.)

So how does that apply to your website backups? While backups are included with many hosting plans, I recommend creating a second set of backups, just to be on the safe side.

If you have one method of website backups – but it fails or the backup files are corrupt or get deleted… then you’re out of luck. By having a second set of backups, you’re giving yourself some insurance that you’ll always have a backup in case you need it.

Store Your Website Backups Off Site.

At least one set of your website backups should be stored “off site” – in a different physical location from where your website files are. I recommend using an external service, like Amazon’s S3 platform, Google Drive or Dropbox. This way you can retrieve your backups even if your web hosting account is inaccessible.

Website Backup Options

Now that you know what you need for your website backups…
Let’s move on to how to get this done! 

Here are three different options for creating backups of your WordPress site.
*Remember you should have two sets of backups! So don’t pick just one of these options.*

Web Hosting Backups

Some web hosting plans include daily backups of your account. You can certainly use those as one set of your backups. Just check to make sure:

1. Your web host is in fact creating and saving regular backups for you and
2. They are saving them for a sufficient amount of time (for example, daily backups for 30 days).

Some other nice backup features to look for with your web host are:
 

3. You have access to the backups in case you need to restore your website. (Some web hosts save backups but don’t make them readily available to you. And some charge you a fee to restore your website from one of their backups.)
4. They store the backups offsite.
5. You’re able to create your own backups whenever you want (aka “on-demand backups”). This is helpful when you’re planning on making a big change to your website. For example, if you’re updating your theme or plugins… or installing a new plugin, it’s a good idea to create a backup of your website first. That way if the change doesn’t go as planned, you can restore your website back to the point right before you worked on the website.
6. Easy website restores. Can you just click a button and your website is restored from your backup? Or do you need to download the backup and manually update your website by uploading all the files in the backup and then manually restore your database?

For more tips on web hosting check out:
Choosing the Best WordPress Hosting for Busy Entrepreneurs

One of the main reasons I use Flywheel for my web hosting is because they have ALL of the features I mentioned above. If your web host doesn’t have all of these features, you can use a plugin or pay for a service to get you those missing features. But I like having the features included in my web hosting so that’s one set of backups that I don’t have to worry about finding a plugin for or doing myself.

Website Backup Plugins

You can use a WordPress plugin to create your own website backups.

I recommend the UpdraftPlus plugin. It allows you to create a complete backup of your WordPress site and store it on the cloud or download to your computer. The plugin supports scheduled backups as well as on-demand backups. And it also allows you to easily restore backups directly from your WordPress admin panel. There is a free version of the UpdraftPlus plugin, as well as a premium version that includes mores features and options.

Another plugin option is to use Jetpack Backups. You can easily setup backups and restore your website from backups with just a few clicks. 

Whichever plugin you choose, you should regularly check in on your backups to make sure the plugin you’re using is continuing to run successfully.

Website Backup Service

Have someone else take care of your backups for you! You can sign up for a website maintenance plan that includes backups as part of the service. This is a good option if you don’t have the time to take care of regular backups yourself – or don’t want to deal with managing a backup plugin on your website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for products or services that I personally use and highly recommend. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and clients. (I don’t recommend junk; that’s not how I roll.)

You may be tempted to go for the cheapest web hosting plan you can find; but be careful. Many of the cheaper web hosts often lack essential features, offer little or poor support, and can be magnets for getting hacked. Performance issues (for example: slow website load times) can also be a common occurrence on budget web hosting.

Your website’s hosting account is one of the most important options that business owners shouldn’t skimp on.

If your monthly hosting bill costs less than a
Salted Caramel Mocha (Mmmmm!),
you most likely should upgrade to a better web host.

What to Look for in WordPress Hosting:

1. Supports WordPress

Since WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world, most hosting companies support it. But it’s worth checking with them, just to make sure.

Even better: some hosting providers offer web hosting plans that are optimized specifically for WordPress websites. This can help your site run faster and it may include additional security features too.

2. Features

Most hosting companies have a range of web hosting packages, so you can pick one that meets your needs in terms of how much website traffic you think you’ll get and the storage space you need. But you’ll also want to see if the packages include any other important features. For example: daily website backups, an SSL certificate, WordPress core updates, and extra security measures to prevent, detect and fix your website if it gets hacked.

3. Reliability

You definitely don’t want your site to suffer from long or frequent periods of downtime, so always check the hosting company’s uptime statistics. You can also search online for customer reviews of hosting companies.

4. Customer Support

If you’re just starting out with a new WordPress site you may have some questions, so check what support is offered by your hosting company before you buy. Look at the support hours, especially if they are not available 24 hours a day and are in a different time zone than you. Also check if they offer a range of ways to get support, for example by email, by phone or live chat. And will you have a dedicated person that you always contact with questions or issues – or will it be a different support person each time you contact them?

Consider Cost, Experience and Time.

Now of course the more features the web hosting plan includes, typically the more expensive the plan costs. So you’ll want to decide how much you can afford in order to get the features that you want. The average website can be hosted very securely for around $25-30 per month. Yes, this is more than the cost of a coffee; but keep in mind that the cost to fix a website that has trouble on a cheap shared hosting platform is often hundreds of dollars.

And don’t forget to factor in your experience and your time in your web hosting decision. Do you have the skillset and the time needed to take care of any necessary features that aren’t included in your hosting account? For example: installing an SSL certificate, performing website backups, and updating WordPress. Can you afford to take time away from your business to focus on these important website tasks?

If you answered “no” to these questions, then I recommend:

• investing in a good web hosting account that takes care of some of these things for you and
• hiring an assistant or purchasing a WordPress Care Plan to take care of the remaining tasks.

A good web hosting account plus an experienced person managing your website maintenance tasks will give you peace of mind about your website and allow you to focus on other areas of your business.

It may seem overwhelming when you start to think about #allthethings that go into not only choosing WordPress hosting – but also how to maintain and protect your website. That’s why I created my Website TLC plans. They include a web hosting account plus a ton of additional services that you can take off your busy entrepreneur plate! 

Now that you know what to look for in a WordPress web host, you can start researching different hosts to see what their hosting plans include. Ask other website owners for their recommendations too. If you want mine, here are my top two web hosting providers I recommend for WordPress websites:

My #1 Pick: Flywheel – I use Flywheel hosting for this website. And I also include a Flywheel hosting account in my Extra TLC Website Care plans.

My #2 Pick: SiteGround – I use SiteGround hosting for some of my other smaller websites. And I also include a  SiteGround hosting account in my “A Little TLC” and “TLC” Website Care plans.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for products or services that I personally use and highly recommend. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and clients. (I don’t recommend junk; that’s not how I roll.)

Important Note: In this post, when I mention “WordPress,” I am referring to the self-hosted version of WordPress, available for free at wordpress.org – not the hosted version available at WordPress.com.

1. WordPress is Easy to Install.

WordPress.org offers step-by-step instructions for installing WordPress. Many web hosts also offer the option to automatically install WordPress on your account. Within a matter of minutes you can have WordPress installed and be ready to start working on your new website.

2. It’s Easy to Use.

You don’t need to have special software installed on your computer and you don’t have to learn HTML or a programming language to edit your website. You can use any computer, an iPad or even a smart phone to make changes to your website – as long as it’s connected to the Internet.

The WordPress admin area is also very user-friendly. You can quickly add or edit web pages or blog posts, add images, add links, and more.

3. Web Design Options are Endless!

There are thousands of free WordPress designs, called “themes”, available. (Need help picking one? Read this: How to Choose a WordPress Theme.) There are also plenty of premium themes available for purchase as well. (My favorite? Divi from Elegant Themes.)

And the themes can be customized even further… allowing you to add your own logo, change the colors, change the layout, etc. You can also have a WordPress theme custom-designed just for you!

If you find a theme you absolutely LOVE, you can simply make a few minor design tweaks to it such as adding your logo and replacing the images. Or you might find a theme that’s pretty close to what you want, but just needs some color or layout changes. Or maybe you just can’t find a theme that matches what you have in mind for your website design – so you want something special created from scratch. That’s OK too! The choice is yours.

4. WordPress has a Ton of Features.

WordPress is already loaded with many built-in features; but you can add even more through the use of plugins. There are thousands of plugins available that do all sorts of things, including adding a photo gallery or slider, blocking spammers from commenting on your blog, adding social media sharing icons, and more.

5. WordPress is Free (sort of).

There is no fee to use WordPress. You just have to pay for your domain name registration (your website address) and your web hosting account. Many times these costs are less expensive than other hosted website solutions. For example, Squarespace charges $26/month for their most popular plan.

(Note: You may also find a theme or plugin that you want to buy; but many themes and plugins are free.)

6. You OWN your WordPress Website.

When you have a website or blog on a hosted platform, you’re at the mercy of their terms of service. They can shut down your site at any time and for any reason. But when you have a self-hosted WordPress website, you are in control of your website and you own all your content. The only terms of service you need to abide by are your hosting company’s – and you can always switch to a different hosting provider if you want to. Speaking of which, that brings me to point number 7!

7. You can Switch Web Hosts.

With a self-hosted WordPress website, you’re not locked into using one specific web hosting provider. If you’re frustrated with your current web host (for example, if they have poor customer support or they can’t handle all your website traffic), you can easily move your WordPress site to another hosting provider. Most web hosting providers support WordPress websites, so you will have many choices for selecting a web host. (I recommend Flywheel and SiteGround.) You can’t do this for many of the hosted website platforms. For example, if you have a website on Weebly or Squarespace, you’ll have to stay there; you can’t simply move it to another hosting provider or platform.

8. You can Easily Add a Blog to your Website.

WordPress has built-in blogging functionality so you can easily start blogging whenever you’re ready. You gain credibility when your blog is hosted on your own domain. Take a look at most reputable blogs. Very few of them are using a free blogging service like Blogger (Blogspot). It looks more professional to have your own blog – on your own website.

9. You can Add a Shopping Cart to your Website.

There are several different options when it comes to adding a shopping cart to your website. You can go as simple as adding PayPal “Buy Now” buttons to your web pages… or as advanced as adding a full-featured shopping cart! (I recommend using WooCommerce for most eCommerce websites.)

10. WordPress Sites are SEO-Friendly.

Unlike some “template” website builders, WordPress is great for search engine optimization (SEO). It includes built-in SEO tools and you can also add SEO plugins for even more SEO features. (I recommend the Yoast SEO plugin.) Plus, your SEO efforts will direct traffic to YOUR site — not to a hosted platform like wordpress.com or blogger.com.

11. You can have a Responsive Website.

A responsive website displays well on a variety of devices… from desktop computers to iPads to smart phones. Responsive websites are also better for SEO. Many WordPress themes are already built to be responsive. But if you find a theme that isn’t mobile-friendly, you can use a plugin – or have a developer change the theme’s code – to make it responsive.

12. Many other Companies Integrate with WordPress.

WordPress is one of the most common website platforms that other companies integrate with. Many of them have built-in integration with WordPress and others have WordPress plugins available. For example, most email newsletter service providers integrate with WordPress websites (including my favorite: Kit). There are also integrations with LeadPages, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads and more.

13. You can Schedule your Blog Posts.

Start writing now while the thoughts are fresh in your mind… and save it as a draft until it’s ready to be published. Have an upcoming vacation? Write your blog posts ahead of time and schedule them to publish while you’re gone.

14. You can Password-Protect your Web Pages and Blog Posts.

You can setup passwords on individual pages or blog posts to hide them from the public. I have also setup password-protection for a client’s entire blog category!

15. You can Prevent Spammy Comments on your Website.

If you allow people to comment on your blog posts, you’re going to start getting spam comments. I recommend using the Akismet plugin to automatically prevent these types of comments from getting posted to your website. You can also setup WordPress so that comments don’t get posted to your website until you approve them. Or you can just disable comments all together.

16. Built-in User Management is Available.

You can setup users with different permissions. Setup administrators to manage your entire website and setup authors to just write content. You can also setup subscribers – and let them manage their own profile. You can even choose to only let registered users leave comments on your blog.

17. It’s Easy to Redesign your Website.

Select a different theme from the WordPress directory – or upload your own theme. With the click of a button, the content on your web pages and blog posts stays – but the entire website design changes. It’s an easy process to give your website a complete makeover.

18. You can use WordPress as a Membership Site.

You can provide members with exclusive content that’s not available to the public. Or you can use a plugin to create an online course that only paid members have access to.

19. You’re in Control of Advertising (or not).

With a self-hosted WordPress website, you can include ads if you want to — and any revenue generated from those ads is yours to keep. OR… you may choose that you don’t want to include any ads on your website. Either way, the choice is yours to make. With a hosted website platform, you are at the mercy of their advertising policies. Some don’t let you do any advertising on your website. And others automatically include ads (where they benefit from the revenue – not you!).

20. You can Save Money on Updating your Website.

Most of my clients have me setup and create their websites for them. And then they do most, if not all, of their content updates themselves! They can add new web pages, write new blog posts, edit their text and images, and more – instead of paying someone to do every little update for them.

21. There is a Large WordPress Community.

Since WordPress is so popular, it’s pretty easy to find answers to questions that you have. WordPress.org has their own support forums. And there are also many other websites and YouTube videos that provide WordPress tutorials and assistance too.

Have I convinced you to use WordPress for your website yet?

“I don’t know what you do or how you work . . . but sign me up!” — said no one.

Your Biggest Fears
(And How to Get Rid of Them)

If you’re anything like me, you might worry about working with someone new, whether it be:

• a hair stylist (“What’s my hair going to look like when she’s done?”)
• a new car repair shop (“How can I trust that they’re recommending repairs that I really need?”)
• or a business coach (“Is this investment going to be worth it?”)

Well, here are a few common fears about working with a web designer – and what you can do to feel better about them.

What if I don’t like the website design?

If you’re paying for a one-of-a-kind, custom web design… how do you know you’ll like the design your web designer comes up with? Here are a few suggestions for things to do before you choose your designer:

1. Check out their website design portfolio. Do you like what you see? Most designers have a certain style with their design. If you like their recent work, most likely you’ll be happy with your project as well.
2. Ask how many design revisions you get. If you don’t like their first design – will they start out with designing a brand new web design for you? Do they allow you to give them feedback and ask for revisions to the design? What if you still don’t like the design after their included number of revisions; will they let you pay for additional revisions? Knowing your web designer’s policy on design revisions can really help ease your mind.

What if the web designer is hard to work with?

If you have a good working relationship with your designer, your project will go much smoother – and be more enjoyable for both of you as well.

1. Read testimonials on their website. See if people mention how it was working with that designer.
2. Even better? If you know someone that previously worked with that designer, ask them for their feedback about their experience working with them.
3. Jump on a consult call. If you have questions about working together, see if the designer will chat with you briefly to address some of your questions. Then trust your gut based on how that conversation went. Did you feel like they were being honest? Did you trust them? Did they answer your questions and concerns?

Do I have enough time to work on this project right now?

Creating a new website can be a time-intensive process. Ask your designer about their project timeline. Ask them what is expected of you – before and during the project. Are there any scheduled meetings or phone calls you need to attend? What kind of turnaround time do they expect you to meet?

Once you know what is expected of you, check your schedule and make sure you will be available when needed during the project. Have a busy schedule? Consider asking your designer to extend the timeline before the project even begins. Or you can ask for a later start date, to give yourself enough time to collect all the needed materials before the project begins.

I am not very “techy”. What if I can’t figure out how to use my website?

Ask your designer if they offer any training on how to use your website after it is completed. Do they just hand it over to you and you’re on your own? Do they offer any training materials or tutorials? Make sure if you need additional training, it is available to you in a format that will most help you.

The Web Design Process

 Every web designer has their own, unique process. I highly recommend asking your web designer about their process before you book with them. Make sure:

1. You understand the process – and you feel comfortable with it.
2. The process includes a website strategy and/or planning phase – so you can make sure your website is created for the purpose of helping your business grow. (Your website should not just look pretty! Make it work for you and your business.)

Here is my web design process – so you can have a good feel for what it’s like to work with me… and you can see if you think we’d be a good fit to work together.

Project Inquiry & Booking

• The first step is to select the website design package that fits your website needs, timeline and budget.
• Then schedule a brief phone call so we can discuss your website project. And I will answer any questions you have about working together.
• Following our phone call, I will send you a proposal and contract for you to accept and sign. And you’ll pay your deposit to reserve your spot in my schedule. I work with a limited number of clients at a time because I believe in making each client feel that they are taken care of.

Project Prep Work

We’ll get things in place so I can hit the ground running on Day 1 of your project! You’ll send me all of your website materials (your logo, your content, any images or downloadable files you want to include, etc.). To help you with this step, I have a Client Portal where you can easily submit your content online.

Website Design & Development

During your project week(s), I work on designing and creating your website. And you get to sit back, relax, and watch it all come together! You’ll be given access to view the website as I am working on it. And you’ll have the opportunity to provide your feedback and request revisions. And then your new website launches!

After Your Website Launch

I provide you with 2 weeks of website updates and email support for any questions you have after your website launches. If you need additional assistance from me after those 2 weeks, I do offer ongoing website maintenance services.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for products or services that I personally use and highly recommend. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and clients. (I don’t recommend junk; that’s not how I roll.)

Whether you’re just starting to setup your new website – or you’ve already created it but you’re thinking you might have missed some steps, here are some common WordPress setup mistakes I’ve seen. And don’t worry… I also include my tips for how to prevent those mistakes (or fix them if you already made them)!

Mistake #1: Using Poor Web Hosting

Before you even think about how to setup up your WordPress website, you’ll want to think about who will be hosting your website. While it may be tempting to choose that $3/month plan (or even a free plan!) – keep in mind that not all web hosts are created equal. (Important Note: When I refer to “WordPress websites”, I am referring to using the WordPress software on your web hosting account… not a WordPress.com website.)

You’ll want to make sure you’re choosing a web host that has the support and features that you need.

• How responsive and knowledgeable is their Technical Support if you have issues or questions?
• How quickly will your website load?
• What security features do they include?
• Does your web hosting account include automatic backups?

Bottom line: Choose a web host that is going to make sure all your hard work (your website) is in good hands!

How to Prevent or Fix this Mistake: Do your research and choose a good web host for your WordPress website. Personally I use (and recommend!) Flywheel web hosting or SiteGround web hosting for WordPress websites.

Mistake #2: Using the Default WordPress admin Username

WordPress is setup by default with an “admin” username as the administrator account. So if someone wants to hack into your website, the first username they’ll try is “admin”. Then all they need to do is figure out your password (which can be easier than you think!). When you setup your new WordPress website, make sure you’re using a username that’s not very obvious or easy-to-guess. 

How to Prevent or Fix this Mistake: If you already installed WordPress with “admin” as the username (or another easy-to-guess username), change it to something else. Here’s the easy way to change your WordPress admin username. 

Mistake #3: Choosing a Weak WordPress Password

This one is pretty self-explanatory; but you’d be surprised at how many people pick ridiculously easy-to-guess passwords. (I’m looking at you, “password” password!) 

How to Fix this Mistake: If you’re using a weak password:

1. Login to your WordPress website
2. Click on Users > Your Profile
3. In the “Account Management” section click on the “Generate Password” button. A new, strong password will be generated for you. You can either use this one – or type in your own, new password. Just make sure your password stays “Strong”.
4. Click the “Update Profile” button to save your new password.

Choose a Strong Password for your WordPress login

Mistake #4: Using Ugly Permalinks

Permalinks are the URLs WordPress uses for your web pages and blog posts. By default, your permalinks are setup to be something like this:

yourwebsite.com/?p=123

Not only is that ugly; but it’s not very intuitive for your website visitors. What does “p=123” mean? Not much to most people. And it certainly doesn’t mean much to search engines either!

The words inside the web URLs are an indicator for both people and search engines as to what that page or post is all about. For example, the URL for this blog post that you’re reading right now is:

kellyward.com/blog/common-wordpress-setup-mistakes/

See how easy that is for you (and for Google!) to know exactly what this blog post is all about?

How to Prevent this Mistake when you Setup WordPress: Login to your WordPress admin area and:

1. Click Settings > Permalinks.
2. Select “Post Name” (instead of the default “Plain” option) so your posts are saved using URLs that include the words from your post/page title.
3. Click the “Save Changes” button

How to Fix this Mistake: if you’ve already been using the default “plain” WordPress permalinks for a while, you don’t want to go and change the permalinks without first creating redirects for your existing links. In other words, if someone tries to go to your old (ugly) link, you want them to be automatically taken to your new (pretty) link. You also want search engines to use the new (pretty) link as well. To do this, you should setup 301 redirects for each of your pages and posts. You can easily do this with a WordPress plugin. (For example: the Redirection plugin.) After you setup 301 redirects for your pages and posts, you can change your Permalinks following the instructions above.

Mistake #5: Using a Bad WordPress Theme

What makes a theme “bad?” It could be quite a few different things – but I’ll save that full list for another blog post: Tips for Choosing a WordPress Theme. You can read through that post for all the details. Or here’s a brief list below, of things you’ll want to look for when choosing which WordPress theme you’re going to use. And if you are having a custom web design created instead of using a pre-made theme, you’ll want to ask your designer about these items as well.

• Make sure it’s responsive – so it looks great on different screen sizes and devices.
• Does it have the features and functionality that you’re looking for?
• Does the theme provider offer good support (documentation, access to Tech Support, etc.)?
• Is the theme continuously updated to accommodate new WordPress versions and to fix any bugs?
• Are you able to modify the colors and layout (if the theme doesn’t match exactly what you’re looking for with the design)?

How to Prevent this Mistake: Do your research before choosing your theme. Make sure you have a good idea of what features you want on your website – and what kind of design you’re looking for. And make sure you’re choosing a theme provider that has a great reputation – not only with support issues but also with how well their themes are designed and developed.

How to Fix this Mistake: If you’ve chosen a theme that just isn’t working for you, you can hire a web designer/developer to fix the issues that you’re struggling with. Or it just might be time for a website redesign with a new theme!

Mistake #6: Not Using Your Own Favicon

A favicon is the tiny graphic associated with your website that appears in many places, including:

• on browser tabs
• on the website address bar on many browsers
• in browser bookmarks and favorites
• as the application icon on mobile devices (for example, when someone adds your website to their phone’s home screen)

If you’re using a WordPress theme that you purchased, your website will most likely display the theme developer’s favicon. Or it might not include any favicon at all! Either way, this is a missed opportunity for you to include your own branding on your website.

How to Fix this Mistake: I recommend using a website favicon that matches your logo as this will help with brand recognition. Here’s how to add a favicon to your website.

Mistake #7: Not Deleting Sample Content

I’m always surprised by the number of websites I see that have the WordPress default web page, blog post and tagline displaying on their website. By default, WordPress adds a “Just Another Blog” tagline to every WordPress install. It looks really unprofessional to have that “dummy” text on your website. Do you really want your website to say “Just Another Blog” – or “Hello World! Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post.”?

(Please say no.)

No!! So trash it!

Also – some themes include demo/sample content as well. So you’ll want to make sure you are either editing or deleting that too.

How to Fix this Mistake:

To get rid of the WordPress default tagline:

1. Go to Settings > General in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Change or delete the default tagline.
3. Click the “Save Changes” button.

To get rid of the default WordPress sample post:

1. Go to Posts > All Posts.
2. Hover your mouse on the “Hello World” post and then click the link to delete it.
3. Repeat this process for any of your theme’s sample posts that you don’t want.

To get rid of the default WordPress sample page:

1. Go to Pages > All Pages.
2. Hover your mouse on the “Sample Page” page and then click the link to delete it.
3. Repeat this process for any of your theme’s sample pages that you don’t want.

Mistake #8: Using the “Uncategorized” Category

This is another item that WordPress sets up by default – and that I recommend changing. When you first install WordPress, it creates a default category, called “Uncategorized”. An uncategorized category? Yeah, that sounds really dumb. 

Plus, you don’t want your “Uncategorized” category page to show up in search engines… because that just looks, well… dumb too! So let’s fix that.

How to Fix this Mistake: Go to Posts > Categories. And edit the Name and slug (which is part of the URL for that category page) of the “Uncategorized” category. Change it to a more descriptive default category name. For example, a fashion blog might use “Fashion” for the default category.

Mistake #9: Editing Your Theme’s Files

Let’s pretend you found the perfect theme… but then you realize it’s only “about 95% perfect” and you want to make a few quick edits to the theme’s files to make it 100% perfect. So you edit the code in one of the theme files… and now your theme really is perfect! Sounds good, right?

Not so fast!

Let’s fast forward to a couple weeks from now when your theme has a new update available. Because you know the importance of keeping your WordPress software, theme and plugins all updated – you click that Update button and update your theme to the latest version. Uh oh… now your theme is only 95% perfect again! What happened?!

Every time you update your theme, you risk overwriting your code changes with the theme’s original code. Now you have to go in and add your code changes into the theme files again. Not fun.

How to Prevent this Mistake: Use a child theme! Put all of your custom code within a child theme so it doesn’t get overwritten by any of your theme’s updates. Here’s a tutorial from Smashing Magazine about how to create a WordPress child theme.  Or if that seems too complicated, you can hire a web designer to set this up for you.

Mistake #10: Not Being Friendly with Search Engines

A crucial part of getting traffic to your website is making sure you’re getting found in search engine results. So make sure your website is setup in a way that helps with this. Did you know there is a setting in WordPress that tells search engines NOT to put your website in their search engine results? Now why would you ever want to do that? Well, sometimes when you’re first creating your website, you might want the search engines to ignore your website until you have everything ready. But just make sure you remember to turn that setting off when you’re ready for some website traffic to get sent your way.

How to Fix this Mistake: Go to Settings > Reading. And make sure the “Search Engine Visibility” option is NOT CHECKED. (If it’s checked: uncheck it and then click the “Save Changes” button.)

I also recommend using the Yoast SEO plugin for additional SEO features.

Mistake #11: Not Creating Website Backups

I know you don’t want to think about this – but what would happen if your entire website was deleted or hacked? Do you have a backup plan? (See what I did there? A “Backup” plan?! 😆 )

I’ve had clients call me in a panic because their website was down – or was hacked and unusable. One of my first questions is: “Do you have a backup we can use?” (And then I hold my breath, waiting for their answer… hoping and praying that they say “yes!”) Make it easy on yourself – and your web developer – and make sure you’re creating regular website backups.

How to Fix this Mistake: There are several backup plugins you can install on your WordPress website that allow you to create backups of your website. I’ve used BackupBuddy, Updraft Plus and BackWPup for my clients.

Even better? Choose a web host that creates daily backups for you. Backup plugins can be complicated and can slow down your website as they’re running. One of the reasons I use Flywheel for my website and for my Website TLC plans for my clients – is because they run backups every night and store them off-site for 30 days. So I don’t need to use a backup plugin – and I can easily restore my website with one of those backups, if I need to.

Mistake #12: Not Having Security Measures in Place

Besides making sure you’re using a strong username and password (see Mistakes #2 and #3 above), you need to make sure you’re taking steps to prevent anyone from harming your website.

How to Fix this Mistake:

1. Make sure you’re keeping your WordPress software, your theme(s) and any plugins updated. Updates not only give you access to the latest features, but also give you any security updates as well.
2. Delete any themes or plugins that you don’t need anymore. Each theme and plugin you have installed on your website is one more opportunity for a hacker to gain access to your website. So if you don’t need a certain theme or plugin… get rid of it.
3. Use a good web host that includes security features. As I already mentioned, I use Flywheel for my web hosting. One of the reasons why I use them is because they work hard to make sure my website is always malware-free. And in the unlikely event my website gets hacked, they’ll fix it for free. No security plugins needed!
4. If you’re using a web host that doesn’t manage website security for you – you can use a security plugin. Sucuri and Wordfence are two popular security WordPress plugins.

It may seem a little overwhelming when you start to think about #allthethings that you need to deal with when you setup your WordPress website. That’s why I created these two services with this in mind:

1. a website package that helps you with this entire process: No Mess – No Stress Website Design for Entrepreneurs. I like to think of it as your “Easy Button” for getting your website setup without the stress and mess of DIY-ing your website!
2. a Website Care Plan that takes care of web hosting, security, backups and updates for you!

1. You Have a Serious Case of Website Shame

Here’s a great test to see if you need a website redesign:

When someone asks you for your website, do you panic? If you aren’t sharing and promoting your website because you’re embarrassed by it, it’s definitely time to get a redesign! Until you get a website that you L-O-V-E, you won’t be proud to show it off. And if you don’t want people looking at your website, that’s a problem that needs to be fixed. Like – now. (Seriously. Quit reading this blog and signup for a website redesign!)

2. It Looks Janky on Your Phone

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re probably turning away business. A website that doesn’t work (or look good) on a phone or tablet will get closed in a hot second. That is a customer you might never see or hear from again. Plus, Google penalizes websites that aren’t mobile-friendly; so you might not be ranking as high in their search engine results as you could be. You need a responsive web design that looks great on any size monitor or mobile device.

3. Your Website is as Outdated as an 80’s Perm

If you think your website looks a little outdated, chances are your website visitors think so too! Having an up-to-date design gives your website – and your business! – more credibility. You don’t have to incorporate every new design trend on your website; but it should look like it’s something that you haven’t neglected for the past 5 years.

And what about your content? Do you avoid updating it because your website is hard for you to use? If you had a web designer build your website using a complicated platform that you can’t figure out how to use, it’s time to update your website. I create my clients’ websites on WordPress so they can easily do simple updates to their website themselves. 

Like Jason Zook says:

“Websites, like bed sheets, should be changed and cleaned way more often than they usually are.”

(Ewwww, David Jason!)

4. You’re Gettin’ No Action

Your website should be doing more than just announcing to the world: “I’m on the web!” Your website should inspire someone to take action. Without some kind of tempting opt-in offer, or tease that will keep readers on the site and coming back for more, your website isn’t fully doing its job. At the very minimum, collecting the email address (or more information) from your visitors should be a goal. If you don’t have simple forms, useful landing pages, and obvious calls to action on your website, it needs to be updated. 

5. Your Website Doesn’t Match Your Brand

Whether you recently changed your logo or branding, or you simply picked the first website template you liked… your website will fall flat if it doesn’t reflect your business and brand. It’s important that all your marketing flows together and is obviously from the same business. Your website should match the look, feel and design of your other marketing materials (for example, your print materials and social media images). Your website is the face of your business, so make sure it truly showcases your brand.

6. You Hear Crickets

If you’ve got little to no website traffic, take a serious look at how your website is setup. Is it optimized for search engines (SEO)? Do you have social sharing buttons on your website? Are people leaving your website after just a few seconds? There is some disconnect going on that needs to be fixed ASAP.

7. It’s a Poor Performer

If your website takes a long time to load, or worse yet, has broken functionality, people aren’t going to stick around long. It’s time to retire that bad boy. Make sure your website is a smooooth operator! 

8. You Want to Start Blogging… But You’ve Got No Blog!

If you built your site with a website builder that doesn’t have the ability to easily add a blog, then you need to create a new website that includes it. It’s better to have your blog created as a part of your website versus creating a separate blog that you link to from your website. I recommend using the self-hosted version of WordPress since it includes an easy-to-use blog that is great for SEO (ranking higher in search engine results).