Have you added additional products or services?  Did your company have any big events or successful client projects you could add to your portfolio?  Is it time to add some blog posts for the upcoming months?  All of theses are great additions to your site and add fresh content.

In addition to these content type updates, here’s a post from the Business2Community website that mentions many of the things included in our website audit, and it explains why you want to look at these things.  Check out the post here from the Business2Community site.

If you’re unsure how to speed up your site’s load time, how to fix those broken links, or you’d like help with any of the other things mentioned in the post, please let us know, we’d be happy to help.  We offer a Web Site Audit to look at your site and we’ll let you know what needs improving, and then we can help you update your site for the issues found.

If you’re curious about how you should be maintaining your site, drop us an email and we can let you know what website maintenence should include to keep your site safe and protected from hackers.

Take a look at your website now, and include it in your 2019 planning.  Your website is part of your marketing plan and should be working to bring you clients!  If it’s not, let’s talk!

The post Year End Planning: Take A Look at Your Website appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Here’s a list of the most common passwords of 2017.  Some are quite entertaining!  Some, well, how unoriginal can a person be?  Please tell me you don’t use such easy-to-guess passwords on your website or email. Just don’t do it!

To be safe, use a password with at least 12 characters, using numbers, letters, including upper and lower case, and symbols.  Think of a phrase you’ll remember and sprinkle some characters in between the letters.

Password Manager Programs Can Help

Or better yet, use a password manager to generate your password, and keep track of them so you don’t have to write them on that sticky note!  Look for a password manager that syncs across devices, so you can get your password on your phone or your PC.

PC Magazine has a list of password manager programs. , LastPass, RoboForm, and Dashlane are three that rated pretty well. If you’re on a MAC, just look through the App Store, there’s all kinds of password managers, including Dashland and LastPass.

I’ve used Passwords Plus for years, it’s by Dataviz, Inc.  I like it because you can generate long passwords, save it, and take notes regarding the type of account it applies to.

Take your pick, get a program, and give up using those lame passwords. No more dog names or birthdays!

If you really want to be secure, enable two-factor authentication.  It’s putting one password on top of another to help that account stay secure.

So many choices, so there’s no reason to EVER use “abcdef123456” again.

Give me a call or drop me an email if you’re not sure how to install a password manager, or if you’re unsure how to change your WordPress password. I’m happy to help!

The post How Strong is Your Password? appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Or what if your website had a “site down for maintenance” message on it that never resolved itself after weeks?  And then your website person didn’t return your calls?

Would you have enough information to be able to take your website to another web company and allow them to help you?

These are two situations that I’ve seen, where website developers seem to “hold a site hostage” either intentionally or not, causing the business owner much frustration and lost customers.

I want to give you three things you MUST KNOW to never be locked out of your website, even if you don’t use them, you must know them and keep them in a safe place.

Number 1:  The Login ID and Password for the Domain Registrar

Every website has a domain, i.e. the website address or URL.  To create a website, you must register your domain to claim the unique website address.  There are many website domain registration companies out there, and to purchase the domain, you need to set up an account with the domain registrar.  When you do, be sure to keep track of the ID and password for this account. If someone else registered it for you, ask for this information.

If your developer registered (purchased) the domain but it’s not in an account in your name, ask them to transfer it to you, as you should have access to it as owner of the website and it must be in your name for the registration company to help you if any problems arise.

Number 2:  Website Hosting Account Login ID and Password

The files that make up your website reside on a computer somewhere, that’s your website hosting.  Your hosting account can be with the same company as your domain registration, but it does not have to be.

Make sure you know your web hosting Login ID and Password.  If it is the same company as your registrar, that’s great, you’ll see separate sections for domains and hosting when logged in.  If it is not at the same place, be sure you know your Hosting ID and password.  This gives you access to your website files and database in case you need it. And again, it should be an account set up in your name.

Number 3:  WordPress Administrator ID and Password

This is the login ID and password that allow you to edit your website.  Make sure it is the Administrator’s ID, not an Editor or Subscriber ID.  Even if you don’t know what to do when you are logged into the WordPress ‘backend’, you must know this ID and password if you ever want someone to help edit your site.

These are the three biggies.  There are other things that are good to know, including FTP access and cPanel login ID, but you can usually find these out if you have the three things above.

If you have a website and don’t know these three things, tell your website person you want to make sure you have them in case something would unexpectedly happen to them.  If you’re working on a new website project, make sure to get this information now, or when the site is completed to make sure you can access your content.  And if you have an employee handle this all for your company, make sure you also know this information, in case that employee should ever leave.
Bottom line:  make sure you have this information to prevent yourself from being locked out of your website.  If the need arises that you’d have to go to another website developer for assistance on your site, having these three things will make it easier to get in to your site and make changes.

As always, if you have any questions about this or would like some assistance with your website, feel free to contact Kim at Resolve Web Studio.  Schedule a free call to talk about any issues you may have.  Here’s a link to my online calendar:  https://my.timetrade.com/book/ZW8BN  Let’s set up a time and talk about these or any other issues!

The post 3 Things You Must Know So You’ll Never Be Locked Out of Your Website appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Not sure what “mobile responsive” means? A mobile website is simply one that can be read on a device without enlarging it. You can read it just as it shows on your device (a site can detect and adjust based on what device it is read on.)

A mobile responsible website can boost sales in many ways.

1. No one leaves frustrated. Nothing is more frustrating to a website visitor than clicking a link to your site and not being able to read it. They’ll leave it and go to another site, and most likely use another business. An example of this I often see is restaurant menus. Can you read it? No? There are many other restaurants.

2. Your site always looks great. It won’t matter what device the user is viewing your site with; the fluid manner the site displays will always look great to the person using the site.

3. The site works with any device. Using mobile responsive design will work with any device by using the ability to create fluid and flexible layouts, using CSS to adapt an entire site to the device or operating system the user prefers.

The thing to keep in mind is that mobile responsive design doesn’t mean just cell phones. It means any type of device the user chooses to use – whether it’s a PC with a large screen, a laptop with a small screen, or a tablet device. The fluid design elements used in mobile responsive design knows how to automatically display your site on each device. Even though mobile devices haven’t completely taken over yet, it’s important to get on board now because they will.

The days of creating separate mobile sites and separate specific browser-optimized sites is over if you want to truly compete in the changing and advancing mobile marketplace. By using mobile responsible design you don’t have to restrict what different people see and read, only how they see it and read it. This means that your audience will be able to always have access to your products or services regardless of their choice of device.

Taking the approach that each user is unique, and designing responsive sites that don’t rely on one browser or one device, is the best way to go when trying to appeal to your target audience. It takes some new thinking to realize that we are not restrained to one type of design for all readers and all users like we are with print media. With the right code, the content can and will adapt to each individual user, so that they can have a personalized experience that encourages them to buy from you.

By using responsive web design, you’ll no longer need to redo your website every year to reflect the newest trend in browsers because you are considering all users when you create responsive design. During the design we have to consider many different factors – the actual device, the screen size, the method by which the user browses and interacts with the content.

It may seem like a lot of work to create responsible web design, but it’s more work to create a site for each separate device. It is rather bulky as well when the technology already exists to make your sites that you own right now responsive.

Want to talk more about a responsive website design? Give us a call. We can talk about what you have now, is your site responsive or in need of an update.

The post How Having a Mobile Responsive Website Can Boost Sales appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Image courtesy of aechan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Does your website seem to be running slower these days? Or is it about time to renew and you’d like to shop around for a better host and price? If you are thinking about switching to a new website host, I recommend SiteGround Hosting. I’m in the process of moving this site over there!

While I’ve recommended SiteGround and used it for customers for almost a year now, I’ve not dug into the details of why I recommend them. Today I’ll explain it and share the great Black Friday Sale they are having today on site hosting!

If your site seems slower to load, ask if your current host is using Solid State Drive (SSD) Technology. SSD technology offers faster load times than regular drives, and SiteGround uses SSD technology on all levels of hosting plans.

Is your website secure? Is your site backed up regularly? With SiteGround, a site is backed up daily, and if you need assistance restoring a site, they offer that service as well. Their support is offered 24/7 and responds quickly, I know, as I’ve had to contact them a few times to resolve a few issues.

Another security feature SiteGround offers is an anti-bot AI system that protects a site against brute force attacks and malicious traffic. I’ve seen the number of hits a site can get from these bots, any extra prevention on my site is a bonus.

The last and possibly the most helpful reason I recommend SiteGround is they will actually move your site from your old host to their servers. I have used this service and it was a time saver! They know what they are doing and have moved thousands of sites, so they know the issues to look for and the best ways to work with other hosts to get it done. This is offered on all levels of hosting as well.

Today being Black Friday, SiteGround is offering a great deal on web hosting for 24 hours. You can get 70% off quality hosting at various levels. So if you’ve been thinking of leaving that other host that doesn’t seem to offer the support or the speed your site needs, move your site to SiteGround. Check out the (affiliate) link for this great deal today only extended for the weekend! https://www.siteground.com/go/resolvewebstudio

If you have questions or want my help working with SiteGround to move your website, just shoot me an email, I’m glad to help!

The post 4 reasons to Use SiteGround for Hosting appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

What sets one website apart from another? Some you can tell right away that you went to the wrong place. Others frustrate you because they look inviting but after about 10 minutes you move on to the next site because you can’t find what you need.

The Myth about Websites

Yes, you can set up a website in five or ten minutes using one of those do-it-yourself platforms you see advertised on TV that claim to give you everything you need. However that’s not the end of the story. For example, think about a cake. You know what the finished product is supposed to look like – yummy and good smelling. But just because someone sets out the ingredients doesn’t guarantee you’ll put them together in the right way to come up with a scrumptious cake. It could turn out to be a mess.

It’s the same with your website. Just because you throw some parts and pieces together doesn’t mean the combination you choose will yield favorable results. It takes some thought to create a website design that will attract visitors.

Website Faux Pas that Drive People Away

What are you doing or not doing that is hindering your website business? Think about these five things.

1. Not user friendly – There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to find what you’re looking for on a site. If you click on the link in the search results you expect to be brought to that article – not the home page where you have to click around to find it.

2. Links that don’t work – Test all of your buttons and links before they go live. When they don’t work, people leave and go to a site where they do work.

3. Poor color scheme – It’s important that your content and images are easy to see and read. Black backgrounds make it hard to read. The same goes for yellow text on a white background. Choose black on white for content and other readable parts.

4. Pop-up ads – Who wants to keep clicking the red “x” every five minutes while they are trying to read an article? Pop ups distract the reader and are annoying.  If you wish to use some sort of sign up form, add it in the text or have it slide up on the bottom corner, it’s less offensive to readers.

5. Preachy – These are the sites that use hard-sell tactics. If the link says “5 Ways to Get Rid of Pests” you don’t want to reach the site and instead be bombarded with reasons why you should buy the product. It’s bait and switch, and readers don’t respond well to it.

Are you guilty of any of these? Don’t worry, we can help. Resolve Web Studio sets up WordPress websites. We know how to set up a site so it’s user friendly. We’ll work with your colors, or we can suggest web appropriate design colors to highlight your product or service. And we’ll work with you to sell those services in ways that have people coming back to your site or coming in to your store.

Want RWS to take a look at your website? Contact us today, we’re happy to offer a review of your site with our website audit that will tell you where your site needs help and what you can do to improve it.

The post 5 Things About Your Website That Drive People Away appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

You know you need a website but you’re not sure whether to build it yourself or hire a professional. You vacillate between the two hourly. There are many online website builders that make it look easy, but is that right for your website? You see commercials on TV that offer free websites – are those okay? Well, there are a lot of things to consider when you know you need a website but aren’t sure whether you should build it yourself or not.

Are You a Website Designer?

This might seem like a silly question. But, if you’re not a website designer there are so many factors about website design that you probably aren’t aware of. Sure, some of the online builders produce what looks like a perfectly decent website, but is it really providing for you all that your website can be? How would you know since you’re not a website designer?

There Is Skill Involved

Building websites is a very specific skill involving both artistic and technical skills. Website designers understand the difference between shared hosting, collocated hosting, and dedicated hosting, and what kind you need for your type of website. They also understand how the color wheel works and what will look best on different screens. In addition, they understand what search engine optimization is and what it means to your website’s success.

Website Builders Aren’t That Great

With website builders you’re often stuck using their templates, and their idea of what makes a good website. Templates can be very limiting in terms of the look of the design as well as the type of content you can put on the website. They have ultimate control and if you have a subject matter they don’t like, they will cancel you. (NOT GOOD!)

A lot of builders use something called “Flash,” but many website designers today will tell you that you don’t want a Flash website if you want your site to work well on mobile devices (and you should want this). There are ways to make sure you have a responsive site that will look good on mobile devices. Most site builder software options don’t provide for a mobile site.

How Do You Make Your Money?

If you don’t make your money building websites, why spend time building a site when you can spend time making more money? The fact is it’s going to take you a lot longer to build a working website without the right skills than it will take someone who is experienced doing it. During the time you would have spent on the site, you can likely earn enough money to pay for the website. As they say, time is money. Spend yours wisely.

When you invest in a professional website designer, you’re going to get a lot for your money. You’re going to get a beautiful responsive website that works. You’re going to have peace of mind that if something goes wrong you can call on a professional. You’re going to have a secure website that doesn’t give away private client information.

Finally, don’t ever use a free website builder and expect to be taken seriously in the business world, in my humble opinion. You need a real website with structure internally and externally that works. Depending on your skill level and how you earn your money, it’s probably going to be better for you to hire a professional.

If you’re still on the fence about which way to go, sign up to receive our free report “Getting Started With WordPress”. It will give you more information on what goes into setting up your site. Or to find out how Resolve Web Studio can be that professional you know you should hire, contact us today!

The post Your Website – Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional? appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

So after using the spare key I now have hidden, I was thinking about that earlier time, and how easy I had made it for someone – including me – to break into my house. I took steps to fix it, steps that made my home safer and I always keep the windows locked. It reminded me how some businesses make it easy to break into – or hack – their website. If you use the default settings, for example using “Admin” as your login ID, it’s like leaving a window open just waiting for a hacker to break into your site. It’s only a matter of time before the hackers guess your password and take over your site. There are many other security settings to put in place for your web site, but one basic step everyone should take is to use a complex or random Admin ID and password. Not your name, not something easy to guess. Don’t leave the window open for the hackers to come on in.  If you didn’t set up your own site, make sure your website person does not leave the default Admin ID and password on your site.

If you’re really not sure how secure your web site is, let’s talk about it. We will take a look at your site and see if any security steps should be implemented. Don’t make it easy for hackers to take down your site. If you’re just getting started with your website, sign up for and download my report “Getting Started with WordPress” to make sure you do things right from the beginning.

The post This Basic Mistake Can Get Your Site Hacked appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Know Your Audience

Take time to ask yourself who are you writing the blog post for? You’re not writing it for search engines, you are writing it for people. Think about who your intended audience is. Write about what will interest them, what would solve a problem they have, and what will engage them more. This type of content will keep your audience better.

Know Your Purpose

What is the purpose of the blog post? Is it to show people how your product will solve a problem they have? Is it to have them take a certain course, or to join your mailing list? Is it to share new information with them? Whatever the purpose is, let that be the main focus of the blog post. Don’t water it down or confuse people by having more than one purpose.

Add Value

Your readers should finish your blog post feeling like they accomplished something. They should feel more educated, more knowledgeable and informed than before they clicked on the post. They should see a solution to a problem they have. When writing to add value, keep in mind that it’s not about you, it’s about them.

Include Visual Elements

Every blog post should include images or videos relating or explaining your topic, it will make the post a lot more interesting to the reader. For instance, if your blog post is a tutorial, like many of mine are, having video or images to show or explain the “how to” aspect will make it even better. Keep the video short and on point.

Include a Call to Action

Never write a blog post without including a call to action (CTA). If you know your purpose the CTA should be a simple addition to the blog post. Think about this: if you don’t ask your audience to do something, they’ll do nothing. This won’t help you achieve the results you are looking for.

Integrate Social Media

You want your readers to easily be able to share your blog post with their connections by using social media links on your post. If the sharing tools aren’t on your website, look for sharing plug-ins that make it easy for a reader to share information. Also, you should be sharing every blog post with relevant social media accounts and groups. Don’t just post a link, post a description or comment, ask people to go read it, and ask for comments. I recommend posting live instead of using automated systems.

Send It To Your List

Each blog post written should also be sent to your email lists as a reminder to go read your blog and check in on your website. Make sure your email asks your list to share your blog post with others and has an easy link to do just that. It’s a great way to get others involved in promoting the important information you’ve shared.

One more bonus factor that will contribute to you achieving your intended results: have a blogging schedule and stick to it. Whether it’s once a week, twice a week, or what ever works best for you, just make sure you are blogging because as you grow a following, they will come to expect updates and look for new content from you. Set up an editorial calendar, listing topics which will make it easier for you write.

While using keywords is still important, the days of throwing up any keyword rich content are over. It must be relevant. Your readers expect to value out of the blogs they read. Good content is what will get readers to stick around and read what you have to say. Some readers want to comment about the blog, so make sure it’s open for comments, and the discussions that come out of a blog will create more opportunity for more people to see your blog and act on the call to action.

If you’re not sure where to start on your blog, contact Resolve Web Studio and we can get you started, work with you or do it for you.

The post 7 Factors to Achieve Maximum Results from Blogging appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.

Traffic to your website will evolve as you create and perfect each of the ten ideas below. They are not in any particular order. You can choose which one you want to focus on, but pay close attention to the sections that mention anything to do with content. One of your best marketing techniques comes with content on your website, and within email marketing.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves using strategies and methods to ensure that your website is most attractive to your target audience. SEO includes everything you put on your webpage, and anything you do off your webpage to help improve your page rank and ultimately get more traffic. Technically, it includes all activities that are free and not paid advertisements. This is called, on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

Any type of process that will improve page rank and traffic, that is performed on the pages of your website, such as adding content, using specific keywords in the content, using keyword tags, titles, subtitles and more, is considered on-page SEO.

10 Tips to Improve On-Page SEO and Website Traffic

One thing you can do today to immediately improve and drive traffic, is to improve your on-page SEO. When embarking on any SEO strategy remember that what works today may not work tomorrow. It’s imperative to keep up-to-date on SEO strategy so that you can keep your websites updated and attracting the most traffic from search engines possible.

• Improve URL Structure – If you use WordPress this is easy to do, you just have to set it up right. Choose the structure that makes your URL shorter, rather than longer, using words that describe the pages topic. If it’s a keyword, that’s even better. When you choose a URL structure, ensure that as your site grows you’ll easily be able to organize the pages.
• Optimize Page Titles, Headings – A page title is usually also the URL, although it is suggested that if a title is long, you should shorten the URL. Also, within any page you will have headings, subheadings and more that are all opportunities to use keywords and descriptive words that will help search engines find your website.
• Use Keywords Thoughtfully – When you use keywords, it’s important to understand that you don’t want to overdo it. In the old days, this was called “keyword stuffing”. On any page of your site, whether it’s a page, or a blog post, you do not want to have more than a 2 percent keyword density. That means for every 100 words, you do not want more than 2 of any one keyword for which you’re trying to rank.
• Use Images Properly – When you use an image be sure to use only images that truly bring your information to life. Also, don’t put them where H1 header information goes, which should always be text. In addition, fill out the “alt” information for the image in a descriptive format. Instead of adding “flowers”, state the name of the flowers and explain why that image is important. What does it demonstrate?
• ALT Text and Tags Still Matter – As mentioned above “alt” text serves a purpose. Many people will say they don’t really matter anymore but the truth is that they do matter, for a variety of reasons. Two reasons include the disabled people, who may come to your site, and search engines use that information to rank your website.
• Use Internal Links – Linking to other relevant information on your website under blog posts, and under any information you share is a good way to help search engines find more relevant information but it’s also a great way to keep people on your site longer, both of these things help your site rank higher.
• Blog & Add Content Often – The content you create needs to be laser focused and targeted toward your audience. It also needs to be added regularly and consistently over time so that your website is being updated often which will cause the search engines to crawl your website more often, improve your authority, and also keep your audience interested.
• Make Your Website Responsive – Starting in April of 2015 Google decided that they would rank responsive websites higher than those that are not. A responsive website works on any type of device that your audience may use to access your website such as a smart phone or tablet. If you use WordPress, you can easily use a responsive theme to accomplish this. Not sure if your site is responsive? Give me a call and we can take a look at it together.
• Improve Your Website’s Speed – If you use a self-hosted WordPress site, you can make your page load fast. Ensure that it loads in less than 3 seconds for the best ranking and use by your audience. You may need to talk to your web designer to accomplish this as it’s a little more advanced.
• Secure Your Website – By setting up your website so that your URL starts in HTTPS instead of just HTTP, you can immediately get a higher ranking, and offer your users a much safer experience because it’s all about security. Just realizes that the S stands for security. The way you get this is to purchase an SSL certificate for your website from your hosting company.

You don’t have to do everything mentioned above. Do what you can, the ones that you understand, and save the more advanced issues for later. Remember, having a website up and done is better than waiting until everything is perfect. You can improve as you go.

If you’d like help putting these SEO tips in place, or you’d like me to look over your site’s Search Engine Optimization features, email me or lets talk and see how we can improve things on you website.

The post 10 Easy Techniques to Help SEO and Website Traffic appeared first on WordPress Website Design and Creation.