Posts by Amy Masson
The importance of keyword research
One of the most important often overlooked parts of SEO is keyword research. What exactly is it and why is it important? Keyword research is the process of finding the right keywords for your site. It’s super important, because if you don’t know what people are searching for, you might be targeting the wrong term.…
Read MoreWhat to expect in a website audit
One of my favorite things to do is go over someone’s website and tell them everything that’s wrong with it in a website audit. I kid! Mostly… But I do frequently get asked to evaluate websites and give feedback about what, in my professional opinion, the website is doing right and what it’s doing wrong…
Read MoreWebsites for Realtors
As a realtor, your online presence needs to be great. But so many realtors make several key mistakes and miss the mark when it comes to attracting new clients. I’m here to help you understand the value of your websites and how to effectively use the web to attract new clients and new business. What…
Read MoreHow to Kill Your Conversions
So many websites owners have one focus and that focus is getting users to their website. They watch their analytics, and so long as the numbers are going up, they are happy. But the truth is, getting people to your site is only half the battle. (Maybe less than half.) The other half of the…
Read MoreGoogle Posts: A cool feature you probably don’t know about
You’ve probably never heard of or used Google Posts. So what is it? It’s a fantastic way to jazz up your Google local business listings. Let’s start with a brief intro of the Google My Business listing. If you own a business and don’t have one, you need one. This is essentially the “Yellow Pages”…
Read MoreIs having a professional website design worth it?
In the days of a million options for the do-it-yourself website, many people are asking themselves if having a professional website design is worthwhile, or if they can just use a template and do it themselves. There are a lot of DIY options to choose from these days, such as WIX, Square space or even…
Read MoreOffering websites in multiple languages is much more than just translating your content
First, you might be asking yourself, why should I offer my site in multiple languages? I only speak English. The question isn’t about what language YOU speak, but about what languages your customers speak. Do you live in an area that has a high population of speakers of another language? Do you want to be…
Read MoreAre you giving your customers what they’re looking for?
One thing I think small business owners overlook when getting started with a new website is what their customers are actually looking for. These clients come to us with their dreams and wishlists, which is great. But often times, they are so caught up in thinking of what they want their website to do, they…
Read MoreWhy go to a WordCamp?
Next week is the 3rd annual WordCamp US and I’m pretty excited to go! It’s my favorite conference of the year. I recently was talking to some of my nerd friends a/k/a colleagues in the field and learned that some of them had never been to a WordCamp. So I wanted to present my list…
Read MoreChanges in SEO for 2018
The thing about SEO, it’s always changing. As soon as you think you’ve got it down, there are new rules and changes to be implemented. Trying to keep up with it as a site owner is hard enough. So here’s a brief recap of what we’re seeing and what to expect. I’ve been writing about…
Read MoreBlog Writing for Technical People
You’re a technical person and you have to write a blog post. Great! You’re a smart person and you know the topic, so you’re going to explain it to your readers. Except you’re probably going to do it wrong. Okay, so there’s no wrong way to write a blog post, but there are ways to…
Read MoreDo you really need to optimize your images?
Yes. Yes you do. Let’s talk about this. Remember back when cell phones first got cameras and your photos were all grainy and blurry and not very good? The good news is that phones now take excellent photos. I no longer even carry my big camera on vacation anymore, I just take my iPhone. The…
Read MoreShould you show dates on your posts?
Yes. Oh, was that not a thorough enough answer? Yes. Yes you really should. I get asked this all the time and a lot of people don’t want to put dates on their posts. “It’ll make my site look outdated,” they say if their site is showing older posts. I disagree. It’s important for the…
Read MoreWhen is it a good time to have multiple domains?
Domain names. If you want a website, you have to have at least one. But what about more than one? When might it be a good idea to have more than one domain? First, let me clarify we’re talking about more than one domain, not more than one website. I have a few answers to…
Read MoreDo you need to fill out the SEO Meta Title and Meta Description?
Yes and no. How’s that for concise answer? Let me start by explaining what these things are. In a lot of themes, and in other SEO plugins if you use them, there are spots under your post or page to enter your meta title and meta description. What is that really for? The meta title…
Read MoreSimple Free Plugins I can’t live without
It’s a well-known fact that I’m a huge fan of premium plugins. I like a plugin that is well developed, well-documented, professional and functional and often times, that means you have to pay for it. I’m okay with that. The women and men who develop these plugins deserve to be paid for their work. But…
Read MoreLeaky Landing Pages
Your landing pages should not have leaks! Let me start with definitions. First, a landing page is simply any web page that a visitor can land or arrive on. However, we typically refer to landing pages as being standalone pages on a website used for marketing purposes. For example, if you are running online ads…
Read More5 Photo Tips for Websites
It’s 2017. Websites need photos these days. There are lots of places to get them and I have some advice. I get asked about stock photos all the time, where to get them, which ones to use. And stock photos have their place, for sure. But let me tell you this – using real photos…
Read MoreDon’t fall for this domain scam
I pretty regularly get emails from clients who say they have received a bill for their domain name in the mail and are confused because registered it with a different company than the letter. The letter comes from a very official sounding company called iDNS or Internet Domain Name Services. Each time I tell them…
Read MorePeople navigate websites in various ways – plan for it
When we’re creating new design concepts for clients, one thing we frequently get asked is why there’s a button for something that’s already in the navigation? Or why there’s a section that links to a page that is already linked somewhere else. There is a reason and a strategy for this. Not everyone uses the…
Read MoreHow do I get a @mybusinessname.com email address?
If you are starting a business, and setting up a new website on a new domain, you may just want an email address to go with it. I get asked this question a lot, so I thought I’d give out a few options as well as explain why you may or may not want to…
Read More