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When it’s time to get a new website, the first thing people do is look at other websites to see what kind of things they would like on their website. You might look around at your competitors, random websites, and just see things you like, and make a list of the things you like. Next,…
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this conversation. Someone comes to me with their website needs, and I ask them this question: “When a user lands on your site, what do you want them to do?” And they will inevitably respond with one of these answers: I want them to see my…
As any dedicated blogger knows, your blog will evolve over time. Your strengths, interests and priorities also evolve until your blog has a very distinct voice. Many new bloggers are afraid to move forward because they have trouble finding their voice. If you are one of those bloggers, here a few tips to help guide you in the right…
I get this question a lot, so I thought I’d do an obligatory domain name FAQ. What is a domain name? A domain name, like sumydesigns.com, is like the street address for your house. It tells people where to look for your online presence. What should mine be? That depends on a lot of factors,…
Note: This post was written in 2015, and I’ve written an update for it here. If you’re like me, you want a good opt-in on your site. What’s an opt-in? An opt-in is that little box that allows people to subscribe (or “opt-in”) to your newsletter, emails, etc. You can use a variety of different…
Say WHAT? You read that right. An SSL Certificate does not secure your site. This is a common misconception that needs to be cleared up. What is an SSL certificate? SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the…
Actually, Mobilegeddon, as we liked to call it, happened this past April. April 21st to be exact. That was the date that Google said they would start including mobile-friendliness as a factor in their search rankings. We’ve been in business for nine years, so there are plenty of sites in our portfolio that are not…
More and more, clients are coming to me wanting to offer online booking. This is going to be become a higher demand item on the wish list, simply because more people are looking to easily schedule appointments online as we become busier and busier. I know I really enjoy being able to schedule an appointment…
These days, all sites need to be responsive. A large percentage of visitors to websites now are coming on mobile devices or tablets, and we have to accommodate for them. This isn’t going to go away… if anything, more and more people will accessing the web via devices. I’ll admit I may have been a…
I love Twitter. It’s a great place to meet people, engage with your customers, friends, and colleagues. And it’s fun! I spend a lot of time there. But I get asked a lot how to get more followers and how to use Twitter for business. So I do have a few tips. First, though, you need…
Verbalize your copy When you are all done writing, and the copy is on the page, take a few minutes and the read your words out loud to yourself. If the copy doesn’t flow or sound natural, rewrite it so it doesn’t sound mechanical. You might need to do this several times, but at least in…
So often, I get emails from people that look like this: “HELP! MY SITE HAS BEEN HACKED! WHAT DO I DO?” WordPress is the top content management system on the web right now, with 24% of websites using it. That’s huge. But that also makes it a target, which means it’s really important to secure…
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend WordCamp Columbus. This isn’t one I had scheduled or planned to attend, but the stars aligned with my home life and left me alone for a weekend, and Columbus isn’t that far of a drive for me. So I bought a ticket and drove out. I’ve said…
You need to define your target audience so you can design for your target audience Your most important visual marketing tool is your website. Many visitors will stumble upon your site by chance and you only get one chance to make a good impression. If your site isn’t designed for your specific audience then you…
A serif font is a font that has a tiny line attached to the end of a stroke of a letter. Here is a list of my favorite serif fonts. Serif fonts work well for print and when used correctly, can work equally well for web designs. Try using one or more of these fonts in your…
If you are a perfectionist like I am, you probably get frustrated when you can’t get things figured out right away. One of the reasons we chose WordPress as our specialty, after trying out many content management systems many years ago, was because it was so easy to use. Not just easy for US to…