Posts Tagged ‘website tips’

Weekly Small Business Roundup for February 17, 2012

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Weekly Small Business Roundup

It’s back! This week’s Small Business Roundup includes long content pages, website RFP redesign, and underbidding projects.

Don’t Be Afraid of Content and Long Web Pages – This is an interesting topic. Not too long ago it was standard to tell website owners that their content couldn’t be “below the fold” or they’d lose visitors. All you have to do is think about your own browsing habits. Do you scroll? Yes, everyone scrolls. The real issue is having valuable content. If you have excellent content that is easy to read, no one is going to mind scrolling to soak it all in. Just remember to keep it relevant and to the point.

Promote Your Business Without Being Pushy – This is a really simple concept but we tend to make it really hard. It’s all about the brand message and strategy. If you have that down, the rest is easy.

Redesigning the Site Redesign RFP: Eight Do’s and Don’ts – This is an excellent article if you are looking to do work on your website. You have to sign up for their site to read the whole thing but there is some really good information in here. It discusses mobile integration, content sharing, SEO, community features, and personalization. The tips for what not to ask for are even better.

Seven Ways to Whip Your Website into Shape – These tips are perfect. I think it would be a good idea to print these out and go through them once or twice a year, particularly: simplify, fix the problems, and refresh the about page. The final tip may be the best of all, though.

What to Do When You Underbid on a Project – This is a really hard one for me. I usually end up eating the cost because I think it’s my fault if I underbid. But the reality is you are doing work for the client and they should pay for it. To keep your lights on and because they need to know how much your services cost. The author suggests eating the cost might help land a long-term relationship with the client but then you’ve started the relationship off by giving them more than they paid for – and they may expect that in the future. You have to set expectations.

Tech news is up next. Have a great weekend!

Weekly Small Business Roundup for December 16, 2011

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Weekly Small Business Roundup

This week’s Small Business Roundup includes a productivity twist, taming your website, and some wonderful blog post inspiration ideas.

Stop Being So Damn Productive – An interesting perspective on productivity. There’s definitely a difference between being productive and just being busy. Worth a read, even (especially?) for a productivity junkie like me.

Is Your Website Like A Jungle? – While I like a website that has as much useful information on it as possible, I think you really have to master saying all you need to say in as few words and pages as possible. The article includes 11 tips for reviewing and paring down your site.

Finding Blog Inspiration in Unlikely Places – There are five really great suggestions here. If you find yourself stuck for a blog post, these should be your go-to ideas.

5 Tips For Writing Your 2012 Marketing Plan – Have you started work on your marketing plan for 2012 yet? Use these 5 tips to get started or revise your plan.

Are You Talking Yourself OUT of Clients Paying You? – I think this is one a lot of us get stuck on. I know it took me a while and now I won’t even talk about numbers until I know all the details of a project. My favorite “fix” in this article is the last: “Let Silence Reign.” It’s my favorite because I know it to be true and I know I need to work on it!

Tech news is up next. Have a great weekend!

Weekly Small Business Roundup for October 14, 2011

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Weekly Small Business Roundup

This week’s Small Business Roundup is all about small business websites (and Small Business Saturday)!

Formerly frustrated website virgin learns 11 things you should do when choosing your website developer. – Eleven excellent tips to use when finding a new web designer/developer. There are a couple of items here that I haven’t seen mentioned in previous articles of this nature. The only one I caution using is #6: “Get references and bypass the developer by going to their on-line portfolio and then calling the site owners directly.” It sounds like a good idea but the end client may not have had direct contact with the developer (if the project was managed by the designer, for example). Just ask the developer for references or look to Yelp, Twitter, LinkedIn, and/or Facebook for reviews and feedback.

It’s Time for a Redesign: 6 Tips to Fix a Cluttered Website – These are great tips to use when you’re starting to think about a website redesign. I like the suggestion of getting some distance from your website before taking this on. It’s hard to work on your own stuff because you’re so close to it. It also helps to work with someone who can tell you the things you need to hear (but may not want to). Particularly if you’ve written the content for your website or created/designed it, you may be attached to certain aspects you may not otherwise choose include in a redesign.

Have A Better Website in 30 Minutes – I don’t really see these as website updates, per se, but more great ideas for blog posts. If you’re not sure how to get started blogging or if you’re stuck for ideas, here are three great suggestions.

5 Website Mistakes to Avoid – and How to Fix Them – More good website tips! All five of these are important but I think the biggest ones are auto-play audio/video and hard to find contact information. As a user, if I can’t navigate your website or if your content isn’t any good, I’m not sticking around to look for contact information. So there are definitely some that are worse than others!

Google, Twitter Join ‘Small Business Saturday’ Movement – Are you participating in Small Business Saturday? It’s the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 26) and it’s all about small businesses! This year, small business owners have access to a free online toolkit that includes $100 in Facebook Ads and video creation tools. To get your toolkit, just go to the Small Business Saturday Facebook page.

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Tech news is up next. Have a great weekend!