I get this question asked in a couple of online groups at least once per week (maybe more), so I thought I’d answer it in a blog post. What does a basic website cost? Basic would be described as an informational site – a home page, a services page, a contact page – this kind of basic is very basic and it’s very affordable – and even DIY-able if you have a few tech skills and aren’t afraid of diving…
In my SEO Basics series, I cover some things every small business owner needs to do to their website whether you host on Shopify, Squarespace, WordPress or another platform. This article is SEO Basics: How to get Backlinks (the easy way). Backlinks, which are links from another website to yours, are key for ranking in Google’s Search engine rankings. Why? They create authority – somebody ELSE thought highly enough of you to link to your site. That makes sense, right?…
Do you want a super simple five-minute registration setup for one event or a few events? Ann recently deployed a super simple system using one professional version of a popular and well-developed WordPress plugin WP Forms for a dog training company in Lansing, MI. Janet Smith Dog Training – Janet (a well-known and well loved dog trainer in Lansing) needed a super simple registration system for her WordPress site. Janet wanted it to be easy for her to administer and…
I recommend that you take a day off to get out in nature and dream about what you want your business to be this holiday/new year. What Would Your Life Look Like IF: WWYLLLI (wiley) is a great way to jumpstart the thought process. I want you to think beyond your business growth and think about how it impacts your life (both positively and negatively). In fact, I might argue growth isn’t what you want. Hang with me here. WWYLLLI…
I love to create handmade gifts – in years past I would bake cookies for clients! While I don’t do that any more (allergies and really, an overproduction of holiday treats at this time of year), I do still love to gift something small that people can use. I created these holiday gift tag free printable to use for my own gifts, and to share with clients. All that you will need is thicker card-stock paper (available at your local…
As an entrepreneur, do you journal? Whether you choose personal or professional journaling, or a hybrid, here’s the entrepreneur’s guide to journaling. I’ve journaled for over forty years. In the beginning, it was Dear Diary with big loopy letters, for a long time, it was narrow scratch with intensity as I built the business I thought I wanted. Then, journaling became the respite FROM the business. Now, as a hybrid, I both journal for business and personal (although not in…
I have a small collection of how-to WordPress tutorials on YouTube. I’m about to split of my YouTube channel into marketing/web and sewing / craft. Why? Because my sewing/craft reviews and tutorials get WAY more views than my marketing/web ones and as I am growing my channel to monetarization status, I need to move these videos on to another channel. I primarily use those for client reference, for after online training. These are basic WordPress tutorials, suitable for the new…
I have the best job in the world. I get to work with YOU! And I’m speaking directly to “you” – the clients that I have (primarily) but also the clients like them that I don’t yet have. Let me explain, I’ve spent 30+ years as a graphic and web designer/developer and marketer. I owned a marketing agency for decades. I own a web design agency and two e-commerce businesses now, and I love my job. Love it. This is…
In a world with AI generated images and written content, are blogs even valid? The consensus among marketers in a select audience of high level marketers is that yes, there’s still room for blogs…for a while. We all know that Google has long harvested content to put as the top search result. AI will only deepen this because AI searches content – yours, mine, everyone’s, produces a document and Google finds this and indexes it. Right now, it’s demoting that…
