I love WordPress – I really do. It allows you to build an amazing website (including a blog, if you want one) filled with great functionality that’s friendly to search engines and easy to use. This site is built in WordPress.
And there’s a reason it’s currently the most popular website platform out there. But the people behind WordPress made a mistake when it came to making sure people understand the difference between their two primary offerings, and you need to understand what that difference is:
- WordPress (often referred to as WordPress.org) is open source content management system software that runs on your web hosting server.
- WordPress.com is a network of blogs that runs on that software on WordPress.com’s web hosting server(s).
Even that explanation is confusing if you don’t know what I’m talking about. So let me break it down for you… Click here to read more »
There are lots of things to figure out when it comes to creating a website, such as what information is best to include & how to position yourself/your brand. In addition, you’ll need to figure out what your website should look like, aka: the aesthetic of the site. And it’s easy to become overwhelmed. After all, there are so many examples of successful aesthetic choices.
But when you’re an author it doesn’t have to be daunting because lots of the work that goes into figuring it out has already been done for your book jacket(s). Click here to read more »
Web designers have online portfolios — that’s just the nature of the business. I’m a web designer here in (currently) rainy Portland, Oregon, and my own portfolio has been through multiple iterations since I started in the year 2000: outboxonline.com.
So, if you’re looking for someone to be your web designer, you’re likely going to see lots of online portfolios. It can be overwhelming, but with some simple things kept in mind, you can increase your confidence in creating your short list of who to contact. Here’s a checklist to get you started Click here to read more »
My husband, Graeme, is into comic books. So much so, in fact, that he’s dedicated part of his professional writing career to writing about them. As the wife of one so enamored of words-with-pictures, you can imagine that I too have enjoyed some comics in our time together, sometimes if only by proxy.
You might be wondering what this has to do with making websites… you see, comics rely heavily on color to help tell stories, and that’s a great lesson for creating websites. Click here to read more »
In working with clients as a web designer, I often do more than just create layouts and make things beautiful. Mainly I help my clients figure out how to position themselves through their site so that they can meet the goals they have for their business. There are so many ways to go about creating a website, and deciding what to include and what to leave out is critical to a successful planning process.
On top of that, there’s a decision to be made about what voice you want your website to have. Along with the aesthetic of your site, this will communicate your brand. For example, should your website be casual and approachable, but still professional? Or maybe authoritative and more formal, but not prohibitively so?
Whatever you decide, your site users will be looking for one primary thing (and quickly) when visiting your site Click here to read more »
I recently ran across this wonderful illustration:
It’s funny because it’s true! How many times have you seen these same posters for one movie or another? But you know what? With a single glance, you instantly know lots of information about the movie & whether it’s something you’d like to learn more about. Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to leverage that same idea for your business? Imagine a potential customer having the same instant recognition when they visit your website, for example, so you can capture their attention and encourage them to learn more about what you do or sell. Click here to read more »
Unlike a print publication, the web is fluid. This is one of its many charms & can be embraced when it comes to launching and maintaining your website. Of course the launch of a new site is a big deal and you want to make sure you’ve dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s before sending it out into the world, but are you better off sending it out into the world knowing it’s a living thing or waiting until it’s perfect in every way? My advice is to send it out into the world, imperfections and all, and here’s why… Click here to read more »
