When I talk to small business clients about creating or redesigning their websites, I usually encourage them to include a blog. Many reply with, "We don't see why we need one," or, "We don't have anything to write about," or, "We don't have time for that." I then proceed to describe the many benefits of […]
Many clients ask where they can find images for their websites. Others don't ask, and simply send images they found on Google Images. My experience is that many people aren't familiar with copyright laws. You aren't free to use every image you find on the Web. You may only use images to which you own […]
I led a WordPress for Small Business Websites Q&A panel at WordCamp Grand Rapids 2013. We discussed goals, strategy, content, analytics, speed and performance, social media, SEO, and generally making sites effective. Below is a video of the panel discussion, followed by paraphrased versions of the questions asked by the audience. I'm so thankful for […]
People frequently ask, "How much does a website cost?" I've heard one web designer reply, "How long is a piece of string?" Others use the car analogy: "How much does a car cost?" I like to use a house construction metaphor. I say, "Building a website is like building a house. I can build you […]
The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin KissaneMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This short book is a good overview of content strategy. It presents the concepts and includes many references for deeper reading. I’m a web designer who creates websites for small businesses, and those sites are too small to warrant a sophisticated content […]
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book contains more than I’ve ever wanted to know about typography. It describes not only how to use fonts, but also how to create them, explaining the math and science involved in font design. It also describes techniques for laying […]
I use the WP-DBManager plugin to keep my WordPress databases clean. I like things neat and tidy, so it annoys me when I see unnecessary tables in my WordPress databases. These are often left over from deleted plugins. Some plugins delete their data from the database, but many don't, preserving your data in case you […]
BackWPup is a free WordPress plugin that automatically backs up your WordPress database and files. You can back up to your web server, or send your backups offsite (highly recommended). I back my sites up to SugarSync, but you can also back up to Dropbox, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Rackspace Cloud, and other services. […]
The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best marketing books I’ve read! Jantsch, clearly a master marketer, shows how to guide prospects to you. How? Educate, and you won’t need to sell. He tells how to build a referral […]
Step-by-step instructions to copy and migrate a WordPress site with the free Duplicator plugin.
These are excellent tutorials and resources for learning the WordPress Admin Area (AKA Administration Screens). I first published these resources for my WordCamp Grand Rapids presentation The WordPress Admin Area: A Guided Tour. I've kept this post updated since then. Free Text & Screenshot Guides Free Video Tutorials Paid Video Tutorials Paid Books Need Help with […]
The Antispam Bee plugin is my favorite free anti-spam plugin for WordPress. I've used it for years on several sites, and it's extremely effective. It integrates right into the default commenting system in WordPress. It doesn't work with Jetpack Comments or forms (Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, etc.). Why not use Akismet? It's excellent and free […]
