"How should a small business choose a web design company?" This was one of the many questions asked at the Small Business Tech Panel at the Warehaüs, a coworking space in Holland, Michigan in March 2014 (yes, I'm posting this over a year later). Here's an expanded version of the answer I gave. These are the attributes to consider […]
Is WordPress the right choice for your business website? In most cases, yes! (Without knowing your business, I can't say for sure). Let's look at the reasons why. WordPress is the world's most popular content management system. WordPress sites currently make up over 23% of the web, and over 60% of CMS sites! Its popularity brings many of its […]
One of the most common questions about WordPress is, "is it secure?" Many get the impression that it's not, mostly from reading scare-tactic headlines. Let's look at the facts, and answer the question, "is WordPress secure?" Perception WordPress attracts more hacking attempts than other platforms because of its popularity. It powers about 23% of all websites, and […]
A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects by Breandán Knowlton My rating: 4 of 5 stars An informative and practical guide to successfully managing website and web app projects. It’s clearly based on firsthand experience with many projects. It’s a bit dry; it’s not as engaging or entertaining as it could’ve been. I found it […]
You know your small business needs a website, but simply having a website isn't enough. Do you know what it needs to succeed? Let's look at the content and design your website needs to meet your business goals. I gave this presentation, What Your Small Business Website Needs to Succeed, at the Small Business Symposium hosted by […]
People have many misunderstandings and false assumptions about websites. I've encountered several while talking to businesses about their websites. I've found UX Myths to be a helpful resource, since it responds to myths with research. The site's tagline is "Build your website based on evidence, not false beliefs." Here's a summary of my favorite myths and realities. People read on […]
Are you making mistakes with your small business website? Business websites exist to sell, directly or indirectly. Small businesses often lose sight of that, and make mistakes with the content, design, marketing, and technical aspects of their sites. Learn how to fix these mistakes so your site delivers business results. I gave this presentation, Website […]
I'm going to show you how to optimize your images in WordPress for SEO and accessibility. Optimizing images for SEO (search engine optimization) contributes towards the SEO of your page and site. Optimizing images for accessibility makes it easier for the visually impaired to understand the images you're using even though they can't see them. […]
Here's the latest round of my favorite WordPress podcasts, listed in order of preference. I prefer those that contain actionable advice over those that are mostly news. These days, I personally focus more on strategy, business development, and project management than development or design (which my teammates handle), and my taste in podcasts reflects that. […]
Business owners and other business people, your website should be the center, or hub, of your web presence. It's the only way to maintain control of your professional image, content, and design. You forfeit control when you use third-party platforms (such as social media or blogging sites) as the center. Of course, you should use […]
Note: The No Longer in Directory plugin was, ironically, removed from the WordPress plugin directory in 2018. There's no direct replacement. The Vendi Abandoned Plugin Check plugin will show on your Plugins screen the number of days since a plugin was last updated, which is useful for detecting abandoned plugins. For plugins that aren't in […]
Book review and summary of "The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald A. Norman.
