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 […]
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 […]
My clients often ask me how they can improve their SEO (search engine optimization) to rank higher. If their budget allows for it, I partner with an SEO expert, because a successful SEO or SEM (search engine marketing) campaign requires specialized expertise. If such a campaign isn't in their budget, as is often the case […]
These are my favorite audio podcasts about web design and development, both the technical and business sides. They also feature topics such as marketing and freelancing. My last post on the best web design podcasts was from June 2012, so it was time to update the list. I’ve listed them roughly in order of preference, […]
The Complete Idiot's Guide to WordPress by Susan Gunelius My rating: 3 of 5 stars An easily understood, very basic WordPress guide for beginning users. It's focused on blogging rather than building traditional websites. The first half covers WordPress.com, and the rest covers WordPress.org. The Attracting an Audience section has valuable chapters on SEO, feeds, […]
HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the most visually pleasing web design book I’ve ever read. It’s logically organized and explains concepts well, using simple terms, code examples, and beautiful illustrations. I wish I had had it when I was first learning HTML […]
Google’s search results are generally quite good by default, but customizing the results can make them even better. Google provides several options for doing this, which appear along the left side of the search results page. These work best if you’re signed into a Google account. Type of content The top group of options filters […]
I've been changing the permalink structure for WordPress sites to simply postname, and you can do the same! I'll show you how to generate the redirects you need. In the past, I've configured WordPress to use the permalink structure Day and Name, which formats the URLs for posts as /%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/. Although I knew that a […]
I like to replace the default search functionality in WordPress with Google Custom Search. While recently redesigning a site using a child theme of the Twenty Eleven theme for WordPress, I found that Google had discontinued the IFrame option for Google Custom Search. Fortunately, I found this post: Integrating a Google Custom Search Engine into […]
It’s time to improve your Google search techniques! The simplest tip is to start by using as few words as possible, because each word focuses the search further and thus limits the results. Then, add more words to narrow your results. You can also use the following search operators: Search single word exactly as is […]
Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours by Julie C. Meloni My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a decent introduction to HTML and CSS. Its main advantages over other books of this type are the full color examples and syntax-highlighted code snippets. The explanations and examples are simple and easily understood. […]
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Cory Miller, Kevin Palmer, Andrea Rennick, Michael Torbert My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the broadest, most comprehensive WordPress book I’ve read so far. It covers more than WordPress for Dummies, because it deals with everything from administration to design to development. I skimmed the first […]
