I visited a local website today and they had a HUGE list of email addresses of previous students.

That's a great way to get your email hacked!

Spammers can use a software program called a 'bot' to search hundreds of websites looking for exposed email addresses.

I had mistakenly thought that having the email address "hidden" inside a link would be OK, but it isn't.

So what to do?

Visitors like to be able to email you.

I know I do. Sometimes I'll make a call, but lots of times I'm on my computer at odd hours and an email is the best way to contact a business.

You don't want to miss those potential customers that want to contact you!

But you also don't want a bunch of spam emails.

The best solution is to use a Contact Form.

With a Contact Form, as soon as someone submits the form, you are notified via email. You can then easily send a reply email.

Do you know how to add a contact form?

Unlike WordPress where you have to install a plug-in to add a contact form, in Weebly all you have to do is drag the Contact Form block onto your page.

Change the title and update the fields to what you want.

Click on Form Options and make sure your email address is correct and customize the confirmation message. Then save it and you're done!

EVERY website needs a Privacy Policy and you especially need one if you are collecting any sort of personal information from someone (like their name and email address).

It's nice to reassure people of how you intend to use the information they are sending to you.

I included a link to my Privacy Policy right on my Contact form.

I also updated my footer so that instead of it giving my email address, it says, "Click here to send me an email." Once you click, you're taken to my Email page.

Another option that I've used is to put a link to Facebook Messenger on my site.

Check your website and see if you have exposed email addresses. If you do, switch to a Contact Form.

Let me know if I can help you! You can send me an email. :-)

I spent a couple hours this morning watching YouTube videos and reading posts about Google Analytics (why does it have to be so confusing?). During that research, I found a super simple tip to increase traffic to your website...

One of the hottest things happening today are side hustles! 

A side hustle is a job you do on the side, usually alongside your full-time job, but it could also be alongside homeschooling your kids or something similar. 

I did a little research looking for side hustle ideas. Take a look and see if any of these look interesting to you.

"I made a website myself so all the content is there. I just need a professional touch."

This was posted in a group I'm in on Facebook.

Personally, I think creating the content can be harder than creating the design of the website, but not everyone agrees.

How about you? Do you have the content for your website, but just need a professional touch making it come to life?

I'd love to help!

There is more to creating a great website than just good content.
A good website needs:

• A well-thought out plan for the page structure
• An enticing heading that calls the visitor to action
• Search engine optimization (SEO) so the website can be found on through search
• Internal and external links
• A footer with all the necessary information
• Mobile-responsiveness so it looks good on a phone
• Images that are properly formatted
  

If you're in the process of launching your business, you probably know exactly what you want to say to your potential customers, but not have the slightest idea how to bring that vision to life.

I'd love to help.

Schedule a free call with me today so we can discuss your particular needs. I look forward to hearing from you!

The hardest website page to create is the About Me page. 
It's so hard to know what to say! 
And to make it more confusing, the experts say that your About Me page isn't really about you; it's about your visitors and their problem and how you're the best person to solve it. 
I asked some copywriting experts for their top tips on how to create a great About Me page. 
Be sure to visit their websites for more of their copywriting goodness!

"When you’re writing an “about me” page, consider what your target client needs to know about your qualifications, experience, and philosophy to convince them to hire you. If your clients are corporate employees, they’ll likely be interested in your past positions, certifications, and professional accomplishments; a client base of professional dog walkers is probably interested in a much different set of credentials."
www.jrowecs.com

If you're a copywriter and have your own tips for a great About Me page, would you leave a tip and a link to your website in the comments? 

How does your website read?
Readability is a BIG thing when it comes to websites.
It's not necessarily an SEO ranking feature, but it is indirectly.
The longer someone spends on your page, the better your site will rank.
If someone comes to your site and sees too many words, they might bounce right back off and head somewhere else.

How do you improve the readability of your website?

• Break text up into bullets, like this
• Put a paragraph break after every one to two sentences
• Use short sentences and simple words
• Write like you speak, that is, in a conversational tone
• Use headings and subheadings to break up the text and improve "skimability"
• Keep text left-aligned, not centered
• Use images to increase understanding
• Aim for about a 7th grade reading level​

Don't be afraid to use lots of paragraph breaks. 
Though you should write in a conversational tone, don't write like you would in a printed book or magazine, with 3-5 sentences in one paragraph. 
It's harder to read on a screen, so make it easy on your visitors and use the tips above to improve the readability of your website. ​​
Here's an example of a blog post I formatted for a friend on her website: 
https://glendarobinson.weebly.com/blog/10-essential-oils-for-dealing-with-stress

Do you have a website for your business that you love?
If not, let me help you! Schedule a free call today!

You might also like: 
3 Top Website Design Tips for Solopreneurs
How to Create an SEO-Friendly Title Tag in Weebly
Use Your Time and God-given Gifts to Work on Your Craft, Not on a Website

Are you wondering how you can find customers online?
Do you have a new business and you need more customers to make ends meet?
Have you tried posting on social media, but you still don’t get as many customers as you’d like?

By marketing, I mean letting people know that you are in business and have a product or service that could benefit your ideal customers.

By relationships, I mean you have built the know, like, and trust factor with people, whether that’s online or in real life.

Let’s dig a little deeper into each of these ideas.

As a freelance website designer, I've chosen Weebly as my platform of choice. 
Weebly is easy-to-use with its drag-and-drop builder, but the main reason I use it is because it allows me to create beautiful websites that are mobile-friendly. 
Here a five examples of websites I've created in Weebly for solopreneurs and small business owners like you. 

It is essential that every business, no matter how small, has a website, but a poorly designed website can do more harm than good. There’s a lot that goes into creating a great website, but I’ve limited myself here to the top 3 things that your website needs to make it stand out from your competitors.

• Concentrate most on what shows up when someone first visits your website, before they scroll down the page. This is not the place to confuse your guests! Tell them exactly what you have to offer them and how it will help them. Donald Miller of StoryBrand is the master at teaching you to clarify your message. I highly recommend listening to his podcast or reading his book if you want to excel at this.
• Be bossy. ;-) Tell your visitors what you want them to do. This is your Call to Action (aka CTA). Before you can do that though, you have to know what you want them to do. What is the purpose of your website? Is it to build an email list, have people purchase a product or service, or attend an event? You have to know what you want them to do and then make that clear, usually with a button that spells it out. Anna Frandsen makes it clear that she wants people to download her free guide (and therefore get on her email list).
• Create content that really serves your target audience. When Google searches for websites to display, they want to see lots of content. The easiest way to create content is with a blog. Once you publish a post, share it to your various social media outlets. As you continue to create more and more content, Google will see you as an authority on your subject and refer visitors to you more often.

Once you’ve nailed these three things down, you can worry about other design issues, such as page structure and SEO, but without these three things in place, your customers won’t stay around long enough to see the rest. If you would like help creating a great website, schedule a call with me this week. I’d love to help you!

Have you ever walked down a New York City street and seen the number of people using their phone while walking? (Don't do it. It's a good way to get run over.) 

Or how about the last time you went to Starbucks? Did you notice how many people were looking at their phones as they drank their Cocoa Cloud Macchiato?

The truth is....people use their phones a lot and one of the things those people are doing are looking at websites. These potential customers are asking questions like: 

• Where should we go out to dinner? 
• Where is the closest dry cleaners?
• What's a good recipe for pot roast? (I actually have the best recipe ever! Leave a comment if you want it.)

If you have a business, then you solve people's problems one way or another. And when people are searching for an answer to their problem, you don't want to lead them to a website that looks terrible on a phone, because if you do, they'll leave. 

Here are three reasons why your small business needs to have a mobile-responsive website:​