This post is Step 2 of my series of blog posts, ‘Running a successful website in the real world’. Click here for more information. The purpose of this post is to gain some idea of what your website is achieving for you at the moment, and working out what success looks like – it simply means that you’ve then got some measure of how the time you are investing in…
Read in fullI can divide my clients broadly into two main groups: those who generate business via their website and those who don’t. What makes the difference? How do you move from ‘website-inertia’ to a position where you have a professional, up-to-date and business generating or business supporting website? Note This isn’t one of those blog posts that is going to present a quick-fix solution which guarantees unbelievable increases in enquiries…
Read in fullFollowing on from a recent blog post on writing style, I’d like to share with you something I came across some time ago now – this time looking at the structure of your blog. By structure, I mean the layout of different bits of content – text and images for example – on the page. A good structure is vital if you want to encourage the reader to:
Read in fullLots of Hexagon clients have a blog page which they update regularly with industry news, photos of recent projects or perhaps topical advice and comment. Whatever the reason for the blog post, it is important to remember that the writing style of the blog should usually be different to the style of the website in general. Why? Well a blog is more akin to a conversation whereas the rest of…
Read in fullMoz.com (formerly SEOMoz) has long been one of the (if not the) most respected resources in the SEO world. SEO is an important subject for many of my clients, and so I thought it worth highlighting the freely accessible ‘Beginners guide to SEO’ from Moz. I remain convinced that SEO is as much about marketing and strategy as it is about ‘techy’. Even if you intend to employ someone else…
Read in fullKeeping your website regularly updated with fresh, good quality content is important for two key reasons: It’s an indication to your website visitors that you’re still in business & keeping on top of things Google likes it But it can sometimes be a struggle. A blog is the obvious solution (& often the most effective one too). But for some businesses, a blog is either not appropriate, or is too…
Read in fullHave a look back at your last three blog posts. First, do they have any value? If the answer is no, go back to the drawing board. You can either do better, or you can give up blogging. If you’ve passed that first hurdle, onto the next: Who are your blog posts of value to? Who finds them useful? I’m a website designer. Sometimes, I share information that is of…
Read in fullphoto credit: adactio via photopin cc We’re multi-screeners. Or at least North Americans are, according to a Google study from earlier this year, and I don’t think we in England are far off. The study looked at how media is used in daily life, and how consumers use multiple screens to accomplish their tasks (the study report is embedded at the bottom of this post). These are the things that…
Read in fullFinding good images for blog posts can be a little bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Doing an image search on Google usually yields plenty of results… but using these (normally copyrighted) images on your blog is generally a big no-no unless you get the owner’s permission first. Which is far too much hassle. Then there are stock libraries, such as iStock. If you choose carefully,…
Read in fullReady to talk? Call +44 (0)1235 811 088 or email for a no-obligation discussion about your new website.