The WordPress Web Design Revolution
The WordPress Revolution
On May 27, 2003, Matt Mullenweg announced the availability of the first version of WordPress. It started the WordPress revolution. It started WordPress web design, the software savior for all of us aspiring non-coders and web designers when there was barely a web or a web designer out there. But, that’s another story!
WordPress was born because existing blogging software called b2/cafelog was discontinued by its main developers. Two users of b2/cafelog, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, then decided to build a new platform on top of b2/cafelog.
“WordPress is software designed for everyone, emphasizing accessibility, performance, security, and ease of use. The basic WordPress software is simple and predictable so you can easily get started. It also offers powerful features for growth and success.”
The WordPress community believes in democratizing publishing and the freedoms that come with open source. The large WordPress community is welcoming and inclusive.” – wordpress.org
Wix Or WordPress?
Are you trying to decide between Wix or WordPress to build your website? While WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world, it is not the only option.
Wix vs WordPress – Which One is Better? (Pros and Cons)
Is WordPress Hard To Use?
It can seem complicated for some of these reasons:
- WordPress is a self-hosted Content Management System (CMS).
- WordPress relies on Third-Party Extensions.
- Building the perfect design can be overwhelming.
- There are lots of dashboard settings.
- Many WordPress terms to learn!
Why Web Designers Love WordPress
Everything from Squarespace to Wix has wonderful tools for certain skill levels, but here’s why you should use WordPress over all of them.
- The software is free and open-source.
- It adapts so you can make any type of website.
- It supports numerous media types.
- It’s easy to learn and has a huge community.
- You can scale up and expand your website with themes and plugins.
- SEO comes first.
- You have full control of your website. That means it isn’t on someone else’s platform with their limitations like Squarespace or Wix.
- Blogging is the best there is!
WordPress is Perfect for Website Redesigns
Unless you’re a brand-new business, you’ve already got a website. However, you don’t necessarily want to start from scratch, as you could lose any SEO presence you’ve already established. Plus, you’ll probably want to keep your current domain.
WordPress is ideal for website redesigns and is compatible with many other site builders. Its flexibility makes WordPress simple, convenient, and affordable to redesign an existing website.
Further, the platform is consistently updated and changed with various themes and plugins. So if you decide to go ahead with a rebrand or want to try out new designs, you can easily change things up. Even changes as simple as altering the website text and content or uploading new images can be done in just a few steps.
This is crucial as business websites need to grow and change with the businesses themselves. Having a platform that makes this process easy is a key competitive advantage of WordPress that SMBs can take advantage of.
Resources:
Get Started With WordPress
How WordPress Changed The Internet
The History of WordPress
Who Invented The World Wide Web?
Why You Should Use WordPress
6 Most Important Reasons to Use WordPress in 2022
5 Best WordPress Alternatives for A Website, Blog, or ECommerce Store
Why Writers Need A Multi-Media Website
Authors and writers of all kinds need multi-media websites dedicated to their work. It’s all about creating a brand.
This may seem obvious to self-published authors, but it is also true even if your book is published by a big-five publisher. You may think that if a traditional publisher buys the rights to your work, you’re home free, but that is not the case. Publishers’ budgets no longer stretch to a lot of publicity or advertising.
This foundational building block of brand creation is essential in today’s world where if you want your work to find an audience, you have to roll up your sleeves and do the bulk of the publicity yourself.
This is true for writers of all sorts. Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s books, or magazine articles. The Internet is now the first place your audience or prospective publisher will turn when they want to find out about you and your work.
A great example of a multi-media writer’s website is Ann Handley’s. It has everything and is a perfect model for all the unique marketing possibilities you will only find online, i.e. video, email marketing, and blogs.
You’ll want to have a website even before you sell your book. It’s ideal to include a link to your website in your signature for query letters to agents and publishers, for example.
Build Credibility With Your Audience
Have you ever clicked on an ad for something you wanted to purchase only to discover that the website appears outdated? When your website presents you and your work in a professional manner, people are likely to buy your products or services and engage with you as an author.
Provide Direct Links to Purchase
A website makes It easy to sell your products directly on your site.
Your Primary Real Estate on the Web
Some writers point to their profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or some other social media site. There is value in social media profiles for some writers, but it is fleeting. Social media platforms come and go. Once you have your own website, you own your own real estate. No renting!
Quite often the argument I hear is that authors can use social media platforms such as Facebook to keep in touch with their readers. It’s easy and simple and the audience is already ‘there’.
There are a few reasons why this is a risky long-term policy, and why nothing really surpasses having your own corner of the internet, dedicated to your writing career.
PR Coverage/ Testimonials
A website is the only place to display all your testimonials and any PR coverage or reviews you’ve had. It’s a great way to archive coverage that might be lost elsewhere.
In this way your author website acts as your online CV, listing all your achievements and accolades in one convenient place.
Having all these together is great ‘social proof’, and allows potential readers to see exactly what you’ve achieved in your career.
Your Website is Your Online Home
First and foremost, your author’s website is your online home, a place to showcase everything related to your career. It’s the only place online over which you have full control, and the best way for readers to find out what else you’ve written, plus links to buy your books, more info about you, and behind-the-scenes stuff.
If I think of a business or brand I’m interested in and go to Google them only to discover they don’t have a website – maybe they just have an Instagram page – I’m instantly more suspicious and feel that the brand doesn’t take their business seriously.
If you are an author, you know it is a serious business, and you are the business owner. It’s your career. If you run any other type of business, you would have a website for it! Especially if you wanted to be seen as established and growing.
My Newest Website Design for Authors – sandragurvis.com
Built with the Navigation Pro theme by StudioPress, the website showcases Sandra’s varied and storied career as a writer, editor, and author. The homepage is a complete and elegant read with links to all of Sandra’s many accomplishments.
Be sure to check it out!
You Need a Social Media Marketing Pro
Time, money, trust. There are a million reasons not to outsource. Except things have changed radically. It’s a jungle out there! Yes, indeed. You need a social media marketing pro!
Talk public relations. Consider brand reputation. What about customer recruitment and retention? How about free advertising? Time to burnish your brand?
Social media marketing is all of these things and much more wrapped into one!
Social media marketing is so vital to businesses these days that you need to ask yourself – do you really have time to do all this kind of time-intensive marketing yourself?
8 Reasons You Need a Social Media Marketing Pro
- It’s a jungle out there.
What platform should you be on? What does the latest update mean? How do we know which insights to look at? A social media manager will know when to post, where to post it, what to say, what the insights mean, and how to tweak their strategy based on the latest stats and updates. - It’s not your priority.
Is your social media at the bottom of your to-do list? A social media manager will always have the time to do your social. Strategically planned and part of a long-term growth plan. - You need to go beyond brand awareness.
A good social media marketer will know the different types of content your business needs and will be sharing them with a defined strategy. - The good old days are gone.
Engagement is key on your social platforms. Your social media manager will be actively engaging with people to grow your audience. - Get eyes on your content.
Social media managers know which apps to use to create the best content. Many offer content creation as part of their services. - You don’t really want a huge agency!
Freelance social media managers are not big agencies, and that’s a GREAT thing. It means they aren’t juggling 10 clients and are as invested in your success as you are. - Faster response times for your customers.
People want answers before they buy. Having a social media manager who monitors your platforms, responds to comments and messages, and gives people the answers they need quickly will help stop them from going elsewhere. - You need to focus on the things that make you money.
Having a social media manager on your team frees up some time to focus on the things you need to do to make your business work.
MORE READING
CMOs: Adapt Your Social Media Strategy for a Post-Pandemic World
“2021 cemented a lot of changes in our professional lives. Zoom became our default meeting room, and webinars are regular events. But the most impactful change was how social media became the go-to window to learn, find new career opportunities, and grow our brands.” – The Importance of Social Media Marketing in 2022
The Website Owner’s Manual
Many small business owners view the website development process with some trepidation, mainly because they’re only familiar with the Internet as end-user.
Just because you’re responsible for your organization’s web presence doesn’t mean you know how to build a website. The job of planning, launching, and managing a site often falls to people who have little or no experience in web design or development. Website Owner’s Manual is a book for the thousands of marketers, IT managers, project leaders, and business owners who need to put a website in place and keep it running with a minimum of trouble.
about the book
Website Owner’s Manual helps you form a vision for your site, guides you through the process of selecting a web design agency, and gives you enough background information to make intelligent decisions throughout the development process. This book provides a jargon-free overview of web design, including accessibility, usability, online marketing, and web development techniques. You’ll gain a practical understanding of the technologies, processes, and ideas that drive a successful website.
The Website Owners Manual, yours free when you become a J&M Group client, introduces basic processes, concepts, and terms that you will encounter when working with designers/developers.
This excellent and compact (260 pages) guide targets individuals responsible for managing their business website.
You will be provided with all the information needed for the proper care and website maintenance. This includes technical details (like your host, domain registrar, DNS records, logins, & more), a maintenance schedule (for daily, weekly, monthly & annual tasks), and a troubleshooting guide for common WordPress problems.
The WOM does a sterling job of defining roles for owners, designers, and users. For small business owners who have fingers in a lot of pies and know little about website development, this concept is crucial to the success of your project.
The WOM includes:
Important Website Details
All the important records like hosting, domain registrar, login credentials,
and more all in one comprehensive document.
Maintenance Overview Schedule
Explains all the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks of website owners
are now responsible for ensuring a properly maintained website.
Troubleshooting Guide
Useful tips on the common problems they might face now that they are
responsible for the upkeep of their entire website.
Along with your website, we’ll include a customized copy of The Website Owner’s Manual.
Website Maintenance by Yoast
Keeping your website and content up-to-date is important. Your visitors like that and search engines do too! Don’t forget old content. Don’t forget to redirect when deleting old posts, and prevent duplicate content. Our posts will help keep your website clean and fresh!
To get started on your new website, contact us or call Marcia at 561-906-3436.