Trends in website design

Tips to Create Content for Your Website

Tips to Create Content for Your Website

AndThe most difficult aspect of creating a website is developing great content. Empty page. Empty screen. Let’s figure it out!

 

1. Start by answering your customer’s questions online.

When you Google a phrase or question, you are most often directed to a blog that gives you an answer.  Not sure what to write about on your website. A great place to start is to answer online what your customers ask you in person!

 

2. Make sure the page is easy to scan.

And you have something that GRABS them! You don’t want them to “bounce” quickly off your site. Pages are scanned by the viewer, not read. Website pages aren’t read like a book. You have seconds to capture interest. This is an introduction to you and your business. Don’t get ahead of yourself ready to make an immediate sale. You need to build trust.

 

3. Take the time to take out any unnecessary words.

Get rid of anything that doesn’t help you make your point. Use simple phrases. Make understanding easy for the people coming for a visit. Stay focused on your point!

 

4. Create a clear path for the reader.

Have you identified the next steps for the visitor?  Let them know what to do next. Learn about you, understand your services, processes to expect going forward, your location and ordering services…lead them through your site.

 

5. Practice developing content

Give it a try! Jerry Seinfeld says he devoted time daily to write jokes to develop his skills.  He held himself accountable through a simple calendar. What processes do you have to keep you creating? 

6. Don’t get stuck on perfection.

Care about the work you put out online. Learn from mistakes. Continue to make progress.

Have questions?

Are you struggling with creating content for your website? Partnering with other small business owners to grow their businesses is my favorite thing!

Start out with a newly designed website. Decide if you want a simple, brochure-like website to send people to for more about you. And if you want, grow your website and get found on Google.

Contact me today! And here’s to your success in business.

Best,

Nancy Johnson

Experience the Wall That Heals

Experience the Wall That Heals

Have you gotten outside of your own experience? Put yourself in a position that someone else has experienced?

In May, I started working on THE WALL THAT HEALS in preparation for the arrival of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica & Mobile Education Center to Livingston County. Many years ago my family visited Washington DC and visited all the different war memorials. At the Vietnam Memorial Wall, I realized I didn’t have a name that I was aware of to look for amidst 58,318 engraved on the wall. I do remember clearly the nightly news with the report of casualties daily. And I remember very well the atmosphere in the country at that time and the treatment of those returning from the war.

When this project first came to me, I related to the technology that will be available and the educational aspects that will be available. There are new ways to research the names on the wall. Thoughts also turned to my dad who was a WWII veteran who left for that war weeks after he married my mother. I also thought of younger generations and lessons for them to learn.

The extent of the need for “healing” came slowly to me.

I know several Vietnam Veterans today who have gone on to lead very successful lives. And they are happy in life. I was slow to understand on a deeper level how what was experienced has stayed with people whether there is something physical to see or something that is deeply personal.

We all know how the words of parents, teachers and personal experiences stay with us throughout life. Very few of us know or understand the experience of a wartime veteran. I pray for much healing for those involved starting with the escort along Grand River Avenue through the final moments of honoring Gold Star and Silver Star families.

I have watched the volunteer forms come through the website and a Facebook Post reach 10,000 people. This event is resonating in our community.

Thank you to Dale Brewer and Paul DeSha of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 125 and Auxiliary for trusting me with the creation of the website for THE WALL THAT HEALS and participation in the Facebook Page to promote the arrival of THE WALL.

Visit the website at http://dav125.com!

 

Today would have been my mom’s 98th birthday. My parents sacrificed much in their life so that I could have the life I have. I hope my mom and dad are looking down with some happy tears as I say thank you to them for all they have done for me and all those they loved.

Who inspires you in business?

Who inspires you in business?

Our family is currently in the midst of planning for a daughter’s wedding. Conversations become about weddings both those in the future and ones that happened long ago. Talk becomes about traditions, dresses, ceremonies, choices, size and more. Comparisons are naturally made with love and often laughter. We understand that although the wedding is a very significant day, it is important to remember it is just one day in a life. Way back when my husband and I were married, my parents were the decision makers. The guests were mainly family and parents’ long-time friends (many involved in my dad’s business). I wore my mother’s wedding gown and the reception was at my parents home overlooking Canandaigua Lake. It was clear that is what they wanted and I agreed. And it was a lovely day. This is when I met Miss Gorgeous (yes, that is her actual name)! She was one of a kind. From my 24-year-old perspective, she was old. And she was tiny in stature. But she had a big reputation in Rochester, New York. My mom was ecstatic that Miss Gorgeous was available to cater our wedding. Our consultation was at her home. Her home was just like her. It was formal and feminine. Miss Gorgeous never married. There were no male influences. And it was very different than the homes I visited growing up.  The furniture fit her small frame. Small rooms and small furniture that was perfect for her. We were offered tea in formal teacups. She was different than anyone else that I had met at that point in life. She had devoted her life to her very successful business. She was an independent, strong businesswoman who owned her own business long before her peers. She was her business. In terms of the menu, I remember her advice to keep it simple.  Make it beautiful, delicious and don’t complicate it. More isn’t better. And our menu was simple.  The core was chicken salad. But it was the best chicken salad ever.  The day of the wedding, she and her staff took over our kitchen cooking chickens with vegetables and seasoning for hours. She was a leader in the kitchen in a very relaxed manner. And the salad was filled with ingredients that were unexpected in that day. And she was kind. I remember her coming up to me as I left the house to go into town to the church, telling me I was beautiful. I was happy on my wedding day. But it was a simpler time. No manicure, little makeup, no special hairstyle…I don’t have any memories of being concerned about any of those things.  But I do have special memories of this woman with the unusual name. Miss Gorgeous business was based on word of mouth referrals. This was before the time we are able to peer into other people’s weddings online that is the case today. It makes me wonder if Miss Gorgeous was in business today, what differences would there be in how she would manage her business. I now have a business of my own. I enjoy creating websites that please my clients. That is where my enjoyment comes from. I have financial goals set for 2018. But my “why” comes from creating a site that is unique to my client.  It is important to me that their website fits their personality and is what they want it to be. I am often thinking about what kind of business owner I want to be. The phrase I am hearing repeated in my mind is, “I want to be Miss Gorgeous!” I want to be one of a kind. It’s scary to be creative and to be different. But that is what I want. Take the risk and the necessary steps to be different. My websites are to be simple and well thought out like Miss Gorgeous’ menu. And with a focus on details. Something that stands out for each client.  I feel a need to remind myself at this point to not complicate them. Just because I can add something doesn’t mean it should be added.

A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Today, as the mom of the bride, my focus is on how the future bride and groom want to celebrate this important day in their lives.  This is their day.  My husband and I have had plenty of “our” events in life. And thinking back to my parents, many more events than my mom and dad ever experienced in their lives.

Alison and Steve have had options. Should the wedding be here in Brighton where Alison grew up? Or should it be in Chicago where Alison and Steve have both lived for years?  And then Alison’s big sister, Kerry, brought up a new option. Something my husband and I have never experienced. Choose a destination wedding. It was an option that Kerry could help make happen! She first introduced the idea of a destination wedding followed by the suggestion of Paradise Point in San Diego.

And so the journey has begun for them!

http://steveandalison.net   I want to be different than many who create websites. I want to carve out my own path that suits me and allows me to be creative. I want to be a business owner like Miss Gorgeous. She sent me a note after the wedding. Hoping I can find it one day as I look through boxes of memories!
Drive Traffic to Your Website with Facebook Posts

Drive Traffic to Your Website with Facebook Posts

A real benefit of being active in the community is that it puts you in touch with other business owners who are successful. You are provided feedback and inspiration built into your day even if it is only a brief discussion. I had that experience this morning. Always a topic in the marketing world…what works the best!  The question came up. How important is a website? And another question for me is how important do people think a website is to their business?  I create websites for a living. And I want them to be much more than pretty. I want them to be effective at growing businesses.

I love the project of the website and the relationships created in the process. It is a collaborative process. And it is a product that I believe grows businesses. It is growing my business as well as my husbands. I want people to see the real value in a great website!

With that discussion, I opened my Google Analytics account. and found updates in the reported results for Midnight in the Tropics. Midnight in the Tropics is a fundraiser for the Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club coming up on February 10th. I have worked on the website over the last few years. This website isn’t as large as I would like it to be but it does express the passion for raising money for the event and has important relevant information. And it begins the process of thanking our sponsors. That was the topic of a Facebook post on January 9th on the Livingston Sunrise Rotary Page.

A website alone is not enough

To have a successful website, one has to drive traffic to the website. This can be done through advertising on the radio, blogging, posting on Facebook, through effective email marketing and many other options. You have to GENERATE RELEVANT CONTENT.  There needs to be content created that not only interests people but that benefits them in some way. (intrigues, solves a problem, helps meet a need)

This Facebook post was a THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS for supporting Midnight in the Tropics financially. The post was a page shared from the website that linked back to the Sponsorship page.

The graphs below reflect the hits received on the website. The traffic on the website hit close to 80 following the Facebook post. Not a huge number for some but in the context of this site, the number and demographics are effective. The post also drew more men than women and a younger audience that Rotary wants to appeal to for more engagement.

Creating content can be time-consuming and challenging for most people. But there are options. The time put into creating engaging content is the best way to get found online. And sometimes it comes from simply sharing your experiences. Focus on your strengths and create a plan that works for you!

Nancy Johnson

Nancy Johnson

Website Designer

Nancy loves working on all kinds of projects partnering with clients to create concise and creative websites that are easy to navigate and welcome users.

email: nancy@nancyjwebdesign.com
phone: (586) 817-9196

Free Google Analytics Set-up and Training

Free Google Analytics Set-up and Training

What I want to hear from clients

“I love my website…” My hope is always that my clients are very proud of their websites. I want them to be both attractive and unique to them and to their businesses. “My website is working for me…” I want much more than their website being a cool or pretty site. Their website needs to work for them. It needs to connect them with their customers. I receive calls from my website. I know that it is working. And it needs to function based on their unique needs. “People call me because they liked my personality and wanted to work with me from what they saw on their website…” This is a favorite comment.  That means we have successfully collaborated to create a website that expressed the benefit of doing business with that particular client.  

SPECIAL OFFER

For all new websites started in January or February 2018, I am offering a free Googles Analytics setup for each client. In addition, I will be providing an hour training to understand the results reported through Google Analytics. Discover how your website is performing online! Give me a call to find out more!

CALL (586) 817-9196

 
The best way to predict your future is to create it.  ~ Abraham Lincoln
Written by Nancy Johnson, owner of Nancy J Web Design. To talk to Nancy, call  (586) 817-9196 Stay in touch with social media!