Advice

You can't talk about S.E.O. without talking about posting fresh content on your website.

If you manage your own site, you are now the publisher for your company.
You are in charge of getting the word out about your business, what you're up to, and the amazing details of it all.

The internet loves fresh new content. If you're not a writer you might want to hire one.

If you're doing this yourself, where do you start? Here are a few pointers to help you out (what I've shared with my clients time and time again).

One of the most important questions to ask yourself when designing is 'who will experience it'?

Defining who your users are first allows you to focus your efforts towards their needs.

Once you know who your users are, you can define your user's paths. How will they navigate your design and what are the end goals of their experience. How will their needs be attended to, without any interruptions.

Your website should be fluent (and brilliant) across every device with a browser.

Typically your website looks perfect on a laptop or a pc. What happens when a mobile user pulls it up? Do they have to pinch and zoom to find content? What about your navigation and layout, does it get in the way of the content that they are looking for? Are buttons big enough for large fingers or is your website only user friendly with a mouse?

The latest trend on Social Media has been to share photos with refreshing life quotes on them. The quotes are typically harmless and uplifting saying something about your personality. Some though are harsh, and witty, making you aware of people’s ‘other side’.

The irony though is that sharing these unique quotes is an action of grouping users together with each person who has shared it, making it less and less unique.

Delivering the latest desk to Sasnak was quite the task. This two piece workstation is heavy. I wanted to shoot some photos of it before it was installed so we stopped by a friends walnut grove for some photography.

It was quite the scene. @MicahDerr and I heaving around the pieces, trying not to scratch anything, and making sure the delivery truck wouldn't harm the fresh coat of finish on the dirt roads.

Natural design is everywhere, especially in the unique grain of wood. Along with showing how old a tree was when it was harvested, it gives every board character. No tree's markings are the same as another's, which gives an authenticity to every wood working project ever done in the world, ever.

Ever hear people ask "What should I promote this time of year?" or "What type of features would drive more sales during this season?"

The trouble with that style of thinking is that by the time you gather your thoughts and ideas, conceptualize your plan with your designer or branding agent, the season you are going for has long passed.

It's best to be focused on promoting the NEXT season. Or even 2 seasons from now.

A lot of people think design is in the details. That is a very true statement, but good design is creating less details for your users to worry about. The more simple your design, the easier your shopping cart is to check out of, the easier it is to subscribe, unsubscribe, review, comment, the less steps it is to do anything, the better the experience is for your users.

This title alone will probably give us some great web traffic! (from creepy web salesmen)

A lot of people believe a website should just be your company’s information, what you do, phone numbers, email address, and have it look amazing. Which is a great website to have.

The problem is people will only visit your website once to find the information they need, and then not come back until they forget your phone number or need an email address.