6 Ways a “Free” WordPress Site May Meet Your Website Needs

Blogging, Web presence No Responses »
Feb 022012

A “free” WordPress site is a viable option for website. Not that long ago, it was suitable only for a blog — different templates were available, but the come-with-it plug-ins were sparse, for example, and the layout very restricted.  We used one for over a year for a client who wasn’t really sure about having a blog.  Despite the sparse features, this basic WordPress did its job — and the blog continues, now upgraded, integrated into a new website and used with the WordPress widget on LinkedIn, for example.

In the past month or so, we have decided to use “free” WordPress for two clients — one is a non-profit, the other is an established small business (with the build now in progress).  Why choose WordPress?

1. Neither client is skilled in web work, but both would like to be able to edit pages and put up posts on their own — or at least try it; with WordPress, levels of access mean that a user may be restricted only to putting up pages and posts; short of accidental edits or deletions of post/pages, the user cannot inadvertently damage the site and since it “lives” entirely online, anyone can work on it from anywhere.

2. Both clients have limited budgets for website creation, hosting, and maintenance. Since the free WordPress templates offer a limited amount of possible editing, even with the “customization” feature, time spent in design is limited by definition.  Still, the variety of themes is great enough to allow choice and create the right “look.”  Hosting is “free”, but the add-ons can, well, add up.  Even the $99 all-options package, though, is still less than most website hosting packages; total yearly costs to the client, of course, would need to add in the optional cost of their own domain name (and matching email addresses, if desired).  And initial design costs might also include customized graphics for the header.

3.  WordPress is a heck of a blogging platform!  One client will use the blog mainly to get out news about events; the other will learn to use it as a marketing tool tied to Facebook — so, both need the option of the blog, which was a key consideration.  Being able to switch the “home” page from static page to a blog page could prove quite useful as well.

4. The free template features have been upgraded; a much-needed form feature has been added that, for example, allows a contact form to be created.  Still, this is a bare-bones WordPress, so be aware it will not meet all needs.  Some of the “premium” templates, available for purchase at a one-time cost in the range of roughly $50-$100, allow more customization and would be worth it for some uses.

5. Some long-standing features are important for clients who want to try managing their own site, including the automatic spam killer and usage statistics.  Keeping tabs on changes via email notification also is a valuable feature.  One client also appreciates the option to password-protect posts.

6. Being able to easily create three or four “looks” to view online made it easier to work with the client on the design.

If either client wants more features in future, of course, they may need to migrate to a full site, but for now WordPress meets their needs and at an acceptable price.

The Mattison Group provides a range of services, including building WordPress sites.

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Posted by Editor on February 2, 2012 Tagged with: ,

Happening Here This Week: Publicity, Blogs and Websites

General No Responses »
Jan 242012

Happy New Year!

It’s a busy week of varied tasks here at The Mattison Group; our main focus is:

  • Preparing the web pages and the e-mail blasts for the annual event of a professional/trade association in chemistry using Wild Apricot, a cloud-based website and contact management program popular with non-profit groups
  • Continuing to plan a 50th anniversary web presence for a health economics research group, including both web design and content
  • Drafting blogs on a health economics working paper just released and on a recent keynote speech
  • Developing approaches to solving the technical issues involved in posting an archive of publications from 1962 to present
  • Tweaking a local social and philanthropic group’s website and posting new material
  • Beginning the planning phase for a website rebuild for a tour company
  • Continuing a course in Adobe Dreamweaver
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Posted by Editor on January 24, 2012 Tagged with:

Are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ Right for You?

Social media No Responses »
Jan 222012

Which social network is best?In this era of influence via social media, nobody wants to be left behind. Still, using all the available platforms can seem overwhelming. Is it necessary?

The answer is “yes” and “no” — it depends on your goals. Defining those goals and objectives is the first step. One size does not fit all.

Large corporations and Internet marketers really should be using all four of these platforms, and more. Why? Because using social media affords an opportunity to get out messages about one’s products and services, certainly, but it also provides an equally important chance to listen — to opinions about products/services, to potential and existing customers’ preferences and expressed needs, and to competitors. Constant and consistent engagement is essential.

What about smaller enterprises, the typical “small business”? Yes, it’s still important, but not necessarily at the level of a large corporation or a business dependent entirely, or mostly, on Internet marketing. Using each of these platforms can increase your exposure and your connections, and also allow you an important glimpse at customer preferences and competitors’ actions. Your blog, and the research behind it, can provide much of the fodder for social media postings. Which social media outlet to use depends on the business and its goals, with Twitter and Facebook most important for most small businesses.

What about research groups at universities or think tanks? Yes, these platforms are an excellent way to get out the news about the latest research, activities and kudos. They also offer a means for building and maintaining networks of contacts that can prove invaluable in expanding opportunities. In most cases, Twitter and LinkedIn make the most sense, since Twitter can reach virtually everyone and LinkedIn is the professional online networking connection.

What about non-profit groups? Larger organizations — those that are national (or international) and well-established — benefit from adopting a broad approach similar to that of large corporations. Smaller groups’ needs vary, depending on their focus and objectives. A local philanthropic organization, for example, likely would find a Facebook page to be very useful, both for internal communication and to publicize fundraising events. Local professional organizations might find that a LinkedIn group best meets their needs.

Whatever the reasons for using social media, the keys to success are building a following among your target audiences and maintaining over time the consistent engagement and content that keeps them interested.

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Posted by Editor on January 22, 2012 Tagged with:

Back to Basics: What IS a Blog?

General No Responses »
Jan 172012

“Blog” is a word most people have heard hundreds of times — and many of us have even read one or two blogs.  Or have we?

Recently, a client whose website I’ve designed asked whether the section titled “News” is a blog, since it’s not on WordPress and it’s not titled “Blog”.  It was clear she had confused the platform with the function.

So, what is a blog, exactly?  “Blog” is a shortened version of “web log,” a term that perhaps makes clearer what a blog is — a chronological list of thoughts, ideas and links posted on a website that usually includes the possibility to comment.  It can have any title and be hosted on any platform.  A blog by another other name is still a blog.

For notes on blogging and tips on best practice, see our past posts in the blogging category.

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Posted by Editor on January 17, 2012

“But What Would I Write in a Blog?”

Blogging No Responses »
Jan 142012

What to write in a blog

Some of our clients hesitate to start a blog because they think they won’t have anything to say that will interest others.  That’s rarely true.

Take a tour company, for example, one that specializes in local tours.  Local events make a great blog subject — both those that are scheduled and those that have passed. Why is that a good subject?  It showcases the area and it shows knowledge of the locality, which can help encourage customers to consider booking a tour.  Special tours that the company builds around coming events are an obvious blog topic — and a good marketing opportunity.

What about, say, a local landscape contractor?  A blog with tips about landscape planning can bring out your readers’ green thumbs — or their wish for them! Combined with an offer to help plan, this can make these slow winter months potentially more lucrative.   Any number of myths abound about planting and gardening; posts that “bust” those myths are fun to write and useful to your readers.

Professional groups can cull the latest publications in journals and on association websites for materials, not plagarizing, but summarizing.  Interviews with leaders in the field, or with your board or executive staff, can provide interesting insights into your profession and your organization.

Yes, it does take time to keep up a blog.  These two tips may help: (1) roughly sketch out what topics you will write about and when your posts will appear over the next three months and (2) write several posts when you feel in the mood; it’s more fun then and they often are more interesting because you were more interested when you wrote them.

Of course, The Mattison Group would be happy to help — we can put together a plan for you, or find materials, or ghost write your blog — or all of those.

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Posted by Editor on January 14, 2012

10 Reasons Your Research Group Should Have a Blog

Blogging No Responses »
Jan 042012

The Internet offers a myriad of ways to get out information about scholarly research. Websites are one obvious source; search engines and services are another.  But is this enough?  In a competitive world, probably not.

What can a blog do for your research organization?

  1. A blog can consistently make available summaries of both work in progress and published works.
  2. Blog posts offer an important opportunity to present complex ideas that affect public policy in simpler terms, thereby increasing the likelihood of  ideas reaching mainstream thinking.
  3. Unlike a static website, blogs change — and search engines love change, always looking for the latest news and putting that near the top of search results.  This means that your work is more likely to be found near the top in search results.
  4. Publicize what else you do — participation in seminars, workshops and conferences, for example, which is important to the success of the organization.
  5. Highlight the expertise of your team and introduce new team members quickly and easily.
  6. Publicize workshops, seminars and conferences that your organization hosts — and provide a platform for getting out important results quickly.
  7. Serve as a record of what your organization has done.  Many groups publish annual reports, but they are just that: annual.  Moreover, they are restricted in length and, of course, summaries of all your best work just won’t fit.  A blog that is carefully designed with appropriate categories and tags is a running record, both of all your work and of particular themes/topics.  A blog really is about the only place this can be done online easily.
  8. Provide a platform for special projects or issues.  Changing a website often can be complicated; blog pages can be added quickly and just as easily taken down, if appropriate, once an event or issue has passed.
  9. If your competitors are doing it, they are gaining more attention for their ideas and research.
  10. If you used LinkedIn, Tweet or have a Facebook Page, a blog offers material for those pages, too.

In subsequent posts, we will discuss how to go about creating and maintaining a blog for a research group.  In the meantime, please enjoy our our series of posts on blogging and see an example of the blog we ghost write and maintain for one research group.


The Mattison Group provides a range of services, including advising on blogs and ghost writing blogs for research groups.

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Posted by Editor on January 4, 2012 Tagged with:

Why You Should Not Rush Your Website Launch

Web presence No Responses »
Dec 152011

A word of eggvise: don't rush your website launchInevitably, even if you’re doing it yourself, getting a new website built and ready takes longer than you had planned.  The last few days are likely to be a hectic rush of last-minute fixes of any bugs, correction of typos, completion of internal and external links, and a myriad of other tasks that seem to go on and on ad infinitum.

You and the website builder (and that might be you!) set a date for “going live” when you began the process.  Even if you both have been very conscientious about collaboration, last-minute, niggling details almost always delay the launch.  Perhaps you’ve promised your boss, or your backers, or your family, or “just” yourself that the site will debut on Day X.  As that day comes and goes, you start to get antsy.  You’re late.

The temptation is to launch anyhow and worry about the details later.

A word of advice: don’t jump the gun.

Why?

Well, first, your contract with the developer may decrease the amount of support you receive once the launch has happened. Even with the best of intentions, or contracts, it’s only natural for a developer’s attention to shift toward the next launch — or toward other pressing matters, if you’ve been the builder.  This means that attention to your site may wane, dragging the process out even longer.

It is a great temptation to let details slip once the website is live; some won’t matter, but some will in the longer term.

Does it make a difference that not all the links are done or all the photos are up?  No, probably not.  It’s good to make a point of finishing this up within a week or so, before other matters take precedence. You may be surprised how many little (and, sometimes, big) bugs are uncovered doing those final tasks.

Letting other details slide may have more serious consequences — for example, not completing all the SEO details (the page names and metatags and alt text and so forth) or not adding the Google Analytics code.  The site will look the same and it will work — but you may not get the attention you need from search engines and you won’t be able to track use.  The return on your investment — be it money or time — will be less.

Are we just talking through our hats?  Nope.  We speak from good and not-so-good experience — both as the builder and the client.  Patience and perseverance truly pay off.

The Mattison Group specializes in consulting in the planning, design, development and maintenance of small- to medium-sized websites. We develop and manage small websites in-house.

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Posted by Editor on December 15, 2011 Tagged with:

Should You Use Stock Photos?

Image and visibility, Web presence No Responses »
Dec 092011

Photos and graphics make a page, both in blogs and on websites.  They provide design elements that pique the viewer’s interest enough to want to read the text on the page.  And they project an image of you and your company — a picture may be not worth a thousand words, but it can be close to it!

Recent research shows how iHow wise is it to use stock photos?mportant photos are for SEO results: spiders are more likely to visit (and, so, index) pages with photos.  Photos also are another way to get your keywords on a page, using the “alt text” feature.  Spiders can’t read images, but they do read captions and alt text. (Hover you cursor over the owl to see its alt text.)

So, where can you  find photos?

Recently, I read a blog on website design that advised against ever using stock photos.  Really?  This seems very unrealistic to me, particularly for businesses on a budget. Having professional photos taken of every possible concept that will be presented on a website is expensive.  Snapshots usually won’t work, unless you have easy access to someone skilled in photography.  Poor photos detract from a web page or blog, rather than adding to it.  And your lovely photo of the sunset on the beach on vacation probably doesn’t belong on your website, unless you’re a travel agent or you sell sand.

We believe stock photos do have a place — with a few caveats.

1. Use professional quality photos for staff.  Good photos — even just a single group photo — of you/your employees is important.  No stock photo can substitute for that.

2. Capture the concept, carefully. Stock photos must capture the idea or feeling you are trying to convey.  It does take time to find the right one.  If you have a designer helping with your website, she can provide a collection of possible stock photos.

3. Test before buying.  Most stock photos sites allow you to download a “comp” to test out before you buy.  This allows you to see how the photo will look on your page.  Comp photos either are lower quality and/or have a watermark on them so that they can’t be used “as is.”

4. Be careful with copyrights.  It would be easier just to take a photo off another site or Flickr or Facebook, right?  Easier, maybe, but risky since all such works are owned by someone — and you’d be breaking the law. And, yes, some people do keep track of their images and where they are used.

5. Take advantage of any “free” services. If you own a franchise or are in retail, your suppliers may have “stock” product shots that are designed for web use.  These should be high-quality, professional photos that are specifically designed to fit your products or services.

Are stock photos expensive?  Not really.  Photos typically cost $2-$10 in a small size, which is mostly what you need on a website or blog.  Prices vary; usually, the pricier sites have better photos and ones that you will see less often on other websites/blogs. The three stock photo and graphics sites we use most often are: Getty Images, iStock Photo, Shutterstock.

Now, tell me.  Did the wise old owl attract your attention to this post?

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Posted by Editor on December 9, 2011 Tagged with:

Building a Website 5: It’s Never Over

Web presence No Responses »
Nov 282011

Nothing is as certain in life as change, and nothing will date a website as quickly as not keeping up with change.  We are not talking about redesigning a website here, but about keeping yours fresh and up to date. A stale site is a lost investment.

12. Develop and follow a review & update plan

When a site is new, it’s a novelty and paying attention to keeping it up to date is also novel.  When that gets old, the site may suffer.  You need a plan!

Exactly what is in the plan will depend on your site.  For example, if you list publications, you may wish to both add new ones and archive older ones.  If you offer tours, you may wish to post specials — and be sure to take them down when the special ends.  These are obvious.  Not so obvious is forgetting to remove a now-departed employee, neglecting to add your new 800 number, removing information about a service you no longer offer, or deleting the description of a position that has been filled.

It’s a good idea to identify someone responsible for developing the plan and for ensuring it’s followed.  Outsourcing this can be wise choice — it’s too easy for internal staff to get caught up in the everyday and not “get to” the website review.

Rule of thumb: Test your site thoroughly at least every six months, reading all the text and testing all the functions. If you link to other sites, e.g., on a “resources” page, be sure those links still work.  Pages on other sites may move; having old, broken links on your site is not a good image.

Every quarter, review the site — is there anything that should be removed that you’ve missed?  Is there anything you can add to make the site fresher?  This doesn’t have to be a major undertaking; once you’re used to thinking about the site, it becomes second nature.  (The same is true, incidentally, of a blog.)

Take a longer look at your site at least once a year.  Does it still do what you want?  Is it getting dated looking, compared to competitors’  sites?  Sometimes it’s possible to freshen up without a full rebuild.

13. Change for change’s sake?

New and fresh is important, but change must be planned, too.  For example, moving content to another page, or deleting it entirely, may mean that links from other websites, which may have promoted your company, no longer will work.  Don’t lose “evergreen” information. To take a simple example, a driveway contractor might want to make sure to preserve his page on how to choose a driveway contractor  — it may be old news to him, but not to someone who needs a new driveway. Having that page may give him an advantage over his competitors, particularly if other “how to” websites link to that page.

14. Make use of the analytics

Google offers free “Analytics” and “Webmaster” services that provides basic information about how your website is being used and by whom.  It’s possible to tell, for example, what search terms or links bring people your site, how many pages the visitor reads and how long he/she spends on the site.  This and other information can provide clues about how well the site is performing, allowing you to tweak it or, if necessary, to undertake a more energetic website marketing effort.

In addition to helping keep tabs on the website itself, analytics can offer important clues about the interests of your website visitors –  showing, for example, where their interests lie.

A word of caution: when assessing your website, beware of simple counts.  10,000 “hits” or “visits” per month means nothing if no visitor goes beyond the first page and spends little or no time reading even that one.

Obviously, Google’s free services will not meet the needs of every company; we recommend taking the time to develop a good analytics/monitoring plan that perhaps adds other services to Google and/or tailors Google with plugins.

Outsourcing reviews and reports that track website performance analytics can be a good choice; unless your website is an e-commerce site that is directly tied to your business’s success, it’s all too easy to let website analytics slide.  A good consultant will not only track use, but flag where changes is needed and pull out information that may help target marketing, for example — a benefit easily missed.

———–

For the other posts in this series, please click here.

The Mattison Group specializes in providing consulting in the planning, design, development and maintenance of small- to medium-sized websites. We develop and manage small websites in-house.

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Posted by Editor on November 28, 2011 Tagged with: ,

Building a Website 4: Making it Happen

Web presence No Responses »
Nov 112011

Congratulations! By now, the planning phases are pretty much over and the “build” is underway.

8. Be clear about content and be sure content is clear

Even the most gorgeous website will have little impact if what’s on it is presented poorly.  Or, to be positive, great content will produce great results.

What do we mean by “content”? Text, of course, that describes your product or service, but also photos, video, audio . . . anything that expresses who your company is and what it has to offer.   For text, content should be crisp and precise — people expect to read fast on the Internet — and also mix in keywords that the search engines can use to find your site.  Photos should be clear and crisp; video should be relevant and present information in a format that will engage the viewer; the same is true of audio.

Who prepares content? Web developers and SEO (search engine optimization) experts may offer to write your text for you. That may work if what you have to say is simple, but it may not work well if the ideas and concepts you wish to present are at all complex. If you write the text, be prepared to work with the web and SEO experts to adjust it for maximum impact; if they write the text, explain first what you wish to emphasize and then be sure the results meet your objectives. (More on SEO in a separate post.)

Photos can come from a number of sources. Stock photo sites offer a zillion choices and usually are of good quality.  (More on whether and when to use stock photos in another post.) Beware of snapshots taken in poor light or at low resolution — they won’t represent you well online. The same general rules hold for video and audio.  (Copyrights may apply to some materials; be careful that you have permission to use the photos, etc., that you put on your site.)

Remember that the site cannot be completed without the content.  It is your responsibility to be sure the developer has what is needed and on time –  the completion of the site will be delayed otherwise.

9. Be engaged

Even with the best plans, challenges can pop up unexpectedly. Be active in keeping track of progress; a weekly conference call with the developer is a very good idea.

Be prepared to make minor adjustments to your site if this improves the ability of a visitor to use the site.  Perhaps you don’t really need a page you had planned or perhaps one page needs to be split in two. Or maybe the “signposts” you planned are too busy for the page. This happens, but such changes should be the exception if you developed a full siteplan in step 7.

If your company is putting up its own content, i.e., “populating” the pages, then the responsibility for keeping on track rests with you as much as with the developer.  Factor this into your planning.

1o. Test, test, test, and test again

Any good website developer will deliver your site to you in nearly — or completely — perfect working order.  The site should have been thoroughly tested and checked, including any usually hidden features such as confirmation or error pages. As an example, a think tank whose staff has an amazing number of combined years of education was shocked when an error page appeared after launch that read: “Please not to worry. We work on this.”  Funny now.  Not so funny then.

Delivering a perfectly working site for small sites is the norm; not much can go wrong.  For more complex sites, one or another bit may need tweaking; it is possible a feature won’t work quite right and will need to be corrected.  Before your site goes live, read every word, click every link, fill out every form — the right way and the wrong way, download all possible files, place an order, send an email with a link to a page, and do anything else a visitor could possibly do — and more than once. And think about hiring a proofreader — anyone who reads the same text over and over again will miss typos and other simple mistakes.  Only when you are satisfied it all works as it should, OK the launch.

Once the site goes live, do all the testing again.  Recently, we consulted for a site whose developer did not test well — after launch, the hyperlinks didn’t work; if a visitor emailed a link to a page to someone else, that link opened only to an error page.  The site should not have gone live with that mistake and the developer, not the client, should have caught this one first.

Remember to build requirements for testing and tweaking into both your timetable and your specs document.

Most developers allow a period of time after launch for finding and fixing bugs as part of the initial contract; usually 2-6 months.  Be sure you know what the details of that service are and keep testing.

11. Enjoy and promote

You have a website! Be sure it is submitted to the search engines — at least the key ones. It takes anywhere from a week to three to four months for your site to be indexed by the search engines.  If your site has a blog,  the search engines may pick it up sooner, assuming that you are posting frequently.

Send emails (or even postcards) to all your past and existing clients announcing the site.  Be sure your web address is in your email signature, on your business cards, on any other printed materials, and is clear in any other online presence, such as yellow page or other listings.

This isn’t the end.  Websites need nurturing.  We’ll cover that in a subsequent post.

To view all the posts in this series, click here.

The Mattison Group specializes in providing consulting in the planning, design, development and maintenance of small- to medium-sized websites.  We develop small websites in-house.

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Posted by Editor on November 11, 2011 Tagged with:
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