FAQs

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    Services FAQ

    We’re revamping this section.

     

    In the meantime, you can check out our Services page for information or Contact us to learn more.

    Websites and WordPress FAQs

    We recommend WordPress for most websites, including for authors, writers, small business owners, and artists. However, we recommend using a separate hosting provider.

     

    What I mean when I recommend WordPress

     

    Find out what we mean by WordPress and which hosting providers we recommend.

    WordPress actually has 3 different definitions. 

     

    What I mean when I recommend WordPress

     

    However, when we talk about WordPress we mean the free software.

     

    Read this full article.

    Writer Websites For Beginners

     

    This blog post has definitions of common website terms and explains how a website works and is created.

     

    Read the full article.

    We frequently advise and help clients with all the setup for a website - including choosing and setting up a hosting provider.

     

    For WordPress websites, we recommend:

    *This is an affiliate link. We get a commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. We only use affiliate links for services we highly recommend and have used ourselves!

     

    Last updated: 5/2023

    We frequently advise and help clients with all the setup for a website - including choosing, purchasing, and setting up a domain name.

     

    We recommend:

    *This is an affiliate link. We get a commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. We only use affiliate links for services we highly recommend and have used ourselves!

     

    ***On 06/15/2023 Google announced that it's domain business will be sold to Squarespace. Clients and others who are using Google domains, won't notice a change in service and they are promising to honor the same renewal pricing for the next 12 months. However the quality of the services, pricing, and included features may change in the future. We'll be keeping an eye on this and update our recommendations when relevant.

     

    Last updated: 6/2023

    This is like asking how much a house costs - it depends a lot on size, features, amenities, etc.

    In particular, the cost of building the website will depend on the size and features of the site. 

    Once your website is built, the costs are easier to predict.

    All websites will need:

    • Free - WordPress software 
    • Hosting - $180/year for premium hosting on Siteground* after the first year. If your site is large, it may cost more.
    • Domain - $12/year on Google Domains***
    • Ongoing Maintenance and support - you can join our website care plan (which also includes website hosting!) or you can do the work yourself.

    Some websites may also need:

    • Paid plugins, themes, and integrations - We don’t use these unless the client needs a feature that requires a paid version. This will be discussed with a client during design so there are no surprises.

    If you’re curious about the cost of a website design, schedule a free chat to learn more!

    *This is an affiliate link. We get a small fee for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. We only use affiliate links for services we highly recommend and have used ourselves!

    ***On 06/15/2023 Google announced that it's domain business will be sold to Squarespace. Clients and others who are using Google domains, won't notice a change in service and they are promising to honor the same renewal pricing for the next 12 months. However the quality of the services, pricing, and included features may change in the future. We'll be keeping an eye on this and update our recommendations when relevant.

    Last updated: 6/2023

    Look for a longer blog post coming soon!

     

    Try sharing your website in key places:

     

    • Post to social media.
    • In your newsletter and other marketing channels.
    • Include a link to your website on your social media channels.
    • Create an email footer with a link to your website.

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help people find your website by designing a website that search engines will feature in search results.

     

    6 Tips to Get More Visitors to Your Blog | Featured Image

     

    This post is using SEO to  get more visitors to your blog, but most of it applies to any webpage!

    We design all our sites based on good SEO design practices in mind. We can also help with continued SEO support.

     

    Schedule a chat to learn more about our SEO services!

    Look for a longer blog post coming soon!

     

    There are several steps you can take to protect your website:

     

    • Use a strong password. Use a unique password that is at least 8 characters long with uppercase, lowercase, and numbers
    • Update your website weekly. Out-of-date software is the #1 cause of security incidents
    • Use a Firewall. This is like a protective net around your website, so that bad actors can’t reach it.
    • Backup regularly. If there is a problem with your website, you’ll be able to reinstall from a safe previous version.
    • Monitor for issues and resolve them quickly. 
    • Use 2 Factor Authentication (2FA). This will send a code to you through email or text which you enter to gain access.

    These are all things that are covered by our website care plans!

    If you have an existing website, we will likely need access to it. You can choose to:
    1. Share your login with us through a secure form that we send (email is not secure!)
    2. Create a new account so that you do not have to share yours.
    If you're creating a new account for us, that process will differ depending on the platform you're using.

    Author Websites and Marketing FAQs

    Authors and writers need websites to:

     

    • Show your professionalism to people who may want to work with you (Agents, editors, people who schedule speaking engagements, etc.)
    • Connect with potential agents and editors
    • Connect with readers
    • Share news and announcements
    • Serve as a central hub for your writing platform
    • Give people a contact point to reach you
    • Create a platform you own (so it isn’t dependent on the whims of social media.)

    Related: When should you build an author website?

     

    When Should You Start An Author Website | Featured Image

    You need an author website sooner rather than later! (Agents agree - as we’ve shared in the blog post below.)

     

    When Should You Start An Author Website | Featured Image

     

    This blog post covers the advantages of starting an author website while you’re prepublished.

    Look for a detailed blog post coming soon!

     

    What to include in your writer or author website depends on where you are in your writing journey and what your goals are. 

     

    We help our clients to clarify their goals and design a website that will help them to achieve those goals.

     

    Usually, you should include:

    • Information about you (a bio and headshot at least)
    • Information about your published works or the type of writing you do.
    • A contact page so people can reach you.
    • Sign up for your mailing list if you have one. (You probably should.)
    • Information on speaking engagements if you offer them.
    • Links to your social media and other online platforms
    • A privacy policy, which is a legal requirement

    If you’d like to hear more about our web design services, schedule a free chat!

    We frequently give clients advice on domain names so they can pick the best one for them.

     

    Your domain name should usually be the name you write under.

     

    There are two reasons for this:

    1. Your name is the core of your brand. You will have several published works and many other things that happen over the course of your writing career, but your name is consistent and uniquely yours.
    2. It makes you more findable in internet searches. Search engines assume that your domain name is a strong indication of the core content of your site and weigh that heavily when deciding which websites to show in search results. Since you are the core of your brand, your domain name should include your writing name!

    You’ll definitely want one eventually. It’s so common that we started offering to set them up for clients.

     

    A newsletter is one of the most effective marketing strategies.  It lets you send the most important things directly to your biggest supporters.

    Small Business Websites and Marketing FAQs

    Yes! A well-designed website is an essential part of any successful small business today.

     

    If you wound up here, then you already know that clients can use a website to learn more about a business, your industry, or service!

     

    Related: see What are the benefits of a small business website?

    There are a lot of benefits to having a website:

     

    • Brand awareness: so potential customers can find you.
    • Give customers find information about your products and services
    • Build an online reputation
    • Gather reviews and testimonials - social proof that helps convert leads to sales. Create brand awareness that can lead to increased sales.
    • Keep in touch with current customers
    • Share promotions and announcements
    • So much more!

    Good website design can touch on all of these points which is one reason that working with an experienced web designer can more than pay for itself in increased revenue.

     

    Schedule a chat to learn more!

    We frequently give clients advice on domain names so they can pick the best one for them.

     

    Your domain name should usually be your business name. (Shorted if necessary.)

     

    There are two reasons for this:

     

    1. Your business name is the core of your brand. You likely have several products/services and these may change over time, but your business name is consistently and uniquely yours.
    2. It makes you more findable in internet searches. Search engines assume that your domain name is a strong indication of the core content of your site and weigh that heavily when deciding which websites to show in search results. Since your business name is the core of your brand, it should be in your domain name!

    If you’d like our help with this, schedule a free chat!

    You can drive more sales with your small business website with:

     

    • Strong copywriting
    • Design that incorporates the customer sales journey
    • Social proof to encourage customer sales
    • SEO to help potential customers find your website
    • Lead development by funneling warm leads into email marketing channels

    These are all things we can help businesses set up.

     

    Schedule a chat to find out more.

    You’ll definitely want one sooner rather than later.

     

    A mailing list is one of the most effective marketing strategies. It lets you send the most important things directly to your biggest supporters.

     

    We had so many clients asking for help with setting up mailing lists that we started offering mailing list setup as a service.

     

    Schedule a chat to find out more!