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Are you backing up your site? If your answer is “I don’t know” or “I think so” then you need to keep reading. You should be backing up your own website. You should be doing it frequently, and you should know where your backups are stored. I hear these arguments from people about their backups:…
When we’re talking about the Internet, most people know that your domain name is your online address, also known as your URL or your .com. Our site is sumydesigns.com, for instance. That is known as the root domain. But what some people don’t know is that you can partition your domain off using subdomains. What does…
When we first started this business, over 11.5 years ago, we built all our websites with HTML and CSS. If you look really hard, you can probably still find some of those websites online. However, along the way we discovered WordPress and since then, have completely switched to offer only WordPress sites. If you’ve had…
It boils down to asking yourself the following questions. Did I set up my campaign right? Setting up a campaign seems easy enough, but to get the best ROI you need to do some research. Understanding the types of ads and ad formats is a good start. Adwords – google search and display networks, Facebook,…
Many people don’t see the value in having a great website, and think they can easily put together one using some of the build it yourself tools available. Then when they don’t see much return on their work, they feel justified for not spending money on a professional. I’ve always told people that a bad…
Working from home is fantastic and Sumy Designs has successfully operated from our home offices for over 11 years. But while working from home has its benefits, like not having to deal with rush hour traffic and a flexible schedule, it also has its challenges. Amy and I have blogged about working from home over…
These days, almost every website has an e-newsletter signup on it, but how do you get people to enter their email address? It’s going to take more than just putting an email box with the word ‘subscribe’ next to it! Make it clear you are offering value: Why should someone subscribe? What will THEY get if…
The FAQ page. It’s pretty important, and yet so many people either neglect it or dismiss it completely. I’m a believer in the FAQ page and here’s why: Having a solid FAQ page will save you time by not having to answer the same questions over and over again. A good FAQ page will drive conversions.…
The majority of what we do are custom designed websites, meaning we start with a blank page, your feedback and ideas, and we come up with a concept we hope you’ll love. But the truth is, this can be pretty expensive. It takes time to research, create, and develop a design into an effective websites.…
Uniqueness This is the mark of your small business and it needs to stand out from your competitors. Of course, if you have developed a good brand it is only a matter of time before one of your competitors has a similar design, so be sure and keep your brand up-to-date by evaluating it often.…
I make a lot of WordPress sites. It seems like every day I’m setting up a new one, logging in to another one. Some days I’ll log into 20 or more different WordPress sites before the day is over. That’s a lot of WordPress! When it’s time for a new client to take the reigns…
More and more potential clients are coming to me with the same request – they have a product they want to sell online. Great! But the first thing I tell them is that successful e-commerce is hard. However, once you’ve established that yes, you really want to have an e-commerce site, then the best option is to go…
If you’ve been on the web for a while, particularly if you had an older blog or website in the early 2000s, you may remember that most websites had a page for “links.” This was where you linked to other great websites that you thought were relevant to what you offered. Why did people do…
On Monday, I wrote about how important it is to set measurable goals for your website. Knowing if your users are doing what you want them to do is important to knowing if your website is working for you. So part two of this is, what do you do if your users AREN’T doing what you…
Is your website successful? Yes? No? How do you know? Have you considered that question at all? Frequently, when working with a small business or individual about their website, I’ll ask them two questions: What do you want the user to do when they come to your website? How will you know if they’ve done…
We have done a lot of websites for service-based businesses. Contractors are a good example. If you offer a service to clients at their home, especially if it’s an expensive service, then you need a good website. Here’s why. In 2017, most people are going to research you before they call. They want to know they…