Wonderful Words

Thanksgiving is not something that is widely recognised or celebrated in Australia, but it can act as a prompt to stop and reflect. Business can be all consuming especially as we steam roll towards the end of the year. When you stop to breath, take a moment to think of the things to be grateful for. Here are some things on my list: Thank you to all my clients. Some of who have been a apart of the journey for over ten years Thank you to those early clients who allowed me the opportunity to learn and grow Thank you for being able to work indoors when the weather is horrendous Thank you for technology constantly challenging me and giving me problems to solve Thank you for allowing me to be part of your team and help your business Thank you for my family for believing in me Thank you to Google! ...

Newsletter Marketing is a great tool but there are a few things to consider. Frequency How often should you send a newsletter to your mailing list? It really depends on the nature of what you have to say. Is it valuable and important to the reader? Or is it just to give an update? We all get inundated with emails, so you need to conscious of not losing subscribers by cluttering up their inbox. But on the flip side, don't be a stranger now. Content Keep the content relevant and to the point. If you have a lot to say, consider putting in a few sentences and then a 'Read More' option that then links to your website or social media post. Just like a one sided conversation, no one likes dribble. Remember that everyone is time poor, so pack with a punch and make sure your key points are delivered effectively. Engaging Even though newsletters should be based don't forget to be visual....

Today is the first day of Spring, so perfect timing to do a clean up. Head into the backend of your website and make sure everything is neat and tidy. This means updating* Wordpress, updating your theme and updating plugins. And while you are there, perhaps assess if there are some plugins that you no longer even need installed on your site. Not only does it feel good to update everything, it also helps with minimising the risk of your site being compromised or have issues. Once that is all dealt with, don't forget to then concentrate on the actual content of your website. Did you add information relevant to Covid-19 that can perhaps be removed now (yes, I am crossing my fingers that we can safely move on), or maybe you have products in your store that are not only Out of Stock, but they also will never be back in stock? Once all your jobs are done, you now...

When I first started my business, I felt very alone. I came across flyingsolo.com.au and what would you know, there were thousands of people out there just like me...

Spending money on your business when you are just starting out can seem expensive. Especially when your income is minimal or even in the red. Try to think of expenditure as investment and equity instead, and focus on getting a return on your investments. State governments offer support in advice and mentoring. And don't forget there are plenty of Government grants to help you get your business off the ground. Click here for current Grants & Programs in Victoria. Click here for current Workshops & Mentoring in Victoria. And for those located in and around Geelong, August is Small Business Festival - From education to inspiration, Geelong Small Business Festival is helping businesses throughout the region. Click here to see the range of sessions available. ...

Happy new year to all you wonderful people. Am not sure about you, but I am exhausted. The last couple of years have been quite intense to say the least. I'm not just referring to business but just in general. Never before have we had to be so in tune with what is happening both locally and internationally. Sometimes it was so hard to keep up with rule changes even for those making the rules. Now that the air has cleared a little, the exhaustion kicks in. I need a holiday! That being said, am so privileged to be able to help people even if it is just to help them make their business dreams a reality. Happy new year! ...

Internet Explorer is about to die. Yes, that sounds drastic but in reality from the 15th June 2022 anyone who tries to go to Internet Explorer will be redirected to Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer was launched by Microsoft in 1995. It was the most popular browser but that was perhaps because it was added as default to all new computers. We are creatures of habit and everyone has their preference of browsers. While Internet Explorer has been the browser of choice, it has been phasing out of use for sometime now. So, don't be sad...

Who else gets hungry when they see that annoying message when asked if you want to accept or reject cookies? What does that message even mean? Cookies are small text files (not sure why they can't be called something non-food related) which are sent from the website you are visiting to your browser. Your browser then processes and stores this file. This information about your visit to the site is then remembered and sent back to the website from your device the next time you visit. As annoying as these may be, these pop ups are what give you control over what data you share about yourself. You may opt out of accepting cookies at any website. Note however that some sites will not grant you access to their site unless you accept cookies. Some cookies can be helpful because they can help improve your experience, such as remembering what you saved in your shopping basket, even if you left the website....

This one is easy. Wordpress! Of all the websites in the world, more than 40% are built using Wordpress. The other 50+ percent includes all the big names such as Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Joomla etc as well as a multitude of lesser name platforms.   Why is Wordpress so popular? Wordpress is wonderful. Think of any functionality, and there is most likely a plugin available (over 54,000 free plugins fyi). Wordpress also allows for the use of ready made themes to save time and ultimately money. However, unlike some Content Management Systems (CMS), Wordpress is also able to be customised quite easily. There are also so many forums, videos and blogs to help you. And because Wordpress is so popular it means you have flexibility with who can make changes to your site. Nearly any website designer will be able to help. Or you may even have a new staff member who has previously had experience. Let's not forget our good friend Google who also ranks...

It seriously was not that long ago when mobile phones were simply just phones. According to statista.com accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. So, obviously it is important to make sure your website is responsive. That means resizing depending on whether the site is being viewed on a computer, laptop, tablet or phone. A free tool to view your site on different screen sizes is screenfly.org. One thing that it helps highlight is that your site will definitely not always look the same on different devices. An example is the menu. Whilst on a desktop or laptop, the menu will appear in the header with all menu items visible. Whereas on a mobile, the site automatically responds and replaces the menu with a hamburger menu. Same same, but different....

A website conversion is any action that you want your customers to take. For websites that are B2B you may measure your website conversions on them filling in a contact form. Where as eCommerce sites would be not only adding products to the shopping cart, but progressing through to checkout and making the purchase.   How do can you track website conversions? Conversions can be measured in a number of ways. The most effective is using Google Analytics. You can determine how many visits to your site (and specific pages) as well as number of online sales (for ecommerce sites) and/or the number of times a form is submitted. The website conversions that are more difficult to monitor are phone calls and foot traffic. These might need to be the more old fashion way...

Step One. The first step is realising that a website is an investment rather than an expense. Seriously, a wonderful website can help you build your business. Yes, it might be tough outlaying money especially if you are a start up with a limited budget. But try to think of your website as a shop front where customers can see who you are and what you offer.   Step Two. Once you have made the decision, you then need to look for web designer. Having a good relationship with your designer is so important as to some extent they ultimately become part of your business. It can be very over whelming especially if technology is not your friend. It is good business practice to get a couple of quotes, and word of mouth referrals are always important.   Step Three. Here is where we get into the fun part. Start thinking about what you want on your site including pages, copy, functionality and visual elements. The framework...

I don't own this - saw it on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing.   THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH OF OWNING AND RUNNING A BUSINESS Running a business is really hard. What they don’t tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and drains you mentally to the point of depression in even the most laid back people. People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore. Friends and family will expect discounts and people will value you and your hard work less than a big chain store. You have to worry about if you forget to email/message someone back, are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? When in reality you just can’t get to everyone’s messages and emails. Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, many of which fail because...

Does your Widget area look different to how it used to and you like the old format? If so, this is plugin that you will need to install. Classic Widget Plugin As always, you need to ensure you backup your site before doing any updates. Sometimes plugins can cause conflicts, so always check through your pages for any issues and if so, then you might need to get to used to the new Widget layout. Sorry!...

No, websites are not about to become old news. They are more important than ever. However, the .com in domain names is about to be ancient history. After more than 20 years of using .com.au domain names, they are about to be changed. This is what we refer to as .AU Direct domain names. For example, wonderfulwebsites.com.au will become wonderfulwebsites.au. We are all time poor and shorter domain names is just another way of being more efficient. They are already a thing in .US .UK .FR and .NZ. Get on board the direct train. If you would like more information or to register your interest in a au-direct domain name, head here....

Are you one of those people who perform well under pressure? Or do you prefer to be more organised? Either way, having the option to schedule blog posts and social media posts can be your best friend. We all have those times where we are simply more productive than other times. Utilise that energy and create your posts in bulk. You can then set a forward date (and time) for those posts to be published. This works for not only Wordpress blog posts but also in Facebook and Instagram. It means you can schedule your posts for when you believe your audience will be online. Writing in bulk also takes the pressure off and not having to constantly think the you are overdue with posting something. You might like to even have topics worked out in advance or keep notes when ideas come to mind so that when you do have a moment you are not stuck for content....

Starting a business is a big deal. Sometimes the fear of failure is just too much. And talking to a client recently I was so surprised to hear them say that they are waiting for people to realise that they are a fraud. Of course they are not a fraud, they just have self doubt. And then when your confidence is high, there is often a curve ball that takes the wind out the sail. And if anyone doesn't believe in what you are confidence then find people who do believe in you. An old collegue of mine used to wear a t-shirt that said: How can you soar like an eagle when you hang out with turkeys....

Creating Videos for your business does not have to feel overwhelming. I would highly recommend that if you are going to do a video for your website or marketing that you should engage a professional company. They have all the right equipment for a start, but also have other tools such as helping you know what to say and how to say it. They can do amazing things with editing to help engage the audience and get your point across. That being said, there is a program that I use to record video's quickly. These are really useful when wanting to show a client something such as how to make a change in Wordpress. The program is called Loom and it is free for video's up to 5 minutes long. https://www.loom.com/share/89fcf4c71c8f44d0a64142f8dbb05e6b" target="_blank">Here is me doing a quick demo - Shelley...