20 Reasons You Need a Website

by EileenDreams | Mar 26, 2022 | Website Stuff

20 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website

Having your business is even more critical since covid. Covid dramatically increased the number of people shopping online and buyers have embraced the experience wholeheartedly. According to Forbes: Globally, 49% more consumers shop online now than before COVID-19. (Bazaarvoice) and they are not rushing to return to retail.

Research shows that Google is the first place people search to find what they want. 63% of shopping begins online (Oberlo) and according to Big Commerce; 43% of global shoppers research products online through social networks. People buy online, do business online, and get entertained online. With statistics like these, your business can’t afford not to have a website.

Your website:

1. Proves that you are a legitimate business.
• Your website is your virtual storefront.

2. Increases your business visibility.
• Using Google My Business offers many paths to reach your ideal client.

3. Helps your branding become recognizable.
• Your logo, colours, voice, & brand elements help build your brand identity which develops credibility.

4. Saves you and your customer time with questions you answer repeatedly every day.
• Questions like hours and location are easily accessible within seconds.

5. Provides images and information on your products.
• Go into the minute visual details of your product.

6. Gives detailed information about your services.
• Information your ideal client might not otherwise think to ask about.

7. Positions you competitively in your field.
• An up-to-date, visually appealing, and responsive website puts you on the playing field.

8. Targets search engines so you can be found.
• Both locally and globally, direct your SEO to your ideal client.

9. Places you everywhere in the world.
• The internet has no geographical limitations.

10. Connects all your platforms to one location.
• Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, Snap Chat… can all be linked centrally from your website.

11. Is owned by you. No one can shut it down but you.
• Remember when Facebook shut down last October? Only for 7 hours, but businesses who relied solely on Facebook were panicking, with zero control over the situation.

12. Is easily accessible and always open. Different time zones don’t matter.
• Not like when I was a kid and I had to wait for CBS to come online.

13. Provides customer reviews and testimonials.
• The most powerful sales tool is what people are saying about you. Place reviews on your website and in Google Reviews.

14. Google maps shows where you are located and give directions.
• How often have you Googled “Fast food near me”, or “local computer repair”?

15. Gives you website traffic insights for SEO.
• Stay informed about what works with your marketing plan using Google Insights, trackers, and split testing to learn more about your ideal client.

16. Allows your client to get to know you and build a relationship with you.
• People want to do business with people. This is your opportunity to show who you are and share your story. When they are ready, they will buy from you.

17. Connects your client to you through contact buttons, email, phone, and chat.
• Your website can offer multiple ways for people to connect with you.

18. Your customer can purchase your product and service directly from your website.
• Imagine making money while you are with your family on vacation or asleep.

19. Brings your customer to you instead of you trying to find them.
• Thanks to SEO, social media, and your online community all funneling to your website.

20. Avoids losing business to a competitor who already has a website.
• 63% of people start their buying journey with an online search. What happens when they search your business, and you are not online.

A website is fundamental to a comprehensive digital marketing plan to compliment your social media platforms and enhance traditional forms of marketing. You need a trustworthy and experienced professional to guide you through the process, answer your questions, and suggest ideas you may not have considered.

If you are ready to create a website that attracts your perfect customer, click here to schedule a conversation about how you can elevate your online presence.

5 Things To Know Before Hiring A Web Designer

by EileenDreams | Mar 19, 2022 | Website Stuff, WordPress

5 Simple & Helpful Things You Need To Know Before You Hire A Web Designer.

Websites vary greatly in price, and for the most part – you get what you pay for. As a small business owner your budget is tight, but there are more things to consider than just price when choosing who will build your website.

1. How will you communicate?

- How available are they?
- What time zone are they in?
- How can you meet? By phone, over Zoom, in person?
- What is their turn around time to respond to your questions?
- Do they charge extra for questions and edits? How much?
- Do you understand what they are talking about?
- Do you like them?

Many clients have turned to me after they have hired an off-shore company with a time-zone difference. Your site might have been cheap, but if it goes down, how long are you willing to wait to get help? How much will that cost you and your business? Personally, I have always found it beneficial to form a local partnership with a business.

This is a collaboration where you form a relationship with your web designer while developing your project. The journey should be enjoyable.

2. Do they have a portfolio?

- Do you like their style?
- Do all their websites look the same?
- What is their website like? Does it have typos, poor grammar, and bad practises?

When researching your perspective web designer, make sure their website portfolio includes legitimate businesses and not simply templates already available. I’ve seen this on Fivrr; they have “examples” of their work, but the websites are cut & paste templates and not live working websites or real clients. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what you are looking for, you might not be able to tell the difference.

3. What platform do they use?

- I use WordPress Divi for the parent theme and customize it. Besides being the gold standard now for business websites, you also want a platform that can be easily edited if you loose touch with your web designer.
- There may be instances where you want Wix, Weebly, Square, Shopify, Joomla etc… Just make sure they understand what you want, and why you chose that platform.
- The platform must be modern enough that responsiveness is part of the deal and not an extra feature.

Whichever platform your designer uses, make sure it isn’t so proprietary that no one else can edit it unless you have a technology team or plan to pay them to manage the edits, updates and maintenance.

4. Do they have a policy for maintenance and perpetuity?

- What happens if they go out of business?
- Do you have enough information that you can take over the management of the site yourself or hire someone who can take it over?
- Who will keep the site up to date?

Once a website is complete, even if it is perfect, there will always be changes on the internet that will affect your website and force it to be updated and maintained.

5. Can they provide references?

- Are they on Google?
- Does their website have a client and testimonial page?
- Are they willing to share that information if you want it?

I get frustrated and even embarrassed when I have to bail out a small business owner who got ripped off by a web design company. Chances are, if you have thousands of dollars to spend on a website you will be going with a large reputable company. But, even in that arena I’ve seen poor business practices.

Just like the old saying:

Measure twice,

Cut once.

Take care choosing your web designer. It will save you time, frustration, and money in the long run. If you have questions about this, give me a call 604-308-0137 or email me at eileen@eileendreams.ca

Please let me know if this is information is helpful to you.

instagram graphic with little people who love it

Which Social Media Platform Is Best for My Business?

by EileenDreams | Oct 28, 2021 | Social Media

When managed properly, social platforms help create community, grow your audience, promote your products, and drive traffic to your website which will ultimately grow your business.

As a social media expert, a question I often get asked by small business owners is “What social media platform should I use for my business?” My answer is always the same. I say, “That depends”. It depends on who your target audience is, who your ideal customer is, where they are hanging out, and where your passion lies.

Your own website

You need your own website and blog. Small businesses that relied only on Facebook as their business page learnt this lesson October 4th ‘21, the day Facebook and Instagram went down. You need your own domain so that you have control over your own business page. Relying solely on Facebook, or any social media platform is like living in someone else’s tent.

Facebook

Whether you love it or hate it; Facebook still has the largest audience with over 2 billion users. Facebook ad campaigns (if done right) are highly effective. Plus, you can take advantage of the many extra and free features like Private Groups. Facebook is almost mandatory for your social media presence. Do NOT use your personal Facebook page. Set up a separate Facebook business page.

LinkedIn

92% of B2B (Business to Business) marketers prefer LinkedIn. LinkedIn gives your business legitimacy. The first place another business, a bank, a prospective employee, or potential client is going to check you out is on LinkedIn.

YouTube

For high exposure, YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google, but you need good video content.

Instagram

Instagram is more than just pretty pictures. Engagement is higher on Instagram than all other platforms with 500 million daily active users waiting for your interesting, entertaining, follow-worthy content. Plus, products can be purchased directly through Instagram.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a highly engaged method of showing off your product. Especially, if your product is visually beautiful fashion, food or home décor. Users tend to stay on Pinterest longer than other platforms.

Twitter for Business

Twitter might be the easiest platform to set up and use, but it is also the fastest moving with up-to-date trends, news, and connections. Be prepared to post several times per day & stay current.

Choosing a platform beyond the big 5: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest will depend on your audience. You might also consider:

- WhatsApp
- Tumblr
- SnapChat,
- TikTok
- Reddit
- etc…

For example:

If you had an ice cream stand at the beach you could be on Tik Tok, Twitter and Instagram for quick social shares and fun customer engagement with creative videos like the flavour of the day, your funky staff, or closures due to rain.

Alternatively, an insurance agent would do better building engagement on LinkedIn.

The Bottom Line:

Depending on how much time you have to devote to social posting you are better off doing a great job on one platform rather than random posting on several platforms. Choose a platform that you enjoy and that the culture makes sense to you. The whole idea is to engage, connect, and build a community by adding value to your clients’ lives. Eventually your audience will grow to trust you as an expert in your field and like you enough to purchase from you.

Please let me know if this is information is helpful to you.

Favourite Word Press Plug Ins

by EileenDreams | Oct 12, 2021 | Website Stuff, WordPress

My Favourite Plug-Ins for WordPress

(The bottom of this blog includes a bonus video on how I made this blog post. )

Coming Soon by SeedProd
Akismet Anti-Spam
CDN Enabler
Cookie Notice and compliance for GDPR/CCPA
Site Kit by Google
Smush
Wordfence Security

1. Coming Soon by SeedProd

This plug-in creates a simple splash page that hides your new WordPress site until you are ready for your website to go live. It is the very first Plug-in I load and set up.

2. Akismet Anti-Spam

It might come pre-loaded but only use plugins that you need. You need this plug-in if you have a blog and allow comments. I removed it once and quickly got thousands of fake comments on a client’s site – so it definitely works well.

CDN Enabler

Rewrites URLs like CSS, JavaScript, and images, to be served by a content delivery network (CDN) which helps speed up your WordPress site. Only use this plug-in if your host doesn’t provide CDN service.

Cookie Notice and compliance for GDPR/CCPA

Adds a notice to your site to tell visitors that your site uses cookies and helps you comply with GDPR, CCPA and other data privacy laws. I use the plug-in by Hu-manity.co and it always works well for me. Whatever one you choose – be sure to use one.

Site Kit by Google

Sets up search console, Google analytics and site speed tests. In other words,

- how your site appears in Search results
- how many visitors you’ve had
- analytics on your visitors
- you can even run speed tests on your site

This used to be so difficult because you had to set these all up separately and now Google makes it so much easier I need to thank Google.

Smush

This easily reduces image file sizes to help load time which improves performance and helps with SEO. I use Smush from WPMU DEV and it saves me hours of resizing my images manually. Plus, I have tried other image optimizing plug-ins that caused problems so I trust Smush.

Wordfence Security – This is a must have plug in.

I keep my site safe by using Wordfence Security – Anti-virus, Firewall and Malware Scan by Wordfence I use the free version and it has always been amazingly good at keeping my site secure. However, if my site ever went into the BigLeagues – I would pay for the Pro version for sure.

- - Only use plug-ins you need.
  - Remove any that you don’t need that may have been included in your hosting package.
  - Always keep plug-ins up to date by enabling auto updates for your plug-ins.
  - No, I did not get paid to mention any of these plug-ins. I just use them and they work well for me.

Do you agree? What are your Go-To plugins that you always use?

Are you new to WordPress and want to learn more? Watch the video on how I created this post:

The Easiest Way to Create a WordPress Post

My Top 3 Shopify Resources

by EileenDreams | Apr 1, 2021 | Shopify

Shopify Resources

Here are 3 Shopify resources to help you get started with your Shopify website.

1. LOGO

Do you have a logo?

If you don’t already have a logo for your business Hatchful will create a logo for your Shopify store. The reason I suggest creating a logo first is because once you have your logo, then you will know which colours to use for your Shopify site, and every other Social Media platform that you choose from now on moving forward. I suggest only choosing three colours. In my opinion, more than 3 colours becomes confusing. (even though I am a BIG colour person & always think the more the merrier).

My 2 logo rules:

Create your logo that resonates with you. Create a logo you like.
Make sure your logo looks good teeny tiny. In other words think forward – don’t make it too complicated because it will be really small in the corner of an Instagram post or as a website avatar. There is a reason Starbucks have simplified their logo over the years!

Consider Pablo Picasso’s quote

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”

Click here for the Shopify Logo maker: Logo Maker & Logo Creator

This is my logo that I created in Photoshop a gazillion years ago because I love typography.

web design, websites, video in White Rock by EileenDreams

2. IMAGES

I get asked this all the time from my clients. Where do you get your images? (Ok – I take my own photos but it’s my thing. I like to take my own photos.)

But, if it isn’t your thing, the photographers who contribute these photos are super awesome.

Free Stock Photos:

3. LEARN MORE

Grow your business. Learn more.

Btw – I don’t receive affiliate payments or anything from Shopify for mentioning them. I just want to help you. I think this is a super terrific resource if you want to build yourself instead of having someone like me to do it for you. 🙂

Shopify Compass

Please let me know if this is helpful with your Shopify store.