Posts

Enable Customers to Manage Web Content via Google Sites

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Easy, stable and connected to the Google Apps for Work product suite. Baseball team website developed using Google Apps for Work - Google Sites Enabling customers to manage their own content is the right way to go.  I choose Google Sites as my go-to web CMS platform.  Here are a few reasons why... Integrate Google Calendars Embed Youtube videos Instant micro blogging platform SEO friendly Hosted in the cloud Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Display Ads for Sticky Leads

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Display Ad Designs for PPC Designing these mini advertisements is fun because it forces you to quickly understand and conceptualize the customer's business within the boundaries of a 300x250 rectangle. Adobe Fireworks can help you quickly develop ad mock-ups for client review. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

How to Build a Basic WordPress Website

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12 steps to follow for a building a successful WordPress site. Set-up a basic Linux hosting plan on a secure server environment. Bluehost, 1&1, GoDaddy, etc. Install the WordPress application (should be a 1-click install via host control panel) Purchase and install a WordPress theme Themeforest is a good place to start TIP - Make sure it passes Google's mobile friendly-test Customize the WordPress configuration and settings Upload your logo Modify colors to match your brand Set fonts and sizes Create or import content Add pages Author blog posts Upload images Bigstock (fee),  Pixabay (free) Enhance user experience Add desired menus (top, side, footer) Add widgets Connect with social media profiles Install plugins to extend WordPress functionality Security - Wordfence Backups:  BackWPup Search engine optimization - Yoast SEO Test, tweak and test some more Launch Submit website URL to Google Search Console Submit XML Set preferred d

United Insurance Website Redesign

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New site features responsive design, interactive quoting forms and more. Here's a new Google Sites we developed for an insurance company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. BEFORE REDESIGN AFTER REDESIGN http://www.grubbsgroup.net/ Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

How Do I Appear First in Google Search Results?

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How Do I Appear First in Google Search Results?   Here are best practices for improving your ranking in Google search results: Provide high quality content on your site. Google tries to find the best answer for our users’ requests; if you write the best material, you’re in the game.   Make your site mobile friendly. Many users search on mobile devices; Google’s search results favor pages that they think answer the user’s request with the best possible user experience on their platform.   Use informative titles and snippets. Good, clear titles and accurate meta tag descriptions help Google understand the purpose of a page and generate useful snippets in our search results.   Add structured data to enable additional search result features such as stars, event information, or site search boxes.   Make sure that you follow Google’s guidelines and avoid pitfalls that could affect your ratings. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supp

Mobile-Friendly Website Redesign Using DNN

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New Nobles & DeCarolis website was built with DNN Utilizing a Responsive DNN Skin to ensure better customer experience We took an older DotNetNuke website and upgraded to a modern responsive skin. The result is a better looking and easier to navigate website.  Here's what we did: Updated CMS to latest stable DNN build Applied responsive skin Modified to match customer brand Migrated content Integrated custom photography Added CSS3 animation Q/A Tested Launched Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

How to Disable Comments in Wordpress

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How to Disable Comments in WordPress 1. This applies to new posts that you will publish from now on: Navigate to Settings > Discussion > Uncheck "Allow people to post comments on new articles". 2. To disallow comments from already publish posts: Navigate to Posts > Select all and "Edit" under bulk actions and hit apply > Choose "do not allow" next to comments and click update posts. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Top 10 Design Tips for Banners Ads

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More Clickable Ad Banners It's been a while since I designed online ad banners.  Back in the mid-2000s, I did a lot of them for AOL's YP ad campaigns.  The small size constraints certainly can present a challenge.  Here are some things I have learned over the past decade or so. MY TOP 10 AD BANNER DESIGN TIPS: Use standard size ads ( https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/6002621?hl=en ) Make text as large as possible for legibility Adhere to existing branding specs Use glows and shadows to help text "pop" Use visually interesting photos Compress files as much as possible Test color blindness rendering ( http://color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator ) Incorporate ad size into naming conventions (i.e., WW-Puget-336x280) Get approval on one ad size before creating additional sizes A/B test design variations as well as call-to-action text Here are some example of our recent ad banner designs... Patrick LaJuett

Google Sites Redesign: Before and After

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Need a Professional Looking Google Sites? We recently launched a redesigned website for a customer down in Atlanta, GA.  See the before and afters below: Before site redesign After site redesign Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

WordPress SEO Steps

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Recommended WordPress SEO Steps These are the baseline steps I take when optimizing a WordPress website for search: Backup Plugin- Install  BackWPup : **Run backup job before installing plugins** Security Plugin - Install  Wordfence : Keep WordPress core and plugins up-to-date Organic SEO Plugin: Install WordPress SEO by Yoast Customize all Page Titles & Meta Tags Utilize Google Webmaster Tools Utilize Bing Webmaster Tools Tracking Plugin: Install Google Analytics -  Google Analytics by Yoast Performance Plugin: Install PageSpeed -  GZip Ninja Speed Note: The plugins listed are my recommendations only.  Many alternatives are available, just make sure they are compatible with your version of WP. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.