Maintaining Your Website Is Crucial

Maintaining Your Website Is Crucial

by | Sep 30, 2021 | Blog, Website Design

Have you ever visited a potential service providers website only to find some weird outdated design, old info, photos from the 90’s or just a crap load of weirdness. I have! Or, how about looking at that website on your phone… YIKES! no visible menu, no clickable phone number and the contact page has no secure form to fill in, UGH!

What that says to me about a company, in 2021, is that they are not keeping up with the times. So I ask myself, are they using the latest, greatest techniques and practices with the services the provide? Probably not, so I bounce.

Don’t let this be you and your company. Updating your website and keeping it up-to-date and properly maintained will bring new customers, help current customers and clients contact you in a jif and perhaps discover services they never knew you offered, WHA? yes, that happens! I can just hear them now; “I had no idea you offered monthly maintenance services!”.

If you have an outdated WordPress website you are especially at risk! WordPress is built with plugins that provide all the extra goodies to make your website awesome, and those plugins get updated by the developer and the plugin your website designer added to your website years ago is no longer current making it vulnerable for hackers (loser-buttheads) to slide in and load malware. Nobody wants that!

Virtually Savvy, aka Katie Kay, offers monthly (typically more often) website maintenance and fast, affordable updates to your content, galleries, forms and more. Let me know how I can help!

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MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE – ECOMMERCE, PASSWORDS & MORE

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE – ECOMMERCE, PASSWORDS & MORE

by | Apr 10, 2021 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Hey marketers, how’s 2021 going so far? It’s tough out there… people are just trying to get a vaccine at this point. The good news is, they are all online trying to get an appointment, even 80-year-olds, so you’re more than likely to get in front of someone with your marketing! My main focus lately has been installing shopping carts on my client’s websites. Whether you have digital downloads to sell, flower delivery, or an out-of-this-world, delicious crunchy chili oil (so good 🔥) that you’ve been cookin’ up in your Seattle kitchen, now is a great time to get your store up and running and market it to the world.

My recommendations for an ecommerce website are as follows;

If you do decide to sell online you need to learn more about how to help your customers find you. Entrepreneur.com has 4 Things You Need To Know About SEO

How are you managing your passwords? I use LastPass and starting March 16th their free version will restrict how many different types of devices you can save your passwords on. If this is a problem for you, here are some alternatives – 5 Password Managers to Replace LastPass on Mashable (please change your website admin password frequently)

Security is VIP when you have an eCommerce website. The amount of hacking is off the rails these days! I install Wordfence security on all the WordPress websites I maintain and it catches just about every breach. Whether you use Paypal, bank credit card processing, Square or any other payment processor you need to protect your website.

Google Analytics is essential to your new online shopping site… you need to know where customers are finding you, as well as where they are not. If you are constantly posting a link to a product on your LinkedIn business profile but not a single click comes from LinkedIn, focus your marketing efforts elsewhere!

Marketing your online store and products will look a little different than marketing services. Keywords, metadata, and on-page content will need to be updated on your website to reflect the products you are selling. Blogging and email marketing will need to be more sales-focused… not pushy, but “helpful”. Why do they need your product, what are the benefits of using your products, tell them what people are saying about your products. Depending on what your selling and who your target demographic is, you may need to try out a new social platform. TIK-TOK is on fire, and easier to use than you think… and it’s SO fun!

Now get out there and sell something! xo-Katie

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Good Riddance 2020 – New Year, New Attitude

Good Riddance 2020 – New Year, New Attitude

by | Jan 3, 2021 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Phew… we made it! 2020 just about took us ALL down. Some have suffered more than others… and to those of you that lost a loved one to COVID, suffered job loss, sickness, financial difficulty or any other fallout due to the pandemic, my heart goes out to you. I am truly grateful that I am still working and healthy, and my husband is still employed and healthy, and our children are safe, healthy and thriving.

Life is different now… and anyone that thinks life will just automatically go back to the way it was before December 2019, and after we all get vaccinated, is living in “la la land”. We will never be the same! BLM, COVID, Government antics and all the other craptastic happenings in 2020, changed the way we live, forever. Some of 2020’s craziness will hopefully make change for the good and push us forward to an inclusive society and a kinder better, humane community. I know I will do my part to listen, support and learn how to do and be better.

Moving forward in 2021, it’s important to acknowledge the new norm in your business. Perhaps you have employees working from home, maybe business has decreased, you may have some products stacking up in the warehouse and/or countless other worrisome aspects… this too shall pass, so don’t let your online presence suffer. Here is what you need to be doing to ensure your online business presence stays fresh, gets found and works for you!

“Must-do” list to keep or make your online business presence awesome;
  • Keep your website updated (WP-plugins, add new services and products, add to your portfolio, add a cookie consent banner, OH! and change your footer copyright date to 2021)
  • Write and schedule blog posts (twice a month is optimal)
  • Post on social media (news, team updates, fun stuff, and send followers to your website/blog)
  • Keep your Google Business Listing updated (new hours, post content, post links to your website/blog)
  • Assess your service contracts and business overhead (perhaps it ‘s time to change your website hosting if it’s not serving you. I recently left GoDaddy for a local hosting company and I am encouraging all of my clients to move there too)
  • Clean-up your inbox! Un-subscribe from email lists you no longer need, want or read and subscribe to something new… ones that bring you joy, news, help, etc.
  • Last but not least, start a new business! You wouldn’t think so… but now is a great time! read more here>>>

Now… let’s all grab our laptops and improve our online business presence by updating our websites, doing more marketing, improving our search results… because YOUR business IS essential and the economy needs you to keep going!

xo, Katie

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COVID Rant and Stay at Home Activities

COVID Rant and Stay at Home Activities

by | Sep 21, 2020 | Blog

Anyone else feeling like UGH? I am so over this COVID pandemic! I feel like it’s been a year since we locked down. Summer and warm weather, the little bit we had, definitely helped my mood, but now we are heading into fall and winter, not my fav time of year. I pretty much hate Nov, Dec, Jan & Feb. I mean… I live in Seattle, it gets pretty BLEAK, weather wise that is. The lock down for me has not been a major adjustment in terms of work, I have run my business from home for 14+ years. But wait! All of the sudden my husband was ordered to work from home, ugh! We’ve been married 35 years and we get along fine, mainly because he would go off to work everyday, and I would take trips to Cali every few months. But now, he is here, and everywhere I am, ALL DAY, locked in this house, luckily I love my house, but we’re together 24/7. OH! and now our 34 year old son is back home. I mean… I love this kid, but he is a grown ass man livin’ all over my house, and all up in my business, somebody could end up dead, jk, don’t kill, it’s wrong.

AND the news, ugh, showing people partying and gathering and going to the beach… with NO masks! We’re never going to get rid of this virus. Why are people so stupid? WHY, WHY… I ask you? It’s not a political statement to not wear a mask, it’s absurd stupidity! I’ve seen the people interviewed that say “it’s my right to not wear a mask” I’m guessing, low IQ?!  This rant is actually making me feel better. Anyway… I’m over it, I need to travel, NOW!

And now for the helpful part of this post, ummmm finally Katie. ?  Here are some of the things I’m doing during “stay at home” and things you could try to keep you sane and maybe save the life of a family member during this pandemic!
 

    1. Explore YouTube – OMG! YT has everything! How-to’s, animal rescue, podcasts that use video, TedTalks, learn a new skill, recipes, exercise classes, yoga, therapy, and now they are adding their YT series. I could spend all day searching on YT, I love it!

      2.  

    2. Audible Books – Ok so first of all… I have AirPods, THE best investment I’ve ever made! I now go through 4-6 books a month on Audible. I can listen while doing just about everything. I set my phone down 30 feet from where I am going to do my activity and I can listen cordlessly while I garden, do housework, putz in the yard, clean out a closet, puzzle, make dinner, and even while I work, if I’m not coding someone’s website, yikes!

      3.  

    3. Podcasts – Again, I use AirPods… SO AWESOME! There are now so many different kinds of podcasts, I have no doubt you will find something you like. Business building, celebrities, serial killer stories, therapy, movie buffs, music maestros, advice, education and cool people (Dax), and the list goes on. Podcasts are available on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Overcast and more.

      4.  

    4. Netflix, Prime, Hulu, HBOMax – There is soooo much to watch… but you need to be selective. Start a few different types of series. Mix it up… pop on and watch one episode of something. Choose a cool doc, like Zac Efron’s Down to Earth. Like MMA and boxing? I do! Tune in to Kingdom on Netflix with Frank Grillo, Jonathan Tucker (my fav guy in the show) and surprisingly good in it is Nick Jonas, who knew. Be sure and choose something light and funny, like EMMY award winning Schitt’s Creek, Parks & Rec or Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the cars alone get me stoked. How about some stand-up; I like Tom Segura. OH WAIT! Amy Schumer Learns to Cook, Amy and Chris, her Chef husband, turn up the ? on good eats, and she’s so damn funny and lovable, and there’s always a cocktail… just sayin’. OH hey, and there’s nothing like a good HGTV binge! My newest fav is Home Town with big Ben (lovable bear) and Erin from Laurel, Mississippi, so good!

      5.  

    5. Music – OMG! a must… you have got to listen to music! I won’t even try and name artists, we all have our own loves. But listen, (pun inteneded) music is the flow, the chi, the rythum… of life! It makes you happy, makes you move, helps you remember, takes you away. Again, airpods… oh my goddess, they make listening to music FREE and flowy and a happy place. Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, they are all good. Pop on and make some playlists, go down that worm hole, it’s so fun and satisfying… get your groove on!

      6.  

    6. Social Media –  People, you have got to limit your social media screen time! #1 – you can get sucked in and lose a few precious hours, #2 – there is pure crap on there, #3 – FOMO, listen, those people that are acting like everything is fine are dum dum’s, you don’t need to see that. When you need a little fix, get on the gram and follow some cool people and channels. Keep it fun, like thedodo, ladbible, cutest_goldens, happycatclub, better_days_animals, shityoushouldcareabout, foodnetwork, and of course chrissyteigen… LOVE YOU GIRL!

      7.  

    7. Journal, Blog, Write  –  Listen guys, writing this post has been fun… I’m creating, being helpful, purging thoughts, venting, ranting, all good stuff! If you have a business website, you know you should be blogging, it helps you get found in search. I don’t do it nearly enough… don’t be like me, LOL. I have a journal app on my MAC that is password protected for personal thoughts and I use the notes app on my iPhone for to-do lists, grocery list, books to listen to, movies and series to watch… that’s writing, ha! Anyway, get your thoughts out yo’ head people, it’s a good thing.

      8.  

    8. Drinking Alcohol – Calm down, I’m not gonna say don’t drink. Here’s what I’ve learned about drinking too much during stay at home… it increases depression and makes ya fat! It can make things seem much worse than they really are… or seem better than they really are. Let me explain… too much drink can help you forget ?? and too much drink can also make you remember that shit has hit the fan ?? SOOO like anything, moderation is key. Google a fun, delicious cocktail recipe for HH one day, have one, the next day make a mocktail but serve it in a pretty wine glass or a fancy highball glass. Buy good tequila (or your fav spirit) pour it over a large ball of ice and sip it slowly. My point? One drink to take the edge off, not every night, but not not every night, make it special, and then blow it out once a month and dance on the coffee table like no ones watching ??

     
    Well, that’s all have for ya today. Please stay safe and healthy by wearing a mask, washing your hands, don’t be a dum dum and go to large gatherings, stick to your pod or use safe social distancing to socialize. It’s hard, but it will be over sooner if we follow Dr. Fauci’s guidelines (not Potus’).

    xo – Katie

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Marketing Your Business Online – May 2020 Link Roundup

Marketing Your Business Online – May 2020 Link Roundup

by | May 8, 2020 | Blog, Social Media, Website Design

Hello friends! Hope you are staying home and staying healthy. These are unusual times… try to stay positive and try to make the most of any down time you might have. If your business is temporarily closed or just not as busy as usual, I have some ideas on how you can utilize this time to work on your business!

First; take a good look at your website. Start on the homepage, make notes as you go. Perhaps you haven’t updated your content in a while, maybe you’ve added new services or you have never really liked that top banner image. Go through your website page-by-page and make notes of what you need and want changed, even you can’t afford to do it now, you will have the notes for when you can afford to make these changes.

Second; pull up all your other business online presence platforms. Update your LinkedIn profile, reach out to new connections, post an update (you should already be doing this weekly, if not more often) maybe post an uplifting meme or image, share a connections post, like and comment on your connections posts. Get on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and your Google Business Listing and do the same. Add a new banner image, change your hours, update your followers on the status of your business during Covid-19, and above all, try to show positive fibes, your clients and customers need to see that you are expecting to and are ready and raring to get back to business as usual as soon as you can.

Third; Now’s the time to learn a new platform or app that supports your business. Maybe you’ve been putting it off because you’ve been too busy working IN your business. You’re probably using ZOOM, so that’s done! What about SLACK for communicating with your team or the Hootsuite posting dashboard? If you follow me, you know I love Hootsuite and have been using it for scheduling clients and my own, social media posts for 10+ years. It really is the best! I load it up with posts and then I know good content is going out on all my channels and I can interact on each platform at my leisure from my phone. I use hashtags on the appropriate platforms, Twitter & Instagram, no one follows hashtags on Facebook, and I doubt people follow them on LinkedIn either, but they give no stats, so think about only using them there as good subject indicators ??‍♀️

Fourth; Try to stay positive and keep busy. Cook more, bake, start a jigsaw puzzle, clean-out your closet or kitchen drawers, schedule Zoom happy hour or coffee dates with friends and family, get outside and enjoy your fur-babies.

And now for this month’s link round-up!

Speaking of staying busy! Learn or teach a new skill. Skillshare is COOL. They have a myriad of experts teaching really rad, creative stuff. Hey… you could teach your special skill! Join Skillshare to watch, play, learn, make, and discover. (that’s their tagline, they NAILED IT!) https://www.skillshare.com/

Are you selling online? Man, I hope so! Now’s the time if there was any. Instagram is STILL hot and it’s a great place to shop, I should know, I buy something off The Gram gram at least once a week. ??‍♀️ Learn how to sell the right way… check-out “How to Use Instagram Shopping to Make it Easier for People to Shop” via Business Instagram here: https://business.instagram.com/blog/how-customers-can-shop-through-covid19/

Always wanted to start a business? It may not seem like it, but now is a great time to start one! There are many things to think about when launching a new business… it takes time, research and all the right steps in all the right order. Do you know what they are? If no… I got you, check-out, How to Start a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide by the good people at FINIMPACT here; https://www.finimpact.com/starting-a-business/

Podcasts… you listen to them, you love them, should you start one? Hells yes! As I said above, now is a great time to start something new. Not sure where to begin? Go to the experts! The people at CALL FOR CONTENT have a playbook for all things Podcast. Check it out here: https://www.callforcontent.com/playbooks

Be well, xoxo Katie

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Marketing Your Business Online – February 2020 Link Roundup

Marketing Your Business Online – February 2020 Link Roundup

by | Feb 13, 2020 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Welcome to February 2020! What the what? 2020 sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? But… here it is, so LET’S GO!

So… what changes and new ideas can you expect for online marketing and improving your website traffic in 2020? Here are a few tips and article links to help you make 2020 your best year ever!

Blogging and Website Traffic:

“What’s the point of blogging, nobody ever reads it!”… sound familiar? I’ve said it! Breath life back into your blog and increase traffic to your website… read “How Social Media Can Be Magic For Your Blog” – https://pegfitzpatrick.com/how-social-media-can-be-magic-for-your-blog/ by Peg Fitzpatrick

Are you reading this on your phone? Looks good, right?! Responsive website design is THE most important thing you can do for your website… right now! Check out this easy-to-read article, The Importance of Responsive Design and help the 2 billion smartphone users view your website with ease and interest.

Education and Growth:

January/February are typically bleak months for me… I suffer from holiday burnout, the weather in Seattle is dark & dreary (a maj issue for this sun worshiper) yearly goals are looming and I just want to crawl under a blanket and binge Netflix. To help me get new biz ideas and get motivated to set goals, I choose a new book to read or a podcast to listen to.

I freaking LOVE Mel Robbins... her advice, her no-nonsense attitude, her voice, AND… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, f’ing works, man! Check out KICK ASS, TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE, and Mel’s Daytime TV Show and more. Listen to Mel’s books on Audible and watch her on Video, she’s got an awesome delivery and voice… I’m obsessed!

My other business guru is Marie Forleo. If you haven’t heard of Marie… get ready to enjoy the hell outta yoself! She’s a hip-hop dancer, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a mentor and the real-deal!  I am reading her new book Everything is Figureoutable, I get her weekly emails that include a new MarieTV interview with a great guest, she has B-School for entrepreneurs, a Podcast and so much more! Check out all of Marie’s great content here: Queen Marie.

Social Media Marketing:

What will the trend be in 2020? While TikTok is cool and showed a huge surge when it first started… it is showing a slight decline in brand marketing. What should you concentrate on? Take a look at Social Media Today’s article “20 Predictions for Social Media Marketing in 2020”.

Video… Video… Video… Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google. With 3 billion searches per month, YouTube’s search volume is larger than that of Bing, Yahoo, AOL and Ask.com combined. Do you have a YouTube channel? Launch your channel today and start creating and uploading videos for your business, NOW!

Obtaining New Clients and Networking:

It’s hard out there for an entrepreneur! Finding and retaining clients is NOT easy… I have relied on referrals for new business most of the 10 years I’ve been in business, however… I recently transitioned away from social media marketing services and I am now only offering website design, re-design, updates and maintenance and I need to add clients. I’m going to visit my local Chamber of Commerce this month and see of it’s a good fit. In the past I have joined different groups and stayed with them for 2-5 years, but I think it’s good to mix it up and try new sources of business building. What networking group or system works best for you? Leave a comment below.

Happy marketing!

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