Category Archives: We Love WP’s Blog

Writing Audience Based Articles

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Today we’d like to share with you some simple advice for writing your blogs which can go a long way.

Too often today, blog authors promoting a company can be focused on how spectacular their company is. For customers, it can be tiring reading on about company after company talking about “their” capabilities and “their” accomplishments. Instead, write more articles about what you can do for your customer. Write about clients’ needs, and what the company can do to service them. Write about why the client should use your company’s service, to put them in a better position to appreciate what you can do for them.

 

For example, here are some “company” centered sentences.


“We hire only the best pest control specialists.”

“We can reduce your pest control problem by 90%.”

“We will exceed your expectations and make you a happy customer.”


Here are some better statements.


“Our pest control specialists are specially trained to cure your business of its bug or vermin woes.”

“Let us reduce your pest control problem by 90%.”

“Your happiness and satisfaction is our primary goal.”


As you can see, the change is slight. On the large scale, however, the entire impression of your article or WordPress site page is different. The customer will read that you are focused on them, not on you.

Next time you’re writing an article, take a moment to edit with this lens on. Ask yourself, “is my article audience-centric?” and “am I telling the customer how I can help them, or how great I am?”

See you next time!

 

How to Keep Your Blog OFF the Ping Banlist

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Hey there fellow WordPress devotees! In our last article we promised to give you a down and dirty method to keep your WordPress blog from pinging the search engines every time you update it. We would hate to disappoint you, so here we go!

As we explained last time, when a WordPress blog entry is updated it sends out an automatic ping, or return-service packet, to several search engine indexing services. This is good at first, as it lets the world of web-crawlers know you exist. After a time, however, it will cause your blog to get banned because constant editing will cause a succession of pings which look like spam. Of course one method to prevent this would be to edit several times in your word processing application before posting, but we all know that blogging isn’t really like that. Besides, in all copy writing the editorial process is constant.

So, how do we prevent our blogs from being banned? Drum roll please…

Introducing a free, must have WP Plugin: MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer.

This plugin, among other things, completes the simple task of preventing your WP Blog from pinging the entire world just because you took out a bracket or a repeat indefinite article. You can edit to your heart’s content, clicking “Publish” after every character change if you desire with no ill-repute from the web-crawlers. Additionally, it helps with scheduled blog posts by limiting the times when Word Press sends out the pings. When done correctly, pinging the search engine indexing services is important and powerful, but done incorrectly it will just get your post banned.

Let us know if you have any experience with MaxBlogPress, the Ping Optimizer Plugin, or have other methods of keeping your ping count down.

Warning! Editing Your Posts Can Hurt Your Rankings!

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Howdy, WeLoveWP Fans! Sorry for the delay in between blog posts. We’ve been busy poring over your sites to bring you the latest and greatest the WordPress community has to offer.

Today we’d like to mention something that could hurt your WordPress site rankings. As we all know, it’s easy to write a WP blog post only to find a mistake just seconds after posting. Then, a few minutes later another pops up. It’s neither unheard of nor poor practice to revise an article four or five times before it’s ready for public consumption. What you may not know is that this can be disastrous to your search engine rankings!

In a second, I’ll get to the important part. Just for some background, a “ping” is an internet term where one server sends another server a “packet” of blank information. Although there’s no real content, the packet is marked to be returned to sender as soon as the second server receives it. It’s kind of like mailing a letter knowing it will be undeliverable, assuming the Post Office will put it right back in the slot as soon as it arrives. These pings are important in WordPress blogs and other types of sites because when a search engine will receive them from new and updated sites. It is a refresher to the search engine that there’s something new there and they need to send out a web-crawler to check it out.

Search engines, however, are no fools. They know that smart internet marketers take advantage of this, and will artificially “ping” them to get their sites higher rankings; the actual inner workings of this process are beyond this article, but are explained in-depth in any book on basic Search Engine Optimization.

The problem with updating your WordPress site several times is that Google will think that the repetitive pings are from an underhanded marketer trying to cheat the system. They will mark your site as “spamming” them, and may block you from receiving web-crawlers for a period of time only known to the search engine programmers.

Don’t dismay, there’s a fix for every problem on the Web. Tune in next week and we’ll explain how to get around this “spam block” so when you edit your WordPress blog you don’t get put on the blacklist.

Toolbox: HTMLForm

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We here at WeLoveWP would like to share with you a great tool which has recently come to our attention.HTMLForm.com is an exceptional site which can save you time and frustration. Their online cloud-ware can generate an html form for any need: guest or event registration, contact forms, and more. Their service is free and easy to use, and we highly recommend it if you’re not prone to designing complex HTML forms by hand (Who is?)

For WordPress, HTMLForm has a built-in system which allows users to design their form on their site and export it as a WordPress plugin. From there it’s a simple installation from your dashboard and you’re ready to rock ‘n roll. Just check on the “shortcode” within the plugin, type it in your post, and publish. The only way to be easier is if they read your mind and wrote it for you.

When in Doubt, Link Out

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One of the toughest things for ongoing website optimization is the blog. At first, everyone loves writing their own blog! It’s fun, and it’s an opportunity to showcase your unique knowledge of the topic at hand. After a while, it can start to become more of a chore. One option is to hire out your blog writing to a third party; indeed for website developers who are more “big picture” this is pretty much mandatory. However, for those running one WordPress site, use out-bound links to get in a quick post. Properly attributed articles are always appreciated, and sharing visitors is hardly dangerous to your bottom line. Out-bound links can also improve your SEO rankings, as web crawlers bounce from one site to another.

Pick good outbound links; if you run a daycare service, don’t link out to a bodybuilding website. Choose relevant articles and topics which will help your visitors out. It is a good way to keep them coming back for more, since they will see your blog as a valuable resource for external information as well as internal. If you’re sitting at the computer, staring at the screen for more than ten minutes wondering what you’re going to write, just link out!

HTML Code and WordPress

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With the new software available, both in the form of software and cloud-ware, many designing their WordPress site have never found the need to learn HTML code. Even if you are just using the default WordPress editor, the visual interface allows authors to do all basic functions. While this is convenient, every web developer needs to know enough HTML code to get around. Being able to make changes in HTML is extremely powerful, and a huge time saver in situations where the graphical user interface (GUI) just won’t take you where you want to go.

 

When reviewing your pages, you will invariably come across something which needs to be changed. It may need to be bolded, italicized, underlined or a link added. If so, modifying the HTML can be far quicker than going all the way back to your visual editor. Luckily, these are also the easiest to modify. To make a word bold, just add <b> in front of the word and </b> on the other side. For italics and underlining the code is <i> and <u> respectively. To add a link, the command refers to “an html reference at…” like so: <a href=”http://www.welovewp.com>. To make this open up in a new window, add “target=”_blank” to the end of the code before the closing bracket (>).

 

That’s the easy stuff. To change sizes, indents, and so on, you will probably still want to use your visual editor. It’s easy to accidentally miss one letter or bracket and end up with a broken page, especially with how complex most HTML is these days. You should still know, however, how to modify that code for quick changes. For example, if you want to increase or test an increase in size, check the <span style> code at the beginning of your paragraphs. You can quickly modify the size by changing the font size within that code, or change the font itself by typing in the name of one you would like to see. Once you get the hang of it it can save a lot of time by making quick ad-hoc changes in HTML instead of importing and exporting entire pages.

 

Every up and coming web developer should own a copy of HTML/XML for Dummies, or a similar title. This will give you the tools you need to be a power-user. Modifying and writing HTML code after a while becomes natural, and it is great to be able to see an error on a page and think “Oh, there must be a missing break there.” Plus, learning code is fun, like learning a language written in math and logic. It’s written very intuitively, so anyone can do it.

 

Have a great weekend from WeLoveWP!

WordPress Blogging Tips

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WordPress is inherently designed for constant content generation. In other words, it is most effectively used when putting new content on the site on a regular basis. Still, even if you are changing up your landing site regularly and reviewing your site for improvements here and there, you’re missing out if your site doesn’t have a blog. WordPress was originally designed around blogging because it is an effective and sought after website base. Here’s some tips on how to start or improve your WordPress site blog.

 

Write Regularly

It’s not enough to have a blog, you need to fill it! Regular content posting puts meat and potatoes into your site; further, it gives followers or repeat visitors something new to look at and a reason to visit repeatedly. If your blog is good, you can get visitors to repeat simply because they want to see what’s new. This can be especially effective if your site is based around an online storefront.

 

Keep it to the Point

There’s a nasty rumor going around the internet that all posts should be between four and five hundred words for marketing and web design purposes. We here at WeLoveWP aren’t sure exactly where it started, but it’s patently false. Blog articles should be tailored in size and shape to the topic. Sometimes short blurbs are best, such as when telling readers about a deal or discount. Other times, you may wish to write a longer article. If that’s the case, put the most interesting content up top to entice your viewer and leave the main content a bit lower, where the reader will read it when they follow the blog entry to its’ own page.

 

You don’t have to go it alone!

If you are writing your site’s blog all on your own, don’t get “blogged” down! Guest writers in the form of friends, co-workers, or associates can bring a breath of fresh air into your blog. If you want a longer article for your blog but don’t want to write it yourself, there are services which will connect you on a contract basis to freelance copywriters for a nominal fee. These articles won’t be specific, which is why they can be great for off-topic posts which you aren’t particularly specialized in. Contract copywriters are also an excellent option; they tend to be a bit more expensive but provide a regular voice with writing experience to your blog.

 

For a variety of reasons, don’t skip the blog for your site. Put it somewhere prominent on your WordPress site, not tucked away in a sub-menu. Make it a priority to enhance your blog, and promote it to encourage more visitors to check it out on a regular basis.

 

See you next time!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

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Search Engine Optimization, or SEO to experienced web developers, is one of the most important investments you can make into your WordPress site.
Search engines work with two different engines: paid and organic. Paid results are, just as they sound, bought and paid for by website owners or developers. They ensure that when someone searches for a service in an area, their website shows up on the first page. These entries are usually on top in a highlighted box, or on the side.

 

Paid search results are, however, not as sought-after as organic results. Organic results are derived from a complicated algorithm unique to each search engine. A combination of robotic web-crawlers and human search result sifters, the highly classified algorithm decides which results show up in order outside of the paid links. Market research shows that organic results are the most effective; typically a person will go to them before the paid links. SEO is the art and science of modifying a website so that it will rank highly in the organic results.

There are many different components to search engine optimization. One is the “meta” tags in your website which will be picked up by the web-crawlers. There is also content generation, both inside and outside of your site. Essentially if your site is “talked about” and linked to by external sources, it will rank better. Internal site traffic is important too; community-based sites always do well in search engines. There are all kinds of methods and strategies in the SEO community, some more ethical than others. It is entirely possible to run an ethical SEO campaign, however, and it is done every day by web marketing professionals.

 

For your WordPress site, don’t neglect SEO. Even if you are just loading a WordPress plugin which will install the meta tags into your site, it is time well spent. More aggressive SEO often involves hiring a web marketer to design a campaign designed to make your page rank highly in search engines like Google and Bing. It is also worth mentioning that SEO is a continuous effort; just doing it for six months and stopping will result in your site falling off the first page. Usually an initially strong campaign can be weaned off to a less intense one, but some work must be put in continuously to ensure good results.

 

So there you have it: don’t skip the marketing! If your site is all about marketing a product, then yes, you will have to advertise for your advertisement! Have fun, and feel free to leave questions and feedback in the comments.

Plugin Highlight: ProPlayer WP Plugin

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Today, we’d like to highlight an exciting and impressive WordPress Plugin: ProPlayer WP Plugin. Although WordPress has a built-in video insert button, it will not place all media types and it does not offer total customization. ProPlayer WP Plugin, by Iga Goksu, is the solution.

 

All types of media, from .mp3 files to YouTube clips, can be placed within your WordPress site and customized however you wish. You can quickly and easily modify the pixel size, change the theme, add borders, install a rating system, and use playlists. The customization is what really sets ProPlayer WordPress Plugin apart from the others. Being able to change the size and appearance of your video content is crucial when you are trying to deliver a cohesive message with your WordPress site.

 

ProPlayer WP Plugin is extremely easy to use. You just need to install the plug-in by copying it to your plug-ins folder in /wp-content/plugins/directory, and load it with the plug-ins option in WordPress. From there it is as simple as a push-button interface, or you can do it by hand by using the [pro-player] tag. From there you can modify the dimensions simply by adding a width=”" and height=”" or use a type=”" if, for example, you only want it to display the audio player for mp3 files. The options for customization are endless, which is the point of the plug-in.

 

There are many opportunities to use video in your WordPress site. Some prefer to right-side their videos to showcase their business or employees. Others may wish to use free content on YouTube to demonstrate a selling point of their business. While we at WeLoveWP generally suggest not using automatic music on your site, it is an option and can be used tastefully. You may consider using video on your “About” page; this is a great place to use a self-uploaded YouTube video to greet your customers. Having a camera-friendly employee greeting your viewers can impart a very effective sense of relationship between you and them.

 

Have a great weekend from WeLoveWP!

 

Designing and Placing a Custom Banner

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One element common to almost all WordPress sites is the banner. The banner is like your trademark; it lets your viewer know they’ve arrived. Making or modifying a banner is easy, as is installing it into your theme.

 

First, you will need a quality image editor. If you haven’t invested in an over the shelf software package, try Paint.NET. It’s free, and has nearly all the features of the expensive image editing programs. Once you’re in Paint.NET or your editor of choice, you will need your base image or background. To avoid royalty fees, use a service like iStockPhoto.com. With it, you purchase credits which can in turn be used to buy images. Most small images used in a banner cost around three credits, or just under US $3. Simply downloading an image from Google may be construed as copyright infringement or intellectual property theft.

 

Now that you have your image, you will need to create your template. It’s up to you the size, but somewhere around 800×200 pixels is a good start. Now, go back to your original image and crop it so you have the desired portion. Copy and paste it into the new banner template, and move it until you are satisfied. Wash, rinse, and repeat with other images and backgrounds until you are satisfied. You may also, obviously, add text and animations if you so desire. When you’ve finished, save your image as a .gif or .jpeg.

 

Now, to place the banner in your theme! Access your WordPress theme in whichever manner suits you, and find your way to the \wp-content\themes folder. Replace the existing “banner” file with the new one, and reload your page. Presto! Your beautiful new banner should show up as expected. If it requires modification, which it probably will, just stretch, shrink, skew, or otherwise change the image in your editor and save the file again. It may take some experimentation, but it will be well worth it in the end.

 

Last, we leave you with a few quick tips on banners. Keep them low-contrast, or in other words blend them with your site. Use at least one image and some text, but avoid an all-text or all-graphic banner. Keep animations to a minimum, if you really must have them at all. Last, make your banner match your business theme; as we mentioned in earlier blogs, all design elements should mesh together on your site.

 

 

Good luck, and feel free to post any questions to the comments!

The Beginner WordPress Website

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Recently, we here at WeLoveWP have encountered several people who want to start up a site for their small business, but do not know how to go about it. While a professional website can cost upwards of US $1,000 to build, it is not always necessary for a new business. Sometimes a brief, to the point site can do the job quite nicely until business improves to the point you can afford to have a large ad-campaign centered site.

For starters, beginners should know that the most important page you have is your landing page. The first page a viewer sees is the thirty-second commercial that matters most. Keep your WordPress theme simple at first, so you can focus on content, which should be interesting and streamlined to “sell” the website immediately. For a barber shop, this might mean a streaming banner showing different haircuts or smiling customers; for a musician, it might be pictures of a show. Beneath that, some written content is often good, but keep it short and to the point. Leave the extra content for the blog.

The blog is an important piece of a new website. It helps establish it with search engines and gives viewers content to read, and more importantly a reason to come back. Update it regularly, and as always keep it simple. Very few will read a five page essay unless they are a dedicated follower.

Next, you will need an “about us” page with which the viewer can learn a little bit about your business (or whatever your WordPress website is geared toward), and has the information they need to contact you if they wish. A small contact form is good, but ensure you include key information like an email address and possibly a telephone number if you have it. If you are a local business, make sure you put a map to your physical location as well.

These three pages can establish a simple WordPress website for any up and coming business or other venture. Ensure you update regularly, and as soon as possible look into search engine optimization and other efforts to expand your online presence. Picking up WordPress for Dummies is also a great idea, as it provides methods to optimize your WordPress site.

Finally, don’t forget to register your WordPress site with us! Head over to the “submit” section and enter your site’s information for instant exposure. See you next time!

 

WordPress Site Font Selection Tips

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Now, we here at WeLoveWP assume that you are not going to use “wingdings” to write your content. Still, from time to time we run across a blog or web page which uses a font which is so difficultly to read it gives us migraines. There are a few elements of font selection which are important, but sometimes overlooked.

Size

The size of your font is doubly important if you have a low-contrast background. Remember that even if you are young and eagle-eyed, some of your readers might not want to go get their reading glasses just to see what you have to offer. Use size 12 as a minimum, and consider going 14 or higher if you are in doubt. You can also zoom out with your browser; try your page at around 83% as well as 100%.

Serif vs. Sans-Serif

Serif fonts are the ones which include the little “hooks” on letters. A good example is Times New Roman. Serif fonts are easier to read over the long term, since they help the eyes more quickly identify letters. Choose serif fonts for blogs, newsletters, press releases, articles, or any other content which is over a hundred words. Sans-serif fonts, of which a popular example is Arial, are fonts which do not include the small “hooks.” They are viewed as more fun or exciting, and as such should be used for content like headlines or short blurbs used to entice viewers or customers. Use your sans-serif fonts wisely, and remember that just because your landing page is the first one your viewer may see, it is most likely not the first page your viewer has seen all day; in other words, assume their eyes are already strained.

Bold, Underline, and Italics

There are simple grammatical rules that should not be violated with reference to the special type cases. Bold words should be reserved for headlines and titles. Bold may occasionally be used for emphasis, but do not overdo it. Italics, as used above, are meant to indicate a change in tone or author voice. Use it for emphasis or stress. Underlining should be reserved for hyperlinks and headlines. Avoid overuse of these elements; using a lot of bold italics is the hallmark of cheap, poorly written ad copy.

A running theme of the WeLoveWP design ideas are simplicity and choosing a successful theme for your WordPress site. Like with your theme, remember to ask yourself “does this fit with my site?” when choosing a font. See you next time!

 

Emphasis: A Key Design Element

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The design elements are different “tools” or aspects of your website’s design which influence how your viewer will perceive it. Emphasis refers to which pieces of your site draw the most attention.

At first, you may want to emphasize many parts of your WordPress site. You have a snazzy banner, great content, and some links you want to show off. Generally, however, emphasizing all three of these at the same time would be a mistake.

When a viewer enters your site for the first time, they will spend about two seconds digesting the site. You want those two seconds spent on your most effective aspect(s), and that’s just not enough time for the viewer to look at everything. By choosing one or at most two aspects to emphasize, you will draw them to the most important thing first.

This can lead to confusion and frustration over what to emphasize, especially on your landing site. In general, focus on whatever is most “profitable” for your site. Even if your site is just a blog, that means choosing what is going to make you the most “money” in terms of viewer equity. If you are a for-profit enterprise, this doesn’t necessarily mean your paid links either; your most profitable element may very well be your written content. Whatever the viewer is “there for” is your most profitable element.

Methods of emphasizing and deemphasizing relate to how they are portrayed on your WordPress site. Size matters; larger elements will be seen first. Color is important as well, since the flashier or brighter an element the more attention it will draw. This can also mean making your banner or navigation tool less showy. It may be drawing attention from your content, and it can lead your viewer prematurely away from your landing page.

The best way to determine emphasis is to have a friend, or on your own, load your site and spend exactly two seconds on it. Then, turn away. What do you remember? Where did your eyes go? Importantly, where is your mouse cursor now? If you find your site emphasizes the wrong elements, change it up. Make your most important content more prominent, and consider removing extraneous elements.

 

Using the WeLoveWP Website to Get Ideas

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Getting your site going is a challenge. You have to decide on various design elements, create content, and most importantly entice viewers to peruse your site. Sometimes, however, the hardest part is just getting started. You may have an idea, or even content, but no idea how to put it all together to be a successful website. In cases like this, use WeLoveWP as a resource. Several sections of our site can be extremely helpful for a would-be designer to get ideas to get the ball rolling on their WordPress site.


If you look at the gallery, the leftmost tab of the site, you will see WordPress websites which have been submitted to us. Looking through them you will see many different layouts, styles, and design elements. Use these sites as examples to fuel your creative engine. Perhaps you want a sliding banner just under your navigation bar, or a minimalist approach which places content front and center as soon as the viewer enters your site. Either approach can be effective, but you’ll never know about all of the possibilities unless you explore the WordPress world, and the gallery is a great place to do that.


If you look on the right hand side of the blog, you’ll see several directories of WordPress themes. These theme listings can help you transform what’s in your head to what can be on the screen. Don’t just take the first one you see that looks interesting, glance through several pages to make sure you don’t miss out on a theme that is “just right” for your site.


Another resource is, of course, this blog! Here we share highlights, tips and tricks, and reviews of the WordPress engine with one goal in mind: to make you more successful! We post three times weekly, so check back regularly or subscribe to our RSS feed. Even if you’re a seasoned internet marketing engineer, it’s always good to hear an outside opinion to get new ideas or remember old ones. If you do have a website you’d like to submit, we welcome you to use our submission form to get your page noticed. Even if your site is in its infancy, submitting now can get you more viewers later.


Until next time, and Happy Memorial Day to those who celebrate it.

 

Choosing a WordPress Theme

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Getting started with WordPress is, thankfully, a breeze. One of the hardest decisions to make, however, is your theme. With thousands to choose from the challenge can seem daunting. Don’t fret! We at WeLoveWP are here to help.


Your theme is your design; it’s your calling card. It sets the stage for the content you will provide, and gives your readers the literary street they walk on when they visit your site. It’s important not just to pick one you like, but one which will be conducive to their viewing pleasure. When choosing a theme, instead of poring over every option available, do a “self-filter” scan of the descriptions. The key words you’re looking for will steer you in the right direction, and help you to narrow down your search.


As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, simplicity is the rule these days. Simple is often written as “clean,” “manageable,” or “minimalist” in the WordPress directories. Unless you have something specific in mind and know it will get results, do your own filtering first to weed out themes which have too much activity. If the descriptions don’t help, a quick look should tell you what you need to know. Excessive widgets or oversized banners are probably not what you are looking for, unless your content is significantly strengthened by your logo or an image.


Next, look at the colors. Active, vibrant colors will excite the reader and get them ready for an active, engaging site. Vibrant colors suggest that there is something for the reader to do at the site, some action that they can take. Cooler, calmer colors are often used due to their ability to draw in viewers without alienating them. Taking it a step further, predominantly white themes with hints of dark colors are considered “sterile.” This approach can be very helpful in WordPress sites as it can really clear out space and allow you to direct your reader’s eyes where they should go.


For the remaining elements you have to choose from, make a short list. Write down, in order of importance, the aspects of your content which readers will find appealing. It might look something like, “pictures, reviews, links.” If that’s the case, use that list to narrow down the themes further. Find one which puts the pictures prominently on the landing page if that is what will draw your viewers. If you are a text-based site, like a blog, find one which puts the written content on center stage. Make the theme suit your page, never make your page suit a theme.


Post to comments some of your favorite themes!

 

4 Quick Tips to Improve Your WordPress Site

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KISS! (Keep It Simple, Silly!)

The most successful marketing designs of the twenty-first century have been stripped of unnecessary elements to draw focus on the core of the ad. This trend relates to your WordPress site as well; take away distracting and unnecessary elements to draw attention to your content. Think of the new PepsiCo™ advertisements: simple ads that draw your focus to the new can design and elicit a feeling of thirst. This is how you should approach your site, no matter the type. Create your site around your content, so your viewer is drawn to it instead of an external link or picture.

Colors Matter

Different colors elicit different emotions. White backgrounds bring a feeling of sterility to a website. Red and pink tend to be active or feminine colors respectively, and blue or green tend to be masculine or peaceful ones. Black tends to be seen as aggressive. What emotion do you want your viewer to be feeling when they look at your site? If you are promoting your up-and-coming garage gym a black and red sports WordPress theme might be just what you’re looking for to pump up your audience. If you host a blog catering to women, softer colors might be in order. Just remember when designing your blog not just to choose what looks snazzy; choose how you want your audience to feel when they enter your space.

Not Too Much Movement

Don’t get me wrong, Flash™ is fun! Designing graphics which are unique to your website is a great way to draw attention to your site and entertain you visitors. Too much, however, can be a drain on users’ computer memory and attention. Since tabbed browsing is the norm these days, most people have many windows and several applications open at any one time. If they come to your site and are immediately bogged down by the multiple animations or videos, they may just close it out instead of waiting for their browser to resolve it. Use graphics as a tool, but do not rely on them too much. Oh, and before I forget: NEVER USE A SOUNDTRACK! There is nothing worse than browsing the web only to be blasted by an unexpected soundtrack; worse, it may make the viewer mistake your site for a pop-up ad.

Keep Your Content Organized

Simple organizational skills go a long way on a small website. If you try to jam-pack your landing page with too much content, it will overwhelm the viewer and much will be missed. If, on the other hand you are too Spartan and leave only a few morsels of information on each page, your viewer may get sick of clicking on link after link. The key is balance; use the different pages to organize your site but leave a good chunk of consumable information on each one. Each page should be designed as a timed experience. Unless it’s intended as being an informative article or entry, don’t make a page a five-minute reading experience.

Stay tuned for our next article on how to up your WordPress game!