Posts Tagged ‘seo’
WordPress For Business Bloggers
WordPress is the most popular web software used for content management today. One of the reasons for this is the low barrier to getting started. WordPress is not only free, but it is easy to use and there are tons of resources available for theming and
expanding a website. But, that ease of use and over abundance of resources can also work against the new user. While the first blog is quick to setup, where do you go from there? How do you make the site your site? How do you get people to visit, engage them once they are there, and get them to come back? And how do you even know about all this? These questions are what Paul Thewlis tries to answer in his book WordPress 3 For Business Bloggers. Note that this is a new and updated edition of his book that was published in 2008.
The publishers, Packt Publishing, sent me a copy of the book for review, and it had the honor of being the first book I read on my new Kindle. One of the things I really like about books from Packt is that they are available in multiple formats including print, PDF, ePUB, and Amazon’s MOBI format. But, back to the book itself.
WordPress 3 For Business Bloggers is well suited as an introduction to what can be done with a WordPress blog for most people. It succeeds in taking the new user beyond the initial install into the world of plug-ins and theme customization. While I am not really fond of the chapter on HTML and altering themes, I can see the necessity of familiarizing yourself with it. I just think that it is too much for most people and too prone to error. Seriously, you are better either in the hands of a real designer or finding a theme that doesn’t need behind the scenes tweaking.
Essentials of Website Development
This Monday, December 19th, I will be conducting a training session for the Palmetto Technology Hub on the essentials of website development.
No matter if you are doing your own web design or overseeing the production of that work; no matter if you are using WordPress, Drupal, DotNetNuk or a hand coded site, there are certain best practices that should be followed to get the best results possible. In this training we will cover things such as page flow, hot positions, usability, and accessibility. What we discuss will impact both your search engine results and customer satisfaction. Additionally, what we will be going over can be used for any platform with any web tools.
For more information on this training session, please check out the Palmetto Technology Hub’s event calendar.
Formation of the DesignTechWeb Partnership
I am very happy to announce that I have formally partnered with graphic designer and web creator Amanda Albertson to create a new firm named DesignTechWeb. Up until this time we both have been operating independently although we have worked together on a number of projects. After continued collaboration and seeing how our areas of expertise complemented each other, Amanda and I made the decision to join forces as a single entity. And now, after operating that way for a few months, we are proud to make the partnership public!
At the heart of our philosophy, and the name of the firm, DesignTechWeb, is the acknowledgement of both the graphic design and the technology components which go into the creation of sophisticated and secure websites. Together, Amanda and I have nearly 40 years of web experience. We have designed websites, marketing and systems for companies large and small – from restaurants to not-for-profits, from healthcare providers to lawyers. Today we choose to concentrate primarily on small to medium sized local businesses and the not-for-profit sector.
DesignTechWeb concentrates on web design, development and search engine optimization, specializing in content management systems that you can easily update yourself. All websites are custom designed for each client. Through integration with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, a full service approach can be implemented to meet the varied needs of different organizations.
I am very happy about this partnership, and I hope you will visit us over at http://www.DesignTechWeb.com. And, of course, we hope you will call us if you have any website or social media needs! This site, MichaelCarnell.com, the site bearing my name, will remain up and functional, will house my occasional podcasts, and will be where I can go on diatribes about system maintenance, security, VB and VB.Net programming, and mobile technology.










