Kerry’s Blog

When I create websites for my clients, we work in a collaborative way so they’re learning about what websites are, how they work, and how to update them. These blog posts answer many of the questions my clients have as we work together. I hope you find this information helpful too.

CATEGORIES

Prep

Write

Wait. Do you REALLY need a website?

Everyone tells you that you must have a website, but do you? Learn some of the ways you can promote your business without a website, either temporarily or permanently.

Prep Kerry A. Thompson Prep Kerry A. Thompson

Move your website to Squarespace to make it beautiful

I recommend moving your website presence to Squarespace from older, hard-to-maintain website hosting/building platforms. For this reason, a moved website is a new website on Squarespace for my clients. Learn more in this post about how I work with clients and the different steps involved.

Read More
Prep Kerry A. Thompson Prep Kerry A. Thompson

Six website words you need to know

As I worked with clients, I noticed there were six words that came up in questions to me during our consultations: domain, web host, website, page, SEO, and navigation. Becoming familiar with these website components and how they work together helps you manage and maintain a healthy website for your business.

Read More
Prep Kerry A. Thompson Prep Kerry A. Thompson

Contact form, Email signup form...what's the difference?

Two kinds of forms are common on websites: a Contact form and an Email signup form. Each form has its own purpose. To plan which forms will go on your website, it’s helpful to understand how each form is used as an interactive tool for collecting information from your website visitors.

Read More
Write Kerry A. Thompson Write Kerry A. Thompson

How to write a blog post

As you start a blog, first determine the focus of your blog. Then choose topics that are relevant and that are in your area of expertise. Blog posts can contain text, images, videos, links to other blog posts, links to podcasts, and personal or creative endeavors. Each blog post adds content to your website and gives you cumulative client-attracting and SEO benefits.

Read More
Prep Kerry A. Thompson Prep Kerry A. Thompson

Planning your blog content

Before you can choose individual topics to write about in your blog, first define the strategy for your blog as a whole. Knowing who your audience is and what they want to know will be the foundation for the content. It will also help you choose topics that fit the goals of your blog.

Read More
Design Kerry A. Thompson Design Kerry A. Thompson

Unsplash: Free images for commercial use

High-quality images are an important part of any online message you want to deliver. Free images that you can use on your website and with social media postings must either be your own originals, those that you have permission to use, or donated by artists to use free for commercial use. In addition to Pixabay, I've also discovered Unsplash as another place to find beautiful images that are free to use for commercial use.

Read More
Design Kerry A. Thompson Design Kerry A. Thompson

How to pick the best banner image for your Home page

Choosing the main image on the home page of your website has repercussions for the colors, mood, and typeface choices for your whole website. Designers take a lot of things into consideration, including colors, size, and arrangement before choosing what's called a "hero image."

Read More
Write Kerry A. Thompson Write Kerry A. Thompson

Commas, choices, and decisions

When you were in school, did you learn to put that extra Oxford comma in your lists? The choice is up to you, the style guides tell us, but to help your readers, keep your decision consistent throughout your website, your blog posts, and your social media.

Read More
Design Kerry A. Thompson Design Kerry A. Thompson

7 pro tips for a perfect banner photo showing people

Save yourself some time by keeping these tips in mind when you are selecting a large banner photo for the top of your website page. These guidelines apply both to selecting a photo from a stock photo site or if you plan on using photographs of yourself in banner photos as many service-oriented business owners do.

Read More
Write Kerry A. Thompson Write Kerry A. Thompson

7 ways a blog improves your SEO

Adding a blog to your website and keeping it updated is a great way to publicize your business. Search engines like Google reward websites that produce fresh content. Employing SEO best practices to add keywords to your blog posts increases the likelihood that potential customers will find you in online searches.

Read More

Stop struggling. Start your website.