Design Your Business Website with WordPress:

Pt 1Dr. Kristopher Daia DC

Today’s Presentation Objectives

• Who is this guy talking to us?• Our Audience: What’s your Comfort-Level

with WordPress? …• Introducing WordPress, WWWWY• Understanding your Brand• Design Process• Digitally Marketing your Website

• 20 years designing/developing websites. Technology GURU.

• Started Web Development Company in Jacksonville, FL in 2012.

• Works with graphic designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, coders, content writers, SEO experts every day.

• Previous life: Doctor of Chiropractic!?

Dr. Kristopher Daia DCTwitter @kristopherdaia

How important is a website?• Every business needs a website!• At the very least, they need a web presence• 1 shot to make a great first impression• Project the image of professionalism of a much larger company• If you don't have a website you are losing business to companies that

do have one.

“Websites promote you 24/7: No employee will do that.” ― Paul Cookson

You can build this

Without Knowing This

Prerequisites At the least

- Computer and Internet Connection

At the most- Monthly Hosting Account

• WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that lets you build and publish websites from your browser.

• CMS uses a different technology than standard html/css sites.

• Uses a database to store information. (Electronic Filing System)

• CMS is very widely used these days as opposed to static websites.

What is ?

What is ?

• Before WordPress came along users were shackled to HTML, PHP, FTP and all the other barriers to entry that were necessary to learn to share your message.

• Whenever you wanted to make a change to your website, you had to pay your webmaster to do it for you.

What is ?

Where can I get ?

When is ?

• Best Buy• The Walt Disney

Company• The New Yorker• Xerox• Bloomberg

Professional• Sony Music• MTV News• Beyonce• Variety

Why ?• Your company might already have a website, but perhaps it's not as

easy to update as you'd like.

• Or maybe you are interested in creating a dynamic new company blog.

• WordPress is a cost effective and easy to manage platform.

What’s the difference?

WordPress is

WordPress.org can serve users at all price points.

• Free• Not so Free

From the start, the only cost will be the price of hosting your site.

WordPress is open source. • Open source means that the technology that powers WordPress is

transparent for easier development. As a result, there are people all over the world developing new themes and plugins to share with other WordPress users.

WordPress CAN BE easily optimized for SEO.

WordPress is easy to update.• 70% of people put off updating their website because they have to

rely on somebody else for updates. Not with WordPress.

WordPress has plugins for every industry.

How many plugins?

WordPress Plugins• The simple way to think of a plugin is that it is something that does a

job on your blog or website. • Captures Email Addresses• Shows your Twitter feed• Lets your put advertisements on your blog• Etc.…

CodeCanyon.netWordpress.org/plugins

WordPress has a supportive community.• WordPress users and developers have online support networks on

various forums.

forums.wordpress.comwordpress.org/support

WordPress allows multiple users.Multiple people at your company can have access to update your website or blog without fear of them messing something up.

WordPress PostsPosts are entries listed in reverse chronological order on the blog home page.

• Uses Tags and Categories• For Blogging• Great for SEO

WordPress Pages

• Static and not listed by date• Do not use tags or categories.• About us page is an example

WordPress Widgets• A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function.

WordPress Menu

WordPress Menu

Short Stretch Break

Define your Brand• What product or service are you selling?

• Who are you?

• How do you want your customer to feel?

• What differentiates you from your competitors? • Customer Service Philosophy?• Superior Product?• Quicker Turnaround?

Create a brand identity that echoes culture and values• The old way of stamping your logo on everything, won't cut it.

• The future of branding is fluid and engaging — respect your customers' intelligence by NOT giving everything away up front.

• Generate some intrigue and allow them to unearth more about your brand for themselves.

• This is the way to foster ambassadors who revel in telling other people what they have discovered.

Define your audience• When you are planning your website, don’t feel like you need to

reinvent the wheel. Look to your competitors websites for ideas.

• Who is buying their product or service?• Where do those people hang out online?

• Twitter• Google it• Find forums

What do you want to achieve with your site?• Some of the more popular goals for websites include things like: • Generating leads• Selling a product• Improving brand awareness

• Once you know what you want to achieve, then you can continue to build the whole site around it.

Parts of a Website• A Homepage• A Portfolio• A Blog• Frequently Asked Questions• Client Testimonials and Feedback Forms• Contact Form• Terms and Privacy Statements

www.pixelshock.com

Web Questionnaire

Picking a Theme Template• WordPress offers several free

themes to get you started.• Must have a Responsive Design• There are premium themes available

that average around the $59 mark. • They have industry specific themes

available.• Ranging in technical support.

The Design ProcessPicking a Theme

The Design ProcessPicking a Theme

• Available for most industries• Cuts out a lot of development work• Tested and supported by the developer

Example: Philanthropy/Non-Profit

• You are a non-profit organization whose goal is to raise money for your cause.

• Your design should be focused around this.• Photos are key• Mission statement is key• Ability to donate directly on your site is another key.

The Design Process

New Design and Template = Better Results for Business

OLD NEW

Example: E-Commerce Business• You sell products or services online to individuals locally, nationally

and/or internationally.• You may have a brick and mortar business OR your company may be

based purely online.• Your design should be focused on your product/service.• Your products are your key.• Having them displayed in an appealing way is key.• Ease of navigation is key.• A template that supports e-commerce is key.

The Design Process

• It’s not about you, it’s about your product or service.

The Design Process

Courtesy of TheLogoCompany.com

Digitally Marketing Your SiteDifferent ways to market your site online.1. Email2. Social Media3. Search Engine Optimization

-Organic vs Paid

Digitally Marketing Your SiteEmail marketing is a great way to reach your customers where they are without spending a lot of money. But it’s a big responsibility too—people don’t give their email addresses to just anyone.

Tips to keep in mind.1. Make it easy to subscribe2. Tell subscribers what to expect3. Send a welcome email4. Design the newsletter to fit the brand5. Make it easy to scan6. Commit to a schedule7. Proofread8. Test9. Mobile Optimized?10. Know the SPAM rules

Email

Digitally Marketing Your Site

SHARE SHARE SHARE SHARE SHARE SHARE !!!

Social Media

Digitally Marketing Your Site

Organic Search Engine Optimization• Search engine crawlers look at keywords and phrases from

• Blogs/other posted content• Articles• Defined images/videos

• Search engines look at how many times yoursite appears on other reputable sites. • Yelp• Yellow Pages• Business Directories

Search Engine Optimization

• Google Analytics is a freemium web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic.

Digitally Marketing Your SiteSearch Engine Optimization

BIG DATA!

Simple SEO Tips1. Always write with human readers in mind.2. Don’t cram your keywords. 3. Never try to cheat the Search Engine, or you could be penalized, or

worse!4. Use Headers and Sub-Headers which feature your keywords5. Label your images descriptively

Digitally Marketing Your SiteSearch Engine Optimization

Simple Security Measures• Always update to the latest version of WordPress• Do not use the default “admin” username• Use a secure password (LastPass)• Keep your theme and plugins updated• Spam comments are going to happen. Try a plugin to eliminate them.

Final Thoughts• Embrace email; it keeps a record

• Get a quote system

• When you don’t have money for SEO, do it yourself. There are many resources out there. The only cost is time.

Yoast SEO Plugin

Thank you!

• Any Questions?