Brooke Desmond
Thanks to the non-stop growth of technology, it’s not uncommon to hire contractors to work remotely on digital marketing projects. This has especially been true for WordPress web development, but this kind of relationship is unique from that of an employee and/or your internal marketing team. Below is a list of essential mistakes to steer away from when hiring a remote WordPress developer for your business. Don’t Assume Your Developers “Get It” The key to successfully managing a project with a remote developer is clear, concise communication. That’s why you must communicate your priorities from the beginning. Give these developers a crash course on your branding standards, your niche and overall tone. If they understand the importance of your corporate values, they will keep this in mind with everything they do for your business. It’s also important to set objectives/deadlines and put them in writing. Everything needs to be in black and white, literally. You don’t need to […]
Read MoreThis Meetup was lead by marketing writer Tom Tortorici, and the topic of the day was website content writing. He discussed why good marketing copy is just as much about the customer as it is about the company, as well as how a creative treatment of a strategic message can make a business stand out. In case you missed this Meetup, review the slides and video at the bottom. We hope to see you at the next All Things WordPress Meetup! Download the slides here
Read MoreToday, WordPress 4.6 was released! You can download it here and update your website, but first learn the highlights and new features of 4.6! Shiny Updates Before 4.6, you would usually see a progress screen when they would install or update a plugin or theme. As the theme or plugin would be loaded, you and your users would be redirected to a progress screen, which would be somewhat distracting. This WordPress update has simplified this process and now has “shiny updates,” which means you can now update or install plugins and themes without being redirected to another screen. System Fonts in Admin Pages When WordPress implemented Open Sans in the admin area to provide a cohesive look on different devices and platforms, they had to rely on a third-party resource. This lead to increased page load times and, ultimately, affected the speed for admin pages. With WordPress 4.6, the admin pages will go back to […]
Read MoreIn case you haven’t noticed, we LOVE WordPress. It’s our go-to content management system (CMS) because of its customization capabilities and seamless theme and plugin integration. The best part about WordPress is that it’s constantly changing and improving the user experience by adding new features. Unfortunately, some of these amazing features don’t get the attention they deserve. Learn more about our six favorite WordPress features that you need to know about to make WordPress even easier for you! Image Editor Need to resize or crop a photo that’s already uploaded to your website’s media library? No need to reopen it in an offsite photo-editing tool; WordPress offers basic image editing features to keep your visual assets organized. To use the image editor, go to Media > Library and select the image you’d like to alter. In the image details popup, click on the Edit Image button. From there, you can […]
Read MoreFor many businesses, big or small, their website’s content is like the pile of dirty dishes in the sink after a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s something that needs to get done but will get pushed to the wayside until it has to get done. Many people would argue that content is the most important component to a website, and even though business owners know their brand like the back of their hand, it’s hard to put it in words for their audience to understand. Although hiring a professional copywriter would be ideal for writing the most effective content, sometimes it’s not in the budget for a business’s initial website launch. This leads to the internal marketing department (whether that’s a department or business owner) doing the writing themselves, which can lead to some big mistakes made with their messaging. If you have or plan to bite the bullet and write your website content, […]
Read MoreThis Meetup was lead by Issac Scheidt of Ramp Ventures and all about building custom page templates with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). He discussed the basic options the plugin provides, how to build a custom page template with PHP work, and the options available with ACF Pro. He also looked through a theme that’s completely built with ACF. In case you missed it, check out the video and slides below. Be sure to check out other upcoming All Things WordPress Meetups!
Read MoreMerriam-Webster defines the term brand as, “a category of products that are all made by a particular company and all have a particular name.” In marketing, building a brand is the practice of creating an identity or differentiator of a business/product/service from others. A brand can even be defined by the customer experiences had with your company. No matter how you define the term “brand,” building a strong and memorable one is a shared goal with businesses big and small. If you own a small business, branding is probably a first challenge you’ll experience, as you may not have the desired budget to develop the brand you dreamed your business would become. What’s more is your business is competing with not just your competitors, but other small businesses, and you want to make sure you leave a lasting impression with potential customers. Whether you have a tiny budget or have some […]
Read MoreIf you’ve decided to run your website through WordPress because it’s a well-known, secure content management system (CMS), keep in mind that it’s prone to hackers (just like any other CMS). Yes, WordPress is very secure and happens to be the #1 network for websites in the US, but it’s not invincible from every spammer, hacker and bug lurking on the web. If a CMS IS saying this, we give you permission to call them out on their bluff with a chuckle. A WordPress website can be attacked in more ways than one. There are bots always trying to find a snippet of code to get login access, hackers attempt to inject malicious code without you noticing, and spammers will post thousands of spam comments to slow your website down. The World Wide Web can be a scary one, and if you’re not cautious your website could become more than just […]
Read MoreWhile it would be wonderful to have people travel across the world to experience your products/services firsthand, they probably prefer to do business with those who are closer to them. With that said, your business should aim to cater to your locals and optimize your website to attract people within your area. This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play, and it’s something that could lead your small, local business to become not just a regional favorite, but a global empire. In case you didn’t know, local SEO is somewhat different than regular (or national) SEO. When you execute local search engine optimization into your website content, you’re satisfying a small geographical area such as a city, region or state. However, what applies to regular SEO will also apply for local SEO. Sound confusing? Let us clarify. Learn the ins and outs of local SEO and start promoting […]
Read MoreAt GreenMellen, we love working with nonprofits and helping them build a strong website that promotes and supports their cause. If you own a nonprofit business, take a hard look at your website and ask yourself, “Is my content compelling enough to inspire people to join my cause?” Whether you can honestly answer yes to this question or know your website can use some improvement, there is one element that will attract and engage your audience toward your business: a strong, compelling story. If you want to capture the attention of potential donors, members and volunteers, a story (better yet, your nonprofit’s story) will not only build a connection between people and your business, but also help them understand why you do what you do. Ultimately, a compelling story will create the emotional triggers that drive your audience to take action with you. You may be thinking, “Alright, GreenMellen, you’ve convinced me, but how […]
Read MoreToday, responsive web design is not a trend; it’s a standard for any business who wants their website to get exposure. It was only a year ago when Google made it a part of a website’s ranking criteria, and visitors will more than likely see your website on their mobile device versus a desktop. Mobile-friendly websites are continuing to produce stats that prove it’s a must for businesses, and if your current website is not mobile-responsive it’s not too late for you to starting reaping in the benefits. Check out our fool-proof guide to responsive web design and set your website up for success in no time. Planning Out Your Website Before you start designing your website, you should plan out the “flow” of your responsive site and establish each breakpoint you’ll be designing. A breakpoint is a point where your website will respond to the user’s screen and provide the best […]
Read MoreAt some point, your website is going to crash; it’s almost impossible to avoid and can certainly be a stressful process to fix. At our most recent Meetup, Mickey discussed some of the best (and cheapest) ways to back up your website, how to restore it if something goes wrong and tips to keep the website updating process as smooth as possible. In case you missed it or want to review your favorite tips, check out the live video demonstration below. Be sure to check out our Meeup page and save your spot for the next All Things WordPress Meetup!
Read MoreBusinesses today are no strangers to email marketing, but often times that can’t be said about their email content. Sure, a well-designed email full of pretty images and .gif files may perform well, but a well-written email can perform just as well, if not better, than one that’s visually-appealing. In the end, no matter how decorative your marketing emails are, if they lack strong content, your readers will eventually start unsubscribing from your messages. By implementing a few copywriting best practices into your email marketing, your email campaigns will win over your subscribers and convert them into loyal customers. Subject Line Best Practices An effective email campaign starts with nailing the email’s subject line, since it’s what’s going to persuade the subscriber to open the email. A part of the subject line’s language needs to be actionable. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a verb, but it needs to tell the […]
Read MoreDo you feel like your WordPress website is underperforming? Are you confident with your website’s current SEO? Wouldn’t it be nice to understand the common mistakes that businesses make on their WordPress website that impact their search engine optimization? If you answered “Yes, No, Yes” to these questions, then this post is for you! It’s obvious that effective SEO isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would be on the front page of Google (and Google’s front page can’t just go on forever, people). It’s a very competitive marketing strategy, and mastering the basic WordPress SEO will take some time, education and energy. Learn about the three common mistakes business owners make when tackling their SEO for their WordPress website. Mistake #1 – Targeting the Wrong Keyword Even if you know your target audience better than the back of your hand, you can still make this mistake. Too many times have business […]
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