| What's a website facelift and why would you consider it? Good question! The second definition of facelift is: an alteration, restoration, or restyling intended especially to modernize.
Bingo! Modernization is the key. It's a given that all things change on a dime; technology, services and/or products that people are interested in, how folks receive information, and most importantly, you and what you offer.
Your website can be your greatest asset if you tend it with the care you'd give your garden. A friend once coined the phrase, "the care and feeding of your website," which begins to assign value to the notion of 'tending it'.
|  BEFORE - Click to enlarge  AFTER - Click to visit online | Don Freas
I recently worked with Don on a facelift for his website. For the most part Don's website worked well for him. We added a few new features making it more functional; most notable, a slide show of images and a unique sidebar on his Home page. Overall the images are bigger and we added the function of 'click-to-enlarge' the individual pics of his work.Visit Don's new website online!Good questions to ask
- Am I taking full advantage of all of the resources that my website tools offer?
- Is my content 'fresh' and applicable to my current offerings?
- If I had a budget for a facelift, what would I do differently?
Annual reports are a good opportunity to look back over the last year and assembly all of the facts and figures of what you've offered. The question often arises, "What's the best way to offer our information to our audience?" Most folks are going digital these days and hosting their annuals reports on their website. That's a good choice; it saves paper and is easily accessible to everyone.POSTCARDAdding a postcard as a handout or mailer, announcing your annual report directs folks to your website and covers all of the bases! WCSAPThe Annual Report for the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs uses a combination of info graphics, silhouette images and QR codes to share their information. They feature quotes from their programs and hyperlinks to their social sites. Read their report online . . . |  Click to enlarge  Click to enlarge |
It's a rare opportunity when I get to meet and work alongside a client 'from a distance.' Amitabham from California, is visiting and performing around the NW. Ami is performing Sound Healing with our local rock star, Kristen Rubis, at Yoga Loft this Friday, May 10th.For Seattle folks, he will be performing at a house concert in Shoreline, WA on May 17th. See flyer on the right.Everyone can listen to Ami's music online! |  Click to enlarge | Tried and True
Anyone who has worked with a graphic designer knows that it's a intimate process of paring stories with visuals – creating a shared vision. That process is about building trust and learning a language that grows over time. Indeed, building strong relationships is what motivates me most about the work I do.
Although 100% of my design work is done by email, having an opportunity to 'sit alongside' another and gain a sense of who they are and their work, is a tried-and-true better solution.
| "I'm not sure if I need a website. I'm not particularly looking for more clients. What is the value in having a website?"
These are questions folks ask me every week. The answer is tricky given my line of work. If you ask a fashion designer whether you need a handbag for every season, of course the answer would be "Yes!" I'd have to say I feel similarly – about websites and handbags!
Simple Marketing Concepts
I live under some rather simple marketing concepts:
show up, be visible, and of course, look good. Showing up in today's world means being available on the web. Many folks use the web as a phone book. The hard truth is, if they can't find you there, you don't exist. Or a little less dramatic might be, if you are on the web, you immediately have more credibility.
|  Click to visit online  Click to enlarge | Short AnswerThe short answer to the question, "Does everyone need a website?" is yes. Even if you're not currently selling or marketing your services or products, it's a service to everyone to have an online 'brochure.'Useful ToolWhen you do have a website, hopefully you'll notice what a time-saving, useful tool it can be. Some ideas for ways to use your website are- Online portfolio
- Collecting information from your clients
- Building a contact database
- Keeping your services up-to-date
- Providing easy access to forms
Eileen Keller, MA LMHCI recently had the pleasure of working with Eileen Keller, MA LMHC on her website. Although Eileen's practice is thriving, she wanted an online brochure for her counseling services. She also offers mindfulness classes and retreats. Her website is a reflection of herself through a simple, elegant design and color scheme. Visit Eileen's website online!
| by Schuyler Kaye, edited for length
You’ve got your website up, the home page is done… and now it’s time to create your “About Me” page. It should be easy . . . But it isn’t, is it?
“How professional should I be?” “Where should I start?” “Are my customers going to care?” or “What if they don’t like what I write?”
The answer is simple … you tell your story.
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The answer is simple . . .
you tell your story.
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| Sharing your story on the web just got easier with a 'story board'. Using a strategic combination of text and illustrations on a story board, allows your audience to take their time as you share your story with them.
I recently worked with Bill Stoner, Founder of Apps for A Better World, on a website and marketing package for his newest app, InnerLenz.
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Click to enlarge
| InnerLenz is an interactive, tactile, visual tool that creates synergistic maps that help you fully manage your life. Individuals, partners and couples, adults, or children use the InnerLenz app to help: - Prioritize
- Gain insight
- Make better decisions
Therapists use the InnerLenz app with their clients to take clinical work to a deeper level. Visit InnerLenz online!
by Christine Landry
Social media can be an easy and budget-friendly way to market your small business – but not all social platforms are good fits for all businesses. You may wonder whether you should devote time to the latest craze, the social bookmarking site Pinterest. In short, it depends.
| When artists sell their work through galleries, it's a great idea to offer galleries a point of purchase (POP) card that travels with each purchase. POP cards carry 'their story' and visuals of their work out into the world. In essence, it's a tangible signature.
We've heard the phrase, "All roads leads to Rome." A POP card is kind of like leaving bread crumbs on the trail–leading folks who purchase art through galleries, back to the artists who created it.
Seattle Potters
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LOREN LUKENS - Click to enlarge
MATTHEW PATTON - Click to enlarge
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by Steven Phillips
How do you determine a running order for your website content?
Search engines are in line with human visitors on this. Both respond well to a time honoured practice of print journalism: a sub-editor, needing to make a story fit available space quickly, cuts from the bottom up, anticipating the most important points are at the top. You can treat your web content the same way.
Technology is always changing and to keep my clients up-to-date with their websites, I sent a recent newsletter talking about some best work practices. If you'd like to receive occasional newsletters about website updates, subscribe through the link!Read online! |  Click to read online |
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