This is the wrong time of year to ignore customer anxieties. People subconsciously assess your site in 1/20th of a second, so your first impression should be the very best possible. 

Let your visitor know how you’ll be shipping and let them see who you work with. Those logos help build credibility, and also build trust. Use them prominently on the first page, don’t hide them!

Additionally important are any awards, certifications, testimonials, and guarantees. Images are important, and make a statement about your company using less text and valuable real estate. Images are said to be worth 400-500 words, so if you have a badge or image for awards, certifications and guarantees, use those images instead of naming the award.

Have you signed up for Build a Better Website yet?

You don’t expect to marry on a first date. Convincing another that you’re there for the long road ahead isn’t that fast, either. Learn the basics, sign up for our Build a Better Website course to understand what it really takes to set the foundation for long-term customer relationship building online.

This week’s audio is titled “Your Website Might Have Trust Issues.” I think you’ll enjoy it, leave me a comment and let me know!

  Audio Version

It used to be that extreme functionality was only for ‘big players’ online. Small companies really didn’t think they could do much with their websites, they basically represented an online address and that was about it.

With WordPress and iThemes, that couldn’t be further from the truth. About two years ago, we decided to exclusively build WordPress websites – and our clients are some of the most independently capable business owners out there.

It’s a good thing. The most frequently asked question we get from a new prospect is, “How can I get more control of my website, without destroying it?”   

Two words – iThemes and plugins.

We use a professional design framework developed by iThemes for all our our WordPress sites. It’s the framework, more commonly referred to as a ‘theme’ that allows a business website to be completely customized page-by-page. Plugins take your website to the next level by adding functionality – making it possible for business owners and management to do things with a website that used to only be done by talented web developers.

When we build your website, we teach you how to do what you want to do safely, so you won’t break your site or negatively affect your search engine visibility. Not everything you want to do is necessarily wise to do.

We do the build, and teach you how to manage what you want to manage. If you don’t want to manage something or are not comfortable with your skill level, we manage everything or fill in the gaps.

See, plug and play would be a little too overstated. WordPress websites accept development from independent builders who come up with some pretty neat stuff, and plugin functionality is what it’s all about. But as a web designer, you need to know what you’re doing so you don’t inadvertently disrupt the theme you’re working on. Not everything works together, even when the intention is there. Some versions of original ideas need to be vetted with time and reviews.

But the good stuff? Oh, yeah. Definitely progressive thinking.

Great plugin groups enable your theme to do anything from dramatically changing the way your images display, to backing up databases and embedding shortcodes for video. They can pull information from Flickr and Picasa and make every containment box exactly the right size for what you’re trying to do.

Plugins offer:

• Data analysis
• Anti-virus protection
• Social media buttons
• SEO enhancement
• Comment spam filters
• Security scans
• Redirection
• Billboards
• Rotating text
• Comment back-linking to sites meeting your approval, and more

If you want your website to do it, just ask. If it can be done, we’ll find the app for that.

Your business website will be looking good and running easily when Zero To Sixty Marketing hosts, develops and unveils your new site. Try to stump us: What would you like to see your website do?

When it’s time to update information and images on your business website, what’s your first thought?

If you had a static HTML site built for your company, you may be in a situation that calls for a web developer. You may have one on staff, but often the marketing company who sold your small business the site will have to intervene. That takes a little time …  and probably money.  

Have you ever wondered if you could update company information by yourself?

With a WordPress site designed by Zero To Sixty Marketing, those things aren’t such a big deal.

We show you exactly how to manage updating your site’s images or information – whenever the need arises. We take the hassle out of those types of business details, so you can do what makes your company truly great.

You’re not alone.  We develop and host your site, so when you need additional help, solutions are only a phone call away. As a matter of fact, if you don’t want to deal with any of it ever again, we’ll handle the whole darn thing. There really isn’t any reason to have outdated company information on your website.

If you’d like additional information about our website design services, give us a call. Are you currently using a WordPress website? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let us know what issues you’ve run into or solved in the comments below.

Related Reading:

Website Marketing Strategy

If you’re not regularly archiving and maintaining your CMS website, you might be getting yourself into trouble. Whether you work with a web developer or ARE the web developer, know that monthly tasks need attention if you want to avoid a headache.    

CMS Websites are continually evolving, and so is your web browser. Hacks and flaws are recognized and fixed through software updates; your theme and your hosting service need to stay current with those changes. If they don’t, even when your browser tries to protect you, you’re just naked.

A slow page load may be more than a matter of inconvenience or a negative SEO factor. It can be a sign of malware or virus invasion. If your site is hacked, it’s pretty easy to end up sharing malware with your visitors. While AVG, Norton, and McAfee are pretty good at detecting and destroying potential issues on your computer, more can be done on the back end (your website) to keep up security.

Regular website maintenance makes all the difference.

Web developers need to understand computer security. If you or your web developer don’t take necessary anti-virus precautions, your company’s online reputation is entirely at risk. It only takes a hacker access to a developer’s computer to do serious damage to ALL the sites the developer manages. Don’t mess around.

Zero To Sixty Marketing takes your website security seriously. We only offer WordPress websites. Their ease-of-use for our clients is beyond compare, and business owners can rest comfortably knowing we’ve got their back.

Our hosting is a complete service for your website, offering not only continual updating to the latest versions of necessary software, but also database backup and storage. When we build your website, the cost is built in to your design and scheduled for the next year. It’s a lot of work, but we know you need to count on your website to perform for you.

Contact Shari Voigt, Zero To Sixty’s Marketing Geek, to answer any questions you may have about website security and how you can protect yourself from issues that may be easy to avoid.

Are you using a WordPress website for your business? Do you have questions about whether or not you’re in a secure environment? Go ahead and leave your questions and comments below; we love to hear from you.