The 10 Web Site Resolutions You Can’t Ignore in 2010

2010 Web Site ResolutionsAre you sick of “Top 10 “New Year’s Resolutions lists” yet? I sure hope not because I’ve got just one more for you here today that will make the difference in your level of online success.

I do this every year, and added to 2009′s Resolutions which still apply, you’ll have a running start ahead of your competition in 2010.

These are the issues I think are most important to your success and that I see many of my clients and clients-to-be struggling with. If you pay attention to only one “10″ list — this is the one that is critical to your program in the year ahead!

  1. If you still have a static HTML site — make moving your site to WordPress — now! There is no way a static HTML site can offer you the Web 2.0 benefits and functionality you must have to compete online.
  2. When did you last review your search engine rankings and SEO practices. Get in the habit of reviewing this info at least once each month. How can you possibly understand how to get where you want to be if you don’t even know where you are starting from?
  3. When was the last time you reviewed your Web site’s statistical data? Links, referrers, bots, keywords — all this data provides you with a wealth of information that you need to make educated decisions moving forward. Make a point of reviewing this info once each month to gleam actionable gems of info.
  4. Not Blogging yet? What the heck are you waiting for? When in history have businesses of any size had the venue and opportunity to communicate with their market in real time about the things their customers are interested in and concerned about? Never! The main excuse I hear is “I can’t write.” What? Well, you can learn, you need to learn — you need to Blog! This is a tool that any business cannot afford to ignore the potential of.
  5. The Social Media train has left the station. Ignore these venues at your business’ peril. Determine where your target market hangs out and be there — or be square. Just starting out? Minimally setup a Twitter, Facebook Fan Page and LinkedIn business account so that you can have your Blog auto-post to get you started. You will need to include Social Media involvement into your time management budget.
  6. Brush up on your Business E-mail Etiquette. How you type whether in response to site inquiries, on forums, Blog comments or on social media sites will lend to a perception about you that can enhance or hinder your business branding efforts. Type like a grade-schooler and don’t be surprised if you are not taken as seriously as your competitors who understand the importance of this underestimated topic.
  7. Can’t have a Web site without a domain name that you own, that you ensure you keep and that you keep updated. Stop right now and review all your domain names to check they have your most current contact information and that they are set to auto-renew. Don’t rely on e-mails from your registrar to remind yo –, be proactive! This may seem trivial but I see clients lose domains or have them go off-line every week because they don’t pay attention to these details!
  8. Ensure that getting in touch with you is easy — not a scavenger hunt. You must include in your navigation a Contact link/tab on every page so folks can contact you from anywhere in your site with just one click. On that page have your physcial address and utilize GoogleMaps if you need visitors to find you. Include your phone number, fax number and customer service e-mail address (coded in such a way to avoid spam harvesting) as well.
  9. Update and engage, rinse and repeat. Post to your Blog at least several times each week. Post to your social media profiles on a regular basis with personal insights above and beyond your auto-posted Blog posts. Engage your target market by offering assistance and answering questions on the social media sites you frequent. Be there and be approachable. Online a hands-off approach results in most potential customers tuning you out.
  10. The number one Web site resolution you can’t ignore is the fact that technology is rocking and rolling and you have to make an effort to keep up. If you are not learning; you are falling behind. Running a successful online business is all about being in the now; not the past. I know — it isn’t easy, but if you want your Web site to succeed you need to be on the edge and make an effort to be current with the latest trends and strategies. If you cannot do this yourself, choose partners you can trust to do so for you when needed.

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is a WordPress Consultant with 15 years on online business and marketing experience. She specializes in coaching business owners on how to leverage technology to their advantage.

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WordPress Premium Theme: Flexx Theme

May 26, 2009 by Marge  
Filed under WordPress Resources, WordPress Tips

Flexx WordPress Theme

Once you look into this theme you’ll understand why it is called the “Mega WP Blog Theme” And I have to agree it is “One of the most powerful, but easy to use blog themes on the planet”!

Check out the features and options:

  • 15 styles/colors to choose from.
  • Text header option – keep our rotating images script but include a text overlay of your blog title and tagline
  • Feedburner widget – we’ve styled and coded a cool Feedburner widget that you can easily put into your sidebars for getting feed and email subscriptions
  • Favicon uploader – put a personal touch on your site with a custom favicon
  • Billboard Ad Management Feature
  • 1,056 possible layout combinations
  • Rotating header images
  • Contact Form Page Template
  • Plug and Play Graphic Changes
  • Menu Builder
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • WP 2.7 Compatible!

I’ve worked with this theme and the ability to customize the theme to what you prefer is rarely found in most themes. Plus you have the confidence in knowing this theme is developed and more importantly, supported by one of the leaders in the theme market.

What more could you ask for? You’ll want to at least check out the Flexx MegaTheme if you’re thinking of moving your site to WordPress.

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Top 5 Premium WordPress Themes

Top 5 Premium WordPress ThemesAnyone who talks to me hears in my voice my excitement over the potential that WordPress has brought back to the Web for small businesses and Netrepreneurs.

15 years ago when I started this adventure it was a level playing field. Then the “big guys” got online and priced out the average Joes and Janes when it came to getting found and paying for advertising. Add to that the bar had been raised as far as design and functionality. Quality sites became increasingly expensive to have developed, implemented and maintained which for small biz folks like you and I, meant it became even more prohibitive to compete.

Then, Blogging and WordPress started picking up steam. 4 years ago I thought to myself “Self, why can’t you use WordPress as a content management system?” I answered, you can!

My site had grown beyond efficient manageability and was a PIA to to update and intuitively organize. WordPress solved that for me. But what was more exciting was the fact I could finally offer my clients a positive answer to their most asked question:

“Can I make changes and do site modifications myself?”

To which I can now answer with a resounding, and confident, yes! The next step is then determining the look and feel of the new site — which is always subjective because that is all in the minds eye and clients have to like how the site looks. That’s where premium WordPress themes are so very important. They cover all these bases — and then some.

Several years ago there were two guys who were leaders in this new direction — they were ahead of the curve and then became the curve. They saw this wave coming and started creating feature rich, visually appealing and solidly coded WordPress premium themes. Brian Gardner of Studio Press and Corey Miller of iThemes were definitely leaders in this regard and whose themes I recommend and have used most. Much credit goes to these two gentlemen who create a superior — premium — product and back up their work with friendly, experienced and approachable support.

You may be thinking, but what about all those free themes out there? Well, folks, you’ve heard it before — with free you get what you pay for. Not to say that there are not quality themes available at no cost, but based on my experience, you have to deal with issues that simply do not exist when you use a premium WordPress theme.

For example; footer links. I don’t mind giving credit where credit is due but many free themes have encrypted links (meaning you remove the code and the theme breaks) to the author’s various affiliate programs as well. Sites you may not agree with or want to have a link to at the bottom of every page of your site.

Then you have the issue of quality — just because it’s free does not indicate the developer is skilled and experienced enough in WordPress and PHP to create solid bug-free code. And last but not least, who is going to upgrade that theme to keep up with WordPress and web trends — for free? These considerations are enough for you to not want to waste your valuable time and money having to deal with.

Instead, choose your site’s theme from the 5 sites below and you’ll not only look spiffy and be able to truly take advantage of everything Web 2.0, but you’ll have the confidence in knowing you are using a quality product backed with the type of support rarely found online.

Top 5 Premium WordPress Themes

  1. Studio Press
  2. iThemes
  3. Theme Forest
  4. WordPress Remix
  5. Woo Themes
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