Website 101 Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sean Smith & Mike Mella
Website 101 Podcast provides advice for website owners on all aspects of running a website. Industry experts come in to discuss what is involved and provide take aways that the DIY website owner can use for themselves. We also provide advice on how to select an industry expert to work with on your website.
Learn why Chris Ferdinandi believers there's a simpler, more resilient way to make things for the web with vanilla Javascript. We also take a detour into accessibility.
- Chris's background and history with web development
- Single Page Applications
- Libraries
- Tiny libraries that Chris recommends at: The Vanilla JS Toolkit
- Accessibility and best practices with JavaScript
- Living with ADHD
- JavaScript and education recommendations
- Recommendations for novice developers starting out
- What's coming up in JavaScript that Chris is excited about
- Go Make Things - Website 101 Podcast Listener Page
Show Links * Go Make Things * Alpine Js * Vue * React * Angular * jQuery * WebAIM * The Vanilla JS Toolkit * The A11Y Project Checklist * Sean uses a screen reader * A11Y Nutrition Cards - blog post * A11Y Nutrition Cards * MDN Web Docs - prefers-reduced-motion * Vanilla Js Academy * Go Make Things - Website 101 Podcast Listener Page
More Website 101 Podcast * Email the Podcast! * Twitter * Sean on LinkedIn * Mike on LinkedIn * Amanda on LinkedIn
We discuss various things to avoid doing with your website and why they are not a good idea.
- Disabling copy/paste
- Open in new tab
- Click here
- Using placeholder text and not using labels
- Low contrast text
- Not enough white space / breathing room
- No comments in your code or unformatted code
- For clients: Identify problems, don't suggest solutions.
- Dates on blogs that are infrequently updated
- Carousels / sliders
- Popups, modals, lightboxes
- Full size images on mobile
Show Links * stop disabling copy/paste in form fields (tweet) * Should external links open in a new tab or not? * Why you shouldn’t say “click here” * Season 4 Episode 1 - Click Here * Should I use a Carousel
More Website 101 Podcast * Email the Podcast! * Twitter * Sean on LinkedIn * Mike on LinkedIn * Amanda on LinkedIn
Sean and Mike interview our new co-host Amanda Lutz. Amanda's goal is to out nerd Sean and Mike in this episode.
- Amanda made her first website in 1994 - a university provided website
- Amanda's major is Computing and Information Sciences
- Amanda has learned these languages: Basic, Pascal, C++, Java, C#
- Amanda is a Windows/Android user
- Made a time tracking website as a personal project in the early 2000s
- Worked on a ticketing website back in 2005 (Audience View)
- 10 years since Amanda, Sean, and Mike met up for the first time at an ExpressionEngine meetup.
- Teaches web development at Seneca College.
Show Links * Lotus Notes * Audience View * Canada Learning Code (Previously Ladies Learning Code) * Seneca College
More Website 101 Podcast * Email the Podcast! * Twitter * Sean on LinkedIn * Mike on LinkedIn * Amanda on LinkedIn
Kevin Powell CSS evangelist discusses everything to do with CSS and why it is awesome.
- Kevin's history with web development and teaching
- Teaching in classroom vs online teaching
- How do you decide what you are going to teach?
- Where do you go to learn about new things in CSS that you want to teach?
- Upcoming CSS including Cascade Layers, CSS nesting, Container queries, and Query units
- Kevin's thoughts on frameworks (Foundation, Bootstrap, Tailwind) and Sass vs regular Css.
- min-content max-content fit-content
- Browser support and progressive enhancement
- Accessibility
- CSS naming conventions - BEM
Show Links * CSS Layout News * CSS Weekly * Modern CSS newsletter * Tailwind CSS * Bootstrap * Foundation * SASS * 3 useful CSS values that most people don’t know about * The 6 most important CSS concepts for beginners * 5 important HTML concepts for beginners * BEM * Scrimba
More Website 101 Podcast * Email the Podcast! * Twitter * Sean on LinkedIn * Mike on LinkedIn * Amanda on LinkedIn
We talk with Bill Campbell, one of our subscribers, about the process of planning his website and then working with a web developer and hosting.
- Introduce our new co-host Amanda Lutz
- Bill's background
- 3 products that Bill will sell on his website
- Planning pages and page content
- Newsletter call to action
- Domain should be separate from hosting company
- Ecommerce & Security
- Selling courses and coaching
- Hiring a developer
- DIY - pros/cons
- User testing
- Backups
Show Links * S03 E01 Do You Really Need a Website? * S03 E11 Own your own content * S01 E08 What is a Landing Page * S02 E02 Web Jargon Part One * Shopify * Kajabi * WordPress * Woo Commerce * S01 E03 Web Design Shortcuts You Should Never Take * Google Analytics * Google Page Speed Insights * S04 E09 Website Optimization and Speed * Shopify Backups * Shopify Apps
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Adam Wathan, co-founder of Tailwind CSS, talks about what Tailwind CSS is, why he built it, and the future of Tailwind.
- Is Tailwind CSS a framework?
- What is Tailwind CSS
- The biggest inspiration for tailwind is...
- Inline styles vs Tailwind
- Tailwind 3 and Just in Time (JIT)
- Build tooling
- Tailwind Browser Dev tools
- Arbitrary classes
- Tailwind UI
- Tailwind documentation and examples
- How to choose what to add in Tailwind.
- What makes something a plugin rather than part of Tailwind core.
- Tailwind 4 and the future
Show Links * Tailwind CSS * Bootstrap * Atomic CSS * Tachyons * BEM * Tailwind UI * Refactoring UI * Tweet about running a product
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We talk to Wes Bos all about web development, soft skills, and everything needed to succeed in web development.
- Wes's history and background in web development
- How does Wes learn enough on a new technology to start teaching it?
- How to decide what to learn with new technology or languages
- Important advice for a new developer
- Most important technical skill
- Learn the fundamentals
- No code design
- Weakest development skill
- Online courses vs Bootcamps
- Emerging technology
Show Links * Canada Learning Code * Amanda Lutz's episode * Juno College (Previously Hacker You) * The Great Divide (Chris Coyier) * Beginner Javascript * Owen Craig's Episode * Purchasing power parity * Javascript 30 * All Wes Bos courses * Wordpress * Svelt * Svelt Kit * Prisma * Sanity
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Sean interviews Mike about his journey to becoming a web developer
- Bootcamps / college
- Started with Macromedia Flash
- Mike was a drummer in 4 different bands - learned web development to build the band websites
- First website built for his band in late 90s
- First client site - restaurant (February 2000)
- First job was web developer at a magazine publisher
- Build tools
- Design vs Development preferences
- Advice for new web development
Show Links * Mike's first client website - wayback machine * Adobe Image Ready * CSS Zen Garden * SASS * Tailwind CSS * Grunt * Alpine Js * Vue * Petite Vue * jQuery
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To kick off our 5th season Mike interviews Sean about his journey to becoming a web developer.
- Sean's first website was a Geocities website built in 1997
- First client website built in 2008
- Started full time self-employment in 2013
- Provided official support to end-users of ExpressionEngine
- What does Sean like the least/most about web development
- Sean's advice for new web developers
Show Links * Geocities * Moodle * Dreamweaver * Microsoft Frontpage * Adobe GoLive * Movable Type * ExpressionEngine * GreenSock
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Time to pimp your website typography with Oliver Schöndorfer. Learn the fundementals of typography and why it matters to your website and message.
We start off by defining what Typography is. Then the various types of fonts including serif and sans-serif fonts and when to choose which to choose.
- I (uppercase I), l (lowercase l), 1, a, g test
- The difference between legibility and readability
- Comic Sans and Helvetica fonts
- Avatar and Papyrus
- Heading, body fonts, and fonts that can be used everywhere
- Oliver Judges Sean's website headings
- Tips on how to choose fonts for a website
- Web font marketplaces
- 5 common web typography mistakes and how to avoid them
- Leading and line height
- line length
- Oliver gives a review of the Website 101 Podcast website typography.
Show Links * Pimp My Type YouTube Channel * Oliver's Newsletter * Stop Using Open Sans * Design Academy * Google Fonts * Adobe Fonts * Stop Using Open Sans * Free Typographic Review * All Caps Letter Spacing * Typographic review of Website 101 Podcast
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Learn all about Owen Craig's journey from novice developer to bootcamp instructor. Why he transitioned from social media manager to development, why Owen chose a bootcamp and how he later became an instructor at that same bootcamp.
- What is a bootcamp
- Why a bootcamp vs other paths
- Favorite part of web development
- Least liked part of web development
- How Owen became an instructor at Juno college
- How to keep up with changing technology
- Advice for a new developer
- How to evaluate what to learn
- No code developers
- Most important skill a developer should have
Show Links * Juno College * Udemy * Code Academy * Wes Bos * Juno College (Free Events) * Andrew Welch * Jargon Part 1 * Jargon Part 2
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We talk to Laura Bailey of Revy Web Design all about Wordpress, her journey from IT technical support in the UK to running a Wordpress agency with employees in a small town in British Columbia Canada.
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Laura, talks about her role as a business owner, website designer, and building bespoke websites for her clients.
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The difference between a pre-built theme and a theme builder such as Elementor.
- Lauras default plugin stack for WordPress sites.
- Rank Math SEO vs Yoast
- Optimizing WordPress sites for performance
- Updating WordPress and Plugins
- Website Maintenance
- WordPress Hosting
Show Links * Revy Web Design * Elementor * Divi * Oxygen * Beaver Builder * Classic Editor * Gutenberg Editor * Deactivate Gutenberg * Crocoblock Suite * Advanced Custom Fields * The Dangers of Over Reliance on Plugins in Website Builds * Rank Math SEO * Yoast * Imagify * WP Rocket * Page Speed Insights * Kinsta (web host)
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Website optimization expert Andrew Welch discusses optimizing your website performance and speed.
Site speed is a ranking signal for google. Ensuring your website is fast and efficient can give you a boost in your SEO results.
We also discuss:
- How optimizing your site can improve your bounce rate
- Contributing factors to a slow website\
- What you can do to improve your site without touching code
- Limit the number of tracking scripts
- lazy loading images / maps
- Web hosting - shared vs VPS
- Caching & Minifying
- Image Optimization / Responsive Images
Google image srcset peas to find the article by Eric Portis that Andrew Mentions.
Show Links * Andrew's dotall conference talk * Google PageSpeed Insights * WebPageTest * Tags Gone Wild! Managing Tag Managers * Servd * Fastly * CloudFront * Responsive Breakpoints * Scrset and Sizes * Andrew's Blog * Sean's Blog
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We have a short survey for listeners that we will use to plan season 5. This will help us to choose episodes that our listeners want to hear more about.
Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus tip to help you improve your website.
The survey will be available anytime into the future. If you find it while listening to archived episodes, please fill it out.
Show Links * Listener Survey
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Returning guest Angie Herrara discusses alternatives to google analytics for tracking website visitors. We discuss Fathom Analytics and Stat Counter.
Reasons to consider using an alternative to google analytics include concerns about privacy and a simpler, easier to understand interface.
- Google is very complex and difficult to understand
- Fathom Analytics is privacy oriented
- Fathom and Stat Counter have a simpler easy to understand interface
- Things that you want to understand and know how to track with whichever analytics you use
- If it's free (google analytics) then you are the product
Show Links * Google Analytics * Company of One * Use Fathom * How Fathom tracks without cookies * Stat Counter * Hot Jar * Crazy Egg * Full Story
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In this episode Mike and Sean talk with returning guest Gaurav about content marketing; what it is, why it's important, and how to do it.
Gaurav starts off by defining what content marketing is and why it's important. Later we discuss the similarities and differences between content marketing and advertising.
- Funnels
- Advertising vs content marketing
- SEO
- Long tail keywords
- Newsletter and blog
- Social Media & content marketing
Show Links * S02 E08 Copy Editing and Copy Writing * Jonathon Stark
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In this episode Mike and Sean discuss various things you can do to improve your existing website without doing a complete redesign and rebuild.
We talk about ways that you can improve your website by making small changes yourself at no cost. Some changes may require a web developer but these will be low cost but with high value.
A website is like a garden, it needs to grow, it needs pruning, and watering. These tips will help keep your website fresh and exciting.
Show Links * How to conduct a website content audit for your nonprofit * Google PageSpeed Insights * Accessibility * Accessibility - Why It's Important
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We discuss accessibility, with Matsuko Friedland, in websites, why it's important both for users and website owners, as well as some tips on how to ensure your website is accessible.
Matsuko starts off by explaining what accessibility is and why it's important. We also talk about what a screen reader is and how a screen reader works.
- Why should we care about accessibility other than the legal requirements
- The three levels of WCAG compliance
- Semantic HTML
- Header Order is important
- Accessibility is good for SEO
- Color Contrast
- Placeholder content
- Pixel and Tonic, CraftCMS, selected by the W3C for accessibility
Show Links * Accessibility Why It's important * Curb Cut Effect * Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 * Building the most inaccessible site possible with a perfect Lighthouse score * Empathy Prompts * Accessible Colors * Contrast Checker * Axe Browser Extension * Lighthouse Browser Extension * Accessibility Insights * Don’t Use The Placeholder Attribute * Trackback * W3C Selects Craft CMS for Redesign Project * HTML: The Inaccessible Parts * Accessibility Checklist
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Today Marlene Oliveira of moflow discusses the value of conducting a website content strategy, and why you should do it before anything else.
- What is content strategy?
- Measuring the success of a website build
- S.M.A.R.T. goals
- How to collect and document material for a content strategy
- The format of a content strategy
- The value of consulting with internal stakeholders
- What communication looks like during a content strategy
- How long does it take?
- The value of engaging in a content strategy
- Advice for do-it-yourselfers
Show Links * Developing a website content strategy for a new nonprofit site: elements to include * How to create communications objectives from nonprofit strategic goals
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In this episode Sean and Mike discuss red flags to be aware of when looking for a web developer. Conversely we also talk about things that clients do that are red flags for web developers.
A lot of what we talk about is common sense things like not interrupting people and appropriate response time, but common sense is not always as common as we would like.
Show Links * Web Jargon part 1 * Web Jargon part 2
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In this episode Sean and Mike talk with Amanda Lutz about how to talk with your web developer.
- How much does a website cost?
- Think about what you want from your website
- How to measure success of a website
- Have realistic expectations
- Not all feature requests are equal
- Free isn't free!
- Agree on how you'll communicate throughout the project. Good communication is crucial.
- What constitutes an emergency?
- How to tell a developer "something's broken!"
- What platforms will your website support?
- "Make the logo bigger" - Provide objectives, not solutions.
Show Links
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In this episode we talk about why using Click Here for link text is bad practice. We then briefly go over the remaining episode topics that are planned for season four.
Mike gives a brief history of where Click here comes from.
Mike has advice on how to make your links stand out so that click here is not necessary. we also go over the negative SEO impact of using click here.
We also talk about how the the internet body that determines and publishes about web standards: The W3C has decided to use Craft CMS to publish their website.
Show Links * Mike's Blog: Don't Say 'Click Here' * Smashing Magazine: Click Here * W3C: Don't use "click here" as link text * W3C Selects Craft CMS
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Sean and Mike talk about the value of having your own website rather than just social media accounts.
- What are some benefits of having social media accounts at all?
- What are some drawbacks of making social media accounts your primary Web presence?
- Having your own website gives you full control over your content.
- Don't be bound by social media algorithms.
- Social networks are satellite sites, not your home planet.
- Sharing content to social media sites.
- Social networks make you look exactly like your competitors.
- How people tend to find you online.
- Social networks can limit your audience to members only.
- Social networks come and go. Remember Myspace?
Show Links * Use social media to promote your website, not replace it. * Own Your Digital Content * What's The Best Home For Your Content?
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Mike and Sean discuss what a content audit is and why you should perform one.
A discussion of what is included in content audit including orphan links. A content audit is a good opportunity to prune outdated content.
Mike explains how to use a spreadsheet and common columns to include when doing your content audit.
Show Links * Airtable * How to Perform a Website Content Audit to Guide Your Content Marketing Strategy * Screaming Frog * WordPress All Export * How to conduct a website content audit for your nonprofit
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Sean and Mike discuss the benefits of having a regular maintenance plan for your website, and having a Web developer on a retainer contract.
- What is a maintenance plan / retainer?
- Retainers can help with budget limitations
- Potential forms that maintenance plans can take
- Benefits of having a developer on retainer
- Drawbacks of not having a developer on retainer
Show Links * Why Your Website's CMS Should Be Updated
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Mike and Sean discuss best practices for creating email accounts to represent your business.
- Why shouldn’t I use a free email address that ends with @hotmail.com or @gmail.com?
- How you can use a free email service while keeping your company domain name in your email address.
- Free email options provided by cPanel in shared hosting accounts.
- The plus ("+") hack
- Email address naming best practices
Show Links * Gsuite
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Do you have a backup strategy for your website? If you value your website content, you need to have regular backups. In this episode, Sean and Mike discuss what a backup strategy is, why you need one, and what options are available to make it happen.
What is a backup?
Why do you need a backup solution?
Backup service options
How does a backup service work?
Be sure to test your backup solution.
Examples when backups saved the day.
Show Links * cPanel * JetBackup * Backup Pro * CodeGuard * BackupBuddy * Dropmysite * SimpleBackups * Ottomatik * A Website Backup Strategy is Essential * Do you have a backup solution?
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Mike and Sean discuss the pros and cons of extending a content management system with plugins.
- What is a plugin?
- Why might a website owner use a plugin?
- Why might a developer use a plugin?
- Some of our favourite plugins
- The dangers of using plugins
- What to consider when choosing a plugin
- Have a strategy for when plugins fail
Show Links * What is a CMS? * Veto * Ctrl+S * Field Manager * Template Comments * Structure * The Dangers of Over Reliance on Plugins in Website Builds
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In this episode Sean and Mike discuss what to do when your web developer goes on vacation.
- web developer should have a system in place for vacations
- logins/passwords available for backup person
- Define emergency work
- Plan important work for before or after vacations
- when the client goes on vacation what are their responsibilities?
Show Links
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In this episode we talk with Peter Kelly about using video on your website and why you should have a video.
- it's good for SEO
- Improved conversion rate on landing pages with video
- The most important part of video is audio quality
- transcribing video
Show Links * Tips for making videos with your smartphone * Rev Transcription
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A special out of sequence episode of the Website 101 Podcast where we talk about being nimble and adapting during an emergency
Recording on Sunday April 26, 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 self isolation.
We discuss how business is going and the impact that the Covid-19 epidemic and social isolation is having on us and our businesses. We then discuss some ideas and strategies to use for the future.
Show Links * Ecommerce with Shopify * Building Trust in Trying Times
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In this episode Sean and Mike talk about WordPress with Gregory Hammond - plugins, security, themes and everything you want to know about WordPress
What is WordPress, who owns it and what does open source mean? The difference between wordpress.org and wordpress.com
Do WordPress sites always get hacked? yes and no.
How to choose the best plugin out of the myriad options available
Pros and Cons of WordPress
Show Links * Hosted Wordpress (SAAS) * Wordpress to download * Digital Ocean * Laravel Forge * Server Pilot * Web Hosting 101 * Why Website Maintenance is Important * Word Fence * The Dangers of Over Reliance on Plugins in Website Builds * Gregory J Development
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Sean and Mike discuss the idea that not every business requires a website.
What are the reasons you are building a website? Is it because everyone is doing it? What do you want your website to accomplish? You need a good business reason to have a website.
- Analytics
- Conversions
- Reasons why your business doesn't need a website
- Social media should your satellite sites and your website should be your home planet
- Building authority by giving away knowledge for free
Show Links * Google Analytics * Home Stars * Own Your Digital Content * Use social media to promote your website, not replace it. * Do I need a website?
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In this episode we do a brief recap of Season 2 and discuss upcoming episodes and guests in Season 3.
Show Links *
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In this episode we talk with Mark Poppen, owner of Funky Moose Records, about running a ecommerce website with physical product using shopify.
- Mark provides some history and background into his decision to run a used record business
- Talks about his decision not to use Opencart.
- Wordpress and WooCommerce - not as simple as Shopify
- It's better to use Shopify payments as there is no extra charge, but if you use a different payment gateway such as paypal you pay the paypal feel plus an addtional 1% fee.
- Shopify Themes
- Steps involved in setting up shopify for a new business.
- People underestimate what's involved in ecommerce
- How to manage your inventory
- Overselling and shipping guarantees
- Shipping costs, weight etc.
- Returns
- What is a payment gateway and a merchant account
Show Links * Funky Moose Records * Opencart * Shopify * Big Commerce * Merchant Account Vs. Payment Gateway: What’s The Difference?
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In this episode Sean and Mike discuss the ins and outs of photography and stock photos for your website. How to choose imagery, where to find it, how to edit it and more.
- How to choose the correct image
- style of photo - illustration? black and white? bright? dark? mood?
- Be aware of authenticity
- cropping photos
- Where to find images or photos
- Tips for taking your own photos
- licensing and model releases
- comments from Lyndon Johnson, John Morton, and Ben Parizek
- how to edit photos
- How to use some native tools on your Windows or Mac computer to make basic edits to a photo.
- The rule of thirds
- focal points and cropping
Show Links * Headset Hotties * Sean's Photo Blog * Istock Photo (paid) * 123 RF (paid) * Adobe Stock Photos (paid) * Unsplash * Burst Shopify * Pixabay * Public Domain Archive * Pic Jumbo * Pexels * Flat Icon * Streamline Icons * Undraw * Envato * Vecteezy * Vexels * Flickr * Sean's Company Blog * Photoshop * Affinity Photo * On1 Photo Raw * Improve Your Composition With the Rule of Thirds * Canva (paid) * Pixlr * Thomas Yu
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In this episode we talk with Guarav Iyer all about copy editing and writing. Guarav has extensive experience with professional writing including a background in journalism, including writing for the Motley Fool.
Guarav discusses the difference between a copy editor and a copy writer. We also get into the Oxford Comma.
Next we address why you woul.d want to hire a copy writer instead of writing your content yourself and the curse of knowledge.
Guarav also provides advice to DIY website owners on how to improve their copy.
Show Links * The Motley Fool * Capital Communications * The Elements of Style * George Orwell’s Six Rules For Great Writing * Fight Club * The Necessity of the Oxford Comma (MEME)
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In this episode Mike and Sean discuss what a minimal viable product is and what the pros and cons of launching a website as an MVP are.
We discuss what an MVP is as well as the pros and cons of taking an MVP approach to your company website.
We also talk about examples of MVP sites we've worked with including this very podcast site.
Show Links * The Why and How of Developing a Website MVP * What is an MVP Website? * How to Redesign Your Website Using a Minimum Viable Product * MVP (Wikipedia) * Thomas Yu
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In this second episode on web jargon Sean and Mike explain web terminology that every website owner should be familiar with. This will help when working with a developer or when DIY your website.
Jargon that we explain include:
- HTML, CSS, Javascript
- Theme
- User testing / usability testing
- CTA / Call to Action
- Conversion
- favicon
- Cache / cache busting
- wireframe / mockup
- Discovery
- Above the fold
- Cookie
- Remarketing
- GDPR
- The Cloud / Cloud based
- SEO / Search Engine Optimization
- 404, 301, 500 Error Pages
- URL
Show Links * Web Jargon Part One - season 2 episode 5 * Theme Forest * Above the Fold - Sean's blog post * I Am The Fold * SEO 101 - season 1 episode 5 * GDPR - wikipedia
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In this episode Sean and Mike explain web jargon that every website owner should be familiar with. This will help when working with a developer or when DIY your website.
Jargon that we explain include:
- Host, web space & bandwidth
- Shared Hosting, VPS, Dedicated
- domain, domain registrar
- DNS, A Record, MX Record
- CMS
- SSL, HTTPS
- Accessibility
- Site map
- 404 Page
- XML site map
- Analytics
- Usability, user testing
Show Links * Go Daddy * Season 1: Web Hosting 101 * Host Gator * Name Cheap * Rebel * WordPress * Drupal * Joomla * Craft CMS * ExpressionEngine * Statamic * WikiHow - How to Install SSL Certificate * Season 1: Accessibility - Why it's important * Google Analytics
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In this episode Sean Smith and Mike Mella discuss how much a website costs and why the real answer is "It Depends"
This episode marks the beginning of Mike joining the podcast as co-host.
We start off by comparing a website to a car. This comparison works well because cars like websites have a wide range of costs and it all comes down to the number of features and quality of the final product.
We then go into all the parts of a website build that the layperson is not aware of and the opportunity costs of DIY.
Show Links * Wordpress.com * Wix * Webflow * Why Content Writers Love Craft CMS * Website CMS User Manual for End Users * Mikes Google Analytics Package * How Much Should a Website Cost You? A Definitive Pricing Guide For You
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In this episode I talk with Angie Herrara of Block 81 about how to choose a web developer or agency. This could be due to your relationship with your current developer isn't working out or because your business website needs have grown beyond what you can do by yourself.
Price is not the bottom line you should focus on. Your focus should be on does the web developer try to understand your business and your business goals for the website. A good developer will be able to translate all the web jargon in a way that makes it easy for you to understand and work with them.
The starting point shouldn't be technology, it should be the goals of the website.
The key takeaway from this episode is that your developer or agency should be communicative and responsive.
Show Links * Wix
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Nevin Lyne and Sean discuss the ins and outs of webhosting, including shared hosting, vps hosting, dedicated hosting, and recommendations of offsite backups.
Nevin has been running Arcus Tech for 17 years, which makes it one of the longest running web hosting companies ever.
We talk about the various types of hosting including: shared hosting, VPS hosting, and Dedicated hosting and when to choose which option for your site.
Additionally we briefly go into website aging as it relates to hosting security. and then follow up about backing up your site using Cpanel or Plesk backups as well as other options for offsite backups.
Show Links * Arcustech * Media Temple * Go Daddy * Name Cheap * Blue Host * Host Gator * Digital Ocean * Shark Tank * Cpanel * Plesk * Drop My Site * Google Drive * Code Guard * Back Blaze * nystudio 107
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An introduction to the topics in Season 2 and a new co-host starting in episode 4.
In this espisode Sean introduces Mike Mella our new co-host for season two. We also give a brief summary of the episodes for each episode.
Finally we discuss a fun and exciting episode we have planned on the road.
Looking forward to season 2.
Show Links * Craft CMS * Dot All Conference
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In this episode I give a brief wrap up of season 1 and a teaser of what's coming in Season 2.
A summary of season 1 and a hint of what's coming up for season 2 including a release date of late June or early July.
Thank you for listening.
Show Links * Caffeine Creations
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In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of do it yourself (DIY) vs a custom bespoke design. We also talk about when DIY is the correct approach and when it may be time to switch from DIY to a bespoke website.
DIY may be unpolished and unprofessional. With an established business that doesn't already have a website, DIY is probably the wrong choice as the wrong decisions could negatively impact your business. On the other hand a newly established business with untested premises and a limited budget DIY is probably the correct choice.
Choosing the correct DIY platform: Website builder or Wordpress
What is the best ROI on your time? Is it in DIY your website or is it spent serving your clients and building yoru business. There's a lot that the DIY person may not be aware of that goes on behind the scenes including UX, SEO and technical issues that are easily misunderstood or skipped entirely. As a website novice the DIYer doesn't know what they don't know.
Hosted platforms such as Wix or Squarespace will take care of security. Self hosted such as wordpress you are responsible for security update.
Show Links * Shopify * Magento * Open Cart * Snipcart * Foxy (Previously Foxy Cart) * Wix * Squarespace * Weebly * Wordpress (Hosted) * Wordpress (Self Hosted) * A Website is Like Owning a Car * My Space (Yes really it's still around) * Who Should Use a Website Builder? * Struggle Free Podcast (no link yet)
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In this episode I talk with Emily Lewis and Lea Alcantara about website accessibility. What it is, why it's important, and how it is more than just websites for blind people.
Emily and Lea start off by providing a definition and example of what accessibility is related to websites. Accessibility is more than making websites accessibility and they also address isssues of why it's a good business case to ensure your website is accessible.
Some businesses are federally mandated to meet specific standards of accessibility. This will vary by country but Canada and the United States both require it in certain industries. Emily and Lea discuss the business case for accessibility - and it's a very compelling reason: Better SEO and increased customer base.
We also discuss remediation which is essentially retro-fitting a website to be accessible. This is not an easy process and there is no silver bullet that will make your website accessible at the push of a button.
Show Links * What is Section 508? * An Overview of Canada's Accessibility Laws * Ontario Government: How to make websites accessible * WCAG - Overview and Guidelines (international standard) * Accessibility according to actual people with disabilities * The Business Case for Accessibility * Master Chef * Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) * Defendants Fighting Website Accessibility Cases Face An Uphill Battle * Walmart Is Sued by Blind Customers Over Its Self-Service Accessibility
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In this episode I talk with Isaac Rudansky about what a landing page is and how to get the most out of landing pages for your business.
Isaac defines what a landing page is and when you would create a landing page for a specific campaign or market. We also talk about what makes a successful landing page, successful.
- What is a conversion and the different typs of conversions that you may want to track.
- A/B testing
- Landing pages are best built in a landing page builder optimizer, not your website CMS
- Call to action, goal of the page
Show Links * Landing Page Design (Udemy Course) * Google Optimize * Optimizely * Visual Website Optimizer * Unbounce * Lead Pages * Webflow * Conversion XL * Nielson Norman Group
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What is PR and Marketing - a look at the traditional approach and then a discussion of how Lyndon is turning that approach upside down.
There were a couple of technical issues from 30:00 to 31:50 resulting in some overlapping voices. Once past this section everything is back to normal.
- Public relations is the process of building strong mutually beneficial relationships between a stakeholder and an organization.
- Marketing is getting people to do things that have a commercial value.
- We talk about how a small business can get PR and Marketing without the deep pockets of a large conglomerate. And how your company website can be utilized in this area.
- Relationship strength and mode of communication is very important.
Show Links * Startup PR, Marketing & Publicity – The Future is Lean * The Lean Communications Framework * Maserati’s SuperBowl “Strike” Was Public Relations NOT Advertising
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I talk with Dan wood on pay per click advertising and google adwords. It's much more fascinating than it sounds.
Dan starts by explaining what PPC is and how it helps generate traffic including the difference between organic and paid traffic.
Search intent is very important. Google wants to show results to what the user is searching for. Relevance is more important than paying to get to the top of the results.
You have the ability to fine tune the target of where ads show including location and a radius around a pin on a map. It's also possible to exclude variables from results to more accurately target your ads.
Ads are checked by humans, no adult products or ads for products that alter the mind or body: pharmaceuticals, cannabis, alcohol, tobacco. Basically the Disney of advertising.
- YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.
- Remarketing
- Bidding on the phrases that your target market uses to solve their problems (Speak the language your customer speaks)
- Customer lifetime value
- Speak the language your customer speaks
- How to choose someone to run your ads for you.
Show Links * How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did * Google Academy * Udemy * Adwords Express * Google My Business
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A discussion with Luke Stevens talking about the basics of SEO including advice on how to improve your SEO as well as what to avoid and how to choose an SEO specialist.
In this interview with Luke Stevens we discussed SEO. We began with a definition of what SEO is and then some general ideas on building your content and expertise to improve your results.
We also talked about E.A.T which is Expertise, Authority, and Trust.. Luke also talked about technical SEO, how to improve your search results appearance with more details and appropriate meta data.
Other talking points include:
- Improving CTR (Click Through Rate) is easier than improving your ranking.
- Structured Data
- A/B Testing
- SEO Myths
- Content Marketing
- How to choose a good SEO Agency
Show Links * Toku (Luke Stevens) * Google Search Quality Guidelines for SEO * Dominic Woodman Slide Deck * Moz * Google Search Console * Google SEO 101 Guidelines
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In this episode Andrew and I talk about why websites need to be continually developed and maintained contrary to expectations of one and done.
A lot of businesses tend to ignore the maintenance on their website and look at it like it's a one and done project. The expectation that a website will work without maintenance is unrealistic. Maintenance doesn't always have a tangible benefit that you can see. The benefits however include not dealing with downtime, bugs, or the site not working like it did when it first launched.
Technology doesn't last forever, this is common in all industries. Support for older operating systems on computers or phones is no longer available. CMSs also get retired, for Example ExpressionEngine 3 retired in December 2018 and Craft CMS 2 will retire in March 31 2019.
Older un-maintained sites may reach a point where it's not possible to upgrade. The only options are to rebuild completely or do band-aid fixes to keep the site limping along temporarily. By being proactive and maintaining a site regularly these sorts of things should not happen.
Continual development is adding in new features or options that were not available at the time the site launched.
Show Links * The Dangers of Over Reliance on Plugins in Website Builds * A Website is Like Owning a Car * Hotjar * Full Story
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In this episode myself and Mike Mella discuss several webdesign shortcuts you should never take and the reasons why many businesses continue to make these mistakes.
We talk about some things that businesses often do to save money by cutting various parts of their websites. Avoid shortcuts if you can, but sometimes its unavoidable.
Usability testing should be conducted to help you make your website the best it can be. It's not as expensive as you think it might be. Testing should be done with people in your target audience but not from your organization. They should be unfamiliar with your website to get the best results.
Do not use a predefined theme for WP or a website builder if possible. You content should determine the design not the design determine the content. When using a theme, the design shapes the content and copy which results in sub par messaging and a website that is not memorable or unique.
Common issues include avoiding pop-ups, don't use the phrase click here, and pdfs. There is no fold. Don't worry about above the fold.
Show Links * Should I Use a Carousel * Steve Krug (usability expert) * CRA * Presto Card * Eight common user experience problems (and solutions) for nonprofit websites: Part one * Eight common user experience problems (and solutions) for nonprofit websites: Part two * Why you shouldn't say "Click Here" * Content Carousels/Sliders on the Homepage * I am the Fold
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In this episode we discuss project management and the various strategies and tools that will help you to with building a successful website.
The website is for the client not for you. It should be addressing what your potential clients are looking for. Take some time to plan your website and online presence before starting.
Your customers are not everyone who breathes. It's important to choose a niche and narrow down your target before building your website and writing copy.
Themes are one size fit all. You can use a website builder and it will get you online quickly but it won't be as effective as a design that is custom to your clients and needs. Themes look like every other site, but a custom site is unique and driven by your content.
Don't get caught up in the tools, use what works for you. Try a couple of different tools until you find one that fits. It's not necessary to use what other people use.
Plan before you build. You won't have to start over and will not regret the extra focus it provides. This is really important to do when you are doing it alone. When working with a professional this is often called discovery.
Show Links * Slick Plan * Google Drawing * Google Slides * FreeMind * Mind Meister * Trello * Basecamp * Team Work
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In this episode I talk about the guests, topics and format of the show.
An introduction to the podcast, the goal of the podcast, the format and the target audience. A brief introduction to Sean, the host of Website 101 Podcast.
Advice for both DIY website owners and for those working with a web professional. I hope you enjoy the show and continue to listen. If you have any questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you; send me an email.
Show Links * Caffeine Creations
More Website 101 Podcast * Email the Podcast! * Twitter * Sean on LinkedIn