Category: F.A.Q.

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Do you do SEO?

SEO is one of the buzz words that business owners know and have heard can bring them business.

Yes, on some level what I do is search engine optimized. But SEO is affected by what you put into it. Not just money-wise but with things like content creation or regular site updates.

SEO can also go very depth with a/b testing and monitoring and analysis.

Content first:

Particularly with the smaller clients we tend to focus first on getting our client websites organized and prepped for easy content creation. Whether it’s an FAQ section, blogging about industry knowledge, or event summaries, there’s usually something that each business owner can confidently write about.

Basics built into the site development process:

Some of the basics built into our site development process include proper xml sitemaps, setting up proper schema.org microdata for things like addresses and events, and meta info for key pages.

These are just things we DO without even thinking about it anymore really. There may be even more that I’m not thinking of currently actually.

Beyond:

Beyond that an SEO plan is required tailored to the individual business goals.

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Where can I find supplemental video tutorials for WordPress

Custom site tutorials:

If you are a FascinationDesign.com client, you likely also received some custom video tutorials specific to your website setup and / or as a quick-start guide to posting and editing on your specific site.

Supplemental video tutorials:  

Lynda.com can describe these basics WAY better than I can.
  1. Advanced text formatting [9m32s]:
    http://www.lynda.com/WordPress-tutorials/Advanced-text-formatting/154417/160998-4.html
  2. Adding website Links [7m7s]:
    http://www.lynda.com/WordPress-tutorials/Creating-managing-links/154417/160999-4.html
  3. Adding images [9m36s]:
    http://www.lynda.com/WordPress-tutorials/Adding-images/154417/161000-4.html
  4. Image gallery – you will get a few additional styles such as mosaic tile with the plugins I typically add to WP sites. Be sure to use the style already being used on your site for consistency [9m59s]:
    http://www.lynda.com/WordPress-tutorials/Adding-image-gallery/154417/161001-4.html
  5. Comparing and restoring an older version of a post (or page.) [4m47s]
    http://www.lynda.com/WordPress-tutorials/Comparing-restoring-old-versions-Revisions/154417/161005-4.html
There are other WordPress video tutorials with Lynda.com that you may choose to explore but many regard setup or things that may not be applicable based on how I set up sites.
How to subscribe to Lynda.com:
If you live in Lexington KY, there is a free subscription option through the Lexington Public library using your library card and pin. The instructions page from the Lexington Public Library website has been removed but they offer classes if you need help.
Other libraries throughout the country also have subscription access so check with your local library.
OR if your library does not have a free subscription option (or if you want to use the Lynda.com apps on iphone or ipad)  the basic subscription is currently $24.99/month and you can easily cancel after learning what you want to learn. You do not need project files from Lynda.com for the tutorials I have selected so you do not need the higher priced subscriptions unless you want to learn other things too.
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Why wordpress? Why not squarespace or wix?

WordPress is extensible. What does that really mean? WordPress can grow well with a growing company and is a good base for that. There are a lot of plugins available for wordpress that add capabilities with nuances that go beyond that make it more customizable than Squarespace or Wix or Weebly or Websitebuilder.com.

These are also each hosted solutions so it can’t be used with the hosting through Fascination Design.

Also if you hire someone who solely works with Squarespace or Wix they may not know how to code and have a world view more limited to those platforms. I’m not a fan of Wix but Squarespace isn’t bad. If you want to DIY because you have more time than money then it would be a good choice.

Fascination Design does not build sites using squarespace etc. because it doesn’t give us the level of control and customization capabilities that we’re used to. I also do NOT offer support for the site options mentioned above so if you get started there and run into a problem, you must work with their customer support.

So it’s your choice, long term scalability or DIY.

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Why do you ask for a single point person on a project?

Because the buck has to stop somewhere.

This doesn’t mean that one person has to be the point person on every project for a single company. For example: one person can be the point person for social media related projects and have a set budget for that. Another can be the point person for the website and have a set budget for that. AND discussions and meetings for each project can occur with more than one person.  BUT one person has to sign off on anything major so that the one person who has taken responsibility and ownership for the project on the client end and is fully aware of how things are progressing.

Tale of two owners & two point people: each owner wanted to be a point person and split the responsibilities on a single project. Each approved different parts of the project AND increases in budget. They never really looked at the whole picture or even realized how much each of them was spending. Each assumed the other was keeping track of everything. They were happy with the results but then they got the bill and had a cow. EVERYTHING had been approved but they claimed they had been overcharged until we sat down with the paperwork and they begrudgingly accepted that they had each approved things the other wasn’t aware of and thus spent more than they had meant to.

Moral of the story: Some businesses are better at internal communications than others. Also some people are bad at considering accounting and costs when starting their business ventures. AND it’s good to have one person taking full ownership of a project so that they are paying attention to the big picture.

Why does the project point person have to be someone who has sign-off capabilities? Reality is that whoever has sign off power is the real point person. If that person can’t find time for a few meetings then they shouldn’t be the point person and someone else should be given the authority to sign off on the project. They don’t have to be able to sign checks but they have to have the authority to approve expenses on your behalf if you are the business owner or manager and are making someone else the point person.

If you are a business owner or manager in charge of a project but you don’t want to be the point person: pick someone who is a responsible individual capable of making decisions on your behalf.  This is not the kind of thing you delegate to the summer intern that just started last week! 🙂

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Are there any key indicators that we are not a good fit for each other?

I have had a few clients who I have had to let go because they were consistently negative in all of their correspondence. It’s one thing to have a bad day but it’s too much of a drain on energy and focus when every incoming email is soul sucking whether something was done right or wrong.

Communication, collaboration  and working well together is key to what we do.

If you just want to assign blame then we are clearly not working together to achieve the goals laid out at the beginning of the project. If I have done something wrong I will try and rectify it but I will not tolerate being used as a scapegoat as it indicates a complete lack of trust and respect.

Example of a negative response:

“This video tutorial is useless crap, there’s no sound so I can’t figure out what’s going on” and 5 days later after trying to help them troubleshoot it I get an email “I found the speakers in the closet, I plugged them in and can hear the video tutorial now.” Not even an apology.

Example of a positive way to respond:

“Are you sure this video tutorial has sound? Can you check on this?”

 

 

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Do you take rush projects?

Rush projects are taken on on a case by case basis based on project workload and number of recent rushed projects. 

Living in a constant state of rushed panic is not healthy or sustainable!

For clients who on a regular contract such as a social media consulting and assistance contracts, if over 50% of correspondence is rushed /panicked we may not be a good fit and will review your account to determine if we need to ask you to find a firm with more staff to accommodate your needs.

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Why does the color on my screen not look like what was printed?

http://www.paperspecs.com/why-print-colors-hard-to-get-right/

The link above is the long explanation on why I double check by the numbers, not just by sight, any colors or corrections made to photos for print designs. We try and come as close as possible to the color you are working for when it comes to full color printing.

No matter how much you calibrate your monitor to match, ink is still different from the colors produced on a screen. The numbers don’t lie AND your monitor also can’t take into consideration the paper you are printing on.

If you are using a pantone spot color, of course your color will be exact as spot colors are matched exactly to pantone specifications.

A Pantone swatchbook is also a useful tool for reference even on full color projects. So are color match proofs. If you are picky about your colors, a color proof should be done prior to printing for a full color project. Often created by a sublimation printer or inkjet printer, these color proofs are used to make any final adjustments or calibration to the press before doing the full rung.

Color proofs are sometimes not an option with cheaper print runs. Some bulk printers won’t do them because they create a project delay while being approved and create an extra step in the printing process itself.

It doesn’t hurt to work with someone who is familiar with the process and the various factors that affect the colors of a printed piece to help you achieve the look you are going for either. 😉

More info on color proofs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepress_proofing


#colorcorrection #pantone #printdesign

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Why do you ask me to bring samples of other people’s logos or designs that I like?

Samples of designs and logos you currently like (and dislike) are part of my workflow since my work is commercial and not based on my own personal preferences. I do NOT copy design examples but what they do is they assist people in communicating their aesthetic desires to me.

If you have been in business awhile, I will also ask you to bring/send copies of any existing marketing materials so we can also review what you like or dislike about those AND to determine how much we plan on changing or keeping with an existing brand look and feel.

If you do not currently have any examples of designs you like (or dislike), I would recommend looking for some prior to our initial meeting. If you need a good place to start that process, I do collect design ideas from other people on pinterest and you could start there:

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Why do you use Paypal & Square?

Since I don’t have a walk-in store, and a majority of my clients are still paying by check, adding a traditional brick and mortar merchants services account would simply add to my overhead.

Yes, there is a higher percent and per transaction rate with Paypal and Square but there are no monthly fees. Additionally, with all of the little features that I currently use with PayPal both online and off would cost far more per month. Some of the features available automatically with Paypal I only use once in a blue moon (but I do use them.)

I do review and run the numbers on this regularly (at a minimum annually and sometimes mid-year) but so far it’s still been an overall savings even with the higher percent per transaction to just stick with Paypal and the Square reader over the guaranteed monthly charges I would be paying for merchant services, a gateway and some other add-ons.

As I said, a majority of MY clients are still paying by check and until that changes, the amount run as a credit card just doesn’t warrant more than Paypal and Square for my business at this time. If you are personally uncomfortable with one system or another, please let me know and as always, you can still pay by check.

I like to keep the business overhead low without causing any inconveniences for my clients!