Organized Assistant » WordPress

Three Types of WordPress Websites

Janet — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:16:22 +0000

It’s been quite a while since I blogged about any client projects, but that’s not to say we haven’t been busy here at Organized Assistant®! We’ve actually had a lot of different things on the go, and I can’t wait any longer to tell you about some of them. Above is a screenshot of a website we recently created for Neaten Up With Nancy. As a new organizer, Nancy opted for our Basic WordPress Package, choosing the Yukon Theme by iThemes for her design. WordPress is ideal for starter websites, because it’s easy for most people to add new content as needed, and we can easily give it a new design later on without rebuilding the entire site. We’re especially proud to have been selected by some seasoned organizers to redo their older HTML website in WordPress, including Pat McArthur of Home Definition. Pat’s original website looked like this: After implementing a new design created by Snapdragon Design, her site now looks like this: I’m excited about learning to develop mobile versions of WordPress sites as well, and had fun creating this one for Smart Space Organizing: I can’t wait to mobilize my own sites when I get a break in my schedule! I guess it’s a case of shoemaker’s children syndrome… But don’t let me scare you off if you’ve been thinking about contacting us about a new website or other project! I have some great people working with me, and we’re committed to helping you enhance your online presence in any way we can.

We’ve Got a Fresh New Look!

Janet — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:14:18 +0000

One of the great things about being a web designer is the ongoing opportunity to learn about new trends, tools and features as I work on various client projects. The downside of this is that I frequently become disenchanted with my own site and find it challenging to make the time to do anything about it. After squeezing in time to develop a new design for the Organized Assistant website and Your Organizing Business blog over the last few months, I'm finally ready to share it with you. What do you think? I've also added a new feature that I think you'll enjoy. Every month I'll be posting a new poll on the home page and you're invited to participate. All polls will be archived on the site so you can refer to them at any time. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve, but you'll just have to wait for them! In the meantime, I am here to serve you, so please don't hesitate to let me know if there's a poll question you'd like me to ask, a topic I should cover in the blog, or a particular feature you'd like to see on the site.

Another Professional Organizer Joins the Blogosphere

Janet — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:00:29 +0000

If you were to ask me what I like best about my work, it would be a toss-up between developing new WordPress sites and providing blog support to professional organizers, so naturally, I was thrilled when Clare Kumar contacted me about setting up a blog for her.

Clare and I had spoken briefly in the past, but had a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another when we sat together on the train to Montreal for the POC Conference in November 2010, and I was really impressed with her enthusiasm, her professional manner, and her outgoing personality. She already had an up-to-date website which represented her brand quite effectively, and after considering several different options, she decided upon a blog that not only had the same look and feel as her website, but that would integrate with it seamlessly. She also had several unique features in mind which I had not seen before, and as a result I'm pleased to have several new items in my toolkit that I'll be able to apply to future projects – and maybe even my own blog! I had a wonderful time working with Clare and her graphic designer to create her new WordPress blog, and I'm sure you will enjoy reading her posts.

Get Your Website Up and Running in No Time!

Janet — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:51:15 +0000

There's nothing like a custom designed website or blog to give your organizing business a professional online image, but it's good to know there are other options if you don't currently have the budget or the need for a custom site. When I discovered premium WordPress themes, it opened up a whole new world for me – and it can do the same for you and your business. There are literally thousands of themes available on the Free WordPress Themes directory and elsewhere on the Internet, and I used to spend hours looking for just the right one for a client's site or one of my own. Sometimes, when I finally found one that was just right, I'd find it didn't work properly or wasn't up-to-date to handle all the current features of WordPress. Last year one of my clients introduced me to iThemes and I haven't looked back. Their themes are gorgeous right "out of the box" but someone with knowledge of HTML and CSS can easily customize them to more closely match your business branding or your personal vision. Because they're so easy to use, Scott and I were able to create new websites for three clients in one month without working overtime or falling behind on our commitments to other clients. The two screenshots above represent our Basic WordPress Package, with little to no theme customization. Fresh Appeal Staging is based on the Edmond theme, and Amazing Space on the Yukon Theme. The third site, 3 Step Solution by lk, is based on the Flexx Theme. This site required our Enhanced WordPress Package in order to customize the colors to match our client's logo. The Flexx theme is really quite amazing, because it allows to you customize your layout without any technical expertise. This is the same theme I used for the Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group and W.P. Consulting & Associates websites. You have to look pretty closely to tell, don't you? If you're ready to try building your own premium WordPress site, here's how you can get started:

Purchase your domain name from your preferred domain registrar (I recommend MyDomain).
Purchase a hosting account from Hostgator (affiliate link) or another service that allows one-click installation of WordPress.
Purchase the theme you like best from the iThemes Theme Store.
Install WordPress, upload your theme, and your site is now ready for your finishing touches!

If it sounds like this will take more time or technical skill than you have, contact me for a free consultation. I’d love to help you make your ideas come to life.

A “Smart” New Website

Janet — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:58:44 +0000

Perhaps you created a website when you launched your organizing business. Over time, you may have added or discontinued some services or decided to specialize in a certain area, and it's important that your website reflect these changes. It's equally important to update the design of your site to effectively represent you as an established professional in the organizing industry.

Heather Burke has been working in the field of organization for over 10 years, and in residential and commercial interior design for over 15 years, and she had a very basic website to market her business. Due to her current studies through the NSGCD Certification Program and her active involvement with the Kingston/Frontenac Region Hoarding Coalition, Heather wanted a website that would effectively promote her expertise in hoarding and chronic disorganization. Rather than simply updating the information on her existing site, she decided to start a whole new website dedicated to the organizing side of her business. She worked with a graphic designer to develop a logo, and asked me to create a WordPress website around it. I am now very proud to show it off:

We were able to import the posts from her existing blogs on Blogger in order to take advantage of the full power of WordPress. Heather now has her website and her blog all in one spot, which is great for branding, as she no longer has separate sites that don't look and feel the same way. Furthermore, every time she publishes a new blog post, it will generate traffic to her website, which is great for search engine optimization. Another benefit of using WordPress is that it's not a major task to add new content to the site, even when that involves making changes to the navigation menu. If you've ever tried to change the menu on a regular website, or asked your webmaster to change it for you, you know that it can sometimes be a big job! And you can be sure that Heather has some amazing plans for her site, which is going to continue growing over the next while. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Heather to bring her new website to life, and I'd love to do the same for you! If your website doesn't reflect your professional image as well as you'd like, please feel free to contact me for a free 30 minute consultation.

Recent WordPress Projects

Janet — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:57:10 +0000

I love anything and everything to do with blogging, I love working with professional organizers, and I love customizing WordPress themes, so when an opportunity comes along that lets me do all three at once, you can be sure that I am in geek heaven! Today I'm excited to share with you my most recent project:

I first met Tina Blazer of Spot On Organizing back in my organizing days, when she drove all the way in from Toronto to help me de-clutter a client's home, in preparation for putting it on the market. We've stayed in touch since then, and I was really pleased when she asked me to create a blog to match her newly redesigned website. Although for the most part I work directly with my clients, it was great collaborating with Tina, her webmaster, and her graphic designer to bring her new blog to life. Scott and I look forward to supporting Tina with her blogging activities and other projects over the coming months. Earlier this year, we created a new WordPress site for another client, using the Red Essence theme from iThemes, which is one of the 100+ premium themes in our collection. We've got several other WordPress projects on the go for professional organizers and other small business clients, and I just can't wait to show them off! If you're thinking about starting a blog, giving your existing blog a facelift, converting your website to WordPress, or launching your first website, please let me know. I'd love to provide you with the perfect theme, whether it's one from our theme library or a custom design just for your organizing business.

Developing a Plan for Your Website

Janet — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:50:44 +0000

So, you're thinking about a new website for your organizing business – how exciting! No matter if it's your very first site or you've been online for a while and are ready for a change, whether you're a do-it-yourself-er or are working with a web professional, you can make the project go more smoothly and increase the ROI of your new site by drawing upon your strong organizing skills.

Although you may be anxious to get your site up and running, over the years I have learned that taking the time to make a few decisions right from the beginning can save much aggravation later on, and increase the likelihood that your website will help you achieve your business goals. Whether you use a whiteboard, a notebook, a Word document, a spreadsheet, or some other system, the answers to following questions should be planned in writing before the web development process even begins. Do you already have a domain name? Choosing a domain name which corresponds to your business name will make it easy for people who already know about your business to locate your website. If your ideal domain name is not available, think hard about what else might be effective. Using hyphens to separate words is one option, but keep in mind that you'll have to mention those hyphens each and every time you tell someone your website address. Using your full business name might work, but not only is it a mouthful to say, "my website is thebestprofessionalorganizingserviceintheworld.com," but just try and fit that on your business card! Do you already have a logo and/or colors to represent your business? For maximum impact, you will want the design of your website to complement your logo. Even if you don't have a logo, you should use the same colors on all of your marketing materials to strengthen your brand. What is the purpose of your website? Do you simply need a basic brochure-type site you can direct people to when they ask if you have a website they can look at, or are you relying on your website to bring you new business via search engine traffic? Do you plan to sell any products (either your own, or through affiliate programs)? Who is your target market? Do you prefer to work with young families? Seniors? Home-based businesses? Non-profit organizations? Corporations? You will need to tailor both the look of your site and your content to appeal to the people you are trying to reach. Who will write your website content? You may choose to hire a professional copywriter who will ensure that you have a compelling marketing message that is also search-engine friendly. If you're comfortable preparing your own copy and your writing skills are good, then go for it! If someone else is creating your website, be sure to ask if they will proofread and edit your work, as many designers do not provide this service. Another option is to choose a web designer with experience in the organizing industry, such as Organized Assistant, who will work with you to make sure that your website represents you and your business effectively. What type of design appeals to you? Would you prefer a menu across the top, on the left, or on the right side of the screen? Do you like dropdown menus? Do you want to include a photo of yourself? Before and after pictures? What about clipart or photos to enhance your text? Where will you get them? Take some time to study websites that you like, and make note of what it is about them that appeals to you – is it the layout, the colors, the overall feel, or something else? Of course, you don't want to copy someone else's site, but being aware of what you like and don't like will help you (or your web designer) to create the right look for you. How do you plan to keep your site up-to-date? If you want to be able to make your own changes in the future, make sure that your web designer is aware of this fact so that he or she uses WordPress or another user-friendly technology. You don't want to find out after the fact that you'll need to invest in and learn to use a specific software program if you want to add a new page to your site! Adding new content on a regular basis will do wonders for your search engine positioning. That's one of the reasons that blogs are so popular! Even if blogging is not in your immediate plans, WordPress is an excellent Content Management System that will easily allow for the addition of a blog at a later date. How much can you afford to invest? Notice I said "invest" and not "spend?" Your website is an investment in your business, and a professional design should not be considered a luxury. That being said, a quality website doesn't need to cost a fortune. Our WordPress Packages start at $325.00 and include your first six months of web hosting at no additional charge. The above considerations are even more important if you're replacing an existing site. If your current website isn't working well for you, you need to identify how it may be lacking and make sure that your new site addresses those issues. If a new website is in your future, let's talk! I'd love to help you make your ideas come to life.

Website Owner’s Guide for Non-Techies

Janet — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:28:23 +0000

Many of my clients come to me for help because they lack either the technical skills or the time required to create or maintain a website or a blog. Whether you handle these tasks yourself, or you choose to outsource them, there are a few basic terms and facts you should be familiar with.

Blog: A blog is a specific type of Website, where new content is continually added to previous content, rather than replacing it. Most blogs allow for communication between the author and his or her readers, in the form of comments. Browser (or Web Browser): A software program used to display Web Pages. Internet Explorer has traditionally been the most widely used, as it comes pre-installed on Windows-based computers, but Firefox is starting to overtake it in number of users. Other popular browsers include Chrome, Safari, and Opera. It's important to realize that Web Pages may display differently in different browsers. Domain Name: The name that identifies a Website, e.g. organizedassistant.com. A domain name is purchased from a domain registrar such as MyDomain and must be renewed annually, usually at a cost of around $10.00 per year. Your domain name needs to point to your Web Hosting in order to function. Downloading: The act of transferring files from the Internet to a local computer. FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A method for Uploading and Downloading files over the Internet, usually using software such as Filezilla. Hosting (or Web Hosting): Just as files are stored on your personal computer, every website must be stored on a computer on the Internet. You need to purchase this service from a hosting company such as HostGator (affiliate link) – think of it as renting a home for your website. Fees for hosting vary widely, depending on the features and amount of storage you require. You can sometimes find free web hosting, but keep in mind that free services are usually funded by advertising which will appear on your website. Metatag: Coding on a web page that is used to give Search Engines information about that page. The most important are the Title tag (which appears at the top of your Browser window while viewing the page), the Description tag (which may appear in the search results), and the Keywords tag (which provides keywords for the Search Engines to associate with your page). Permalink: A URL that points to a specific Blog post, as opposed to the main page of the Website. The permalink appears in the address bar at the top of the Browser window. You can see that the permalink for this post is http://organizedassistant.com/2010/03/05/website-owners-guide-for-non-techies. Search Engine: A computer program used to search and index the millions of pages of available information on the web. Although Google is the most widely used, there are many others, including Yahoo and Bing. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): A technique used to increase the likelihood of your Website coming up high in search results by making it more visible to Search Engines. Uploading: The act of transferring files to the Internet from a local computer. Some websites have uploading features built in, but others require that you have FTP access. URL: This is the web address you give people so they can go to your website, e.g. http://www.organizedassistant.com or http://organizedassistant.com/services/wordpress-website-and-blog-design/. Please note how this differs from the Domain Name. Web Page: A single document displayed on the Internet. Website: A collection of related Web Pages belonging to an individual, a company, or an organization. WordPress: Free software used for creating both blogs and websites. When installed on your Web Hosting account, it can be completely customized in terms of both design and function. You can use WordPress at WordPress.com without purchasing web hosting or a domain name, but it is much more limited, unless you upgrade to a premium account. If there's terminology that puzzles you which I have not included here, you may be able to find a definition on one W3Schools.com or Build Web Site For You, which I found helpful while creating this post. For further clarification, feel free to ask me a question.

New Year, New Decade, New Website!

Janet — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:46:10 +0000

I am super excited to be kicking off this new decade with a new logo and a major overhaul of my website. Although it's come a long way since its initial launch in 2003 (see below – not my first website, but the first one for Organized Assistant), the business has gone through so many changes over the past year that it no longer really reflected what we're all about.

This new site is a combination of the business website and my blog, Your Organizing Business, and I think I've done a pretty good job of capturing the essence of both sites, using WordPress (of course!) and the Headway theme. I chose Headway because it lets you customize your design as much as you like, and even have different sidebars throughout your site if you want. It's very different than other themes I've worked with, because you don't need to know HTML or CSS to make changes to your design. I ran into a few bumps along the way, but managed to get it done, thanks to the excellent tech support they provide, and I'm looking forward to using the theme on clients' sites. I purchased the developers package, so if you'd like me to create a new site for you, the cost of the theme is included in your Custom WordPress Package. The site isn't 100% complete yet, but I overcame my perfectionist tendencies and decided it was ready to launch, since I can make changes and additions at any time. If you should happen to notice any typos, broken links, or other issues, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd bring them to my attention. I'm looking forward to another successful year, and hope you are as well.

Making Time for Twitter

Janet — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:18:09 +0000

You've finally got your website updated and started blogging, and now everyone's saying you need to be on Twitter! Monitoring your new followers, looking for people to follow, reading and responding to their tweets, and posting your own could easily take several hours per week! How on earth are you supposed to fit that into your already busy schedule?

Twitter is great for building relationships that lead to business opportunities, but because it can be quite addictive, it's easy to get sidetracked and lose track of time. Here are a few strategies to help you use your time effectively. 1. Take advantage of time-saving technology Working within the Twitter website can be overwhelming, especially if you’re following a large number of people. I like to use TweetDeck because it lets me display tweets from key people in separate columns so they won’t get overlooked. I can also see quickly and easily when someone starts following me, sends me a Direct Message, or mentions me in a tweet. One function I especially like that I haven't seen in other Twitter tools is the ability to mark tweets as read and clear them off your screen, making it easier to keep track of those you still want to read. In addition, you can reply to a tweet or retweet it simply by clicking a button, and it has a built-in URL-shortener which makes it easier to stay within the 140-character limit. New features are being added all the time, so if you've tried TweetDeck before but didn't like it, it may be worth checking it out again. Many professionals who are away from their computers during prime business hours like to take advantage of HootSuite or SocialOomph, which allow you to preschedule your tweets and have them go out at set times during the day. As a virtual assistant who is at my computer most of the time, I haven't tried either of these services, but they both come highly recommended. There are several WordPress plug-ins, including WP to Twitter, that will automatically send out a tweet each time that you update your blog. If you're thinking that it only takes a few seconds to tweet your blog post, consider the fact that this will allow you to post to Twitter without actually logging into your account, so you won't risk getting distracted by what others are saying at that time. This can be quite valuable if you pre-schedule your blog posts, as you don't have to remember to tweet them when they are published, and especially if you're not at your computer when your posts go live. 2. Connect with people who can help you grow your business It's great to network with your colleagues in the organizing industry – you can probably learn a lot from each other – but this should probably not be your main focus. If your goal is to find new clients, you need to connect directly with people in your target market, or with people who can introduce you to potential clients. Since I started actively using Twitter, I’ve been offered speaking engagements, books to review, link exchanges, answers to technical problems, and so much more. It is also an excellent way to network with businesses offering products or services which complement your own. Whether it's a local shredding or junk removal service or an organizing product with an affiliate program, the possibilities are endless. 3. Don't feel you have to follow everyone who follows you I know that not everyone will agree with this advice. Many believe that if someone follows you, it's rude not to follow them back. In my experience, there are too many users using a shotgun approach to networking. They'll follow anyone and everyone, hoping that even a fraction of those people will click through to their website and buy something. They're not interested in building relationships; to them, it's all about the numbers. If you don't understand why someone has chosen to follow you but you're afraid of closing the door on a potentially valuable relationship, by all means, follow them back. It's easy enough to "unfollow" them later if it turns out that you are not interested in their tweets. 4. Create a schedule and stick to it One of the best things about Twitter is the fact that you can participate at any time of the day or night, unlike live networking events which may take place during your scheduled client hours. If you're going to be out of your office all day, plan to spend 5 to 15 minutes online before you leave, and again after you return. On office days, you will probably want to schedule longer and/or more frequent sessions. Set a timer if you need to, to ensure that you don’t spend more time on Twitter than you should. Keep in mind that many tweets include links to blog posts or other web pages, so you’ll need time to read some of those, but knowing that you have limited time should help you focus on your most important activities. 5. Hire a virtual assistant to help you stay on top of things Although you can't really outsource relationship building, there are many ways a VA can reduce the time you spend on Twitter, including:

customizing your profile
locating people for you to follow
providing information and guidance around the use of Twitter and various Twitter tools
extracting tips from your articles and/or blog posts and setting them up as tweets to be posted in the future, either manually or using one of the automation tools mentioned above.

If you'd like to explore this possibility, please contact me to schedule your free 30 minute consultation. For even more information about using Twitter to grow your business, you may wish to invest in my Basic Guide to Networking on Twitter or A Red Bench's Embrace Social Media telesummit recordings. If you've been avoiding Twitter because you think it will be too time-consuming, you may be missing out! When Twitter is used strategically and effectively, you just might be surprised to see what can happen.