Using SEO to Boost Your Website

SEO stands for search engine optimization. SEO is a way to prioritize your website in search engines such as google, by making small modifications. That way, whenever someone searches for your website, or something related to the content of your website, your website will be in the top results in a consumer’s google search.

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There are numerous ways to prioritize your website, but in this post I will focus on three: links, reputation, and titles. I will explain why these work as SEOs and how I will use them in my personal website. To better understand my examples, know that my website, chariticreative.com, is a website for my graphic design, photography, and videography website.

LINKS

Including links to your website, and people linking to your website increases traffic. This shows google that your website is increasing in popularity, and will likely boost your ranks in google searches. For my website, I will link to my creative instagram page, and on instagram, my website is linked. I will also link to my website on my blog, and people who use Chariti Creative for graphics or photography will be able to link to my website and instagram when posting on social media.

REPUTATION

Reputation of your website has two parts. First, the reputation, or rating, for your website (and services, if you provide them) is extremely important. Good reviews on google, yelp, trip advisor, or any other rating website will not only increase traffic to your website, but also increase your ranking on google. Secondly, a good website reputation means having fresh, new, and updated content on your website. For my website, I will be consistently adding new content. I will be adding new pictures, graphics, and videos after almost every shoot that I do. There is also a possibility I will add a creative blog to the site and post a new blog every week.

TITLES

Titles for the website pages are included in the HTML coding, and are often overlooked. However, unlike most new web designers, search engines pay attention to these titles. Check the coding for your website and make sure that your titles, or the name of your website, is relevant and accurate. In the coding for your website, the title will be in between the <title> and </title> brackets. I used squarespace to create my website, and it allows me to edit the link and title for every page of my website.

For more tips on SEO, check out this video from Search Engine Land.

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I Saw This Thing Twitter

I have to admit, I probably get on Twitter and Instagram a little too much. I can’t help but laugh at all the crazy videos and memes that somehow end up on my timeline. These posts have been made visible to me even though I do not follow their accounts, because they have gone viral. If you haven’t seen a viral video, you have probably been living under a rock. Just in case, here’s a recap of some of this year’s viral trends so far.

1. The Woah

2. I got the horses in the back

country music is evolving pic.twitter.com/BEZIw3TE8l

— nope (@LilNasX) December 3, 2018

3. My Dad, 65, pursing a modeling career …

Okay BUT REALLY … as a communication major, and manager of a church youth instagram page, I have to know the latest trends, memes, and what has recently gone viral, especially when trying to communicate with youth. It is extremely important know what is in, and what is old. This goes for all of communication professions. If your style seems dated and isn’t moving with the fast pace of the rest of the world, you are being left behind… meaning your clients are being left behind also.

Understanding virality can help tremendously in communication fields. If you can understand what makes something catchy, trendy, fun to watch, or memorable, you can have a very successful career in communication. Going viral is HUGE. But, if you can even just keep up with the trends, your work will grow and flourish.

To better understand what going viral is, and what makes a video go viral, check out this awesome TED Talk.

Hackers

Almost everyone who uses the internet either knows someone who has been the victim of hacking, or has been the victim themselves. Not only is being hacked annoying, it can be dangerous. Often times, we forget that the information we put on the internet, the cloud, or send in emails is not private. Anyone can access that information if they know how to hack. They can access personal information such as credit or debit card information, addresses, social security numbers … basically any information you have on your computer. When you really think about it, the thought of being hacked can be really, really scary.

Dun Dun DUNNNNNN!!

As a strategic communication major striving to be a communications director in the future, protecting sensitive, private information and projects is extremely important. However, any internet user should know how to protect themselves from hackers. However, protecting against hackers can actually be easier than most people think.

One of the simplest things you can do to is to change your passwords regularly, about every 3 months. Strong passwords are key. A strong password consists of both capital and lowercase letters, a special character such as an exclamation mark or dollar sign, contains more than 8 characters, and is something not easily guessed. A pet’s name or a birthday are easy for a hacker to guess, and do not make for good passwords.

I hope these few tips for passwords and protecting against hackers have helped! Check out this article from WIRED for more easy tips for protecting your personal information on the internet!

The Future of Education … ?

As a student at a middle-sized university, I have had the opportunity to take both traditional-style and online classes. Honestly, I don’t prefer one over the other. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

However, learning how to do something on my own time is a different story. I was excited to learn that there were so many different websites and resources I could utilize to develop a better website. I particularly liked the one titled “Don’t Fear the Internet”. I also enjoyed learning about CSS and HTML through W3Schools. Reading about web development had me like…

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BUT… I didn’t feel the same about MOOCs. While they seemed great at the first glance, after reading about them I discovered that they didn’t fit my learning style. While they are cheaper and more convenient than traditional classes, I don’t like that there is not much communication with the teacher, or classmates. I take advantage of talking to my teacher and my fellow classmates, and it definitely impacts how well I do in a class, as well as how much I enjoy the class.

I definitely prefer that CA 260 is a traditional style class. I think I would also enjoy the class if it were a more blended class. For example, the CSS lab and HTML bootcamp could be done efficiently online. However, I did like having an instructor present during those classes to lead the class through the process together and answer questions. Ultimately, I think I would get less out of the class if it were completely online.

CMS … A Starting Web Developer’s Best Friend

So what is CMS? And why is it helpful in creating a website? CMS stands for Content Management System. These systems can be used to develop a website off of an existing platform, and are widely used. Basically, CMSes are like baking cookies from a mix. The basics are already put together, but you get to choose your flavor (like a template), and add the finishing touches. The end product is something new, made from your own hard work.

Yummm

For anyone looking to develop a website I would suggest using the content management system Word Press. There are other CMS options such as Joomla! and Drupal, but Word Press by far takes the cake (hahaha get it?). Word Press is super easy to navigate and personalize. It has a wide variety of themes and templates to choose from, and is one of the most popular CMS available. Word Press has thousands of users, so if there were to ever be a problem, which there hasn’t been so far (to my knowledge), it would quickly be resolved. For more details about Word Space, check out their about page.

I personally use Word Press for this blog. So far, I have had nothing but good experiences. It is easy to customize and navigate while creating/personalizing. I have found that a lot of people assume you need to know html or CSS to develop your own website or blog but that is far from the truth! With Word Press, almost anyone can create a blog, a website for a business, or even a personal website! So if you’ve ever thought about creating a website, I would encourage you to try Word Press for free!

Managing and writing emails

In this day and age, everyone has everyone else’s email address. It seems like every store I go into asks for my email. If I ever order anything online, I have to give the site my email address to complete the order. This, in my case, has resulted in a messy, uncontrollable inbox. Looking at my inbox now, I have 2,668 unread emails. That is ridiculous. When important emails are sent out regarding school or work, I hardly bat an eye. It’s just another email.

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Running away from Responsibilities

I have tried going through and unsubscribing from all of these email pages, but there’s just too many of them. Two days ago, I found hope for my inbox. I found out you can put filters on emails from certain senders. After years of a … horrendous … inbox, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Setting filters for your inbox is quite simple. I set a filter so that all of my incoming emails from one of my classes, called CA260, would Be marked as important. In the search bar I typed “CA260”. Then, I selected the drop down menu at the end of the search bar. The drop down menu gives the user numerous options including sending emails to certain folders, marking them as read, and deleting the email as they are received.

It is also important to keep in mind the proper etiquette of writing an email, which I feel has been lost in my generation. According to article by David Masters on email etiquette, it is best to open an email with someone’s first name and to close with wishing someone well, followed by your name. Professional, polite language should be used throughout to show respect to the person receiving the email. Now let’s see these etiquette tips in action. Below is an email I would send to a professor if I ever had to miss class.

Dear Professor Smith,  

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will not be able to attend class tomorrow, February 22, 2019. I have already made arrangements to get the notes from class tomorrow from one of my classmates. Thank you for understanding.

Best wishes,

Sara Grace Little

With these tips, you can make almost any matter sound professional in an email! Happy writing!

Including Everyone in your Creativity

Nothing feels worse than feeling left out. Whether it be as lighthearted as a “you had to be there” inside joke, or just feeling like you don’t fit in – we’ve all been there. It puts a damper on your whole day.

Exactly how it feels…
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The same can be said for people with any type of disability trying to access your website. No matter who you are, it feels awful when you can’t have the same experience as someone else. That is why it is so crucial to always make sure your website is as assessable to as many people as possible. In fact, according to an article from Web Accessibility Initiative , “Access to information and communications technologies, including the Web, is defined as a basic human right in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).”

With that being said, there are numerous ways you can make your website more accessible. For example, if any videos are included on your site, make sure they have close captioning features to accommodate the hearing impaired or people accessing the site in quiet environments. Refrain from using colors alone to indicate meaning of buttons. This can be confusing to both the colorblind and people new to your site. Also, make sure you can navigate your site using only the keypad. One aspect of accessibility not discussed in the articles I read is a language barrier. People may log onto your site seeking information or a service but either cannot navigate the site, or understand it due to a language barrier. For this, I would suggest having simple, easy to follow language, and navigation, as well as including captions for videos written in a foreign language spoken in your community.

Finally, to put things into perspective, I have included a helpful video from Web Accessibility Initiative. This video really changed how I viewed designing websites and I hope you find it just as helpful.

VIA Web Accessibility Initiative on YouTube

Trust the Process

Well … designing a website has been so much harder than I thought it would be. I have been using a squarespace template, but there are still so many options as far as fonts, colors, and the overall layout. There’s so many different choices, but I have to make the executive decision for what design is best for my website.

While researching what qualities make for a great website layout, I came across an article about organizing web content that I found really helpful. One of the first things the article suggests is to think of your website as a restaurant menu. Everything has to be organized and easily accessible. “Pastas go with pastas and burgers go with burgers”.

yup. organized.
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I am also excited to design my About page. I was surprised to find out that it is one of the most frequented pages on a website. I am going to take advantage of this page and really personalize it in order to relate to my readers.

As the article suggested, my contact page is going to be really simple. I will have just general contact information. One of the tips about contact pages that the article gives is to have some written testimonials. I am very intrigued with the idea and will be reaching out to some former clients to make this happen.

One of the key takeaways I had from this article was the idea of multiple landing pages. I have multiple services including graphic design, photography, video, and website design. I was struggling with displaying all my skills in one place until it was brought to my attention that I needed to have multiple landing pages. These will keep my website looking clean and organized while still being extremely easy to navigate.

Finally, here’s an update on my progress of the By Grace Creative page, as promised! I am extremely excited to present the official logo of By Grace Creative!

“By Grace” is in my own handwriting!

Dreams Coming True

For months, I have been wanting to create a website to take my free-lance photography and graphics business to the next level. For a long time, I didn’t think my work was good enough. I thought I wasn’t creative enough. I thought I was too young. Then, I picked myself up, saw my worth, and took my confidence back. Now, this dream of a website is finally coming true.

I feel like Cinderella going to the ball!
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When choosing a website builder, I wanted THE BEST. I researched Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace. I compared them on ease of customization, templates, quality for money, and what was best for my creative designs. One website that really helped me in choosing a website builder was from Website Builder Experts.

And the winner was…

While I loved many aspects of both Weebly and Wix, I ultimately decided that Squarespace was the best website builder for my creative portfolio. I loved the sleek, professional templates. Squarespace even has templates specifically for portfolios of graphic design and photography. The process for setting up an account was simple and I was also offered a student discount! The drag and drop feature makes customization of templates easy, and the set limits make sure the site always looks professional and pleasing to the eye. While I haven’t chosen a definite template yet (I am pretty indecisive), I love what I have worked with so far. Overall, Squarespace had all the features I was looking for in a website.

By Grace Creative Website is launching March 30, 2019.

Stay Tuned

The Beginning…

Welcome to my first post as a weekly blogger! Though I have never written a blog before, I am excited to accept the challenge! I have always seen blogs as a way to express oneself or share information such as, in personal blogs, recipes and D.I.Y. projects, or in a professional blog, interesting tips and tricks that pertain to a business. While I don’t currently follow any bloggers, I do read blogs through posts I find on Pinterest. If I am ever lacking ideas for a recipe, a furniture make-over, or make-up inspiration, I know that someone on Pinterest has a detailed blog that can help guide my way. n all the blogs I have read, each blogger has put his/her own voice and heart into their blog, which I greatly admire. While I love to write, I hate writing anything I can’t put my own voice and feelings into, so I think I will throughly enjoy blogging.

One blogger I am very familiar with is Rachel Hollis, an extremely successful event planner and speaker based in Los Angeles, California. I am currently reading her newest book Girl Wash Your Face, in which she debunks several lies she used to believe about herself, and encourages other women to do the same. It’s a fantastic book promoting self-confidence that I would highly recommend to any young woman or mother. For more of Rachel Hollis, check out her blog below.

photo courtesy of Rachel Hollis from USA TODAY

https://thechicsite.com/

As a communication major, blogs are a huge part of of the industry I intend to enter. People in my profession can use blogs in a number of ways, including having a personal blog as a portfolio and running a blog for a company. In any circumstance, it is important to know how to relate to the target audience and how to write effectively. Blogs make great additions to social media pages as well as websites to form a personal relationship with clients. It takes away the façade of a company or business being big, bad, and busy and humanizes it. Blogs allow consumers to see the face(s) behind the company and tear down any barriers that may be standing between the reader and the business.

Blogging has been something I have been very exciting to take on. As I mentioned earlier, I am a communications major. After graduating, I hope to work as a communications manager or be a part of a creative team for a church or non-profit. I love being a part of something bigger than myself. I also love designing graphics in photoshop and have just taken up photography. In the next few months, I am planning on launching a social media page for my creative work as well as a website to display my portfolio along with a blog! So heres to the beginning, and what it to come in this new adventure of creativity and blogging!