Website 101 Podcast

• 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

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.

• 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.

• Defining success in terms of client goals and business objectives (05:24)
• Understanding the need for realism when discussing website features and budget (10:04)
• Effective communication strategies, including using a centralized platform for project management and tracking issues (20:12)
• Providing specific details when reporting problems, such as the URL, error message, and sequence of actions taken (21:16)
• Considering factors like operating system, browser, and device support during project planning (27:32)

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.

[00:00] Intro

[00:20] Topic begins

[01:20] Reasons for avoiding "click here"

[07:07] W3C guidelines for link labeling

[09:36] W3C guidelines continued

[12:25] Accessibility considerations when labeling links

[14:43] Accessibility continued

[15:01] Encouraging listener feedback and guest suggestions

[15:30] Upcoming episodes for season 4

• 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?

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.

• 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

• 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

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.

• 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