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When to stop DIYing your WordPress website (+ hire someone instead)
Like most things in business, you figured out your site on the fly. Your business needed a way to exist online, so you took care of it. When you realized it wasn’t a one + done thing, you kept watch with the guidance of Google. Now you find yourself wondering “should I hire someone to build my website” because your gut likely knows the answer.
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What’s New in WordPress 6.9?
WordPress 6.9 introduces a number of improvements focused around my favorite site builder (Gutenberg), including new editing tools, collaboration features + more block functions. Which means, if you use Gutenberg to build pages or posts on your site, this update is worth paying attention to — but don’t update just yet. Before You Update WordPress Even though major WordPress releases go through extensive testing, it’s still smart to wait a tiny bit before updating your live site. Themes + plugins all interact differently with WordPress, which means bugs can still
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Quarterly Site Care
We made it through the year (barely?). I chose to close my laptop lid + enjoyed two weeks with family — the dogs really — and my favorite heated blanket. If you also took some time off + you’re diving back in, let’s tackle your annual site care tasks. I recommend giving yourself 3 hours to tackle all of these things. If that sounds like way more time than you have to spare, remember that you can have tiny blue orange take care of all of these things (+ more).
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WTF is a CPT?
It’s tough to know all of the things that WordPress can do. Tbh, that feels like my job, not yours. Which is why I wanted to explain Custom Post Types to you, because they are worth knowing for 90% of the businesses that use WP. Why? Because they expand your site from managing blog posts + pages to housing a slew of content. While also making that content easier to share. wtf is a Custom Post Type? CPTs, or Custom Post Types, are a way to add specialized content to
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Using WordPress for Your Podcast
In honor of International Podcast Day, let’s talk about that inkling you’ve had to start a podcast. Just me? Cool, cool. WordPress was originally created for blogs + internet diaries. I know this because my love for the platform started when I was looking for a way to publish my teen angst-ridden poetry. (It wasn’t that bad, but there’s a reason I code for a living now.) WP grew into a really useful content management system (CMS) that works really well for podcasts. But how do you use WordPress for
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Holiday Season Ready
It might feel as though the holiday season is eons away, but it has a way of creeping up on me every year, and I know I’m not alone! If you’re like tiny blue orange, your business isn’t as holiday dependent as a clothing store. Yet no matter what industry you’re in, there are a few things you can do to prep your WordPress site early. Update Everything You’re hopefully updating your plugins, themes + WordPress every month, or at least every quarter when I give you a gentle nudge.
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Keeping Your Site Secure
Getting hacked isn’t usually about bad luck, it’s about missed basics. These five straightforward WordPress security practices are simple, affordable, + often one-and-done. If you want fewer surprises + more peace of mind, start here.
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Basics: time your site
The quality of your website hosting can make or break your website. Humor me for a second, well a few seconds. Count to five in your head or out loud. Choosing the wrong hosting for your WordPress website can make visitors wait at least five seconds every time they try to load a page on your website. Five seconds may seem like an insignificant amount of time. In real life, it feels like not much time passes at all. However, it’s a crucial time if you’re looking to generate leads
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Own Your Domain
It only takes one missed renewal or one unresponsive contractor to lose your domain name. And getting it back isn’t always simple. Here’s why keeping your domain registration in your own account is one of the smartest business decisions you can make.
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Stop doing this to WordPress
Before I dive into things I hate seeing in WordPress, I wanted to know if you’ve created your press page yet? I asked back in April + noted that I also didn’t have one of these pages. Holding up my end of the bargain, here’s my in-progress press page. It’s not my favorite site page, but it’s now painfully easy for me to point folks to a spot where they can grab a photo, bio, or reminder of how to spell my name. Speaking of being “in-progress,” I really hate
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Behind the Scenes: How I Build Websites
One of my favorite clients — no, I won’t name names this time — just gave me the green light to start building her new website. I love kicking off a new project because it’s a chance to either help a brand new business grow or create something that will improve an existing business. Every single new site I build kicks off the same way, with me looking over the design files for any questions, hiccups or details that will need some flushing out. Did you think that I was
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How to Improve Your Mobile Site
Roughly half of the visitors to the average small business website use a smartphone or mobile device. For some industries, this can be even higher. While you might not hire a web developer while browsing your phone, looking at a new fitness facility or clicking through FB ads are more often done on phones over laptops. A website that hasn’t been optimized for mobile devices will lead to an annoying experience for your visitors. They’re not going to stay on your website if it’s hard for them to use. Over
