heylouise

Hi all. I'm interested in creating a SEO-driven website in my free time. (Not really looking to profit off it at the moment, just want to exercise SEO skills.) I found a previously owned, expired domain I'm interested in using, but it has a fair amount of spammy backlinks pointing to it. It's a nice, easy to read .com address. Will this be a problem if I want the most optimum SEO value? Will disvow do the job? Should I try and find a domain with no history? Cheers.

Yeah, that's fair enough. This appears to be the story of 99% of web developers and software engineers.

The design looks really nice! Is the website only about Asian destinations?

Hi. I had a quick look around, and couldn't see this topic here recently. Does anyone here maintain their own blog? I do, as part of my portfolio website. It's not really a marketing tool as I'm currently employed and not freelancing. It kinda just lets me say what I want to say. 🙂 Wouldn't hurt to have more comments and traffic on it though. If you have a blog and keep it maintained, what topics are you currently writing about? Is it for fun, or to market your services?

Ah... well aggregator sites are the way for me! I get an (almost daily) email digest from webdesignernews.com and occasional emails from developer.com It's easy to read them on my phone on public transport.

I've had no problems with XAMPP. I just choose a folder to store all the files, turn it on, browse to 'localhost', and away I go!

Eeew. Yeah. I don't know if they'll be back. People like this are very proud of their "website design skills" and assume that their customers are just as happy to sit and wait for content to load.

What have you found is best way to educate non-tech-savvy people on this? I tell people that I charge by the project, and it depends on the situation. But they still expect some kind of flat answer (without letting me assess their needs), which is very frustrating.

It kinda sucks when a web designer can't design their own website... Anyway, the way the home page is currently set out is based on advice given by people who sell using their sales copy. https://kinfolkcreative.com.au/ I believe the home page should be structured more like... Headline (maybe) a little bit of intro text Portfolio Call to action (either contact form, or directly to booking calendar) Headline: "I create unique and user-friendly websites to help you get more leads and sales." Any other things you want to nitpick?

Hi all, Yes, I still seem to be in this predicament of not getting enough work. Though I have decided it might serve me well to specialise in certain types of clients: Psychologists, therapists, personal/relationship coaches, business coaches. But my mind draws a blank on where I can advertise/network with them. If they are going to an expo or event, won't the purpose of that be to learn new skills to do their work? Any ideas on how I can reach them? Are they likely to Google their local area or a directory?

Just so you know, I've decided to go with Shopify for this project.

Hi all. I have an exciting prospect come my way. The client is seeking a very content-based website, which relies on SEO... So WordPress is my choice for that. Also I've got the knowledge to build custom WP themes for a variety of needs. However, in future they're going to need a reliable e-commerce platform, and Shopify is great for that. As I'm experienced with WordPress themes and the dev environment, I can quite happily develop a WP site that fits their needs right now, and add WooCommerce later. For me to be as skilled at Shopify themes as I am with WordPress themes, I feel would take me far too long. (Also means it will take longer for me to get paid.) So long story short... In the short term, a WordPress website would be perfect for them right now. In the long term, WooCommerce would be great, but will require time/money to keep updated and secure. In the long term, Shopify would be great for e-commerce, and may cost them less in terms of monthly maintenance. It's newer and less likely to be hacked. BUT will take me longer to develop to fit their needs.

What can you do to help the situation if your client doesn't understand tech language? Or the other way around: They know what they want, but don't know how to articulate it?

All good ideas. Thanks all. The women's networking circle is providing me with some good contacts, but not quite enough to sustain me if I want to do this full time.

How can I find them? Where would a small, local business go if they were looking for someone to build them a website?