Huh? Explanation please?! If you have visited my “main” website lately, you will have read my message about closing down April 1st. That’s right folks, my beloved LWD is closing down forever.

I started my web design business officially back in 2001 (non-officially in 2000). Thanks to all of my wonderful clients (truly, I love all you guys - and girls! lol) - I have managed to stay in business all these years. I never thought it would be possible. So why close?

Well, first of all… I am not closing completely. I will still be doing maintenance for my regulars, and you know who you are! And I will also accept a limited number of new clients as I am able to take on new projects.

So take a moment, I am not closing down. Just cutting back. With 2 little ones under 2 and homeschooling the elders, I just have too much on my plate to dedicate the time it takes to work more often. And since I do this gig to stay at home with the prized kiddos, they must come first. I know everyone understands.

So why close down my website? That’s easy. The last few months Google has slammed my rankings. No big deal since all work I take on now a days comes strictly by referrals. It just makes no sense to keep the site updated for the search engines, especially if they are ignoring me. It takes too much time and time is just not a luxury these days.

So there you have it. LWD is closing but I will continue to design.

Heading off to bed now but stay tuned, I have a lot of recently completed projects to discuss. Very excited about some of the designs I am currently working on. Sometimes I manage to even impress myself. No easy task

And yes, Mrs. Behind - but I’m really enjoying the whole MySpace thing.

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: web design, web designer, closing a business, lindsey web design

Obviously my responses are tailored specifically to their particular industry (for example, I tell my candy wrapping clients to write about party favors, planning baby/wedding showers, general party planning, etc.) but here are some generic ideas to help get you started with writing blog posts.

1. Write a product review. If you sell actual products from your website, this will be an easy task as you can feature your own products and link right to your own shopping cart. Highlight the products features, how to use it, etc. If you don’t sell products, review products related to your website content. As a web designer, I reviewed many web design programs and included them on my web design site. Be sure to include your affiliate link if possible.
2. Write tutorials for your products and/or services. This is a great way to add content - both to your blog and website. I have a client who sells adult toys and she has written articles that tell her customers how to use the toys she sells. She linked the articles to the product in her shopping cart. I provided clients with short tutorials on my old web design site, like how to set-up web hosting, registering a new domain, etc.
3. Announce sales and promotions. It’s your blog, use it to your advantage. If you are offering a discount on something, write about it in your blog.
4. Ask for suggestions from readers. Involve your blog readers by asking questions in your blog. For example, find out what products they would like to see available in your online store.

There are endless things to write about in your blog, take a few minutes to brainstorm and I know you will come up with a full list of things. I personally keep a list of ideas posted at my desk. That way when writers block hits (as it often does), I have something to refer to. Helps me get back on track fast!

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: blog posts, what to blog about, blogging, bogging tips, blog writing

Very simple themes, very easy to edit as well.

I saved them all for future use, very handy indeed

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: wordpress, wordpress themes, blank wordpress theme, blog themes

So you might be wondering - how exactly is this resolution different from the first? Isn’t writing more articles the same as adding more content? Why yes it is, IF you are adding the articles to your own website. I am referring to article writing for other webmasters to publish on their websites.

This is a two-part goal for me because I would like to:

1. Convert old articles on my websites and submit them to article directories and
2. Write new articles to submit to article directories

I figure removing old articles will force me to replace them with new, improved articles - fulfilling resolution numero uno. Thus killing two birds with one stone.

You might already be on to this type of marketing. But just in case, allow me to briefly explain why article writing is worthy of my time - and YOURS…

So what is article marketing?

Article Marketing is about writing quality original articles to promote you, your business, your products and your organization. In layman terms, article marketing is writing articles to generate traffic to your website.

The basic step is to write quality articles that relate your website content, including your website link in the authors resource box (the “about the author” paragraph at the end of the article). After submitting these articles to article submission directories, webmasters find and add your articles to their own website.

So that’s resolution #2 - simple, yet effective. I think I can handle it.

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: new years resolutions, affiliate marketing, goals, adding content, website content, article writing, article submission, blogging

Typically, I stay away from resolutions and goals this time of year. Why? Quite frankly, it’s because I tend to not keep them. Tend not to keep them - I NEVER keep them! I’m then left with guilt over not completing my own goals. Which can be such a downer. No goals = no guilt right? Right??

So this year, when my husband’s Grandma asked everyone what their goals were for the year, I answered honestly – sorry, I don’t have any. I’m a real “ go getter” Grandma, aren’t you glad I married your grandson??

But afterwards, I did spend some time reflecting on things I’d like to improve in my life. You know, spend more time with my kids, cook healthier meals, try not to yell like a lunatic so often, and so on. This led to thinking about my business and my blogs and my lack of constant participation in making them a success. So long story short, here I am making goals for the new year. That started 29 days ago.

Behind as usual.

My goals are small. But will hopefully make an impact.

So goal number one is: add more content on a regular basis.

I have a REALLY bad (super bad) habit of working like a maniac on my websites for a few weeks straight and then completely neglecting them for months. Not good.

I sat down and created a list of websites I currently have up and running, along with topics for new pages /articles for each site. I then broke down the lists into months. (I like lists - must have lists to function) I am feeling pretty good about this.

I might walk away from this goal with no guilt.

I had actually started this “list” with one of my larger sites last month. Since then, I have regularly added at least 4 new pages a week to this site. I’m not sure how I’ve fit it in, but that’s not what this post is about. What matters is that I did it. Am doing it. Whatever. In just one month, this little step has increased my traffic and tripled my Adsense earnings. No kidding. Needless to say, I am happy with the results.

That alone might keep me motivated to continue updating all of my sites. I hope.

Ta-ta for now. The kids are looking at me for dinner. Which isn’t very healthy.

Dang it.

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: new years resolutions, affiliate marketing, goals, adding content, website content

This business designs candy wrappers and other personalized favors and the website features individual order forms for each of the product lines. The site is linked to the free shopping cart system at Mals-e.

To make the website easier for the owner to manage, we created side include files for the top, side menu and footer. Updating a single file instantly makes changes on all pages.

You can visit the newly revamped Wrapsody Designs here.

A web design similar in size to this website starts at only $175. Please email me at info@geraelindsey.com for more information or click here for details.

Tags: Web Design Portfolio, Web Designer, Templates

She has arrived! A whole month early but very healthy!

Abigail Avez (pronounced AVIS) was born on November 19th 2007 at 10:11 pm.

Some of my design clients may be saying - WHAT!? You had a baby? I didn’t even know you were pregnant!

Due to our past history of pregnancy problems and our little girl dying at birth a few years ago, I am VERY gun shy when it comes to announcing any pending arrivals.

Aside from being hospitalized early on, everything was going great until right before I delivered. My blood pressure took a flying leap and my good friend preeclampsia came back to visit me. The doctor delivered me and Abigail had to spend a week in the NICU before being released last Monday. I was re-admitted the following day because my blood pressure started rising again. My poor husband was left at home with all 4 kids, including a newborn! He managed fine thankfully. So if you wondered why my email responses have been slow, now you know!

I am feeling much better and Abigail is doing fantastic!

I had taken the month of December off as she was due December 20th. Hopefully I will have a chance to finish some articles I was working on related to marketing and blogging and get them posted.

Just thought I’d post a little update and share our good news.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: new baby, preeclampsia, pregnancy

This simple design features rollover menus and a custom header design. As this is an informational website only, the website features only a short contact form for potential clients to request more information.

You can visit the website here.

A web design similar to this starts at only $95. Please email me at info@geraelindsey.com for more information or click here for details.

Tags: Web Design Portfolio, Web Designer, Templates

I am posting this here for any of my previous hosting clients since The Host Group hasn’t bothered to provide any updates. If you want to call them yourself, the number I have for The Host Group is 1.866.467.8844.

From what I understand, the company that manages their servers was bought out and the transfer was taking place this weekend. They had the servers up but had to take them back down for some reason. They are supposed to be back online around 8pm EST tonight.

Eight freakin o’clock tonight. Unbelievable.

I am heading back to bed. My kids have gotten over this nasty bug but I have not. And I *must* finish some new websites I am working on. So I am off to get better. Just thought I’d let others know what is going on.

Gerae Lindsey

Test king trains and guides students in test taking strategies for Cisco certification with a range of tests available including 156-215 and 1z0-042. Test king is also renowned for training students in Cisco certification with a variety of prep tests like 350-001 and 640-802. Another popular test available online for Cisco qualifications is 640-863. Test king also trains candidates in Microsoft certifications, with a wide range of tests available such as 70-291. Another well desired test available at test king is CISSP certification, which is demanded by many individuals working in progressive organizations.

Tags: the host group, alabanza, server down

Here are ideas I gave for increasing her website content:

Add articles to your website
I think many webmasters are afraid of articles, thinking they must be long drawn-out masterpieces. Totally not true. In my clients case (who designs candy wrappers), articles could be short tips like how to plan the perfect baby shower, etc.

Are you absolutely sure you can’t write your own article? No problem. Articles do not need to be written by you to benefit your website. There are many free article databases, like Ezine Articles, where you can find articles to use on your website. You can also accept article submissions from authors and webmasters right from your own website - just create a page with what you are looking for. Article directories are a win-win situation as you receive free content and authors receive free exposure.

You could also outsource your website content to a freelance writer who will write articles for you but leave off author information. This is best if you are looking for unique content that does not link to an outside source.

Add a blog to your website
Blogging is an easy way to add content. And as I pointed out to my design client, many businesses are utilizing them (her top competitors are). Blogs are super-easy to set up and can be used to advertise special offers, reviews, tips, etc.

Add more pages
This is an easy task to accomplish but not always something that gets thought of. Perhaps it’s in an effort to save money (for those business owners paying someone else to create their pages) but many people try to cram too much information onto a single page. Why not split your current content pages up into shorter pages? Not only will your pages load faster, but you will create more pages. The more pages of content you have, the more information you can provide to your visitors and the more keywords you can target.

Utilize RSS and XML Feeds
I have to confess that I lag behind in this area. I am a feed dummy.

RSS and XML feeds are not new developments, unless your name starts with a “G” and ends with “erae”, but they are good for adding content to your site. Look for websites with similar topics to your own that provide feeds and add them to a page on your website. Why? Feeds update regularly leading the search engine spiders to believe that your website content also updates regularly.

Content is important. You need it for the search engines and you need it for your visitors. It must be unique, informative and updated frequently.

Yes, I know you hard-core Internet marketers, these are totally basic concepts. However, as a web designer working with small and home business owners regularly, I can assure you they are often totally overlooked by MANY webmasters. Regardless of how long they have had a website.

So get busy, start adding more content to your website

Gerae Lindsey

Tags: website content, blog content, increasing web content, outsourcing, article writing, rss feeds, xml feeds