30 Common Website/WordPress Mistakes by both Novices & Pro Authors

1. Allowing your content to be author-focused instead of reader-focused
2. Using WordPress.com instead of self-hosted WordPress (.org)
3. Using a generic or defective theme
4. Not designing for mobile use
5. Not optimizing pages and images for SEO
6. Not properly integrating social media
7. Not setting up the permalinks properly (A.K.A. ugly permalinks)
8. Too many categories, not enough tags
9. Letting it be too design heavy or too boring
10. Overwhelming your visitors
    Too many navigation links
    Too much on the home page
    Too many pop-ups and moving graphics
    Too many ads
11. Not using video to the best of your abilities
12. Not making it easy for visitors to connect with you on social media
13. Not making your book’s buy-now button easy to find
14. Not offering an easy way for visitors to get on your list (appealing incentives?)
15. Not using effective calls to action (where are you leading them?)
16. Not taking full advantage of the scripts that are available such as
    Google XML Sitemaps
    Contact Form 7
    Akismet
    All in One SEO Pack
17. Running too many unnecessary scripts
18. Trying to run e-commerce plugins on WordPress
19. Not posting on the blog often enough
20. Not having a regular backup of your database & site files
21. Not using Google Analytics
22. Not using Webmaster tools to get your site indexed
23. Ignoring Google Authorship Markup
24. Not using a Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatar)
25. Not customizing the Favicon
26. Not taking advantage tools like CDN and CACHE that help your site load faster
27. Ignoring WordPress updates
28. Going with a faulty hosting company just because it is cheaper
29. Not taking steps to further “harden” your WordPress site (here are just a few)
    Not using proper security plugins
    Not changing the default username from “admin”
    Not changing the “wp_” prefix of your database table

30. Not talking to your website designer about all of this!

Contact Cherished Solutions today to discuss your website and WordPress needs.

Our Cherished Solutions Facebook artist pages are now direct linked!

For Painting for Life  check out: http://www.Facebook.com/paintingforlife and for Something to Cherish visit http://www.Facebook.com/somethingtocherish.

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• Need more Facebook Fans? (techtalkformoms.com)

Whether you’re selling a product or service, the 10 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades … to get results! These guidelines can apply to Web copy, e-mail, sales letters, brochures, direct mail, and more. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you’ve come to the right place.

1. Be reader-centered, not writer-centered.

Many ads, brochures, and Web sites talk endlessly on and on about how great their products and companies are. Hello? Customer, anyone? Think of your reader thinking, “What’s in it for me?” If you can, talk with some of your current customers and ask them 1) why they chose you, and 2) what they get out of your product or service. TIP: To instantly make your copy more reader-focused, insert the word “you” often.

2. Focus on the benefits — not just the features.

The fact that your product or service offers a lot of neat features is great, but what do they DO for your customer? Do they save her time or money? Give her peace of mind? Raise her image to a certain status? Here’s an example: If you go buy a pair of Gucci sunglasses, you’re not just looking for good UV protection. You’re buying the sleek, stylish Gucci look. So that’s what Gucci sells. You don’t see their ads talk about how well made their sunglasses are. Think about what your customers are REALLY looking for.

Now, what does an insurance broker sell? Policies?

Nope — peace of mind. (See? You’ve got it.)

3. Draw them in with a killer headline.

The first thing your reader sees can mean the difference between success and failure. Today’s ads are chock full of clever headlines that play on words. They’re cute, but most of them aren’t effective. There are many ways to get attention in a headline, but it’s safest to appeal to your reader’s interests and concerns. And again, remember to make it reader centered — no one gives a hoot about your company.

Bad: “SuccessCorp Creates Amazing New Financial Program”
Better: “Turn Your Finances Around in 30 Days!”

4. Use engaging subheads.

Like mini-headlines, subheads help readers quickly understand your main points by making the copy “skimmable.” Because subheads catch readers” eyes, you should use them to your benefit! Read through your copy for your main promotional points, then summarize the ideas as subheads. To make your subheads engaging, it’s important to include action or selling elements.

Bad: “Our Department’s Successes.”
Better: “Meet Five Clients Who Saved $10K With Us.”

5. Be conversational.

Write to your customers like you’d talk to them. Don’t be afraid of using conversational phrases such as “So what’s next?” or “Here’s how do we do this.” Avoid formality and use short, easy words. Why? Even if you think it can’t possibly be misunderstood, a few people will still be confused. Plus, being conversational helps prospects feel like they can trust you more.

6. Nix the jargon.

Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords — stick to the facts and the benefits. An easy way to weed out jargon is to think of dear old Mom reading your copy. Would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. (This rule, of course, varies, depending on who your target audience is. For a business audience, you should upscale your words to what they’re used to. In some industries, buzzwords are crucial. Just make sure your points don’t get muddled in them!)

7. Keep it brief and digestible.

No one has time to weed through lengthy prose these days. The faster you convey your product or service’s benefits to the reader, the more likely you’ll keep her reading. Fire your “biggest gun” first by beginning with your biggest benefit — if you put it toward the end of your copy, you risk losing the reader before she gets to it. Aim for sentence lengths of less than 20 words. When possible, break up copy with subheads (see no. 4), bullets, numbers, or em dashes (like the one following this phrase) — these make your points easy to digest.

8. Use testimonials when possible.

Let your prospects know they won’t be the first to try you. Give results-oriented testimonials from customers who have benefited immensely from your product or service. Oh, and never give people’s initials only — it reminds me of those ads in the back of magazines with headlines like “Lose 5 Tons in 3 Days!” Give people’s full names with their titles and companies (or towns and states of residence) — and be sure to get their permission first.

9. Ask for the order!

Tell your reader what you want her to do — don’t leave her hanging. Do you want her to call you or e-mail you for more information? Order her copy now? Call to schedule a free consultation? Complete a brief survey? Think about what you’d most like her to do, and then ask her. It’s amazing how many marketing materials I come across every day that don’t make it clear what the reader should do. If you wrote interesting copy, your reader may forget you’re trying to sell something. Tell her what to do, and she’ll be more likely to do it.

10. Have your copy proofread!

Good. Now have it proofread again. Don’t risk printing any typos, misspellings, or grammatical mistakes that will represent your company as amateurs. Hire a professional editor or proofreader to clean up your work. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impession! Oops — impression.

© 2001-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com

Cherished Solutions (including Something to Cherish and Been Cherished)  is excited to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Author University Extravaganza for authors and writers.

Of course, we will be there offering the finest illustration, website, book and marketing design services around (check us out at CherishedSolutions.com). You will also get to learn about the latest publishing trends from some of the top experts in the nation!

I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to share this time sensitive info with you, so here it goes:

Author U Annual Extravaganza
May 6-7, 2011

Soaring Your Book to the Rock Star Stratosphere – Aurora, Colorado

Over two powerful days, you will work with amazing book marketing strategists, publicists, Internet gurus, rock star branders, creative geniuses … all done in an intense workshop environment …

Can’t come to Colorado? Participate via LIVE Broadcast and DVDs

The Extravaganza Speakers:

Craig Duswalt Create Your Own Rock Star Branding—participants will learn all the elements of creating Rock Star Branding with Craig … if Guns n’ Roses loved him, so will you!

Chuck Blakeman Rock Stars Get Off the Treadmill “Making Money Is Killing Your Business” was selected by the National Federation of Business Owners as the #1 book this year—ahead of Seth Godin at #6. His session will focus on authoring/books.

Justin Matott Rock Stars Make “Creativity” Their Middle Name is at the core of winning books … no one does it better than Justin. High energy, perfect way to end two high power days.

Joan Stewart Become a Rock Star Harnessing the Internet comes to Colorado and will work with both traditional publicity and social media options.

Eric Kampmann Create Rock Star Author Power with Partner Publishing will be a new relationship for the self and independent Author/Publisher. Eric will explore options and how to set up.

Alex Carroll Rock Stars Reach Millions For Free — Without Leaving Home will do an interactive workshop with participants on state to learn how to “pitch” to a producer plus find the right radio market.

Peggy McColl Create a Rock Star Amazon Bestseller, her workshop will be a hands-on on how to do it.

Marcella Smith Publishing’s Insider, Insider will present a thought provoking vision of what’s happening and the future of publishing in a special, Dinner with Marcella on Friday.

Tom Campbell Rock Star Printers Reveal All that includes many of the Exhibitors, this won’t just me a panel … it’s what’s what in the book world today.

So, will you join us?

Register Now

(Hurry, the Early Bird Deal Ends April 15th!)

Author U (niversity) is a community of writers, authors, small and independent publishers. It’s for you if you want to learn about …

• ·       Writing a book;
• ·       Creating one that will find a following;
• ·       Strategizing the steps to be successful;
• ·       Developing a game-plan that has roots;
• ·       Publishing a book that turns heads;
• ·       Marketing moxie that creates results;
• ·       Publicity tactics that work;
• ·       Gizmos, gadgets and technology; and
• ·       Achieving Amazing Results

See You there!
~Cherish Flieder & Benjamin Hummel

Here is the best info I have found on setting up multiple Magento stores off of the same cart install.

http://webdevster.com/ecommerce/magento/magento-multiple-store-setup-instructions

Lightbox2

by Lokesh Dhakar

An Easy Image Viewer

Lightbox is a simple, unobtrusive script used to overlay images on the current page. It’s a snap to setup and works on all modern browsers.

What’s New in Version 2

• Image Sets: group related images and navigate through them with ease
• Visual Effects: fancy pants transitions
• Backwards Compatibility: yes!

Get started at: http://www.lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2/

Website Grader is a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective.

websitegrader.com