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What you need to know to create an effective website by Natalie MacLees

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About Me Purple Pen Productions
 founder + principal jQuery for Designers
 author SoCal WordPress Users’ Group
 organizer jQuery LA Users’ Group
 founder + organizer

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Learn the lingo

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Browser

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Search engine

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Domain name

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Hosting

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Where do I start?

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Start with a plan Yep, even if you’re going to hire someone

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?

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why?

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who?

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what?

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What people want to know What you want to tell people Ideal content

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where?

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when?

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how?

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Spy on the competition See what’s going on in the world

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Content decisions

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Sketch a site map

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portfolio home blog wordpress clients news events classes workshops meetups branding services design dev wordpress about our staff

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• Home • Blog • wordpress • clients • news • Events • classes • workshops • meetups • Services • design • development • branding • wordpress • About • our staff

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Create your content

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Mind the gap

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You must have...

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Who you are &  what you’re about

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Simple, sensible address

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Clear, effortless navigation

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Contact information

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Establish credibility

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CTA

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Findability

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Fresh, quality content

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Secure hosting

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Friendly design and style

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Clear and consistent branding

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Usability and accessibility

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Mobile

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Social media

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Video

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Should you DIY?

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Budget

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Skill level

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Time and interest

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All the jobs • Research • Copywriting • Copy editing • Photography • Videography • Design • Development • Statistics • Backups • Maintenance • SEO • Marketing

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DIY A little how-to

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Hosted vs. Self-Service

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Hosted Service Get started on the cheap

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WordPress.com

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Self-service Have a partner for the journey

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Hiring Bringing in some help

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What to expect

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Be involved

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Spend time planning

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Pricing isn’t simple

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How long does it take?

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The typical process

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Planning

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Content

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Wireframing or Prototyping

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Design

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Development

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QA

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Common Mistakes

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Rushing

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Design for your own taste

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Missing CTA

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Not spending budget wisely

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Stale, out-of-date content

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Trying to target everyone

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Ignoring mobile

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Confusing navigation

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Getting too obsessed with SEO

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Acting on misguided feedback

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Keep in Mind

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It’s NEVER done

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It’s an investment

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A good example

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Questions?

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Thank YOU!