Resources

Recommendations REALLY help short-cut your learning /research curve, so here are some of my favoutire resources, which I use most of the time.

I’m an affiliate for some of the products (meaning I earn a small commission for the recommendations), but I only recommend things I use and value, things which make my life a whole lot easier!

WEBSITE TOOLS & RESOURCES

Krystal for hosting & domains

Krystal Hosting is an award-winning UK-based hosting company. It’s also a domain registrar (you can buy domains through them).
The Simple Web Company has been using them for almost a decade, and we recommend it to all our clients.

(Reviews here.)

Divi

Divi by Elegant Themes is one of the most popular page builders / themes for WordPress. Using a page builder allows you incredible freedom in your designs.

The Simple Web Company creates all client sites with Divi.

TSOHost for domains

TSOHost is another domain registrar that offers domains of all types (.com , .co.uk etc.) at reasonable prices.

You can of course buy domains from Krystal with your hosting, but I personally like keeping them separate.

Wordpress

WordPress is the foremost website creation platform, used (at the time of writing) by over a third of websites worldwide.

It also has thousands of free plugins (tools) and themes (templates or layouts).

GDPR legal templates

If you want to save a LOT of time & effort with your GDPR compliance documentation & processes, these templates from Suzanna Dibble, GDPR & data protection expert, will save you SO much time.

GREAT SOFTWARE

Canva

Canva is perhaps the best known graphic design tool – you can use even the free version to create almost every type of graphic that you need.

The paid version adds rocket fuel to an already great product.

The Hungry Jpeg

You can purchase all sort of professionally created graphic design tools here, from fonts to photos, graphics to templates.

If you sign up to their email list, you also get a regular freebie.

MailerLite

MailerLite is one of the many email list providers that offer free & premium packages.

You can automate your lead magnets, send out newsletters, and use it to enhance how you communicate with your subscribers

Envato Market

Envato Market is a vast marketplace of digital products : fonts, graphics, themes, plugins, stock photos, audio files and more.

Have a look around…

AppSumo

AppSumo is a software marketplace with fantastic deals on anything from Canva templates to ecoommerce, software  to stock photos.

AMAZING BUSINESS TRAINING

Female Entrepreneur Association

Carrie Green’s “Female Entrepreneur Association” (FEA) is a monthly membership that teaches you so many elements of business – marketing, mindset, how to’s – it’s fantastic!

(Join the wait-list for the next time it opens for enrolment.)

FAQs

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions from clients and website visitors. If you still have questions that aren’t answered, please do get in touch & we can arrange a chat 🙂

Do I really need a website for my business?

I’m sure everyone realises how critical it is for any shop in the high street to have a shop window. But not just ANY shop window!You want to catch your customers eye, engage them and invite them into your shop to look around, learn more and ultimately buy from you.

Now… think of your website as your online shop window – and in today’s world where more and more people use the internet each day, to do more of their routine information gathering, you cannot afford to be without an online portal into your business.

You also need to ensure that your website is mobile responsive. Since April 2015, this has been a factor in how Google ranks websites, so it is IMPORTANT! Over 50% of search engine searches are now done on mobile, so you could potentially be missing out on clients if your mobile doesn’t measure up.

What is a domain name?

A Domain Name is effectively a web address for your website on the internet. Used with your web hosting, you  are then able to set up/build a website that people can then access by using the domain name or URL
(src: Wikipedia)

What is web hosting?

Web hosting is a service you buy to give you space on a server (computer) belonging to a hosting company. This allows you to have your own website and access to and from the internet.
(src: Wikipedia)

Do I have to buy your recommended hosting if I work with you?

The Simple Web Company advises you on how to set up web hosting and a domain name to be able to then create your website. We have created simple step-by-step manuals for buying your hosting and your domain name; you will receive them when you have accepted a quotation for your website.

The actual hosting and domain recurring charges are not included in my packages. If you use services other than the ones I recommend/use myself, there may be an additional charge to cover time spent getting up and running on other platforms, as hosting and domain companies differ greatly in their systems and software.

Do you provide an email account for my website e.g. ?

Yes, but only if it is part of your hosting package. You will then have access to your emails via Webmail – i.e. email that is accessible through your web browser. Setup for an email address is included in the basic package. I don’t provide support for getting set up with a Mail Client (e.g. Outlook), however we can provide you with the code that you would need to do it yourself or get it done for you by my email expert!

A better option for businesses is to use GSuite (Google emails for business); this is independent of your hosting and website, and therefore more robust.

I’m happy to have a chat about which option is best for you.

Do you provide hosting etc. or would I need to get that and my domain name elsewhere?

No, I don’t usually provide hosting for clients – but I am very happy to make recommendations!

You must always own your own domain name!! It’s a valuable business asset, and that’s why I get YOU to buy your own.

Do you have design templates or do you design from scratch?

I use what is called a Page Builders which I use for my clients – it’s infinitely more flexible than an ordinary template. But if you prefer to use a specific template that you’ve purchased yourself, we can accommodate that!

The Page Builder I use allow for a LOT of  customisation for my Bespoke Package clients. The Starter Package is a bit more limited (on purpose) to keep costs contained.

My aim is to get people a professional & beautiful site in a short time.

Once the website is up and running do I have free and unlimited access to editing its content or do I need to come to you for any changes?

You will have full and unlimited access to your website, in Editor mode.

I do the technical configuration as the Administrator for your website; it’s important for the security and integrity of your website and data to have one user to do the technical stuff, and another login that is used for the content management side of things.You will get the admin details once the site is handed over …  it is YOUR website, your domain, your business! But I do encourage you not to use the Admin login unless you have to… it’s just good business practice!

One thing that is very important with The Simple Web Company, is to empower people to gain the confidence to manage their own website, and with the basic manual, tutorial and support during development, that I provide, that works very well! However, please be assured that if there are things that you don’t feel confident doing yourself, we do also provide add-on support at an hourly rate, so you won’t be left in the lurch.

What about SEO on my site? Does The Simple Web Company help with that?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is becoming more of a specialist field, so while all websites created by The Simple Web Company are SEO-ready, (i.e. the keywords & necessary content/descriptions etc. can just be plugged in to where they need to be) the actual keyword research which forms the major part of SEO is not done by me.

It can be added in to a Bespoke Package, and if a client taking a Starter Package would like SEO done, that can be quoted for as well. I work with an SEO expert/ copywriter, and we collaborate on getting your site to do well with the search engines. Ask for a quote!

What if I'm not very technically-minded? Can I easily edit my own website?

Yes, you can! When I started my business, I chose to use WordPress exclusively because it is so simple to use. As part of the basic package you will receive a step-by-step manual on editing and adding blog posts and pages; I ask my clients to do about an hours homework from this prior to a tutorial call.

What if I just want a website, without a blog?

Can I just have pages that don’t change much content-wise?

The software I use is configurable so you can have your website set up as a blog, an “ordinary” website, or a combination of both.

Having said that, blogging is a great way of getting more search engine attention, so it’s worth thinking about if you have the time to schedule it in as part of your marketing.

Why are blogs so important nowadays?

Blogs are a BIG deal in today’s online world. If you don’t have one (or more!), you’re missing out on one of the smartest online business strategies that exists online today. Here’s why… with your own blog, you can:

  • Create streams of (passive) income through online sales of ebooks, courses and other digital products (which means more money)
  • Establish yourself as an expert (which increases credibility)
  • Get your website indexed quickly by search engines (especially Google) … which means more traffic
  • Manage and update your websites quickly (which saves time and effort)
  • Interact with your customers and subscribers (which increases loyalty)
  • Quickly post content from a variety of sources, including video (which provides flexibility)
  • Benefit from the power of the Social Bookmarking and Networking Sites (which means even more traffic)
  • And a lot more….
What do I do about images for my website?

I provide a list of stock photo sites to my clients. When we work together, I can advise you on Stock Photo websites (where you can purchase and/or copy images to then use yourself), and also Royalty-Free websites, where you can purchase an image for commercial use, without continuing to pay royalties. I can also provide references for great photographers in the London area, should you prefer that option – just ask for details!

The most important thing to remember is the images are subject to copyright – so you cannot just “borrow” or “use” an image unless you have permission, have purchased it – or it is licenced for general use. Ask if you aren’t sure…

What do I do if I'm not sure if my web copy (content) is up-to-scratch?

Does The Simple Web Company help with that?

I collaborate with copywriters and VAs. I’d be delighted to put you in touch with the right person to help you with your content if you need help with it.
Content and SEO are at the CORE of getting found through the search engines!

Hopefully these questions have helped you! Please get in touch if there is anything more you’d like to chat about!

 

Ready to get started?

Contact me to book in a chat & lets find out how I can help to “Take The Terror Out Of Technology” for you!