I see this a lot, really, a LOT. Someone decides they have an awesome idea for a new business and starts researching how to start a web site to sell their product. Obviously, its human nature to try to get the best deal we can and free sounds amazing! Or does it? Here are my top 10 reason to avoid free web sites.

1. Is it really free? Sure, the basic personal version is free. Did you consider you may want more space, add on a domain, a different look, and oh did you want email as well, we can do that but start adding on the fees. Sorry guys, but the free is part is usually just to get you in the door and signed up thinking you found a great deal.

2. Who are you really promoting? So you think you are promoting your products or services, but really you are also promoting their services and interests as well. I’d say %99 of free sites have either advertising or pop-ups that they throw onto your site. So when your visitors visit and get side tracked by the add they stuck in your margin and click-off, did the free site really help you get a sale or did they just get a sale for one of their advertisers? Not to mention, its just annoying to see when trying to shop!

3. Unprofessional. When I go shopping for a product I may have hundreds of choices for where to buy it. I’m going to ultimately buy from a site that looks secure and trust-worthy. If they have ads or are using a free template seen on 20 other sites I’ll probably pass them up. I’m going to buy the product from the site that put more effort into their storefront. Would you rather buy a new computer from a reputable store or from someone selling from the trunk of their car? Which one are you going to be more willing to turn your credit card information over to?
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What a fun website! There goes any chance at a nap today! Poking around I found this gem of a website that allows you to insert a link and create a Wordle graphic design image based on the words it pulls from the feed of the site you linked to! Based on the Web Savvy Mama blog this is what we got.

How fun would it be to accent a blog post with words like this? Who knew typography could be so easy? Check it out for yourself and see what you can can up with! A heads up, if you do use any part of the created Wordle a link back is required, don’t forget to add that to your site if you do use it.

Try Wordle

Web Savvy Mama has been creating custom matching blogs for web designs for awhile now. I specialize in creating WordPress blogs that match the current website design.

Why is a blog so important for my website?
Blogs are an excellent way to bring readers and potential customers to your website! Its an easy way to keep your content fresh and up to date. Blogs are also a great way to highlight a product that may not normally get noticed or to announce an awesome sale you plan on having! Want an easy way for visitors to stay up to date on on your site’s activities? Add a blog. Want to share a find you found on the internet your customers may enjoy? Blog about it! Maybe you want to do a link swap with another person in your niche business area. A blog post is the perfect way to announce your affiliation or show your love of the other shop.

Above all, blogging on your website increases your textual content and gives a medium for you to post your desired keywords and link to your products. Search engines love blogs and when your blog is indexed, so is your website along with all those valuable keywords and content!

What blog platform should I choose?
Web Savvy Mama has a soft spot for WordPress. I love the flexibility, the integration and the enormous amount of plugins available. WordPress is also FREE and can be hosted right on your website with your domain.

How can Web Savvy Mama help?
I specialize in custom matching WordPress themes. If you have a website, chances are I can create a theme to match it. If you have a Web Savvy Mama designed theme even better, just tell me you want a blog theme added to your design package. Matching blogs from an existing design start at just $80! Feel free to contact WSM to get a quote for your blog project.

I’ve blogged before about inspiration and colors when I talked about Colour Lovers. Web Savvy Mama LOVES colors! I’m back to talk about another online gem I found that my fellow color loving mamas will love!

Adobe has an online color picker called Kuler. When I first saw it I though, “Oh, another color picker. What’s the bog deal?” Then I started playing around with it! The color picker part is like most you find online, the feature I liked the most was the “create from image” option. I popped a picture of my daughter in and ta-da! Color palette! It lets you select a mood which will change the colors it grabs from the picture. How cool is that?!

As someone who takes inspiration for web design from every day objects I can see this handy little site getting a lot of use. Have a favorite printed skirt? Snap a picture and ta-da, instant color palette! Go play and let me know what you think!

Here is a preview of some of the designs I’ve been working on this summer. I’ll be updating these as I get a chance.

[Show as slideshow]

June- August 2009 Check them out! Lewin Legal Heneghan Law Huckleberry Baby Shop Snug Bugs Sling With Me Go Green Acadiana

This means temps in the 70s, finally, and lots of sun! Hey we might even hit 80s, lol. Summer also means a busy time for a lot of parents and small business owners. I know I sure do get busy this time of year! Between coaching little league baseball, running kids to soccer, playdates… oh yeah and work, we stay pretty busy in our house. I’m sure yours are all just as crazy!

Lets not forget to update our web sites in all this chaos! I know I’m guilty of this myself and need to start taking care of my own web site as I’m working on client web sites as well. A blog is an easy way to make sure your site is being refreshed regularly. If you have a WordPress blog, like this one here, attached to your site you can easily pop on and post a new topic or update with announcements! See, just like I’m doing! Remember that search engines love new content and use content to help rank you in the listings. Want more SEO information? Check out this helpful article.

Want a WordPress blog but don’t know where to start? I can help! Many people chose to go directly to WordPress and get a hosted blog there, this is a great option for many. But, if you already have a business website you’ll probably want to host your WordPress blog right along with it. This way you can have your domain and the traffic it generates helps your web site! One of the great things about this type of blog is the ability to customize it to match your main site, like I have. This integrates your blog more seamlessly into your business.

Want a matching blog? If you are a current WebSavvyMama client simply ask for a quote to turn your current WSM design into a blog template for WordPress. Not a WSM client? Fill out my quick request a quote for to find out how to get one for your web site as well!

June 2009

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