This is a confession. I failed keep good backups on client sites. I thought the hosting company was doing it. They were not. Something went wrong and files disappeared, meaning sites disappeared. I know. To be fair, the host tried to help me troubleshoot, but it was taking too long (anything over 30 minutes is too long in this case!). In the end, I ended up enlisting the ... Read More
Speaking of Sharks – The Scary Business of Optimism
It's June in southern North Carolina. You cannot talk to anyone without hearing about the three shark attacks off our waters in the past four days. It's terrifying, and has been life altering for the three young victims. But this morning, I spent about forty-five minutes in the ocean and kids' Surf Camp was open for business. My plan to avoid shark attack is to NOT resemble ... Read More
What To Do When Customers Act Like (Gasp!) Humans
It's Memorial Day. I'm sitting on the beach (in my tent with my shirt, hat, shades on - I know). At about 6pm I spy a family that looks like it stepped out of a J. Crew Catalog. I imagined they just came from an expensive dinner at an overpriced restaurant and would soon retire to the swanky beach home they were renting for the holiday week. Just then, as the family waded in a ... Read More
Are Your CTA and Landing Page Images Killing Conversions?
A landing page without an image or some visual appeal is borrrring. Without it, you can't blame visitors for assuming the content will also be boring. It's hard to go wrong by showing the product, a representation of the product, or the result of the product you're offering. Let's look at some examples that work. What Works in Landing Page and CTA Images Here's a landing page ... Read More
Hey, Blogger, Step Away From the Publish Button!
You have your riveting title, your easy-to-skim text, your well-thought out points and your SEO ducks in a row. But you're not quite ready to publish yet! Not until that blog post has an image - or two or three! There are two major reasons why, if you want them to see the light of day, every blog post needs an image. 1. People Love Pictures on Websites! Google Loves What ... Read More