The pros and cons of do-it-yourself website builders How do you decide between hiring a website designer, versus building your own website using an online, do-it-yourself site builder like Weebly, Wix, Squarespace, webs.com, or Godaddy? As a web design professional, it would come as no surprise that I’m more likely than not to recommend a custom web design solution for a new client’s online presence. But let’s face it: there are occasions where an individual or business is not in the ... [Keep reading...]
Get Customers (and Google) To Love You With A Responsive Website
With the ascent of mobile device users, and Google’s preference for mobile responsive website design, your website should be mobile-device-friendly in order to satisfy your mobile site visitor as well as Google’s initiative for mobile-first indexing. Trust me - your potential clients prefer a simple, pleasant, user-friendly experience, rather than one that forces them to inconveniently or laboriously hunt, peck, or zoom in order to learn more about your products, services or expertise. ... [Keep reading...]
How to Use Social Media for Business (And Why You Should)
If you’re not using social media for your business, you’re losing out on an effective way to connect with your audience, drive traffic to your website and business, and establish your company brand as a knowledgeable and sought-after resource. Why Your Company Should Be Active On Social Media As referenced in a previous post, your clients and audience are online, and they are using the internet to check you out. That means that your cyber-searching prospective customers are hunting ... [Keep reading...]
5 Essential Reasons Why You Need Fresh Website Content
Having an online presence is a necessity these days, and it goes hand in hand that updating your site with fresh content on a regular basis is essential. Websites are never meant to be a “set it and forget it” marketing tool. An untouched site becomes a stagnant graveyard from a customer’s perspective as well as by search engines indexing the site. But the reasons for regularly publishing fresh website content goes beyond those two basic premises. Let’s explore the key reasons for keeping your ... [Keep reading...]
Don’t Let Your Website Be Flagged as ‘Not Secure’
Google is punishing websites for not being HTTPS-compliant. Inevitably, even if your website does not collect data or financial information, if your site retains plain HTTP protocol it will be flagged as Not Secure. In this article, you'll learn what it means to have your site flagged as Not Secure, and why it's absolutely critical to fix it. Spoiler alert: Fat Cat Design can easily fix this for you. A Primer on SSL, HTTPS, and HTTP Before we dive into the details of SSL security and ... [Keep reading...]
Turbocharge Your Business
With online reviews you can gain customer trust, get found online, and get ahead of your competition. The presence of online reviews can be the difference between your company doing "just okay," and being a rock star. In an earlier blog post, I wrote about the importance of online customer reviews, and how critical they are to the success of your business. Whether you sell widgets, provide a service, have a brick-and-mortar retail location, or work from a virtual space, today’s ... [Keep reading...]