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Kylie Saunder

Melbourne SEO Copywriter, Health & Medical Writer, Content Creation, Articles, Blogs & Website Content

Kylie Saunder

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5 tips to make your website work for you

Is your website working for you?

When visitors find you online, you want them to hang around and find out more about your business.

So how can you make sure your website visitor will want to explore and hopefully buy from you, instead of clicking away to your competitors?

Read these 5 tips to make your website work harder for you…

 

Tip 1 View your website with fresh eyes

When was the last time you viewed your website with fresh eyes?

If you’re like most business owners, you invested a lot of time and effort into creating it. From getting the content written and choosing the website theme to liaising with your developer and designer.

No wonder it feels like a huge relief when the website goes live!

But here’s the thing I see happening that can undermine all the hard work that business owners have done – the website doesn’t get reviewed and updated regularly.

And this could be stopping your business getting enquiries and sales.

Use this checklist as a starting point for reviewing your website with fresh eyes:

  1. Is the phone number easy to find? If you’re relying on phone enquiries, make sure you place the phone number in a few places on your home page and with a clear call to action like “Call us now to book in your massage”.
  2. Got a business with a shop front? Make it easy for your customers to find you with clear address information. And for added clarity consider adding a sentence like, “We’re at the corner of Main and Pine St” 
  3. Check that your links work, including any links in your blog posts.
  4. Is your email address easy to find and correct?

Looking for more ideas on how to make your website easier to navigate and read? Check out the book by Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think”.

Kylie Saunder

Tip 2 Update your photo

First impressions can be even more important online than in real life.

What impression are you giving with your current profile photo? Is it a selfie or an iPhone photo your friend took just to get a profile photo uploaded? Or is the headshot 5 or even 10 years old?

Investing in a professional and friendly profile photo on your About page will help your website visitors get to know, like and trust you.

Make sure your photo is updated at least every 2 years so when your clients meet you in real life, they can feel connected with you straight away!

When you visit your photographer make sure you ask for:

  • high and low resolution photos,
  • professional hair and make up to be done (yes, even for the guys!), and
  • a variety of shots with different clothing choices.

Looking for a fabulous Melbourne photographer? I love Say Heidi Photography in Sandringham.

 

Tip 3 Update your About page

The About page on your website is one of the highest traffic pages, so you need to make sure it’s up to date!

Make sure that you keep it professional sounding while adding in a glimpse of your personality.

But here’s the thing – writing your own About page is really, really hard! Which is why hiring a creative copywriter to help you out can save you time and effort.

Need help with your About page? Email me here for an affordable quote.

 

Tip 4 Check that your website is mobile friendly

What does your website look like when you view it on your smart phone or tablet?

If your website theme isn’t mobile friendly, it will be hard to read on a smart phone or tablet, which can increase the number of people clicking away!

And from 21 April, 2015 mobile friendliness will be a Google ranking factor – surely a good reason to make sure your website is mobile friendly. Melinda Samson at Click-Winning Content explains it all here.

Need help getting your website mobile friendly? My behind the scenes WordPress goddess is Tessa Needham. But if you’re more of a DIY-er head to Helena Denley’s DIY Website Coach here.

Tip 5 Tap into the power of Google

Have you set up a listing on Google My Business yet? It’s a free listing which connects you directly with your customers wherever they’re searching for you – on Google+, Maps or Search.
Google My Business can help you build an online fan base where you customers can:
  • use the +1 button to re-share your Google+ posts,
  • endorse your content, and
  • review your business
And who doesn’t want to tap into the awesome power of Google? I love the way Google+ has helped increase my clients organic searches and helped them build an online community.
Like some advice about your Google+ business page? Email me here to schedule a FREE 15-minute Google+ coaching call.

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How to get back online after you’ve had a break

So you’ve been away from the online world for a bit.

It doesn’t matter if it was a conscious digital de-tox or your life got too busy to be on social media.

When you get back online, it can feel like you’re on the outside looking in at everyone else having fun!

It may not be as awkward as turning up to your high school formal with the same dress on as two other girls in your class – but it’s still weird.

But instead of lurking on the sidelines wondering if anyone cares or still likes you anymore, use these 3 tips to help you ease back into your online groove!

 Kylie Saunder

Tip 1 You don’t need to explain your absence

When you get back online (posting on social media, engaging with your community, blogging and commenting) it’s tempting to write a post explaining why you’ve been away.

But don’t feel like you have to tell the world that you’ve been off-line and that you’re back. Unless, you’re a high profile celebrity your absence may not have been noticed. And it’s your business to run in the way that works for you…no explanations are needed!

Resist the urge to say things like:

  • ‘I’m back and I feel so much better that I’ve had a digital break’
  • ‘I apologise for not blogging more’ or
  • ‘I should have sent this newsletter sooner but I couldn’t because…’

Tip 2 Conserve your energy

Being away from the online world for a few days or weeks will give you perspective and space – to think and create.

So once you get back online, get into the habit of consciously using your energy wisely. 

Use these questions to see if you’re wasting your energy:

  • Am I frequently checking my social media updates to see who’s plused, liked, retweeted, commented and shared my post?
  • Am I constantly scrolling on social media to see what my followers, friends, competitors and colleagues are doing and saying?
  • Am I expecting instant responses to my emails?
  • Am I providing instant responses to any emails I receive?

And if you’re finding it hard to stay away from social media, consider installing a productivity app that blocks websites for periods of time.

 

Tip 3 Go slow

Being offline for a few days, a week or a month can bring up anxieties, worries and fears – it’s common to feel like nobody wants to talk to you anymore!

Instead of scheduling a batch of posts while you wonder if anyone will read them, go slow.

Here’s a checklist you can use to slowly build up your online presence again:

  • Day 1 – 3: Set aside 10 minutes, twice a day to observe what’s going on including what topics are popular and who’s saying good stuff.
  • Day 3-5: Re-tweet, like and +1 and share any posts that stand out to you.
  • Day 6-7: Comment on any posts that interest you.
  • Day 7-14: Start to post once a day on your favourite networks – share links back to your popular blog posts or upload a photo or video that you’ve found interesting or funny
  • Day 10-12: Look at who you’re following and ask yourself whether they’re adding value; find new people to follow.
  • Day 13-14: Read your social media bio – if it could do with a makeover so it feels more like you, set aside some time to rewrite it.

Rejoining the online party doesn’t have to feel awkward – like you’ve worn the wrong clothes or have spinach in your teeth.

You can get involved as much or as little as you want because your online presence needs to serve you and your business.

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How To Create Space In Your Day

How to create space in your day

You’ve been back at work for a few weeks now.

Slipped back into the daily routine: family, business, work, friends, children, school.

The summer break may feel like it was a long, long time ago:

  • lazy mornings with no alarm clock demanding you get up,
  • beach visits,
  • space and time to do nothing, and
  • hanging out with friends.

We need more space in our day – so we can breathe in deeply and out slowly, without the pressing need to be somewhere else.

space

Breathing space is that precious pocket of time where we can get grounded and realign.

And because it’s your pocket of time, you decide what to do and for how long!

You may choose to

  • practice yoga for 20 minutes (I love these online yoga classes).
  • step away from your desk and sit outside in the sunshine while you have a coffee
  • sit under a tree with your eyes shut and your bare feet in the grass.

A recent article suggests that this pocket of time away from your desk and screen will improve your health. It says that focusing intensely on work (especially in front of a screen) can lead to bad posture, stress and muscle tightness.

Here’s the link to it.

So what’s the ‘secret’ to creating breathing space in your day?

Start today, without fanfare or a social media post declaring this is your new way of life.

Allow yourself a precious pocket of time each day, just for you…to enjoy the space.

 

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Why My Vision Board Has No Pictures

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision” Dalai Lama

If you’ve ever read or listened to experts talking about how the “Law of Attraction” or how they “manifested their future” many of them will talk about the importance of “vision-boarding”.

So what is a “vision board”?

They can help you clarify and define what you really want in life.

I like them because they:

  • Keep you focused when you’re having a bad day,
  • Can make your dreams and goals seem more achievable, and
  • Help you stay on track when distractions creep in.

But I didn’t always feel so fondly about them…

It was the early 1990’s when I was first introduced to “vision-boarding”, a workshop with lots of glossy magazines, scissors, glue and large scrapbooks.

The workshop leader had the best of intentions but as I sat there being suffocated by her “Poison” perfume I couldn’t get excited.

I looked across the table and there were pictures being cut out of Mercedes convertibles, island holidays, Rolex watches and Hollywood style mansions.

There was laughter at the next table as someone found a picture of Brad Pitt circa “Thelma and Louise”…yup she cut it out and put it as her “vision for husband”!

Fast forward to now and I’ve fallen in love with doing them MY WAY!

I figured out why the “traditional” vision boards just didn’t align with me – at all…

The ‘must have’ brands, consumer goods, large houses, massive diamonds, luxurious getaways on a boat captained by your own skipper.

Not much of this made me feel inspired…and I wonder if any of the other course participants also felt this?

The images I was “sold” as being something to strive for, to achieve, and desire felt heavy and lifeless.

But for years I kept thinking this was “the only way” to achieve what I wanted!

So what does my vision board look like now?

A purple Moleskine journal with no images!

It’s jam packed with words…phrases, sentences, quotes that make me come alive inside.

There are details of what it feels like to wake up on holiday in a luxurious resort….how I feel as I walk through the hotel lobby and realise that this is my home for the next month.

Like a “fast forward” into the future of imagining, feeling and living what that life…right now!

This is my vision board.

No fancy pictures.

No “luxury” or aspirational brands.

Because it’s not the things that make our life richer, it’s how we feel as we’re surrounded by family, friends and a peaceful sunset.

 

 

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Don’t Think, Do!

Post-it notes, to-do lists and whiteboard scrawling.

Half finished blog posts, word documents with just a few sentences on them and over 75 Evernote documents.

Looking at all this unfinished work brought up anger – the white hot anger that’s fuelled by frustration.

And then the frustration turns into waves of anxiety and panic.

That I’m wasting time, not accomplishing what I really want to.

And so I distracted myself.

Gardening, walking the dog, practicing yoga…all things that nurture my soul and align my spirit.

But the day came when the white hot anger became unbearable.

The angst-ing, over-thinking, worrying and anxious thoughts suppress creativity.

Click To Tweet

worry

I’ve seen first hand that “worrying about worrying” isn’t healthy – it’s yet another distraction.

In the vortex of worry, anxiety and frustration, it’s just not possible to escape by thinking!

Click To Tweet

And yet, this can be the default setting.

Feeling stuck and cranky can lead to more procrastinating as we try to think our way out of the grey funk.

So what’s an alternative?

As a Melburnian, sporting mad AFL football fan, I remembered this quote from one of Hawthorn Football Club’s legends.

“At least DO SOMETHING! DO! Don’t think, don’t hope, do! At least you can come off and say ‘I did this, I shepherded, I played on. At least I did something.'” John Kennedy Sr, Australian Rules football player and coach.

Taking action, whether it’s for 10 minutes or 2 hours is my new antidote.

The willingness to take action, and to then act is the first step to gaining confidence and belief again.

Belief that your creative pursuit does mean something – that it makes a difference to you, your community, the world.

Confidence that you haven’t lost your ability to create – that your creative muscle thrives and flourishes when you take action.

 

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How to tame the comparison virus

It can happen so quickly.

That crumbling of confidence and hope as envy and jealousy enter the heart.

And in the unlikeliest situations.

From standing outside your home chatting with a neighbor, seeing a social media update from a friend, reading a magazine article about “someone that you used to know”.

Or it might seep into your consciousness as you’re having a quiet morning coffee at your local cafe, slowly easing your way into the day and feeling pretty happy with your life!

When the “comparison virus” enters our head and then our heart it hurts.

Here’s some examples of what can set this virus rampant in our system:

  • “He’s bought another block of land overlooking the ocean and now I have to work with the architect to build another home…I mean I’ve got enough to do with our house in town, at the country and our other property at the beach.”
  • “She wants us to go to Europe again for 6 weeks and tour the gardens and wineries, but we did that 2 years ago…”
  • “When he graduates from university we’re giving him our apartment in town…we don’t really use it much anyway and with a rooftop pool and 3 bedrooms, we’re sure it will give him a leg up into the property market…”

Whether we’re talking to someone who has exactly what we want, have overheard a conversation or read about “someone else” our brain usually goes into the same panicked overdrive.

Before logic and cool reason can step in and take charge though, the jealous thoughts go something like this:

  • “How freaking lucky are they…why are they complaining about having more beautiful properties…and at the beach with ocean views…how ungrateful is she?”
  • “I haven’t had a decent holiday for 4 years now and he’s complaining about going to Europe for 6 weeks…*in a sarcastic tone* what a hard, awful life he must have!”
  • “So this guy finishes university, gets a great job and has property gifted to him by his wealthy parents…some people are really born into the luckiest families…why didn’t I get them for parents?”

Once we’ve cooled down though our head begins to ache as we desperately try to figure out how they’re “so lucky”.

We just want their life and we want it now goddam it!

We project ourselves:

  • Into their perfect life,
  • Walking around in their perfect beach home,
  • Travelling first class on their perfect holiday and
  • Being given the perfect apartment.

And then the “comparison virus” gets even trickier with the way it invades our mind, body and spirit.

It starts to poison us by making us believe so strongly that if we could just switch lives with them, we would be happier, wealthier, better.

But behind the facade of everyone’s life lies depths of complexities and complications that we wouldn’t want and couldn’t live with.

Their relationships with their family & friends wouldn’t suit us.

The expectations placed on them would seem ridiculous.

And if we could listen to their internal dialogue, it would be just as worried and thwarted with insecurities as our own. 

Because underneath it all we’re the same.

When the “comparison virus” starts to niggle at you, don’t judge or be deceived by outward appearances. Your life path (yup, cliched but true!) can’t be the same as the next person.

Is there an antidote available? 

The often used to “be grateful for what you have, make a list, acknowledge what’s good…” can help.  

Yet in the midst of a “comparison virus outbreak” the last thing your mind will do easily is slip into is, I’m grateful for:

  • A roof over my head,
  • Clean drinking water,
  • Healthy body….

Acknowledging that the virus has hit you is easier and will allow you to get grounded and take charge quicker. 

And a simple “hello” to what’s going can stop the thoughts of “everyone is so much better off than me” heading towards the tunnel of despair and anxiety.

What helps you?