Websites

Hello!

We switched it up with this tuneup so we could focus on your website. We are calling this a Pop-Up Web Shop because we took a deep dive into websites to quickly identify areas where it can improve. Moderated by Tin Shingle's owner, Katie Hellmuth Martin. Katie has been a website producer for over 15 years, with a specialty in creative writing for SEO (search engine optimization). Ranking highly is not about fancy tricks. It's about well placed content.

Pop-Up Web Shop Group Session TuneUp:

During this call (with video! we use GoToWebinar), we looked at your website, and those of other Tin Shingle members who came onto the call. Membership with Tin Shingle is required.

Areas We Covered:

• SEO (Google)
• Design
• Home Page
• Overall Navigation (how people get to pages on your website)

HOW TO WATCH

Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.

MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE (FREE)

Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen.

NON-MEMBERS ($65)

Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play.

We're pulling website expert Randy Caruso out of his design and development shop to tell us the truth about WordPress websites. Randy specializes in WordPress websites, and knows the pros and cons of building in WordPress versus the other options out there. Here at Tin Shingle, we have heard from business owners over the years who love - and don't love - the platform. What frightens us the most is when businesses select WordPress for their website because they think it will solve all of their problems.

Will WordPress Solve All Of Your Website Problems?

We're going to myth-bust a few of the most commonly asked questions we hear from business owners, including:

• Is WordPress the answer to my website problems? Will my online life be sunshine and rainbows?
• Does WordPress come with better SEO?
  (hint: NO! but it does have a pretty sweet plugin to help you get there)
• Shopify vs WooCommerce - which is better?
• I bought a WordPress template for $50, so I’m good, right?
• What will I need a developer for? What will I need a designer for?
• Will I enjoy logging in and making changes?
  (Hint: it depends on who sets it up for you!)
• What is WordPress hosting and why do I care?
  (Hint: there is no such thing)
• Is it true that WordPress websites get hacked into a lot?
• I like to tinker with my website. Is WordPress DIY-friendly?

Squarespace can be pretty slick, but are some pieces of the puzzle just not clicking in for you? 

Tin Shingle's co-founder Katie has been a website designer and producer for over eleven years under the company InHouse Design Media and has embraced Squarespace as one of the best DIY website platforms for businesses of large and small sizes. During this tuneup, you will get under the hood of Squarespace for a guided tour. 

Topics covered include:

• Using templates to build a unique DIY website for your brand
• Best trick ever for service businesses who want to offer commerce for services they sell.
• How to change big pieces of design in one click.
• General principles behind how Squarespace works.

Updating your Facebook page is so easy! You just take a picture and publish it!

BUT...What have you done to update your website lately? Did your home page ever see that amazing photo you shared on Facebook? Did your home page boast of that feature story the press did on your business? Or the column you were published in?

Facebook business pages are heating up, leaving websites cold. But it's your website that says the most about your business in the long run and has the most historic value for customers and the press who are digging for info and looking for reasons to trust your brand. What can you do about it? Tin Shingle's co-founders Sabina Hitchen and Katie Hellmuth Martin going to show you in this video e-class!

• The Big Squeeze at Facebook: Why your Facebook posts may not be viewed by most of your followers, and why Facebook is not a tool you want to depend on when building your client and customer base.
   
• Press: What the media looks for in your website, and how to help them find it quickly so that they can use it in their feature stories about your business.
   
• Clients: What clients and customers look for in your website, and why they won't find it on Facebook.
   
• Pictures: You will get a side by side comparison of a cold website versus a revealing Facebook page, with ideas on how to heat it up at your website. Because if you don't, the press and your customers may very well have missed your big announcement or accomplishment.
   

Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.

MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
All TuneUps are immediately available to 24/7 you with an active membership. When you are on a TuneUp page, the video or audio recording will be there, and all you need to do is press play!

NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!

Each week Tin Shingle hosts a live call-in e-class called a TuneUp that focuses on a featured topic in buzz-building. These classes can include PR, social media, SEO, blogging, newsletter strategies, and more. The e-class is recorded it to make it available as a podcast or video webinar. Our experts and special guests lead each class. We take real questions from real business owners and answer them on the spot. TuneUps are available to everyone, but are free for Tin Shingle members.

Katie Hellmuth Martin is the Co-Founder of Tin Shingle and is committed to educating small businesses in common sense, yet sexy ways of marketing through search engines, and online branding. She is also the publisher of the local blog, A Little Beacon Blog. As lead producer and digital strategist at StudioPixelated, Katie has developed e-commerce and content based websites, and devised SEO and social strategies for businesses of all types, including retail and service. She has managed the traffic flow and sales process for websites during features on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Daily Candy. Katie speaks and teaches SEO and online marketing, and has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, New York Daily News, and other publications. Connect with her on Twitter via @kjpixelated and @TinShingle, on Instagram @katiejamespixelated and @TinShingle and on Google+.