Category Archives: Notes

How do I know if you’ve read this?

If you’re reading this newsletter on my website, I don’t have a way to know if you’ve read it. Using Google Analytics, I can see statistics about how many people view this page and how much time they spend on it, from which I can infer how many people might have read it. But I… Read on…

How do I find you?

Before you can decorate your living space, you need a place to live. Before people can visit you, they’ll need directions to your location. Before people can write to you, they’ll need to know your name and address. For security, it’s a good idea to lock your doors. Before you can build your website, you… Read on…

Congrats on your website. Now what?

Now that your website is up and running, how do you let people know it exists? If you don’t already have a blog on your website, I highly recommend writing regular blog posts as a way of providing timely information about who you are and what you offer. For more details, visit my post, “Keeping… Read on…

Will you disappear from Google?

Google announced a significant change in how websites will be listed — or won’t be listed — in their search results. Google says they will only use the mobile version of your website for their search results and will no longer take into account the desktop version. A few clients have contacted me worried that their websites will disappear… Read on…

Plugins: the more the messier

When your only tool is WordPress, every problem looks like it needs a plugin. If you want to modify the behavior of WordPress or enhance speed, security and SEO — sometimes a plugin is just what you need. There are some great plugins out there, and I rely on a handful for every site I… Read on…

What is a website: analogies and metaphors

If you’re playing charades, you might use this gesture for operating a mouse to indicate that the clue is a website. If you think about it, calling it a mouse is a weird analogy. We don’t grab real mice and move them around on the table while tapping on their heads. But what is a… Read on…

Keeping your website content fresh

I hope you’re able to safely navigate these challenging and increasingly uncertain times. As people are turning more and more to the internet, I took advantage of this period to update the design of my websites Open Mode — with help from the inimitable Mark Tatro — and Paintings and Drawings by Shuchter. My main goal… Read on…

The case of the disappearing WordPress navigation bars

Typically, when you created a new page or post in WordPress, you saw a screen similar to this one. However, after the recent WordPress update, your screen may now look like this. As you can see, the black navigation bars along the top and the left have disappeared altogether. Fortunately there is a simple explanation.… Read on…

Who is this from?

Here is a screenshot of an email I recently received. However, contrary to all appearances, this email isn’t from Amazon. There are several things that make it appear legitimate at first: It closely follows the format of an Amazon email, complete with logo and small print. The order numbers look like actual orders I might… Read on…

Beware of not owning your own accounts

You probably have several accounts related to your online presence: your domain name registrar your website hosting company the website itself (e.g. your WordPress login) Perhaps you have more than one of each type of account, and you may have other accounts related to your website as well. Are all these accounts registered in your… Read on…