3sixt5.co.za/the-ultimate-web-design-checklist-things-to-do-when-launching-a-website

Following our awesome list of 101 tools for web designers and developers, it was time for actually figuring out every step needed to get a web design project done – from start to finish. So here it is – the ultimate checklist for the web designer/freelancer/agency starting a web design project. We’ve covered all the steps you need to do, from the technical and development focused, to those involving client meetings, designers, copy-writing, and everything else in between.

What have we missed? We’d love to hear your opinion!

Hey web designer + creativehuman! Need a live web design checklist?

Have you heard about 3SixT5 Design?!

It’s a tool to help web designers and creatives manage their design projects by keeping track of all tasks which you’ll need to do to get a website launched or a design project completed.

Check out 3SixT5 Now (FREE!) and see whether we can help you out!

Not sure about 3SixT5 yet? – let’s just show you the list of tasks you’d expect to find within a 3SixT5 web design project and see whether you like it a bit more…

Stage 0 – Project Start – Preparation

Is web design only about design? Not really! Although most of us love the creative part of designing and developing a website, there are quite a few things we need to do before we actually get to that. Before we get down to the nitty-gritty – we’ll need to lay the groundwork and set a few rules.

1. Setup first meetings(s) with client

2. Define and collect briefing document from client

3. Define and send project questionnaire to the client and wait for the client’s response. Iterate on doubts you have until everybody is in agreement. Finalize project questionnaire from client

4. Research client’s company to understand their brand, the way they communicate, their demographics, target audience

5. Research client’s industry to find ways of communicating specifically to the industry, strengths and weaknesses, trends and other industry specifics

6. Get quotation(s) for development effort for project

7. Get quotations(s) for design or estimate design work with your own designers

8. Get quotation(s) for copy/content or estimate work with your copywriters

9. Get quotation(s) for photography / video production or estimate effort involved

10. Get quotation(s) for Hosting / Domain, particularly if specialized hosting is involved such as VPS hosting, cloud hosting, or special hosting or environment requirements

11. Prepare and send a great web design proposal to client – use the web design quotation tool to send an itemized quotation

12. Get approval from client of proposal and features to be implemented

13. Create the Project Acceptance Form, and propose timeline with milestones

14. Send Project Acceptance Form, with timelines to client and wait for client signoff

Whenever starting out on your SEO prospecting journey you will inevitably come to the client discovery stage. Although it may seem like a cumbersome process to force your client to go through, in the long run it will become your best friend in qualifying your clients and saving you time and money. It should help you clearly understand your clients needs, goals, and expectations. The thoroughness of your SEO questionnaire should also highlight your knowledge and professionalism. This is the questionnaire that we use internally for our Cincinnati SEO company.

Our SEO questionnaire is broken down into several parts. It starts off by collecting some general company background and technical aspects of the SEO project. Afterwards, we ask for specific client content requirements and expectations. We finish up by exploring other opportunities that can help the client achieve their online goals.Table Of Contents

• General Information
  • 1. What is the name of your company?
  • 2. What does your company do?
  • 3. What sets you apart from others?
  • 4. What is your target demographic?
  • 5. Who are your main competitors?
  • 6. Is your business online only?
  • 7. Do you interact with local customers?
  • 8. Do you have multiple locations?v
• Technical Information
  • 9. Have you worked with an SEO company before? (And did they have you fill out an SEO Questionnaire like this?)
  • 10. Has your site been penalized by Google in the past?
  • 11. What type of CMS does your website currently use?
  • 12. Do you have an in-house developer or designer?
  • 13. Do you have access to Google Analytics, Adwords, and Search Console, and are you willing to share it?
  • 14. What website would you like to promote?
  • 15. Do you own other domain names?
  • 16. Have you done any backlink building before?
  • 17. Which keywords would you like to focus on?
• Content Requirements
  • 18. Do you have any content for the website?
  • 19. Has your content been optimized for SEO?
  • 20. Does your company have branding guidelines?
  • 21. Do you have a desired writing style?
• Budget and Expectations
  • 22. What is your level of understanding when it comes to SEO?
  • 23. Define your desired SEO results and KPIs?
  • 24. What is the desired time-frame for SEO results?
  • 25. What are your reporting requirements?
  • 26. What is your monthly SEO budget?
• Future Opportunities
  • 27. If necessary, are you open to website redesign?
  • 28. What is your design budget?
  • 29. Will you need us to maintain and update site and how often?
  • 30. What is your maintenance budget?
• Concluding Our SEO Questionnaire

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. What Is The Name Of Your Company?

For legal reasons, it is important to know if the company operates as an LLC, Corp, Inc, or under any DBAs (doing business as). Get this out of the way to save yourself and the client any problems in the future.

2. What Does Your Company Do?

Having the client describe their business can be very helpful in determining keywords to target and find any disconnects between marketing messaging and intentions. You will notice that this is a common theme in this SEO questionnaire.

3. What Sets You Apart From Others?

The unique value proposition (UVP) or unique selling proposition (USP) is something that every business should be using to differentiate themselves from the competition. Knowing this up front can set a clear tone for the marketing content.

4. What Is Your Target Demographic?

By knowing the ideal customer that the client wants to target, we are able to set up our Google Analytics tracking to see if we are achieving their goals.

5. Who Are Your Main Competitors?

This information collected with this SEO questionnaire can be very useful in the competitor research stage. It can tell us how competitive the clients niche is. It can also let us create backlink profiles for some competition to see the amount of work that lays ahead.

6. Is Your Business Online Only?

Online-only companies include SaaS, eCommerce, and digital goods and services. Settings up SEO campaigns for these business types will be very different then local clients.

7. Do You Interact With Local Customers?

If the business operates locally then there are many low-hanging fruit that can be used for link building. This also impacts things like schema implementation and on-page optimization for local terms.

8. Do You Have Multiple Locations?

Multi-location customers like chains and franchises can benefit greatly from local SEO. An extra emphasis has to be placed on site architecture.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

9. Have You Worked With An SEO Company Before? (And Did They Have You Fill Out An SEO Questionnaire Like This?)

If the client has worked with other SEO companies, its valuable to know what work they have done in the past. There is a chance that they have already filled out some version of an SEO questionnaire in the past that they could provide. If the on-site optimization was done well then you could spend your time focusing on other things. On the other hand, if they failed to do this correctly then there rest of the work will suffer greatly. Also, this could tell you about metrics that may have been established previously. Knowing the target KPIs can greatly help at the start of the project.

10. Has Your Site Been Penalized By Google In The Past?

Another important piece of information to have before evaluating the clients website. If there were penalties in the past then it could take a lot more work to get them removed. It also signals potential underlying issues that may have not been addressed.

11. What Type Of CMS Does Your Website Currently Use?

Using a content management system such as WordPress greatly reduces the time necessary to set up all the on-site optimization. There are various SEO and caching plug-ins on the market that make it much more efficient to work on the site. Just as important, most of the current WordPress websites come mobile optimized.

12. Do You Have An In-House Developer Or Designer?

Certain technical aspects of SEO may require significant design or structural changes to the site. If the client has an in-house developer, it can greatly reduce the time it would take to implement these changes. It is important to have their contact info from the start. On the other hand, if the client does not have an employee in place then this can be an opportunity for a long-term maintenance plan.

13. Do You Have Access To Google Analytics, Adwords, And Search Console, And Are You Willing To Share It?

Google provides these tools for free and they are extremely valuable. They can help analyze traffic to the website, help in keyword research, and help track some keyword rankings. We implement these tools on all of our customers websites if they do not have them already. Having historical data is extremely helpful in showing results of all your marketing campaigns.

14. What Website Would You Like To Promote?

This question may seem obvious but some clients can have multiple brands, domains or product websites. Use this SEO questionnaire to get a clear understanding from the start.

15. Do You Own Other Domain Names?

If the client has multiple related domains then it may be helpful to combine your SEO efforts. Also, it is important to check that the other websites are not doing any harm to the main domain.

16. Have You Done Any Backlink Building Before?

Backlinks are still the most important SEO factor when it comes to ranking a website for a specific keyword. If the client had previously had this done to their site, it is something that needs to be evaluated based on their current goals.

17. Which Keywords Would You Like To Focus On?

Some clients may know the high value keywords that matter to them. This will give you a great starting point when you start your own keyword research.

CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

18. Do You Have Any Content For The Website?

This portion of the SEO questionnaire should give you a general idea of potential content problems. If the client has an established website then most likely it has some copy and images on the site. The quality can vary greatly and may need to be tweaked or redone completely.

19. Has Your Content Been Optimized For SEO?

Just because the content exist does not mean that it is properly optimized for SEO purposes. Keywords may need to be added or removed, images may have to be compressed, or entire pages can end up being created all together.

20. Does Your Company Have Branding Guidelines?

This can include logos, color schemes, and fonts and are especially important to keep in mind when optimizing website images. Since images are not as easily editable as plain text, getting this right from the start is extremely important.

21. Do You Have A Desired Writing Style?

Another thing to consider is the tone that the website copy will take. Brands can have strict requirements for the tone they want to have for their site content.

BUDGET AND EXPECTATIONS

22. What Is Your Level Of Understanding When It Comes To SEO?

If the client has very limited understanding of SEO then it is crucial that the basic process is explained. Hopefully, this SEO questionnaire can help them to start considering the different aspects of SEO. You can’t ask someone to pay for a service when they don’t know what they are paying for and you certainly can’t ask them to appreciate the results either. Just as important, you can not set clear expectations if the person doesn’t understand the process.

23. Define Your Desired SEO Results And KPIs?

Goals always have to be put in place so that you know what you are striving for. Asking for KPIs will give you an opportunity to track them and present your results back to the client.

24. What Is The Desired Time-Frame For SEO Results?

Since many factors of SEO are beyond our control, it is imperative that realistic expectations are set from the start. If a client has set unrealistic results and an unrealistic time-frame to achieve them then this is a big red flag. Unless you are able to educate the client before taking on the project, you will have an uphill battle for the duration of your SEO relationship.

25. What Are Your Reporting Requirements?

Monthly reports are the industry standard but some clients may like to receive weekly or biweekly reports instead. This is the time to set clear expectations on the frequency of the reports.

26. What Is Your Monthly SEO Budget?

This may be the most important question when it comes to the scope of what can be achieved for the client and whether you can work with them at all. SEO is a long and time consuming process and requires a long-term commitment if you are serious about real results.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

27. If Necessary, Are You Open To Website Redesign?

Sometimes a website may need to be updated to keep up with the times and sometimes it is almost mandatory. The user experience matters now more than before so if the website no longer looks trustworthy, behaves slowly, doesn’t work on mobile devices, or has other performance issues, then the only real solution is a complete design overhaul.

28. What Is Your Design Budget?

Unfortunately, many SEO clients don’t expect that they would need to redesign their website so they do not budget for it. This can make it nearly impossible to achieve great SEO results since it is difficult to get the website optimized. They may potentially have to spend a budget that is worth several months of SEO services to get the new website up to the latest standards. Hopefully, this SEO questionnaire helps them to reconsider.

29. Will You Need Us To Maintain And Update Site And How Often?

Once the site is up and running, the client needs to decide if they will take care of the updates, security, and site maintenance or if they need to outsource it. If the site requires frequent updates like price changes, schedule updates, media uploads or anything else then training an internal employee may be the best option.

30. What Is Your Maintenance Budget?

As previously mentioned, frequent site updates can get expensive so employee training may be the most cost-effective route to take. However, if the client wants basic site security, hosting, and updates, then this is something that can easily outsourced.

WordPress Multisite is a popular feature of WordPress, which enables you to create and run multiple websites using the same WordPress installation on your server. In other words, you can manage several different WordPress websites from a single dashboard.

However, people are sometimes unsure of how to use this feature. This guide will help to clear up questions related to what WordPress Multisite is, who needs it, and how to install it.

Let’s start with the basics.

1. What Is WordPress Multisite?

WordPress Multisite is a feature that allows you to create and run multiple WordPress websites from a single WordPress dashboard. It was previously called WordPress Multi-User or WPMU. WordPress Multisite is not a new feature. It is an advanced feature on the WordPress platform that has been around since the launch of WordPress 3.0. You can use it for a variety of purposes, such as updating all of your websites with a single click or charging your subscribers to create a website on your Multisite network.

2. Key Features Of WordPress Multisite

WordPress Multisite comes with various unique features. For starters, you can run a network of blogs and websites from a single WordPress installation. It enables you to create a network of subdomains, like http://john.example.com, or directories, like http://www.example.com/john/. Alternatively, you can also have a separate domain for each website on the network. It is also easier to replicate functionality across a network of websites.

In WordPress Multisite, you can control the entire network as a Super Admin. As a regular website admin, you can control only one website on the network. As a Super Admin, you control the accessibility of users who want to create an account and set up WordPress blogs or websites of their own.

A Super Admin can install new themes and plugins, make them available to the websites on the network, and also customize the themes for all websites. Another feature is the ability to create websites and online shops intended for specific languages, regions, and currencies.

Both the Super Admin and the website admin can control content. While this control extends over the entire network for a Super Admin, the website admin has the right to choose which content from the main domain gets displayed on their respective website. Plugins are also under the control of a Super Admin. However, a website admin can activate and deactivate plugins on their website if required.

3. Who Should And Shouldn’t Use WordPress Multisite?

Although WordPress Multisite offers several features, it is not always the right choice. The main concern is that the websites on a Multisite network would share the same database. In other words, you can’t back up only a single website. That’s why all of the websites on a network must belong to the same principal domain.

Let me explain with an example. A university could use WordPress Multisite to build different websites for each department, for student and faculty member blogs, and for forums. Because the websites would share their database with the university’s main domain, they would be easier to manage on a Multisite network.

Likewise, banks and financial institutions with a national or global network of branches, digital publications with multiple content sections, government offices with multiple departments, hotel chains, stores with multiple outlets, e-commerce companies, and website design companies such as Wix could also use a Multisite network to their advantage.

However, a web designer couldn’t use Multisite to manage several unrelated client projects. If one of the clients decided to move their website elsewhere, it would be a problem because the website would be sharing its database with others on the network. Multisite makes it difficult to back up an individual website on the network. You would be better off using a single installation in this case.

4. Pros And Cons Of WordPress Multisite

Now that we know who should and shouldn’t use WordPress Multisite, let’s look at the technical pros and cons. You’ll need to weigh them carefully before making a decision.

PROS

• The main advantage is the ability to manage multiple websites from a single dashboard. This is useful if you are running multiple websites managed by different teams under one parent domain, such as an e-commerce store with different country-specific sub-sites.
• However, you can also assign a different admin to each website on your network.
• With a single download, you can install and activate plugins and themes for all of the websites on your network.
• You can also manage updates with a single master installation for all of the websites on your network.

CONS

• Because all of the websites share the same network resources, they will all go down if the network goes down.
• A sudden increase in traffic to one website will affect all others on the network. Unfortunately, beginners often find it difficult to manage traffic and server resources on a Multisite network.
• Similarly, if one website gets hacked, the entire network will get compromised.
• Not all WordPress plugins support a Multisite network.
• Likewise, not all web hosting providers have the tools necessary to support a Multisite network.
• If your hosting provider lacks the server requirements, you won’t be able to use the Multisite feature. For example, some hosting providers might not allow you to add a domain to the same hosting server. In that case, you might need to change or upgrade your hosting plan or change providers.

5. Requirements For WordPress Multisite

Knowing the technical pros and cons, you must have decided whether Multisite is the right option for you. If you are going to use it, you will need to meet a few technical requirements first.

One of the first things you will need is a web hosting service provider that can handle multiple domains in a single web hosting plan. Although you could use shared hosting for a couple of websites with low traffic, you should use VPS hosting or a dedicated server, owing to the nature of the WordPress Multisite network.

You will also need to have the fundamental knowledge of how to install WordPress. It would be an added advantage if you already have a WordPress installation. However, you will need to back it up. You will also need to deactivate all of the plugins.

Make sure you have FTP access. You will need to know the basics of editing files using FTP as well. Finally, you will need to activate pretty permalinks. In other words, your URLs should look not like http://example.com/?p=2345, but like http://example.com/my-page.

6. Multisite Domain Mapping

By default, you can create additional websites on your Multisite network as subdomains or subfolders of the main website. They look like this:

subsite.network.com

or like this:

network.com/subsite

However, you might not always want this, because you will be required to create a unique domain name for each website. That’s where domain mapping comes to the rescue. You can use this feature within the Multisite network to map additional websites to show as domain.com. Using domain mapping, this is what you will see:

subsite.network.com = domain.com

or:

network.com/subsite = domain.com

Prior to WordPress 4.5, you had to use a domain mapping plugin to map the additional websites. However, in version 4.5+, domain mapping is a native feature.

7. Multisite Hosting And SSL

As you probably know, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) enables you to transport data over the internet securely. The data remains undecipherable to malicious users, bots, and hackers.

However, some hosting providers offer free SSL certification for the main domain only. You might need to buy it separately for each subdomain. If one of the websites on your multisite network lacks SSL certification, it will compromise the security of all the other websites. Thus, ensure that all websites on your WordPress Multisite network have SSL certificates.

8. Installing And Setting Up WordPress Multisite For New And Existing Websites

First, you will need to install WordPress. Once it’s installed, you will need to enable the Multisite feature. You can also enable it on your existing WordPress website. Before doing so, however, back up your website.

• • Use an FTP client or the cPanel file manager to connect with your website, and open the wp-config.php file for editing.
  • Add the following code to your wp-config.php file just before the /*:

/* Multisite */
define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );

• Now, save and upload your wp-config.php file back to the server.
• That’s all!

Next, you will need to set up the Multisite network. If you are already logged into your WordPress dashboard, refresh the page to continue with the next steps. If not, you will need to log in again.

• • When setting up the Multisite network on your existing website, you will need to deactivate all plugins. Go to the “Plugins” » “Installed Plugins” page, and select all plugins. Select the “Deactivate” option from the “Bulk Actions” dropdown menu, and click “Apply”.

• • Now, go to “Tools” » “Network Setup”. If you see a notice that you need Apache’s mod_rewrite module installed on your server, don’t be alarmed. All leading WordPress hosting providers keep this module enabled.

• • Choose the domain structure for websites on your network, either subdomains or subdirectories.
  • Add a title for your network.
  • Make sure that the email address for the network admin is correct.
  • Click the “Install” button.
  • You will see some code that you have to add to the wp-config.php and .htaccess files, respectively. Use an FTP client or the file manager in cPanel to copy and paste the code.

The set-up is complete. You will need to log in again to access your Multisite network.

9. WordPress Multisite Configuration And Other Settings

Hold on! You still need to configure the network settings, for which you will need to switch to the Multisite network dashboard.

• Open the “My Sites” menu in the admin toolbar. Click the “Network Admin” option, and then click the “Dashboard” option to go to the Multisite network dashboard.
• Click the “Settings” option in the admin sidebar. You will see your website’s title and the admin’s email address. Make sure they are correct before moving on to a few essential configuration settings.

A. REGISTRATION SETTINGS

This setting enables you to open your website to user registration and allows existing users to create new websites on your network. Check the appropriate box.

If you check the “Registration Notification” box, you will receive an email notification whenever a new user or website gets registered. Check the “Add New Users” option to enable individual website administrators to add new users to their own websites.

Use the “Limited Email Registration” option to restrict registration to a specific domain. For example, allow only users from your company to register with your website. Likewise, you can also prevent some domains from being registered.

B. NEW WEBSITE’S SETTINGS

Here, you can configure the default options, such as welcome emails and the contents of the first default post, page, and comment, for every new website built on your Multisite network. You can update these settings anytime.

C. UPLOAD SETTINGS

You can limit the total amount of space each website on your network can use for uploads. This will help you to delegate server resources judiciously. The default value is 100 MB. You can also set the type of files that users can add to their websites, such as images, .doc, .docx, and .odt files, audio and video files, and PDFs. You can also set a size limit for individual files.

D. MENU SETTINGS

This setting enables the administrative menu for the plugins section of your network’s websites. Once you enable this setting, users will be able to activate and deactivate plugins, but won’t be able to add new ones. Click “Save Changes” to apply the changes you have made.

10. Resources: Setting Up Themes And Plugins

Because individual website administrators can’t install themes and plugins on their own, you will need them to set up on the network.

A. THEMES

Go to “My Sites” » “Network Admin” » “Themes”.

On this page, you will see a list of the themes currently installed. Use the following settings to make your desired changes.

• “Network Enable”: Make the theme available to website administrators.
• “Network Disable”: Disable a theme that you have previously made available.
• “Add New”: Install a new theme on your network.

CHANGE A DEFAULT THEME

Add the following code to your wp-config.php file to change the default theme for new websites (replacing your-theme with the name of the theme’s folder):

// Setting default theme for new sites
define( 'WP_DEFAULT_THEME', 'your-theme' );

B. PLUGINS

Go to “My Sites” » “Network Admin” » “Plugins”.

Click the “Network Activate” option below each plugin to add it to your network. Remember that if you have already enabled the “Plugins Menu” option for website administrators in the “Network Settings”, then admins will not be able to delete or install new plugins. However, they will be able to activate and deactivate existing plugins.

11. How To Add A New Website To The Multisite Dashboard

Go to “My Sites” » “Network Admin” » “Sites”.

Click the “Add New” button.

Fill in the following fields.

• Add the address (URL) for your new website.
• Enter your “Site Title”.
• Enter the email address of the new website’s administrator.

Click the “Add Site” button to finish the process.

12. Google Analytics On WordPress Multisite

You can also generate Google Analytics code for all pages on all of the websites on your Multisite network. If you haven’t already done so, create a Google Analytics account, and sign into it.

• Start by creating a property to set up a Google Analytics ID. You will need this ID to install your global site tag (gtag.js).
• Next, find your Google Analytics ID in the “Property” column of the relevant account in the “Admin” section of your Analytics account.
• Now, you can copy and paste the global site tag on the relevant web pages. Add the gtag.js tag right after the opening <head> tag. You can have different analytics code for each website on the network, and the Super Admin can manage all of them if needed.

13. Setting Up On Local Host

You can use any WAMP or LAMP software to set up WordPress Multisite on a local system. You’ll need to follow the same steps you did to host a website. However, take care with the domain mapping. You can easily set up a subdirectory website in the local system, but to set up a subdomain or a different domain, you’ll need to set up virtual host on the WAMP or LAMP server.

14. Useful Plugins For WordPress Multisite And How They Work

You can use a variety of plugins to ensure the smooth operation of your Multisite network.

A. Domain Mapping
This plugin enables you to offer each website on your network its own domain name.

B. WPForms
Create different forms using a simple drag-and-drop tool.

C. Yoast SEO
Optimize the websites on your network for better search engine results. Yoast is a well-known name in the SEO world.

D. Pro Sites
Offer paid upgrades, advertising, and more, thereby monetizing your Multisite network. You can restrict the features of the free website, encouraging users to upgrade.

E. SeedProd
Add customized “Coming soon” and “maintenance mode” landing pages. This will jazz up the network while administrators work on their websites.

F. WP Mail SMTP
Fix the “WordPress is not sending email” issue with this plugin. It allows you to use an SMTP server to send crucial Multisite registration and notification emails.

G. User Switching
Using this plugin, you can switch user accounts as network admin to see what your users are experiencing when working on their websites. It can help you to troubleshoot some functionality issues.

15. Troubleshooting And FAQs

A. TROUBLESHOOTING

When setting up a Multisite network, you might encounter a few common problems. Let’s see how to troubleshoot these issues.

I. Login Issues

You might encounter a wp-admin login issue If you are using WordPress Multisite with subdirectories, rather than subdomains. If you are not able to log into the WordPress back end for individual websites with subdirectories, you can try replacing the define ('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true); line in wp-config.php file with define ('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', 'false');.

II. Find Unconfirmed Users

Sometimes, you might not be able to find registered users who haven’t received an activation email. Usually, poorly configured mail settings are responsible for this problem. You can use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to send activation emails. The PHP Mail function might send emails to the junk folder due to unauthorized email sending. Instead, you can use SMTP with proper domain authentication to get emails delivered to the inbox. Use any SMTP service provider, such as MailGun or Gmail.

B. FAQS

1. Can I install plugin “X” in my WordPress Multisite?

Yes, you can install any plugin in Multisite. However, not all plugins support Multisite. Check the plugin’s support before installing it.

2. Can I share user logins and roles across a Multisite network?

Yes, you can share user logins and roles across multiple websites. This comes in handy if you want website admins to manage the content on their own websites in your Multisite network.

3. Is it possible to display the main website’s posts on all websites on the network?

Yes, you can show your main website’s posts across the network.

4. If I am a Super Admin, can I log into all network websites with a single ID?

Yes, Super Admins can use the same credentials to sign into all network websites.

5. As a Super Admin, can I log into another network’s websites?

No, you can’t sign into networks other than your own.

6. Can I add more websites to my network later?

Yes, you can add as many websites as you want, anytime you want.

7. Can I use different plugins for each website, such as Yoast for one and All in One SEO for another?

Yes, you can use different plugins with similar functionality for different websites. However, you must set the plugin for the specific website you want. If you activate it for the entire Multisite network, it will work on all websites automatically.

8. Can I install a plugin on an individual website?

No, you cannot install a plugin directly on an individual website. You have to install it on the network. However, you can activate or deactivate it for a specific website.

9. Can I create a theme and apply it to a specific website?

Yes, you can create as many themes as you like. You can also activate or deactivate themes as a website’s admin.

16. WordPress Multisite Examples

Here are a few well-known brands using a WordPress Multisite network.

• OpenView Venture Partners
  OpenView Venture Partners is a venture capital firm. The company uses a Multisite installation to run three different websites, including the corporate website, the corporate blog, and a multi-author blog called Labs. The company runs the last two websites under the subdomains blog.openviewpartners.com and labs.openviewpartners.com. Each website has a centralized theme that works perfectly.
• The University of British Columbia Blogs
  The University of British Columbia (UBC) also uses WordPress Multisite. The purpose here is to enable professors to create course websites, build blogs with multiple contributors, and create portfolios for students as well as staff members. The WordPress Multisite installation gives teachers complete control over their online communities. They can add as many students as they like and take teaching beyond the walls of the classroom.
• Cheap Flights
  Cheapflights is a travel website, offering flight tickets, hotel bookings, and vacation packages. The website uses WordPress Multisite to power its Travel Tips section. The section covers the latest travel news, tips on flying, information on the best places to travel to, and more.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, WordPress Multisite comes with several advantages. You can control and manage several websites from a single dashboard. It can certainly reduce your legwork and make your website monitoring hassle-free. Hopefully, you now have enough knowledge on installing, troubleshooting, and working with applications on a Multisite network to take the plunge.

Have you ever used WordPress Multisite? Will you consider using it for future projects? Let us know in the comments section below.

Domain name is essentially your website’s equivalent of a physical address. In the same way that a satellite navigation needs a street address or a zip code to provide directions, a web browser needs a domain name to direct you to a website.

A domain name takes the form of two main elements. For example, the domain name Facebook.com consists of the website’s name (Facebook) and the domain name extension (.com). When a company (or a person) purchases a domain name, they’re able to specify which server that the domain name points to.

Domain name registrations are overseen by an organization called ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN specifies which domain name extensions are available and keeps a centralized database of where the domain names point to.

Every website that you visit effectively consists of two main elements: a domain name and a web server.

1. A web server is a physical machine that hosts the files and the databases that your website is made from and sends them out to people across the internet when they visit your site from their machine.
2. The domain name is what people type in to access your site, and it points the web browser to the server that stores those resources. Without a domain name, people would need to remember the specific IP address of your server — and that’s just not going to happen.

How Do Domains Work?

Domain names work by acting as a shortcut to the server that hosts your website.

Without a domain name, anyone who wanted to visit your website would have to enter the full IP address. But the problem is that an IP address is difficult for people to memorise or to include on advertising materials.

In our case, 3sixt5.co.za is the domain name. Let’s say it points IP address is 100.90.80.70. The IP address points to a server, but it doesn’t resolve the website if visitors try to use it. That’s because for an IP address to resolve a website, the remote server needs to be using port 80 with a default page (i.e. index.html) stored in its web-apps directory.

As you can see, messing around with server defaults and IP addresses can be both confusing and time-consuming. That’s why the vast majority of website owners opt to use a service like 3sixt5 which offers bundled domain names with annual web hosting packages.

Domains can also use redirects, which essentially allow you to specify that if people visit your domain, they’re automatically forwarded to another. This can be useful for campaigns and microsites or for forwarding people to dedicated landing pages on your main site. They can also come in useful for avoiding confusion around spellings. For example, if you visit www.fb.com, you’ll be forwarded to www.facebook.com.

Different Types of Domains

Not all domain names follow the same formula, and while .com domains make up for 46.5% of all global websites, that still leaves plenty of room for other domain name types like .org and .net. Overall, the most common types of domain names include:

TLD: Top Level Domains

A top level domain is exactly what it sounds like: a type of domain name which is at the top level of the internet’s domain name system. There are over a thousand TLDs available but the most common include .com, .org, .net and .edu.

The official list of TLDs is maintained by an organization called the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and can be viewed here. IANA notes that the list of TLDs also includes ccTLDs and gTLDs, which we’ll talk about next.

ccTLD: Country Code Top Level Domains

ccTLDs use just two letters and are based upon international country codes, such as .us for the United States and .jp for Japan. They’re often used by companies which are building dedicated sites for specific regions and can be a good way of signaling to users that they’ve arrived at the right place.

gTLD: Generic Top Level Domain

A gTLD is essentially a TLD that doesn’t rely on a country code. Many gTLDs are intended for a specific use-case, such as .edu which is aimed at educational institutions. That said, you don’t have to meet any specific criteria to register a gTLD, which is why .com isn’t only used for commercial purposes.

Other examples of gTLDs include .mil (military), .gov (government), .org (for non-profits and organizations) and .net, which was originally designed for internet service providers (ISPs) but which is now used much more widely.

Other Domain Name Types

While the above-mentioned domain categories are the most frequent, there are other variations that you can run into.

Second Level Domains

You’ve probably seen these domain names before. We’re talking about a domain that sits directly below a top-level domain name. We’re not going to get too technical here because it’s easier to show with examples, particularly when it comes to country codes.

For example, British companies occasionally use .co.uk instead of .com, and it’s a perfect example of a second level domain. Another second level domain is .gov.uk, which is often used by governmental institutions, and .ac.uk, which is used by academic institutions and universities.

Subdomains

Subdomains are useful because they don’t require webmasters to purchase an additional domain name to create divisions within their site. Instead, they’re able to create a subdomain which effectively points to a specific directory on the server. This can be super useful for campaign sites and other types of web content that should be kept separate from the main site.

For example, Facebook uses developers.facebook.com to provide specific information for web and app developers who want to use the Facebook API. Another great example is support.google.com

How to Register a Domain Name

Different name providers use different systems and so while this answer covers what the process typically looks like, it may differ slightly depending on the provider.

You’ll usually start by running a domain name search. Most domain name providers will allow you to type in your desired domain name and to see whether it’s available. Here on 3sixt5, we also provide plenty of suggestions for other potential domain names, which can be useful when the domain that you searched for was already taken.

From there, it’s just a case of completing the checkout process and paying for your new domain name. Once it’s registered, you’ll be given access to a control panel with all the essential management tools.

How to Transfer a Domain Name

Domain names can also be transferred between registrars. Though there are a few special conditions that must be met:

1. 60 or more days must have passed since the registration or last transfer.
2. The domain must not be in Redemption or Pending Delete status.
3. You should have your domain’s authorization code (also known as EPP code).
4. Domain’s ownership details must be valid and privacy protection services must be disabled.

While it is not mandatory to transfer your domain, having all services in a single place can greatly simplify the management process.

Here on 3sixt5, you can perform a domain transfer from any registrar. The process can take somewhere between 4-7 days to be fully completed. However, our dedicated customer success team will be there to assist every step of the way!

Difference Between a Domain Name and Web Hosting

Going back to the start of this article, if the domain name is like your physical address then web hosting is like the physical building and the contents stored within.

Domain names are used to create a handy little shortcut to link what visitors type into an address bar to the server that’s used to host the website. They’re entirely digital and stored in a centralised database.

Hosting is a little different because it requires a physical server that’s located somewhere in the world and connected to the internet. It’s essentially like a computer hard drive that stores all of your website’s files and databases. It’s called a server because it literally “serves” your website to your visitors.

When you type a URL (i.e. www.3sixt5.co.za) into your web browser, it sends a request to the specific server that your site is hosted on. The server then uploads the files and transmits them across the internet to the device that you’re using, which downloads the files and displays them.

So, What is a Domain Name?

Domain name is essentially the web hosting equivalent of a postal address. Here’s what you need to know:

1. A domain name is your website’s equivalent of a street address.
2. They consist of a website name (i.e. 3sixt5) and a domain name extension (i.e. .com).
3. All domain name registrations are overseen by ICANN.
4. Domains work by forwarding visitors to the appropriate server.
5. .com domains are the most popular, powering 46.5% of the web.
6. ccTLDs use country codes and designate geographic areas (i.e. .cn or .es).
7. gTLDs tend to be designed for specific use cases (i.e. .org for organizations).
8. Every domain name registrar has a different signup process.
9. You can use domain search engines to find available domain names.
10. Domains can be transferred from one provider to another.
11. Servers are physical machines which store your website’s files.
12. If you need help, our support team will be more than happy to help.

Final Word

In this tutorial, we’ve learned all there is to know about domain names and how they work. We have also covered the basics of domain transfer and registration process.

If you have any extra domain name related questions, feel free to submit them in the comments below!

Today’s consumers rely on search engines to help them find everything from restaurant recommendations to B2B software providers.

This means that regardless of what your business offers, your target audience is likely searching for products or services like yours on search engines like Google.

And if you want to attract them to your site, you need search engine optimization.

But if you’ve spent much time researching your options with digital marketing, you’ve probably heard that before.

Once you’ve accepted this, though, the next logical question is how to do search engine optimization.

That’s why on this page, we’ll explain exactly what makes SEO so important, as well as a few search engine optimization techniques and search engine optimization tools you can use to increase your online visibility.

An Introduction to SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a strategy for improving your site’s rankings in search engine results.

It involves identifying which keywords and phrases your target audience uses when looking for products or services like yours, then working towards ranking well for those searches.

Of course, this is a simplified explanation — and you can check out our resource on “what is SEO” for a more in-depth look at search engine optimization.

8 Reasons Why Your Website Needs SEO Optimization

Today, SEO is an essential part of any effective marketing strategy.

But to fully illustrate its importance, let’s go over a few of the reasons you should be optimizing your site.

It can help you build your brand

Although branding is often considered a more traditional marketing strategy, while SEO falls firmly into the digital category, the two involve similar steps.

Building a brand requires considering both what you provide, and what others say about it.

And when you look at the steps involved in optimizing a site, the factors are similar. You need to create content that’s in line with your audience’s needs and interests, then find ways to earn links to that content from other sites.

If you keep this relationship in mind as you develop your SEO strategy, you can select keywords and create content that’s in line with the image you want your brand to have.

Then, your online presence will reflect your ideal branding — and help you establish it with your target audience.

An optimized website earns more traffic

On the surface, the goal of SEO optimization is to improve your site’s rankings in search results.

But beyond that, the purpose of achieving high rankings is to attract more traffic — and ideally, to convert that traffic into customers and leads.

And in case you were wondering, it works.

For example, just take a look at the following organic traffic report from a Siege Media case study.

Over the course of one year, this brand new site’s traffic increased from zero to 100,000 visitors — entirely from SEO.

If you want to bring more users to your site, SEO is the best way to accomplish this goal.

SEO doesn’t require you to pay for ad space

One of the biggest advantages of SEO is that it doesn’t involve paying for ad space.

Consider how traditional ad campaigns operate.

You determine a location you want your brand to appear, whether that’s on a particular TV channel or radio station, or in the pages of a magazine or newspaper.

Then, you pay the company that owns that media for placement. You might pay for your ad to run for a certain length of time, or within a certain number of issues. As soon as that period is up, your ad stops appearing — and stops generating results for your business.

Now, consider the various pages that appear in search engine results.

The top two listings in this screenshot are pay-per-click, or PPC, ads, as denoted by the small “Ad” tag.

Much like traditional ad campaigns, earning one of these spots involving ongoing costs.

Of course, if you’re familiar with PPC, you know that advertisers only pay when a user clicks an ad and visits their site. This certainly gives it an edge over traditional methods.

Still, every visitor involves a cost — and the minute an advertiser pauses their campaign, they stop showing up.

But the sites appearing in the organic results, directly below those ads, aren’t paying a cent for those rankings.

While they likely invested a significant amount of time and money into creating the pages that are ranking in those spots, they appear on page one because Google’s algorithm thinks they provide value to users.

As a result, they’re earning traffic without spending a cent.

It helps your target audience find your site

SEO can help your business get in front of your target audience as they’re actively searching for information.

And considering how common it is for consumers to use search engines to find information about products and services, this is a huge opportunity.

In fact, 62% of consumers turn to search engines first when they want to learn more about a new business, product, or service — and 41% use them when they’re ready to buy.

This means that if you want your business to be part of a user’s online research process, it needs to show up in search results for keywords related to the products or services you offer.

Plus, according to that same survey, 48% of consumers prefer to visit a business’s official website to learn more about them.

So having a strong online presence will not only help you reach your marketing goals but will also enable your target audience to research and buy in a way that works for them.

It boosts your credibility and authority

The Internet has drastically changed what the sales process looks like for many businesses.

That’s because today, consumers have access to a wealth of helpful resources that can help them learn about their options before they speak with a sales representative.

And with SEO optimization, you can become part of that learning process.

That’s especially true if you combine your SEO efforts with content marketing. When you create informative, valuable content, you have the opportunity to build trust and credibility with potential customers early in the research phase.

Here’s a general overview of how this works:

First, a user finds your site by searching for information related to your industry and seeing one of your resources in the search results.

Then, they read that resource. If they like it, they might share it with their friends and subscribe to your email list.

This is where the process slows down a bit.

That user might return to your site several times and read your email content regularly over the next few months without taking action.

And if you’re used to the traditional sales process, this can be frustrating.

But with each piece of content they read, you’re establishing your brand as a credible, authoritative source of information.

Then, when they’re finally ready to make a purchase or speak with a sales representative, they’ll know exactly which company to turn to — and be extremely comfortable doing so after all of the helpful information you’ve already provided for free.

It can help you stay ahead of your competitors

As you optimize your site, you’re not just working to improve where your site ranks on results pages.

You’re also moving above your competitors.

Just consider that the first result on any given results page gets an average of 20.5% of the clicks. From there, the second result gets 13.32%, and the third gets 13.14%.

This means that as you move up in search results, you’ll earn a larger percentage of the clicks for your target keywords — and your competitors will earn less.

It improves user experience

Google’s ultimate goal is to provide the best possible results for their users.

As a result, many of their algorithm updates focus on making sure that they’re directing users to sites that not only provide relevant content, but also a great user experience.

That’s why today, technical factors like mobile-friendliness, usability, and site speed play a much bigger role in rankings than ever before.

While this means that optimizing your site might require a bit more professional help, it also means that you’ll be continuously improving the user experience your site provides.

And when you consider the impact that user experience has on conversions, this can have a significant impact on your sales and revenue in the long run.

It’s easy to measure

Finally, one of the biggest advantages of SEO is that you can measure virtually every aspect of your results.

Unlike traditional methods, which often rely on looking for correlations between ad campaigns and sales, it’s easy to see the return you’re getting from your SEO investment.

You can use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your traffic, referral sources, conversions, and any other metric that matters to your business.

This way, you can accurately evaluate what’s working — and what isn’t — and be confident that you’re allocating your marketing budget to the strategies that have the biggest impact on your most important goals.

How to Do Search Engine Optimization In 2018

The basic premise of SEO has always been the same: Improve rankings in search results.

But as Google continues to update its algorithm, the exact steps required to achieve this goal have also changed over time.

So although the general idea remains the same, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind as you optimize your site in 2018.

Focus on the user

Google’s algorithm updates are almost impossible to predict.

The company is highly secretive about the changes it makes to its algorithm, sometimes even after they happen — so it can be difficult to keep up with those changes.

Still, every update has one thing in common. They’re all designed to help the search engine provide the best possible results for searchers.

So as you work on improving your site, always remember to keep your focus on the user.

Choose topics that are relevant to their needs, write content in a way that’s helpful and straightforward, and make sure that your site is easy to navigate and engage with.

This way, even though there’s no way to tell what Google’s next move will be, you’ll be working with the same core goal in mind — and that can only work in your favor.

Use keyword optimization

Search engines have used keywords as a consideration in how they rank pages from the beginning, and they’re still an important factor today.

You can learn more about the role they play in our resource on on-page SEO.

Optimize your site for the mobile-first index

One of the biggest changes in how people browse the Internet over the past few years is the devices with which we access online content.

In the early days of SEO, the only way to access a search engine was on a desktop computer.

Today, an increasing number of users browse on smartphones, tablets, and other devices. In fact, mobile Internet usage surpassed desktop for the first time in 2016.

It makes sense, then, that Google would take steps to make sure that their results prioritized pages that were accessible on mobile devices.

Their first step, in April 2015, was to boost mobile-friendly pages in search results. This change was so significant that many SEOs referred to it as “Mobilegeddon.”

But in 2016, Google took things a step farther by announcing that it would be switching to a mobile-first index.

This represented a reverse in how they’ve historically categorized and ranked pages, a shift illustrated nicely by this graphic from Moz.

Essentially, Google has always indexed and ranked pages based on how they appeared on desktop computers. This meant that their results typically reflected the best pages for desktop users — which made sense when these users made up the majority of their audience.

But if any of those pages performed poorly on smartphones, they’d be delivering a poor user experience for mobile users.

So to keep up with the increasing number of users accessing online content on smartphones, tablets, and other devices, Google reversed the process.

With this shift, they’ve started to rank pages based on the best results for mobile users.

This means that if a site doesn’t perform well on smartphones, its rankings will suffer — even in desktop results.

SEO Optimization Tools

As you work towards improving your site’s online visibility, there are plenty of tools you can use to simplify and improve the process.

Tools to improve your keyword research

Keyword research is the first step in any successful SEO strategy, and there are several tools designed specifically to help you identify the best possible keywords for your business:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Ubersuggest
• KeywordTool.io

You can learn more about each of these tools in our resource on how to do keyword research.

Tools to simplify on-page optimization

Optimizing a page’s on-page elements is an essential part of the SEO process, and the following tools can help you ensure that you do so correctly:

• SEMrush
• Screaming Frog
• Redirect Path

For more information on each of these tools, take a look at our guide to on-page SEO.

Tools to improve off-page optimization

Another essential part of SEO is off-page optimization, which primarily involves earning backlinks.

Competitor research is one of the best ways to identify new opportunities for link building, and these two tools are both excellent choices for that process:

• Ahrefs
• Open Site Explorer

You can learn more about these tools and how to use them in our resource on off-page SEO.

Tools to monitor your results

As you make changes to your site, it’s important to measure the impact those changes make. These are two of the best tools for monitoring your results:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console

You can learn how to utilize these tools in our guide to seo metrics.

Tools to improve your conversion rate

Your goal with SEO isn’t just to attract traffic — it’s to convert that traffic into customers and clients for your business. As a result, you’ll need to make sure that your site is in line with your visitors’ needs and designed to encourage conversions.

The following tools can help you measure your performance and identify opportunities for improvement:

• GTMetrix
• Crazy Egg

For more information, check out our resource on CRO and SEO.

Conclusion

Optimizing a site is a complex, and often challenging, process.

It takes time, planning, and a lot of patience to achieve the results you want with search engine optimization.

But if you’re willing to invest the resources it takes to create and carry out a well-planned strategy, the results you’ll see in terms of sales and revenue are entirely worth it.

It can help you boost your credibility, earn more traffic, and improve your online visibility.

Plus, you’ll achieve all of those results with spending a cent on ad space.

Beyond that, SEO is a great way improve the overall experience your target audience has with your brand. When you create content that’s in line with their needs, then make it easily accessible on a user-friendly site, you position your company as a helpful resource.

Finally, as you work on your site’s optimization, it’s easy to monitor and measure your results — meaning you’ll never have to worry on whether you’re allocating your digital marketing budget effectively.

So if you’ve been wondering why your site needs search engine optimization, the answer is clear: it’s one of the best ways to reach your marketing goals.

What motivated you to start using SEO for your website?

Purchase your domain and hosting from us Click Here

There are a lot of businesses out there that still use a free email service and have an email address like bizname@gmail.com. However, if you have invested money in hosting a website with your own domain name, you should also at least have an email with your company name on it.  The reasons for this include:

Memorability

Free email addresses are often long and confusing, and easy user names on these impersonal and generic domains, like@Hotmail and @Gmail are often already taken. In business, it is vital to create the right impression – you need an email address that is both unique and memorable. Using your own domain name makes it easy for others to email you and remember your website.

Professional Impression

Your domain name is your online brand. Your domain name gives you’re a presence on the Internet. Many people will look for your website when they receive an email from you. When your website appears, it validates and authenticates you and your products or services. Having your own domain name for email establishes and reinforces your online identity and lets your customers know you mean business. It helps establish credibility and legitimacy by showing you invest in your business and make you look on par with large professional organizations and less fly-by-night or shoestring.

Don’t Look Like a Spammer

Authentication is very important because of the amount of spam each of us receives from many free email service providers, such as @Hotmail.com. Say you have a business named “Widgets For You” and have an email address “widgetsforyou@gmail.com.” How It would be very easy would it be for someone to fake being you by creating an email account “widgets4you@gmail.com?” Because those emails are free, they can be created by anyone. If you are a business, clients may not recognize john.smith@gmail.com as the same John Smith they order from. They may even think you’re a spammer.

Futureproof and Portable

When you have your own domain email you have an email address that’s as portable as your cellphone number—meaning you can switch email providers without losing your current address if you decide to change ISP or if your free email provider loses its edge. You won’t have to send out that dreaded “hey everyone I have changed my address” email and hope that everyone you notified will take notice and update your contact information.

Not Hard or Time-Consuming to Set Up

Even if you are very comfortable with your current way of doing things and want to stick with accessing your email at gmail.com, for example, you can still use your own domain name email. All you would need to do is to set up email forwarding. Here’s what it takes: Step 1: Buying a domain name (if you have already done this skip to Step 2). Step 2: Creating a forwarding account or email account with the right name (e.g. user@yourname.com). Step 3: Connecting that domain and that account together. (5-10 minutes, depending on your current email provider)

No More Ads

If you ever do decide to get rid of the advertising in your email experience then the best thing to do is to use your domain email outside of the free email provider. Even the best free email provider has ads and use your personal email information to feed you advertising. Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail all do it — they all read your email to better serve relevant ads that you are likely to click on. If you don’t want to read ads along with your emails, then you will have to stop using these free email services and use email hosting. More on this in my future post.

We can design and print your business cards, contact us.

Even in the world of smartphones, tablets, and laptops, 27 million business cards are printed daily. They still hold an important part in the business world, no matter how advanced we get.

© OSDE8INFO (CC BY-SA 2.0) VIA FLICKR

AVERAGE BUSINESS CARD STATISTICS

1. How many business cards are printed daily?
   Even in today’s digital age, 27 million business cards are printed daily. The economy continues to grow with new small businesses. Today, there are 28 million small businesses, but that number is forecasted to keep growing.
2. How many business cards are printed per year?
   27 million business cards printed daily turns into just under 10,000,000,000 business cards printed annually.
3. How many business cards are thrown out within a week?
   Of the 10 billion cards printed each year, 8 billion will be tossed within a week. That’s 88% of the cards printed.
4. What percentage do sales increase for every 2,000 business cards handed out?
   Despite the 8 billion cards being tossed, a company’s sales increase 2.5% for every 2,000 business cards handed out.
5. What’s the number one reason people throw business cards away?
   People today live in the moment. They throw business cards away because they don’t need the service now. Unfortunately, 63% of people feel this way, and throw the card away without a second thought.

BUSINESS CARD COSTS

6. What is the average cost of a business card?
   The average business cards cost anywhere from R2,30 per card or bulk cards from R100. The average spent nationally is R394. The cost of a business card depends on the quality and complexity of the card itself. The range varies based on who makes the cards.For example, 3SixT5 offers free designs for business cards to new customers.
7. What is average cost of having a graphic designer design business cards?
   Many graphic designers charge per hour. The average per hour rate in SA is R450. The amount charged varies based on location and complexity of the work.
8. What is the world’s most expensive business card?
   The Black Astrum Signature Card, coming in at $1,500, is the world’s most expensive business card. Studded in 30 carats worth of diamonds and made of Swiss metal, the cards are sold in packages of 25. The $1,500 cost is per card.

CREATING THE BUSINESS CARD

9. What information should you include on a business card?
   The business card should be a physical extension of your business. At a minimum, each card should include:
   • Name (personal and business)
   • Job title
   • Email
   • Phone
   • Website
   • Social media sites
10. What is the average size business card?
    A standard business card measures 3.5″ x 2″. The outer 1/8th-inch of the card is the “bleed” area. It allows for the design or background to complete the card, minimizing any white space.
11. Should you have white space on your business card?
    The cardinal rule of business cards is to keep it simple. Overcrowd it and clients will toss it in the trash. You want balance, readability, and comprehension. Each of these is only obtained with the right amount of white space, even if it’s not “white.”
12. Should you use more than one font on your business card?
    Choosing the font can be overwhelming. With hundreds to choose from, you may want to choose more than one. While acceptable, make sure you only choose one serif font and one sans serif font.Designers use serif for headings and sans serif for the body. Mixing up more than one of each can create clutter.
13. What’s the importance of a QR code on a business card?
    QR codes instantly provide information that you couldn’t fit on the business card. They can point clients to an app or your company’s website. Almost 50% of businesses use QR codes in some component of their marketing plan.
14. How can a photo on a business card help your business?
    If you don’t want your business card to be one of the 88% tossed, add a photo. It makes the card more memorable.Of course, that photo must tie into your business somehow. It can be a photo of yourself. It can also be a photo that signifies your business. The goal is to make the card as enticing as possible.
15. What is the most common business card mistake?
    Don’t choose cheap paper. That’s the number one mistake. People judge your business on your business card. It’s often their first impression of your business. If you choose low quality paper, they may assume you provide cheap quality products/services.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A BUSINESS CARD

16. What are the most common types of businesses using business cards?
    The corporate world is still filled with business cards. It’s the number one networking tool. It’s the icebreaker during a meeting and the branding when you part.Small businesses, however, need business cards just as much. If nothing else, it gives a small business a professional appearance. It lets potential clients know your business is “real.”
17. What is the number one reason to carry business cards?
    Even in today’s technologically advanced world, it’s a breach of etiquette to not have business cards. People expect them. Attempting to network without them is a big mistake.
18. How do business cards continue to market for you after personal interaction?
    Business cards continue to network for you long after you part ways with a potential client. It lets the other person know you have a legitimate business. It also lets them know you encourage future contact.
19. How much longer do people hold onto colored business cards than white cards?
    Studies show that prospective clients hold onto colored cards 10 times more than white cards. But again, they have to be attractive, uncluttered cards for them to be effective.

ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICES

20. How can using recycled paper for your business card help your company’s image?
    Using recycled paper lets clients know you care about the environment. Given the fact that 88% of business cards are thrown out, you can show your support by using recycled paper.

THE FIRST IMPRESSION

21. How do business cards change a person’s impression of you?
    Business cards make you look prepared and not “cheap.” A quality card with a great design gives potential clients a good feeling about your business. Handing out a cheap quality business card makes the other person feel as if you don’t care about your business.

DIGITALLY SAVING BUSINESS CARDS

22. How do people save business cards in a digital file?
    Even though it’s common business practice to hand out business cards, not everyone saves them. Before the 88% of recipients throw them out, though, many scan the card into an app like Evernote. They can then add notes and even follow you on LinkedIn.
23. How many Americans have a smartphone?
    Today, 77% of Americans have a smartphone, which is 42% more than 5 years ago. But the business card is still alive today. It’s a way of acknowledging professionalism, even if it gets thrown out or scanned into a smartphone. It’s the act of handing out the card that matters.

BOTTOM LINE

Business cards continue to hold an important role in a business. Creating the right business card can help your business thrive in today’s cutthroat world.

Sources and References:

• Adobe
• Thumbtack
• How Design
• SBA
• Minuteman Press