In our final part of our website series interview with rockstar mompreneur and flamiga, Trecia Warnholz of District Digital, we share best practices, vocab, common mistakes and how to fix them.
When is a good idea to DIY vs hiring a professional?
🪛 DIY – You’re curious, tech-savvy, and enjoy DIY projects + you have the time and patience to figure out CMS platforms and design the website. This is when it may make sense to go with Squarespace or Wix as the easier DIY option. Even if you don't have money to hire a pro, remember your time budget. ⌛=💰
🎖️Hiring a Pro – You have functionalities you might not be able to DIY, you have a cost and time budget, and you want your website to be done professionally and quickly.
What is the difference between a web designer and web developer?
- Web designer – Designs the look and functionality of the website that will be built by the developer.
- Web developer – Builds the website and the functionalities. The developer should be involved from the beginning of the process to let you know if the functionalities designed by the designer are feasible.
What are the most common website mistakes?
CTA buttons – Probably the #1 factor to getting leads and sales. Over 90% of websites get this one wrong (including us!). Like a traffic light, your CTA buttons should be clear & specific (no "Get started" or "Learn more"), consistent, and high contrast 🎨(not the same color as your logo or anything else on your website). They should POP 💥 and guide your visitor how to buy from or work with you!
Typos – 🤯 These are a personal pet peeve. Having misspellings makes your website look sloppy and terrible for establishing trust. Hire a proofreader for $300 or so to check your grammar, spelling, and typos. It will be well worth it!
Image size – Large images slow down your loading speed. Be sure to compress them to under 1MB.
Mobile optimization – 📱Your website needs to be mobile responsive and look good on a small screen. Google will ding you if you don't. Do a thorough quality check to make sure it renders the way you want.
Accessibility – We're big proponents of easy-to-read content. A way to do that is by using high color contrast and large font sizes to make content legible, skimmable, and breathable. Put your website to the test with this tool.
Why should you have ongoing web maintenance?
When you buy a house or a car, you need to maintain it. Same goes for your website. It's a living and evolving thing that needs constant monitoring.
Like your body, regular maintenance keeps your website running smoothly – security, content, plugins, WP upgrades and updates, etc.