Author: Dave Martin
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How to Ask Customers for Reviews Without Feeling Pushy
A practical guide to asking customers for reviews on Google, LinkedIn, and beyond: when to ask, what to say, how to respond, and the Google and FTC rules every local business should…
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AI Can Build Your Website. That’s Not the Hard Part Anymore.
AI can build websites faster than ever. The harder part is deciding what to build, testing assumptions, and thinking critically about the result.
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What Does AI Say About Your Business? Run This 20-Minute Check
Check how AI assistants describe your business in twenty minutes, spot inaccurate information, and trace errors back to their source.
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Visible Wireless, Seven Years Later: Why I'm Still Paying $25 a Month
Seven years with Visible: why I still use it, how the service fits my work, and what to consider before switching.
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Google Analytics, Google Search Console, & Google Business: Three Different Jobs, One Full Picture
Google Analytics, Search Console, and Business Profile all report on your website, but they answer different questions. Here's what each one actually tells you, and how to check them without drowning in…
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Digital Ownership for Small Businesses: What Do You Control?
Your website, accounts, and customer relationships are business assets. Explore what you control and where relying on someone else's platform creates risk.
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Is Your Website Actually Usable by Everyone? A Practical Accessibility Check for Bloomington Businesses
Practical accessibility checks for business owners, from keyboard navigation to readable text. Find barriers that could be keeping customers from using your website.
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Search Is Changing: How Small Businesses Can Stay Visible in an AI-Driven World
How AI is changing the way customers find local businesses, and practical steps to keep your business visible as search evolves.
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Your Google Business Profile: A Practical Guide for Local Businesses
Make your Google Business Profile a stronger first impression. A practical guide to helping local customers find and understand your business.
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How Much Does a WordPress Website Actually Cost?
Understand what drives WordPress website costs and what to ask before hiring a designer, with context for Bloomington business owners.
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How to Find an llms.txt File—and Does Your Business Need One?
An introduction to llms.txt, how it differs from other website files, and a template for business owners exploring it.
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When SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Don’t Align: Fixing a Gmail Warning for the Bloomington Chamber
A real email authentication fix for the Bloomington Chamber. See how SPF, DKIM, and DMARC alignment can affect warnings in Gmail.
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Eight Years, One Shop, and a Website That Grew With the Business
How Bloomington Window Tint's website and digital presence grew alongside the business through eight years of practical, ongoing support.
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Eighteen Years of Keeping a Bookstore Online
A long-term partnership with Academic Scholarly Books in Bloomington, Indiana Some client relationships are defined by a single project. Others are defined by time. My work with Joe Grant of Academic Scholarly…
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Ava's Waste Removal: 7 Years of Website Support for a Growing Local Business
Project Overview Ava's Waste Removal has been a client since February 2019 - one of our longest-running partnerships. What started as a custom website build for a small trash hauler in Ellettsville…
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My CVS Adventure
Jeffrey Zeldman wrote a relatable post today about waiting at CVS while his prescription got sorted out. It reminded me of my own recent CVS experience, which had a few more moving…
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A Simple Mac Tool I Use to Resize Images Before Uploading to WordPress
If you’ve ever uploaded a photo straight from your phone into WordPress, you’re not alone. That 6MB image looks harmless. WordPress even creates multiple sizes automatically. Everything seems fine. But here’s what’s…
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Windows PowerToys Is the Productivity Upgrade Windows Should Have Shipped With
If you use Windows every day, you've probably felt it: the OS is powerful, but a handful of small things slow you down more than they should. That's where Microsoft PowerToys comes…
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Economy Fireplace: Website Redesign, Google Business Updates & Workspace Setup
Project Overview Economy Fireplace serves homeowners across the Bloomington area with fireplaces, stoves, and accessories. Ahead of the busy season, they needed a modern website, a clearer path to request quotes, and…
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Why I’m Proud to Be a Chamber Member (Since Way Back When)
I’ve officially been a Chamber member through David Martin Design since at least 2021, but my ties go back even further. I still have emails from 2009, when I was part of…
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Client Spotlight: Making Tech Simple for Ellen & Mark
At David Martin Design, one of our greatest rewards is seeing the confidence and peace of mind that comes when technology becomes approachable again. Recently, I had the privilege of working with…
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From Classroom to Client: How Shawn Haymaker Counseling Earned a Perfect 100 Website Score
What changed and what was measured This project combined content organization, metadata and internal-link improvements, analytics setup, accessibility work, and performance tuning. The screenshot below records a HubSpot Website Grader score of…
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How I’m Using AI to Build Better Systems for Business and Life
At David Martin Design, I have always believed the best solutions are not just creative: they are structured, strategic, and built to work in real life. Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become…
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Behind the Lens: Capturing Trashion Refashion 2025 for The B-Square Bulletin
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing one of Bloomington’s most creative and community-driven events - Trashion Refashion 2025 - on assignment for The B-Square Bulletin. Held at the historic Buskirk-Chumley…
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From Roots to Results: The Story of Indiana Greenscape Solutions
The Seed of an Idea The story of Indiana Greenscape Solutions begins with Kelly and Beth Fort - partners in both family and business - who, along with their four daughters, Rayne,…
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Welcoming Raymond Labban to the David Martin Design Team
We are thrilled to officially welcome Raymond Labban to the David Martin Design team as a part-time Digital Marketing & SEO Specialist! Raymond brings a fresh perspective and a strong passion for…
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Transferring Your Website to a New Web Designer: A Step-by-Step Guide
To take over an existing website, first confirm ownership and arrange separate access to the domain, hosting, website, email, and analytics. Back up the site and document a rollback plan before changing…
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WordCamp US 2024: A Celebration of Community, Collaboration, and Creativity in Portland
There’s something magical about visiting a new city for an event like WordCamp US - the excitement of a vibrant WordPress community coming together combined with the chance to explore the local…
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From Donuts to Data Protection: How BackBlaze Became My Go-To Backup Solution
Earlier this year, I attended one of my favorite local networking events - Design & Donuts - held at The Mill in Bloomington, Indiana. For those unfamiliar, The Mill is more than…
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My Custom GPTs: Elevating Workflows & Creativity
Welcome to a showcase of my custom-built GPTs! Each of these tools is designed to solve specific challenges, enhance productivity, and support creativity in web development, digital marketing, and beyond. Click on…
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Navigating Uncharted Waters: Mitzi's Quest for a Unified Digital Presence
This project revolved around enhancing the online presence of Mitzi Alexander, a Travel Agent, & Magical Vacation Planner. Initially facing challenges in growing web interactions and bookings, Mitzi sought to create a…
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Brightside Café: Your Go-To Breakfast Spot and Study Haven in Bloomington!
Big shoutout to Brightside Café! We just wrapped up an incredible consultation with them today. With the influx of Indiana University students coming into town, Brightside Café is ready to welcome everyone…
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Building 67 Storage: A Branding Case Study
Transforming Ideas into Virtual Reality: The Genesis of 67storage.com The creation of 67 Storage was a branding project that challenged our creativity and technical expertise but also strengthened our belief in the…
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800 7th Graders Learning About Web Development, AI, Entrepreneurship, & More at The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Career Cruise
David Martin Design recently had the privilege of spending an extraordinary day with nearly 800 eager 7th graders at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce's Success School Career Cruise. This event was…
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The 3 R’s - Every Business Wants to Be Remembered, Respected, & Referred
Being remembered, respected, and referred will have a significant impact on the success of your business. It is important for business owners to create an impression that lasts and is remembered by…
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The Power of Responding to Negative Reviews on Google Business: Why It's Vital and How to Do It Right
Bryan Meadows, Owner of Bloomington Creative Solutions (this is a fake name) had been running his small business for 10 years, proudly providing services to his loyal customers. He often heard compliments…
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3 Basic Steps to Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
This article provides an overview of the three steps necessary for successful SEO: basic on-page optimization, basic link building, and basic social media marketing. Learn about the basics of keyword research, creating…
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When did you decide that web design was the career for you?
In 1998, in my junior year of high school @ Bloomington High School North, I took an Advanced Social Studies course taught by Joann Frye and Pat Wilson. I participated in a group…
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5 Informative (And Free!) Web Design Tools That Can Teach You More About Your Site
Above all, websites are vehicles designed to help you achieve larger goals. For example, a restaurant’s site might be created to increase awareness and encourage patrons to visit (or order takeout). An…
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What's Microsoft Clarity and How Can It Help Improve Your Website?
Picture this: You build an amazing site for your business and set it live. A few weeks pass by, and you eagerly check to see how many people visited your site. Despite…
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What is an SSL Certificate & Why Is It Important For Your Website Success?
Even if you don't sell products via your website having an SSL certificate in place will increase customer confidence, improve SEO ranking, & protect your data.
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The Top Plugins To Enhance Your WordPress Website
These are the top FREE plugins for WordPress according to WordPress.com. This data is from September 2019. Akismet Anti-Spam - Used by millions of websites, Akismet filters out hundreds of millions of…
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How To Setup A Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, & Disclaimer For Your Website
I met Hans & Donata at WordCamp in St. Louis recently and we immediately hit it off. They run an awesome web service that helps businesses with websites comply with data privacy…
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New Custom Website Kicked Off for Ava's Waste Removal
David Martin Design worked with Steve & Ava at Ava's Waste Removal to help them build a beautiful website and online presence.