Category: Tech Tips

This blog category is dedicated to helping readers get the most out of their tech devices. Here, we discuss tips, tricks, and resources related to all types of consumer electronics, including laptops, cell phones, tablets, and more. We also provide solutions to common problems and suggest the best apps, hardware, and services.

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 just a coworking space; it’s the heartbeat of our entrepreneurial community. It’s a place where creators, innovators, and tech enthusiasts collide to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and, of course, enjoy some delicious donuts.

Assorted donuts served at the Design & Donuts event held at The Mill in Bloomington, where creators and innovators gather to network, collaborate, and enjoy local treats.

The Mill: A Hub for Networking and Innovation

The Mill provides an energetic atmosphere that fosters creativity and connection. With its modern workspace design and a calendar full of events, it’s a magnet for startups, freelancers, and tech professionals. Whether you’re looking to brainstorm over coffee, attend a workshop, or network with like-minded individuals, The Mill has something for everyone. It’s a space that breathes life into the entrepreneurial spirit of Bloomington.

The Mill in Bloomington offers a dynamic co-working environment for startups, freelancers, and tech professionals, featuring a modern design and vibrant community atmosphere.

Meeting Brian Beach: CTO of BackBlaze

During the meetup, I had the opportunity to chat with Brian Beach, the CTO of BackBlaze, a company renowned for its affordable and reliable cloud backup solutions. As we sipped coffee and nibbled on donuts, we discussed all things design and technology, diving into the intricacies of web hosting, data protection, and the challenges we face in today’s digital landscape.

Brian shared insights about his role at BackBlaze and the company’s mission to make cloud storage accessible for everyone. Our conversation naturally steered toward backups—a topic near and dear to anyone managing web servers. As someone who manages web hosting through WHM cPanel on my VPS for IndianaWebHosting.com, I’ve always had a lurking fear of data loss. But thanks to Brian, I found the solution I didn’t even know I was looking for.

Setting Up BackBlaze: A Game-Changer for My VPS Backups

Inspired by our conversation, I decided to explore BackBlaze as an option for my VPS backups. After learning that it could easily integrate as an additional backup destination within WHM cPanel, I decided to dive in. The setup process was straightforward, and within no time, my server was securely backing up to a BackBlaze B2 bucket.

Brian’s expertise was invaluable as we configured the optimal backup settings for my needs. And let me tell you, the peace of mind that comes from knowing your data is safely backed up offsite is priceless. Plus, the cost of BackBlaze was a pleasant surprise—my first monthly bill was just $1.24! It’s incredible to have such a reliable solution without breaking the bank.

Why Networking Matters

My experience at The Mill is a perfect example of why networking is so important. It’s not just about exchanging business cards or attending meetings; it’s about forming genuine connections that lead to real-world solutions. Had I not attended that Design & Donuts meetup, I might still be navigating my VPS backups with trepidation. Instead, I now have a robust backup solution, thanks to a casual chat with Brian Beach.

And, of course, I have to give a shout-out to Brian and the BackBlaze marketing team for the awesome new BackBlaze hat swag! It’s always great to see companies that not only provide excellent service but also support their communities and customers in fun, engaging ways.

Brian Beach, CTO of BackBlaze, and a fellow attendee at The Mill in Bloomington, discuss cloud storage, web hosting, and data protection during a casual meetup.

Conclusion: BackBlaze and Beyond

In the end, what started as a casual morning meetup evolved into a transformative experience for my web hosting business. I’m grateful for the connections made at The Mill and the invaluable advice from Brian Beach. If you’re managing a server and haven’t explored BackBlaze, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s simple, cost-effective, and offers peace of mind that your data is safe.

So, here’s to The Mill, Design & Donuts, and the power of community—where even the smallest interactions can lead to significant breakthroughs.

September 10, 2024
WordPress SEO for the Busy Entrepreneur: Image Optimization
Are you trying to DIY your online presence but are struggling to understand all the search engine optimization (SEO) terms? Are you worried about causing more damage or harm than good, or overwhelmed with deciphering what practices are essential and what could be saved for a rainy day?

Hello and welcome to the first chapter of our WordPress SEO for the Busy Entrepreneur series where we help our clients, fellow entrepreneurs, and aspiring digital marketers better understand the foundational practices of SEO for their website’s organization.

We know the stress of trying to run a business on top of marketing it. That’s why people come to us and we have a business! (Talk about the circle of life!) But we also have many wonderful clients who aren’t at that stage of their entrepreneurial journey, who need a professional website with reliable hosting and can’t afford a marketing agency quite yet. Yet, many have a drive that knows no bounds and are more than willing to put in the work updating their website with edits and blog posts. They just don’t have the time to learn what’s important, what’s less so, what resources to trust and learn from.

It’s become clear to us that there needs to be a resource for entrepreneurs who are willing to put in the work, but can’t afford a single moment more. For those who need the pieces broken down and targeted specifically for their WordPress site. For those who aren’t technically savvy and have no desire to be, they just want things to work and for customers to go 📈. If any of these sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

Today, we’ll be talking about Image Optimization, why it’s important and how it plays into your institutions marketing success, and ranking each piece by what’s most important as well as the process we recommend you take for the most efficient use of your time.

What is Image Optimization?

Image optimization is the process of converting high quality photographs, artwork, and graphics from their original state into copies that are optimized for websites and social media platforms. This process involves two main procedures:
1. Cropping, resizing, and saving images into a compressed format while sacrificing minimal quality
2. Correctly categorizing and describing the images you’re using through image metadata
Just like you wouldn’t want to wear a t-shirt that’s 5 sizes too big and claims to be “wrinkle-free” when it’s clearly not, you wouldn’t want an image on your website that takes 2 minutes to load and ends up not being what the user was looking for. The process of image optimization is like tailoring that oversized t-shirt to fit just right.

Image Compression: Tailor Your Images to the Digital World

Image Compression is ultimately about carefully cropping, resizing, and compressing the image file so it loads quickly and looks great on screens – without sacrificing the quality or intent of the original image.

Image Compression can be broken down into 4 steps:
1. Crop: Crop the image so that the main focus is centered, if needed. Consider the platform(s) you’re uploading to and whether they use a square, rectangular, or circular aspect ratio. This not only reduces the file size, but also improves it’s impact.
2. Resize: Digital cameras today are capable of taking superb quality photographs in 4K resolution. But images on web pages or social media platforms are rarely displayed at this resolution, since most images are not displayed full screen and the majority of internet users are using devices lacking 4K output. When in doubt, a 1200px width is more than enough for the vast majority of images used on a web page.
3. Reformat: There are plenty of image formats out there nowadays. Each come with their own benefits and drawbacks, but to keep it simple: Use .jpg for images that have a background, and .png for images that have a transparent or no background. The default quality option should be sufficient.
4. Compress: Using a free image compressor like compressor.io can further reduce the file size of an image by up to 80% sometimes without making a noticeable impact on quality. Now would be a good time to rename your image for SEO purposes (more on that below.) If you follow nothing else in this guide, using these image compression tools are an extremely easy and straightforward way to reduce page load time.
Crop & Resize Images on Windows

Open File Explorer and find the image you want to edit.

Right-click on the image, hover over “Open with,” and select “Photos.”

Click the “Edit & Create” button in the top-right corner.

Select “Edit” from the dropdown menu.

Click the “Crop & rotate” button.

Adjust the cropping frame by clicking and dragging the corners or edges of the frame. Once satisfied, click the “Save a copy” button to save the cropped image.

Open the cropped image in Paint (right-click the image, hover over “Open with,” and select “Paint”).

Click the “Resize” button in the Home tab.

Ensure the “Maintain aspect ratio” checkbox is checked.

In the “Horizontal” box, enter “1200” (the vertical dimension will adjust automatically). Click “OK” to resize the image.

Click “File” in the top menu bar and select “Save as.” Choose the desired location and format, and click “Save.”
Crop & Resize Images on Mac

Locate your image in Finder

Open the image in Preview (double click on the image)

Press and drag your selection

Hover on Tools in the top menu bar, select Crop

Hover on Tools again, select Resize Image

In the width box, put 1200px & confirm

Save the image by hovering on File in the top menu bar and selecting save (or press ⌘ S)
Image Metadata: The Catalogue Card for Your Photos

Before we delve into Image Metadata, let’s back up and ask the question: “What is Metadata?”

Metadata defined for the laymen

To define it simply: Metadata is data about data. It’s information that categorizes and summarizes what something is.

To use an analogy: In the 80’s you needed to find a book (website) at the library (web). You would use the library catalogue (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) to search for the book either by it’s name or author. When you found the right card (search result), it would tell you the call number or location. You would then go through the shelves or ask a librarian for help (click) and eventually find and check out your book (website).

In our case, we use metadata describing your website to help the robots that search engines use to rank search results better understand who your organization is, what you do, when you’re open, how to contact you, etc. and ultimately rank as high as possible.

What do I need to know about image metadata?

Image metadata is important not only because it helps these robots understand images they can’t actually see (yet) and determine if they’re relevant or not, but also ensures your website remains accessible for those with sight disabilities or a painfully slow internet connection by providing descriptions of what they’re viewing.

Image metadata can feel complex to understand considering all the various elements that go into it, and even harder to know what to prioritize. But luckily, the elements that have the greatest visibility impact are also some of the simplest to incorporate. Here are the three most important elements concerning image metadata:
1. Alt Text: Alt text, short for Alternative Text, is the most important part of image metadata. This is really just a brief description of what the image is. It’s used for people who rely on screen readers, when the image fails to load to give context (common for those with slow internet connections), and for showing search engines that this image is relevant in relation to your organization.
2. File Name: An images name before uploading it plays a huge factor in helping search engines better understand the image content and increase it’s visibility. This is a great place to tie your images with your company and it’s specific services or people. Instead of “mark.jpg”, something like “Mark-Scott-Sales-Manager-Generica-Inc.jpg” helps search engines recognize that Mark Scott is the Sales Manager at Generica Inc, this is his picture, and that this image is relevant to the blurb describing him below it.
3. Title: The title tag is used as a tooltip description, providing supplemental information when the user hovers over an image. However, the this only applies to users on desktop. This is a good place to add keywords if warranted.
Let’s get to work: An actionable Image Optimization checklist

Now that we’ve explained the abstract concepts behind Image Optimization and it’s two major components: Image Compression and Image Metadata, let’s go through a step by step process on how to actually incorporate these pieces efficiently:
1. Gather your images into a folder called something like [subject]-originals
2. Decide where you’re uploading these images and crop each one as needed
3. Resize the width of each image to 1200px
4. Reformat each image. Are they photographs? Go with .JPG. Are they graphics or use transparent backgrounds? .PNG is the way to go
5. Create a folder called [subject]-optimized and upload your edited images to compressor.io
6. Download each image, saving it into the [subject]-optimized folder and rename each image to relate to your organization and the relevent service or person
7. If you want a break, now’s a good time
8. Login to your WordPress website, and navigate to the Media tab in the admin panel
9. Upload your optimized images
10. Return to the media library, click on the first image thumbnail in the upper left. This will open the image metadata panel. In the alt field, write a brief description of the image in question either manually or use AI to assist you. If you have a premium ChatGPT plan, use our A11y SEO Image Wizard.
11. Fill out the alt text (and optionally the title) for the remaining images. Congratulations! You’ve now optimized the images on your website. Your images can be now be added to the posts or pages of your choosing.
If you followed this checklist, you can rest easy that the most important standards concerning image optimization are being met. Your web page will now appear more attractive to search engines, as well as improve the page load times and accessibility for your visitors.
July 18, 2024
5 Figma Tools to Improve Your Web & Digital Marketing Strategy

In today’s ever-evolving digital marketing and web design scene, streamlining your workflow is more valuable than ever. Amid a plethora of tools, identifying those that can truly streamline your strategy instead of distract can be a formidable task. Figma’s community shares files and plugins that are helpful for crafting professional web and marketing content. In this article, we focus on five practical user-made Figma tools that can refine your creative process and make your web and marketing strategy faster and more professional.

1. Complete Favicon Generator by Ernest Ojeh

Today, responsive website design isn’t a nice to have – it’s a requirement, and favicons are no exception. This handy design file by Ernest Ojeh takes your finalized favicon image and lets you see what it looks like across different browsers and devices. This is perfect for ensuring the chosen brand icon can be easily recognizable across devices and to show clients what it’s going to look like in various browser tabs and search engines. Additionally, each version that’s generated is contained in a frame with a matching name so using the included embed code is a simple copy paste procedure.

2. Social Media Images Size by Andreslav Kozlov

Remembering all the different ideal image sizes across all the different platforms can become quite a headache. Failure to do so often results in subpar, low quality, and pixelated posts that look unprofessional and uninspiring to viewers. This plugin by Andreslav Kozlov allows you to import perfectly sized Figma frames tailored for a wide array of social media platforms at the click of a button. Whether it’s the square layout for Instagram, the wide banner for Twitter, or the unique dimensions for LinkedIn, this plugin has all the popular platforms. This useful plugin saves time and elevates the quality of social media posts, ensuring they look crisp and engaging on any platform.

3. Social Media Templates by Ravn

Having your social media images in the proper size and body content ready is great for clients, but this Figma file lets you take that to the next level. With Social Media Templates by Ravn, now you can show exactly what a client’s content will look like across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. It even includes a prototype section with interactive carousel mockups for posts with multiple images!

4. Realtime Colors by Juxtopposed

This isn’t your average color palette generator. realtimecolors.com is a color and font visualizer platform specifically for web designers. Using a website structure template, now you can generate and see colors and fonts provided via Google Fonts in real time. Another notable feature is it’s expansive export options – you can save and send these examples simply by sending a link to clients, providing an easily accessible starting point when making design decisions. You can also export by download, QR code, CSS code, the Figma plugin, and more, making documenting and implementing these colors and fonts on your website and marketing materials a breeze.

5. ColorLabels by Naren Abbaraju

If using the Realtime Colors plugin isn’t easy enough, here’s another to make things even easier. ColorLabels by Naren Abbaraju quickly lets you label color swatches on Fimga in a variety of formats, including RBG, HEX, HSL, and HSB. The best part? Color Labels can also automatically detect and apply Coolors.co‘s custom color labels. Calling a color swatch Aquamarine instead of #67EFE1 or “the light greenish one” is much easier for you and your clients to say, understand, and remember. It’s one of those simple changes that make the process a little more approachable.

Closing Thoughts

Navigating the world of Figma tools designed to enhance your web and digital marketing strategies can feel like entering a gold mine. With the right tools, you can supercharge your creative process, increase your efficiency, and present a polished, consistent brand image that resonates with your audience.

Every new tool feels like a game-changer. But remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The vibrant community of Figma is loaded with new plugins, files, and ideas that are just waiting to be discovered, used, and shared.

So, what’s the next step? Start including one or more of these tools in your strategy today. Share your triumphs and trials with them. Trade ideas with the community, learn from each other, and keep your toolbox ever-evolving. Most importantly, remember that in the ever-changing world of web and digital marketing, your greatest tool is your adaptability.

Let’s embrace Figma to not just reach, but to exceed our creative and strategic goals, and propel our narratives into the stratosphere.

February 16, 2024
The Bridge Between Real & Digital: How To Utilize QR Codes
In the past, people used to jot down the website address if they found it on a poster in a business storefront. While one could look up a business or event, this approach leaves much to be desired; It’s a process to search online. Think about the number of steps involved in an average search:
1. Navigate to and open your phone’s browser
2. Tap on the search bar
3. Type in the business or event
4. Find their website on Google or Bing
5. Go to the website
6. Scan the homepage and navigation
7. Locate and read the content you want
For somebody walking by an advertisement, event poster, or storefront, this is inconvenient and awkward at best. At worst, a potential customer or participant who’s too busy at the moment or not yet invested in your business or event could simply keep walking, or intend to look it up later but end up completely forgetting about your business.

Enter the QR Code

On the other hand, imagine a potential customer walking by a storefront and noticing an intriguing advertisement with a QR code displayed prominently. With their curiosity piqued, they quickly pull out their smartphone and effortlessly scan the code. The convenience, ease, and excitement of this seamless interaction leave the customer positively impressed, reaffirming their belief in the brand’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. This is the power of QR codes: bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms.

A Brief History of the QR Code

The automotive parts manufacturing company Denso Wave created QR (short for Quick Response) codes in 1994 for inventory management. Inspired by black and white Go game pieces, QR codes have many advantages over traditional UPC barcodes. They have a much larger capacity – featuring up to 7000 characters compared to UPCs’ 20. QR codes are readable at any angle, even if they are partially damaged. They are also read 10x faster than traditional barcodes.

The Flexibility of QR Codes

QR codes have revolutionized the way businesses and event organizers connect with their audience, offering a seamless bridge between the physical and digital realms. With their flexibility and ease of use, QR codes have become invaluable tools for businesses and events to enhance customer experiences and streamline various operations.

Some ways QR codes are commonly used today include:
- Digital Menus: Many restaurants, cafes, and event venues are using QR codes to provide digital menus to customers. This reduces the need for physical menus and can be easily updated for different events.
- Contactless Payments: QR codes can facilitate mobile payment transactions at both retail businesses and event venues. Customers can scan the code to make payments, reducing the need for physical cash or cards.
- Product Information: Retail businesses and event vendors can use QR codes to provide detailed information about a product or event offerings. This is particularly useful for products or events with limited space to display information.
- Digital Business Cards: Instead of giving out business cards with a printed email or LinkedIn address, professionals and event organizers can share a QR code that reveals their contact information. This allows for seamless networking during events.
- Link to Reviews or Testimonials: Encourage customers and event attendees to leave reviews or read previous customer testimonials about your products or services. This can help build trust and credibility.
- Direct Customers to Your Social Media: Boost your online presence and engage with customers and event attendees by directing them to your social media platforms. This allows for ongoing communication and promotion.
- Promotions or Discounts: Offer promotions or discounts that are exclusively revealed when the customer or event attendee scans the QR code. This can incentivize purchases or attendance at events.
Check out these styled QR codes for some local Bloomington websites, created easily thanks to Styled QR Code Generator:

Things to Consider Before Making QR Codes
- Certain QR code generators produce short links that redirect to your website, instead of directly linking to it. Be aware that these services may disable your code a few weeks post-creation unless you subscribe, potentially leaving you with non-functional codes in your printed marketing materials.
- Be sure to make it clear why customers should scan the QR code and what they stand to gain from it. Failing to clearly explain the purpose or benefits of scanning the QR code can lead to confusion and disinterest from customers. A simple call-to-action, such as “Scan here for more information,” can help customers understand the purpose of the QR code.
- Position QR codes strategically so customers can easily spot and scan them. Avoid overusing QR codes to the point where their novelty wears off.
- Unless you’re looking to make a stylized QR, most of the time you don’t need any special generator platforms. Google Chrome lets you make direct QR codes on any page simply by right-clicking on the page and selecting “Create QR Code for this Page”:
- Other options for direct QR code generators that have more style options include:
Ending Thoughts

QR codes have emerged as powerful tools that bridge the gap between the physical and digital realms. They offer convenience and ease of use, making it effortless for potential customers to access information and engage with businesses and events. From providing digital menus to facilitating contactless payments, QR codes have revolutionized customer experiences and streamlined operations in various industries.

If you have any questions or concerns, we at David Martin Design are committed to offering the best possible service. We believe in fostering strong relationships with our clients by ensuring transparency, commitment, and a collaborative approach. Feel free to get in touch with us at any point. Your success is our top priority, and we look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve your goals.

Written by Jarod Maxwell, Digital Marketing Specialist at David Martin Design
David Martin Design
Web Development, Web Hosting, & Digital Marketing in Bloomington, Indiana since 2004
December 19, 2023
Visible.com – The Phone Service of the Future

On October 1st, 2019, I started a new service with a wireless phone company, visible.com & I’m really happy with the decision to switch.

I think it’s important to consider that Bloomington, Indiana (and specifically the west side of town) has very limited options when it comes to high-quality cell phone coverage. It depends where you live what will work best for you. When I am at home, I make sure to use Wi-Fi calling to get the best possible service.

After being on my parent’s shared data plan, I got tired of being nickel and dimed by going over our data cap by only just a small amount. Verizon would charge $15 per gigabyte when we’d go over and I just got tired of having to limit my use of the internet. I decided to look into other options and came across Visible. It was super easy to sign up!

To sign up for the service you simply download the Visible app. When you download the app you put in your device’s IMEI number and it will tell you if your phone is compatible with the Visible network. Visible is a mobile virtual network operator and they offer customer service through their company but your phone will use Verizon’s cell phone towers.

There are many popular phones that will work with the Visible service, check their app and website to make sure. If you cannot bring your own device they offer other great options as well.

Visible sent me a SIM card in the mail the very next day. Things went fairly smoothly although I did have to use the app to talk to their customer service. It was actually a great experience being able to get somebody on the app right away and not having to navigate a phone tree. They got my new SIM card activated right away and I reset my device. I was so happy to be free of my limited data plan and could now use my phone again for unlimited internet access.

With unlimited internet access, I can now stream audio, video, and update my apps everywhere I go! As soon as I was on unlimited data, I made sure to turn off all of my settings that limited app updates over cellular. No more waiting until I got home to upload my photos and videos! It was actually quite nostalgic to have unlimited internet again. I remember getting an iPad with unlimited cellular data when they were first introduced. Do you remember when you were able to use the internet without having to worry about a data cap?

In addition to not having a data cap, I think it’s really important to acknowledge that I can now turn my phone into a wireless hotspot!

After using the service, I would definitely recommend it. In fact, several of my friends and family members have already switched over. I am not sure how long their offers and promotions will last but I think that Visible is a great solution for cell service.

Visible is an innovative, low-cost solution for mobile phone service. With their unlimited plan, you can limit your monthly cost and get great service. I’d definitely recommend it!

Join my Visible.com party

Check out this page: https://www.visible.com/get/BRtS8, it has all the info you need to know about joining Visible. When you use my friend code, BRtS8, you’ll get your first month of service for only $5!

February 19, 2022
Blogging for Business: What You Need to Know About WordPress and Content Management
Blogging is rapidly becoming an integral part of running an online business. While some business owners are quick to dismiss blogging as a waste of time and energy, the statistics are suggesting otherwise. As more and more websites start maintaining a blog, there’s an increased demand for a more blog-friendly content management system (CMS).

Although WordPress started out as a meager blogging engine, it is now considered the preeminent content management platform. As the largest CMS in the world, WordPress powers roughly 39% of websites. Its flexibility, reliability, and customizability attract web designers over other CMS competitors.

Here, we’ll explore why it’s important for businesses to understand WordPress and why publishing fresh content is a must.

WordPress JetPack Plugin – Artist Wall at the 2019 WordCamp US in St. Louis

Why Businesses Need to Know About WordPress

Whether you’ve heard about WordPress in your research about website development or this is your first exposure to it, you might be wondering what makes it so different. With dozens of other reputable platforms from which to choose, what makes WordPress so unique?

That’s a great question and one which has no shortage of answers. However, we’ll only stick to a few of the most compelling to help small business owners understand what they’re missing out on. Here are a few reasons why businesses need to know about WordPress.
1. It’s completely free.
Free…it’s music to any business owner’s ears. Unlike other content management systems, WordPress operates under what’s known as a GNU General Public License which essentially means it’s free for anyone to download, edit, and customize. When compared to other, more costly CMSs, WordPress has risen through the ranks as one of the most popular among small businesses that are trying to keep costs down. While you’ll eventually need to spend money on web hosting and domain names to get your website up and running, WordPress saves you on costs other platforms wouldn’t spare you.
1. WordPress is totally customizable.
As a business owner, you know just how vital it is to set yourself apart from competitors. A common complaint among web developers about more rigid CMSs is their lack of customizability. Due to WordPress’s open-source design, anyone is free to upload add-ons, plug-ins, and other features that maximize customizability and flexibility. If you can think it up for your website, there’s a good chance somebody has already contributed the functionality to WordPress. With a single click, you have access to tens-of-thousands of unique features. As the needs of your online business change, WordPress can easily keep up with its unmatched flexibility.
1. It’s SEO-optimized by default.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the method through which your website is primed for optimal exposure on search engines like Google to increase your chances of reaching your target audience. Without an SEO-optimized site, your content can easily get lost in the shuffle. WordPress takes the stress away by ensuring all sites made on the platform are SEO-optimized by default since their structure is recognized by most search engines. However, your website SEO can further be maximized by downloading SEO-focused plug-ins that are available to everyone.

Business Blogging Statistics

As a small business owner, it’s understandable why you might be hesitant to dedicate valuable resources to developing and maintaining a blog. You can’t afford to waste time and energy on areas of your business that won’t offer a return. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of data underscoring the positive impact that blogging can have on businesses.

Here are a few of the most impressive statistics:
- Blogs can lead to a 97% boost in indexed links and a 434% boost in indexed pages. (Demand Metric)
- 8 out of 10 internet users engage with both blogs and social media sites. (Demand Metric)
- Businesses with blogs generate 67% more monthly leads on average than their counterparts that don’t have blogs. (Demand Metric)
- Blogging businesses see 55% more online visitors than companies that don’t blog. (HubSpot)
- In 2019, marketers prioritizing blogging saw 13X more return on their investments than those who didn’t. (HubSpot)
The Importance of Publishing Fresh Content

Of course, having a blog doesn’t do small businesses any benefit if they’re not regularly updating it. Although there are several advantages of maintaining a constant stream of fresh content, there are two primary reasons:
1. Search engines prefer newer content.
2. It’ll be easier to keep your audience engaged.
When forced to choose between ranking an older site that regularly posts new content and a site of the same age that hasn’t posted in months or years, Google will rank the former website higher even if the content is relatively similar. Reflecting the demand for new and updated content, Google wants to present its users with the freshest content. Most search engines work in the same manner. In order to prime your website for higher rankings in search engines, you need to post new content regularly.

Another critical reason to keep your site updated with fresh content is to keep your audience engaged. Whether you’re wanting to catch the attention of new users or keep regular visitors coming back, you need to make sure your site is providing something worthwhile. While the content you put out matters, the rate at which it’s produced also plays a role in the overall success of your site.

If you’re a small business owner who’s ready to reap the benefits of having an optimized blog, feel free to reach out to David Martin Design. With decades of experience building and managing websites for small businesses, David knows how to maximize the return on your website investment.
March 1, 2021
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 entrepreneur might rely on a website to inform potential clients about his or her services.

While a website is an ideal tool for online marketing in the 21st century, there’s no guarantee it’ll work the way you intended. Website design requires constant monitoring, updating, and adjusting in order to ensure a site is optimized for performance.

In order to be able to make the right adjustments, you have to first gather accurate information about your site’s functionality. Fortunately, there are a plethora of online web design tools that provide insightful and in-depth data about a site’s performance. Let’s take a look at a few you should know about.
1. SEMRush
Touted by many online marketers as the premier and most comprehensive online marketing tools, SEMRush offers users an in-depth analysis of their site’s advertising information.

It offers data regarding paid and organic search traffic, domain referrals, backlinks, and more. This is all available in SEMRush’s free report, although you can unlock an even more extensive review for the paid version.

Despite being advertised as an all-in-one platform, SEMRush probably won’t eliminate the need to use other online web tools. Still, it’s a great place to start your advertising research.
1. ScanWP
If you know a site is running WordPress but aren’t sure which theme, that’s where ScanWP comes in handy. Simply plug in the URL of the site, hit “search”, and you’ll be provided with a host of helpful information such as the theme version, price, associated tags, and where the theme can be purchased.

ScanWP even comes with Plugin detection so you can get a better idea of what’s been added to the site. Compared to other online web design tools, ScanWP is rather minimal but that’s one of its advantages too! It’s a great option for WordPress fans and can even be downloaded as an extension for Chrome browser for integrated use.
1. Nibbler
Nibbler isn’t as well known as some other online web design tools, but it still earns a spot on the list. With the free version, you can put five different pages through the Nibbler tests which analyzes your site based on more than a dozen factors and offers an overall score.

The total score (out of 100%) is an aggregate rating of your site’s accessibility, experience, technology, marketing, and more. In addition to this composite score, you’ll get a deeper breakdown of each factor, giving you a better look at your site’s strengths and weaknesses.

Nibbler even offers a handy list of top priorities for improving your site.
1. GTmetrix
GTmetrix is an informative online web design tool that analyzes a site’s page performance. Whether you’re trying to improve search engine optimization (SEO) or implementing a new theme, it’s always important to know how site changes are impacting overall functionality.

In its “speed visualization” section – pictured above – GTmetrix provides an insightful breakdown of how quickly (or slowly) your site loads by second. This gives you a better idea of how users interact with your site.

This online web design tool’s report page acts as an analytics dashboard where key indicators of site load speed are neatly organized and summarized. Similar to Nibbler, you’ll also get actionable tips for improving your site page speed.
1. Pagelocity
Customer experience is an integral component of website design. If you’re looking for a web design tool that’s geared towards analyzing your site’s optimization in this area, Pagelocity is an excellent choice. Its analysis focuses on three different categories: on-page SEO, performance, and code insights.

On-page SEO offers insights into various factors on your site that are critical to SEO such as headings, keywords, and links (both internal and external). Performance analyzes your site’s composition including scripts, style files, and images to determine its overall functionality. Lastly, Code Insights goes a little more in-depth to look at a site’s markup which refers to tags, classes, and page speed.

Your Local Web Design Expert

If you’re not sure how your website is performing, David Martin Design can help. With decades of experiencing building, designing, and optimizing sites, David knows what it takes to keep websites up and running efficiently to meet your goals. Feel free to contact David to learn more.
February 15, 2021
Instant SEO Boost: How Compressor.io Can Drastically Improve Your Site’s Exposure
This search engine optimization tip goes way back to the early 90s – back when I first started building websites. In the 90s, it was essential to build websites that were quick and optimized because people still had dial-up internet connections. In order to build a fast loading website, you had to be very careful not to use too many large images. If you did include bigger image files, then it would take forever for the website to load, and we all know that we only have a fleeting amount of time to capture somebody’s attention.

What does Compressor.io do?

With Compressor.io, you can easily upload your images in a variety of formats – including PNG, GIF, & JPEG – and this program will try to condense them without losing too much quality. As you can see from the featured image of this post, I was able to capture an image of myself taking a picture in my car’s rearview mirror that was over 8 megabytes and compress it down to a much smaller size. The image has maintained it’s quality without causing my site’s load speed to slow down every time a visitor clicks on this page.
Whenever you upload your images to Facebook, Instagram, and other sites, they automatically apply compression to your images to make them load faster for a better user experience. When you run your own website though, WordPress doesn’t automatically include compression functionality out of the box. There are different plugins that you can use to help compress your images when you upload them to the media library, however, I like to compress the images before I upload them by using Compressor.io.

How do you use Compressor.io to condense images?

It starts out with you getting your original image from your camera. Then, once you have it downloaded on your device, you can upload it to your website. Then, after Compressor.io compresses your image, you can download it onto your local machine again. Once it is on your local machine, then you go into your WordPress media library and upload it. It’s as simple as that!

How does this application impact my website’s SEO?

Compressor.io works to condense your website images to help them load faster. In turn, this ends up increasing the load speed of your entire website. With no bulky image files eating up bandwidth, your pages can refresh quickly for visitors, greatly increasing user experience. Perhaps most importantly, it will improve your website’s SEO. Because page speed is such an important factor for the algorithms that rank your web pages, your site will reach closer to the top search result when load time is optimized Using Compressor.io is a simple change that can work wonders for your website’s performance.

Whether you’re looking for ways to improve your site’s exposure or you want to build a site from scratch, David Martin Design can help. I’ve spent decades building, editing, and optimizing websites, and I’d be more than happy to support you in your business ventures. Feel free to reach out to me to learn more about what I offer.
February 10, 2021
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 receiving some decent traffic, you want to take immediate steps to improve these numbers but…you have no idea how to do it.

Many site owners find themselves in the exact same position. Even with ample data about their site performance, they’re still not sure how to iron out the kinks to offer users a seamless experience. Microsft Clarity just might be the tool to help solve this problem.

Here, we’ll take a deep look into what Clarity offers and how your website can benefit from it.

What is Microsoft Clarity?

Microsoft Clarity is a specialized analytics tool designed to help site owners gain a better understanding of how visitors interact with their site. With informative features such as heatmaps and session replays, Clarity can offer a unique view of your site’s performance that other popular tools such as Google Analytics simply don’t offer.

By tracking user behavior on your site, Clarity collects basic information regarding engagement, interactions, and sessions. This data is conveniently summarized in the dashboard, giving you quick and up-to-date statistics about your site. Users are broken down into various categories such as country and device type for more detailed insights.

What does Microsoft Clarity offer?

It’s no secret that some site analytics tools can take some getting used to. Fortunately, the simple layout of Microsoft Clarity and its relatively straightforward function make for a more user-friendly experience.

To get a better idea of what this newer tool offers, let’s dissect Clarity’s primary features.

Dashboard and Insights

The Microsoft Clarity dashboard acts as a central hub where all of your site’s data is collected and organized. Here, you can find standard metrics that most analytics tools provide including total sessions, unique users, pages per session, and engagement.

A quick glance at the Clarity dashboard will reveal some intriguing markers that you might not be familiar with. Dead clicks, rage clicks, and excessive scrolling are special insights designed to help site owners pinpoint problem areas that might be preventing visitors from having an optimal user experience.

If you’ve ever had a webpage freeze or refuse to load quicker than dial-up, you understand why “rage clicks” and “excessive scrolls” are the perfect indicators of user frustration. Identifying and fixing these problem areas might just be the key to boosting your site’s engagement and conversions.

Session Recording

While distinctive features such as rage clicks do a great job of setting Microsoft Clarity apart from well-established competitors, we’ve just taken a peek into this tool’s diverse bag of tricks. One of the most attractive features of Clarity is its comprehensive session recording application which records user behavior for each and every session. Everything from clicks, scrolls, and mouse movements are recorded and stored.

You can review these clips at any time to get a clear picture of your average user’s behavior. This data is available for each page. For an even deeper understanding, Clarity organizes these recordings by specific browsers to help determine browser-specific issues. With advanced AI, you can even tell whether a particular session is part of a larger pattern or an outlier. This is useful for ruling out anomalies and addressing routine problems.

Heatmaps

While more general analytics can offer a good idea of how users bounce between your site’s pages, Microsoft Clarity takes it a step further by allowing site owners to see how visitors behave on individual pages. With the heatmaps function, you have a clear and informative view of where users tend to click.

This information is further divided by devices such as mobile, tablet, and desktop so you can see how behavior varies between each category. You can use this thorough tool to see how your visitors move around your site, where they’re getting hung up, and what can be done to improve their sessions.

How much does Microsoft Clarity cost?

You’ll be pleased to know that Microsoft Clarity is currently offered as a free service. There’s also no cap on traffic. This means that whether you need to track a newly built site or you want to switch analytics tools on a site that’s already successful, you’ll be paying the exact same amount…nothing!

Is it a replacement for Google Analytics?

While Microsoft Clarity is advertised as an analytics tool, it serves a very specific function. It can give you some insight that Google Analytics can’t, but that doesn’t mean you should say goodbye to your current applications. It works better as an excellent supplement to more comprehensive tools than it does as your primary resource.

Interested in making a site for your next project? Reach out to David Martin Design to learn more about the process. David has decades of experience building sites for business owners and can make a site based on your unique needs.

January 26, 2021
How To Setup A Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, & Disclaimer For Your Website

I just had an outstanding Google Meet with Hans Skillrud from Termageddon. He helped get davidmartindesign.com all set up with a compliant Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, & a Disclaimer for my website.

Hans & Donata from Termageddon. This picture was taken from inside the birdcage @ The City Museum in St. Louis at WordCamp 2019. What a great place to meet!

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 laws.

In a Google Meeting with Hans, he walked me through the process to set each one of these up and we were able to build these rich data policies without needing a super expensive law firm. Their service was easy to use and we were able to generate the policies and get them live in under 1 hour!

I can rest assured that my policies will automatically be updated with the newest language and I am compliant even if the laws change. I can trust that they’ve got my back!

It’s SUPER important for anyone with a website to pay attention to these things. It’s going to be the law soon & it’s important for you to be aware of these things.

Do a Google search for “California Consumer Privacy Act” to learn more.

After you do that, let me know if you need some help with this!

December 4, 2019
How to set up a secure spam-free email contact form using Google forms
Yesterday, I had a client tell me that he had a little over 115 submissions on his website contact form. He was very happy with the results and I asked him how many of those contact form submissions were spam?

His answer was, “None of them.”

Out of all of the submissions that he had received, none of them contained spam or junk information. They were all from potential customers asking questions about his services and products.

I was really happy to hear that the solution that we built together was so successful at eliminating spam and producing relevant leads for his business.

Here is how we did it:

To create a Google Form:
1. Sign in to your Google account and go to Google Forms.
2. Create a new form. Give it a good name. Set it up very simply with only the info you will need for your purposes. I usually use the fields: Your Name, Your Email, Your Phone, and Your Message.
3. Take a moment to adjust the appearance and upload a custom header.
4. Click on the hamburger 🍔 menu (the 3 dots make a bun and burger) and click add-ons.
  
  Choose the add on called Email Notifications for Google Forms. It allows for the entire form to be emailed and attached as a PDF. It’s great that you can store your Google form details in a spreadsheet and also attach them to your email as a PDF.
5. Follow the instructions in the help files on Amit Agarwal’s website and you will find that it’s very intuitive. If you’d like me to record a screencast or follow up with more information just let me know!
I hope this technology tip was helpful and if you end up building a new form because of it please let me know!
November 19, 2019