Web Design, Programming, and BusinessThese are resources that we recommend.
Search engines are the gateway to the Internet and a very important part of our privacy and security on the Internet. Search engines are constantly being updated every day with new websites and data, and we rely on them to find the information that we need on a daily basis. Even though Google is the most used search engine with about 3 times as much monthly traffic as Bing, new search engines are...
Recently due to the coronavirus pandemic, many workers are transitioning to working from home. Many web designers have already been working remotely for years, so it’s nothing new for them. Although I prefer to work out of my office, I’ve done my fair share of telecommuting. We also have several members of our team work remotely on a regular basis. I’d like to share a few of my tools and tricks...
Comparing 16 of the most popular registrars, the 5 best values for domain name registration are: Namecheap: $8.88/year (includes domain name privacy and 1 email account) Dreamhost: $9.99/year (includes domain name privacy and 1 email account) OVH: £9.99/year (UK only, includes domain name privacy and 1 email account) Ionos (1&1): $10.33/year (includes domain name privacy, email account is...
As a recession looms near, this guide will help you weather the storm and build a better business. Focus on building a cash reserve, decreasing your expenses, strengthening your relationships, refining your business offering, and continued marketing. While these are always good rules for a thriving company, they are even more important now. How did we get here? Our economy has had tremendous...
As a small business owner, there are many ways that you can help nonprofit organizations including offering your services, hosting a volunteer day, encouraging your employees to donate or attend events, donating equipment, increasing awareness, and direct donations. As a web designer, you have additional ways to give back that are unique to your industry. Some ideas include offering your design...
From compiling the top business books from 35 different sources, the top recommended books for small businesses for 2020 are: “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Dr. Robert Cialdini...
You’ve built the perfect WordPress site but you’re noticing that it takes a while to load. Even worse, Google has noticed and you’re losing search engine traffic because of it. Here’s a few tricks I’ve learned to get top scores on Google PageSpeed Insights, Google’s tool to measure site performance. With all the images and JavaScript required to make a website these days, it can cause your...
If designing a compelling user interface isn’t in your wheelhouse but actually building that UI is, this article is for you! I’ve listed some resources here that would be useful to graphic designers and web designers too. What image editor should I use? You’re not a designer so you don’t need Photoshop, Illustrator, or Sketch. These are all fine applications but are a bit overkill if all you...
This is a repost of the article I wrote on our Thrive Web Designs blog earlier this week. What is CRM software? CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and it’s software, usually an online service, that allows you to manage your customer contacts so you can easily categorize them, email them, and market to them. It’s a great way to mass-communicate with your customers, promote your...
Amazon Product Photography is provided by Thrive Product Studio, a company specializing in helping e-sellers sell more product with top-notch product photos. Quality product images are vital to online sales. In fact, without good photography, you’re lessening your chances of selling more products. Whether you’re selling online on Amazon, eBay or your own E-commerce store, nothing will boost your...
Web Design, Programming, and Business
Professionally building websites since 2002, I've worked at Microsoft, multiple agencies, and a few web design businesses of my own, including White Whale Web, a Boise-based web development agency. Previously, I was an owner of Thrive Web Designs from 2015 to 2022. I've taught classes, run design groups and even ran a benefit auction for 4 years in my free time. I love sharing and giving back to the web/creative community.