How can SEO affect your site’s search rank?https://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/seo-search-engine-optimization-internet-digital-concept-scaled.jpg25601925Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
SEO is Search Engine Optimization. Sounds intimidating? Don’t worry; we are here to guide you on this ☺
In simple terms, it’s the process that search engines like Google or Yahoo use to determine which website would rank higher or first on the search results. So, when people search for specific products or services, the business offerings are shown to them accordingly in the order of the different ranks.
This is why it is important for your website to rank higher in search results so it can gather more attention and interest from prospective customers, thus get more sales!
Related Keywords
Keywords are the royalty of SEO. A big part of this game relies on how attractive your content is to the audience. However, keep in mind that just because certain keywords are trending doesn’t mean you can use it on your site.
If war for example is a trending topic, a beverage brand cannot use a celebrity to write an article on it, change the site’s homepage to generate ads and use it as a campaign to generate peace; this will end in you not having only a disastrous PR stunt to fix, but also a very unrelated content for the search engine to see.
On the other hand, if you were a stylist and know that a certain celebrity is trending and they also happen to be your client writing a page about it (with permission of course) would be a gold star move.
Conversational Keywords
Before you write your content, make sure that you think based on how your audience talks and does their searches. Most of the time, brands write in a way that will present their offerings in the best possible way, but unfortunately not in the way their audience converse online.
So for instance, instead of using a broad and self-serving title for a skincare topic like “Our New and Improved Skincare formula,” you can rather consider some titles like;
How to treat acne fast?
Oily skin? Here are 5 skincare products you shouldn’t miss.
3-minute skincare routine
See the difference? ☺
Transactional Keywords
Transactional Keywords are more on your call-to-action statements to your audience. Use this lightly and do not bombard them in every single page or your site will look like a hard sell and spam-my.
Here are a few examples of how certain keywords can be attractive to certain audience groups. Bargain hunters for instance, are typically interested in words like:
Sale
Bundle
Promo
Freebie
Luxury lovers are usually attracted to terms like:
Premium
Quality
Eco-friendly and animal lovers usually look for:
Not tested on animals
No plastic used
Vegan materials
These are just some of the transactional keywords that can make your audience more inclined to buy depending on their interests.
Internal and External Links
Let’s start with Internal links.
These are links that you place in your site that will direct your audience to another page within your site. For instance, you created a blog about redecorating your home. One thing you can do is to find related content on your site, content then use that link in this particular blog post. It could be an article about where to buy new and affordable pieces for your home or color trends that you can use as inspiration for your home.
This allows search engines to see that your topics are connected with each other.
Another simple strategy is to direct your audience to your set a meeting page or directly to the products or services related to the blog you published.
External links.
These on the other hand, are links that you place in your site that will bring your audience to a completely different site. One practical use of this is collaborating with other brands that are related to your business, but are not your competitors.
For instance, if you were a baker focusing on French pastries and you collaborated or did an interview with a French cook. Publishing this project on your site as a new page or as an article with your partner’s website is one of the things you can do to up your SEO game.
In return, you may also request the French cook to include your site link in their site when they publish your project together. This way, search engines like Google would know that you two trust each other’s sites making both of your platforms more credible to the algorithm.
Mobile Adaptability
Surprised? If you think that SEO is just all about the words that you have in your site, then you definitely have to re-do it!
Almost 60% of browsing happens on mobile phones and tablets according to Broadband search, which makes website adaptability on top of the priority of business owners.
Making sure that your website looks good, accessible and easy to navigate across all devices will allow the audience to understand what your business is about!
Images that are cropped and texts that cannot be clearly read are just some of the things that the audience may experience when you don’t make your site adapt.
Loading Time
Another neglected area of SEO is making sure that your site does not only look good, but also loads as fast as it could. Google even made an official announcement that speed highly impacts a site’s ranking on the results. This is because loading time affects the audience experience and if your site is loading a bit slower than their standards, it will definitely be bumped off the list.
Slow loading websites tend to have high bounce rates or in simpler terms, there are more people leaving the site right away before seeing much content. Once the search engines see this, your site will be ranked lower.
A few factors that make a site slow include old themes, widgets, videos hosted by another platform, widgets and even images.
Let us guide you more on this as most of the time; experimenting can cost you more money than you know!
How to Create A Blog Post in WordPress (With Photos)https://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/handsome-business-man-working-computer-office-scaled.jpg25601706Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
If you haven’t already known the importance of continuously creating blog posts in your site, then you are in for a surprise! Blogs are some of the most underrated features of a site that you can utilize. They improve your site’s SEO that will then help you rank in searches. This can get you new eyeballs leading to purchases.
Strong blogs are well researched, easy to understand and use appropriate photos. We can give you more tips, but that’s for another time ☺
WordPress can be intimidating thefirst time you look at it, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to make things work. We are here to guide you on how you can create blog posts on your site ☺
STEP 1: Add New Post
After logging into WordPress, you will land on your dashboard, which looks like this. Hover on Posts on the left menu and click Add New.
STEP 2: Adding Title and Writing Content
You can add your title in the first bar and you may start writing your content in the succeeding space.
STEP 3: Adding Photos to your Blog
Blogs are not complete without enticing photos! What you can do is click Add Media.
You can choose to upload your own photos by clicking the Upload Files tab, then Select Files. Keep in mind that the limit for each photo is only at 64 MB.
STEP 4: Adding Featured Image
Featured Images are the ones that appear on your Blog List as more or less the intro on what your blog is about (aside from the title)
Just scroll down on the page and look for Set Featured Image on the right.
STEP 5: Save Draft, Preview and Publish
Save Draft: If you don’t want to publish your blog yet or you’ll get back to it another time, just click Save Draft.
Preview: If you want to see how your blog will look, just click the Preview button and a new window will open.
Publish: When you’re ready for the blog to be seen by the world, just click Publish ☺
And that’s it! We hope that this guide makes it easier for you to post your blogs. You may also look at our other guides here to make your experience easier!
For more questions and inquiries, you may also schedule a call with us here:
What are the different types of Facebook Ads and how can it help boost your sales today?https://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Opening-scaled.jpg25601770Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Facebook Advertising has helped tons of businesses reach their audience in an easier way. Since almost everyone is using this platform today, creating campaigns and investing here might just be your way to hit your target.
But first you have to ask yourself the following questions:
Who are the people that you are targeting?
How much budget can you invest in advertising every month?
Do you have appropriate materials to work with?
Are your materials properly optimized for mobile phones and tablets?
With BrushPic, we make sure that you attract customers into your businesses with solutions in creating strong Facebook Campaigns. We guarantee that your ads are progressively tailored to reach maximum impressions based on your monthly budget.
To get things started, here are a few samples of each Facebook Ad Type that you may come across:
IMAGE
Succinct and Impactful. Image ads should be direct to the point and show emotion to be noticed by the audience. It can be happiness because they found your product / service. It can also be about frustration due to a need that you can offer like this one.
Image ads draw people in when they are unique, specific and use professional images. This is ideal in promoting a specific product or service as the material should not look cluttered. Use of this ad type can create a lasting impression depending on how your craft your visuals.
Advantages of using this ad type: Loads quickly and does not need much time for the audience to understand the message. This is helpful because people are getting a shorter attention span as technology evolves.
VIDEO
Videos are one of the best strategies to command attention from your audience. Simple and short videos allow your audience to experience more of what your business is about, what you can offer to them and how it can help create solutions for their needs.
If there is speech or music in your video, keep in mind that adding subtitles will greatly help your audience absorb your content quickly. This is because most people who browse on Facebook have their sound muted on their devices.
The downside is videos load longer than photos and if the user’s internet is a bit slow, you might lose their attention. If the video is too long, simple notifications can also distract your audience in finishing the video.
CAROUSEL
Carousel Ads usually consist of 3 to 5 images that the user can browse through. It’s a bit edgier than a one-photo ad because if the audience is interested, they can click next to see what the other photos are about. It gives them a bit of interaction and leeway to decide if they will use your product or service and click on your ads.
It’s easier to do than Video since you just have to compile a few photos and voila, you are all set. Carousel ads also load faster than video ads- this can lessen interest fallouts.
The downside is that there are people who would rather see all the content in one blow than clicking the next button. This is what the next ad type is for.
SLIDESHOW
Carousel slideshow Ads are a lot easier to do than videos since this won’t require manual creation, but will still load like a video. All you have to do is upload photos that you want to include in the ad, click the slideshow option in the format and Facebook will automatically show you a preview on how it’s going to look like. You can even choose what type of animation you want to use for your photos.
As we mentioned earlier, this format is ideal for people who don’t like clicking next to see your succeeding content. Just in case they don’t like the first photo on your video, there’s a chance they will like the next ones as the video plays out. One disadvantage is it loads slower than photos.
LEAD GENERATION
Lead Generation forms are effective in getting new leads for your business. Contact details such as name, email address and mobile number may be asked from your audience. With this, you can reach out to leads and close the sale. Keep in mind that some people are sensitive in giving their mobile numbers and contact details so we recommend asking for an email address instead.
INSTAGRAM
Since Instagram is now owned by Facebook, your ads will also be shown on this platform as well. It is ideal that you have an Instagram account to make sure that when the audience clicks your Ad there, they will be directed to your profile in the same app.
You should also connect your Facebook page to your Instagram Page to make sure that your content and ads are all aligned.
SHOP NOW
Shop now buttons can be added to the ads as well. Instead of having to message your page or have them manually search for your site, you can directly include a product / service into your ad that will bring them to the exact site page where you want them to go.
This makes it easier for your audience to browse what your offer is all about and the details they would need to know to make a purchase.
ANALYTICS
Not an ad type, but all ads and even your page itself is provided with analytics on how your efforts are reaching people. This includes the following:
Post or Ad reach: The number of people who have seen your material
Story Reach: The number of people who have seen your story may be boosted or not.
Post Engagement: The number of people who reacted, commented, clicked and shared your post
Videos: Number of people who played your videos for more than 3 seconds
Page Followers: Number of New followers gained by your page
All statistics come with increase or decrease percentages against the previous period too.
Whatever Facebook Ad format you have in mind, we guarantee that the materials we will be using for your business are interesting and will leave a lasting impression on your audience!
Schedule your FREE consultation with us and we’ll be right there with you!
Roundtable discussion (Virtual ☺) with 5 Businesswomen in Alaskahttps://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Banner-scaled.jpg25601707Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
This month, we are celebrating the strong, independent and loving women in our lives! Happy Women’s Month!
We interviewed Alaskan Women in Business and asked what it took them to succeed in the paths that they have chosen. Even in this age, women still do face unique challenges in the corporate world.
So, let’s dive into the colorful worlds of these ladies!
Christina Gamache is the owner of Audax Wealth Management. She does financial planning to business owners, combining business and personal finances.
Michele Girault is the Executive Director of Hope Community Resources, a local nonprofit, based in Anchorage. They also have offices throughout the state providing support to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities as well as mental health challenges.
Shannon Martindale Is with Five Rings Financial. Their vision is to help the middle-class Americans get out of debt and grow their hard-earned wealth. They promote financial education through events like Money 101, Wine Women & Wealth, and Mommy Money and Me. The events teach wealth tips and financial education that is not taught in our local schools or communities. We find out where people are at whether it is personal or business and help move them forward into their financial and retirement goals.
Ohenewa Anno is the Founder of BrushPic, a digital marketing and design services agency.
Julia Tenison is the owner and creator of an online news website called Anchorage Good News, a very local and focused news site. It is an idea that came to her when she was in college. She thinks that it is beneficial to any town, but particularly to Anchorage with the changing economy over the last several years, to be able to get good news about where they live. To help people feel good about where they live. She has been on YouTube and Facebook for over 3 and a 1/2 years.
As an empowered female leader, what has been the most challenging part of your business?
Christina: Mostly I think the most frustrating part is finding qualified help. Right? It’s probably the same as many other businesses today. Finding the right person to do the right job for my business has been difficult. And thank goodness, I found you. One other thing, I checked off my list.
Michele: I’ve been in this business for decades, but the last couple years have probably been the most challenging in terms of the pandemic variables and workforce shortage, which existed prior to the pandemic. But I think developing workers that are talented and invested in helping people, and assuring that they have a living wage has been one of the biggest challenges.
Shannon: It has been fun getting out there and helping to give back to other women through financial literacy and education to really help them further understand and empower them to move forward. The hard part but most exciting part is moving out of the corporate JOB and into an entrepreneur roll where I can be authentic and deciding what that would look like and being consistent with it.
Ohenewa: Time management or Management of activities. That has been very important and challenging to master.
Julia: The most challenging part of my business has been able to distinguish content that I create as unique and adding value to people’s lives. There’s a lot of news out there that’s based on fear and war, and people have become very accustomed to hearing that. As one classmate of mine said to me years ago, ‘I am far too obsessed with the bad news to want to pay attention to the good news’.
What do you think helped you the most to make your business successful as a woman?
Christina: I originally thought that having to go remote would be a challenge for my business. But I actually think that in hindsight, it has been good for me to go with because I’m able to flex really quickly, whereas if I had stayed in corporate, it would have been a little bit more difficult for me to meet my clients.
Michele: That’s a really good question. I think that I fell in love with this work kind of by happenstance; I was invited to work at a small institution in California by a college friend. It wasn’t a path that I chose. But I fell in love with the work and the people. So I think realizing that disability justice was something I had a passion for was something that helped me stay grounded in the work. And it was realizing that it’s a marathon, not a sprint , that social change takes investment of time and effort. Seeing and surrounding yourself with people that share that passion has been really important. I think having the social support of others, has kept me upright and moving forward.
Shannon: My husband and I went through a time in our marriage where we were having financial struggles and had a difficult time being able to communicate to one another about financials. We were in debt and to get out of debt you had to have those conversations to learn how to make some kind of agreement on how we will allocate our money. It is in my heart that there are other families out there that have some of those same struggles, and they just need a hand up to help work through those difficult conversations and times they may be currently facing. Given we have experienced trying times and have recovered too, I can give hope to other women, relationships, or families out there.
Ohenewa: As a woman, just looking to learn from others’ mistakes or other women and just from other people. Learn from their accomplishments and learn from their mistakes has helped me the most in making my business successful.
Julia: I care about other people and want to nurture them in ways because I’m a mom. I’m able to look at situations and see good stuff. Not necessarily Iook at the bad stuff that’s going but this is a good side of it. Just to be able to see good news that is happening amongst all of the bad stuff that is happening out there.
What is one thing that you wish you would have known earlier?
Michele: I think it’s important to this business when you are connected to state funding and legislative issues. I think I wish I had developed personal relationship with legislators earlier in my career. I’ve got that now, but I think not being afraid to do that, to realize that legislators or elected officials work for me. I think sometimes people put them on a pedestal; and it’s too far away. I think leveraging those relationships for the good of the people that you’re supporting is really important, whether it’s a state level or a federal level- those representatives are working for you.
Shannon: That I am capable of being an entrepreneur and not have to have a status within a company in order to be successful! I use to look at a beautifully dressed woman and think “oh they have it all together” when in reality they have a story where they had to work through junk or struggle’s to get where they are or, possibly they have not made it there and creating an outside identity. Everyone has their own struggles just as you or I may be going though, and it is OK to experience them. They are lessons for your growth, not to be a disappointment to you.
Ohenewa: The way women relate to each other and the chemicals that it produces within them. If I had known that earlier, I might have taken a deeper dive into the psychology of women and just people and understanding how they function on a fundamental level. This is not related to business. This is just something that I’m interested in.
Julia: My biggest mistake has been being far too timid about asking for financial support. As in approaching people about ads or going after financing campaigns through online services such as Patreon. Also, being far too concerned about what other people think about me, which is something I think women struggle with more than men.
Christina: I don’t know what my leadership style would be. But I do know that the last two years have taught me to lead with a lot of grace and forgiveness of life happen and there’s not a whole lot that we can control sometimes just understanding that people are human, and they make mistake. And really just seeing that they are not just vendors or customers or partners, that we’re all people at the end of the day.
Michele: I think I’m probably known to be a collaborative leader, to pull people in and use the gifts and talents of others. And I think that really shepherding and acknowledging the gifts and talents of others and letting them shine. is I think we all shine brighter when we stand in the light of others. So that’s been my style.
Shannon: Everyone has their own learning styles and what connects in order to move them forward in their growth. I have great interest in learning their style of learning, whether it is hands-on or reading and try to lead them in that direction other than doing what worked for me.
Ohenewa: My Leadership Style is really to provide direction and opportunity for people to grow into a better version of themselves. Come equipped and to give people the opportunity to just take the lead themselves with a little guidance. So I just want everybody to feel strong enough and capable enough to accomplish what everyone is trying to do for the whole team. And my style is to hand the tools over that allow people to blossom into their own stronger version.
Julia: I work alone most of the time. I do have a camera operator that I work with recently. For me, it’s about communicating the purpose and intent of the work as much as possible so that he understands and know what’s expected of him.
What are your biggest sacrifices in making your business successful?
Christina: Sacrifice? I think my biggest sacrifice was giving up my cushy corporate job. Okay, I had a very cushy job. And that was the biggest sacrifice. But looking back, it’s not so much of a sacrifice when I see what I’ve built.
Michele: Well, I think it’s interesting we’ve talked a lot at about work life balance at Hope. I think that throughout a career when you’re working in a field that’s 24/7 it never stops, you know. I was planning to go into a teaching career and there are moments where the world stops, you get a holiday vacation or a summer vacation. But when you work in residential services or services to people, it’s nonstop. So I think that there have been some sacrifices of personal /family time. But I think for me, it’s been a choice not a sacrifice. For me it’s something that I have chosen- to blend my passion for what we do with my personal life.
Shannon: What I am doing right now! Getting out, meeting people, and starting from the ground up to really grow the roots and make an ultimate foundation for itself. Just like the oak tree, the roots grow miles wide below the surface before you see the sprouts of your hard work.
Ohenewa: Time has been my biggest sacrifice. I’ve put in tons of time: everyday, year after year, in order to take my business to the next level.
Julia: Being able to communicate with people and my family and keep connections on a personal level long distance. Because something’s always happening or something’s going on or I need to keep my eye on the ball then I have a tendency to let communications with my family go.
Who are there female leaders or mentors that you look up to? What did you learn from them?
Christina: Many? Yeah, when I was in corporate, I did not have any bosses that were female for my entire career of over 20 years. And so when I left to start my own business, I actively sought out women mentors. And I have two mentors now. One is her name is Teresa Jacobson. And she is with JW Industry Group over in Anchorage, and she is fantastic! And then I also have a woman by the name of Holly Donaldson who is also a financial advisor, but out of Florida.
Michele: I think that there are. It’s interesting that a loved aunt just passed away, and her name is Emily. She was definitely a mentor, but her peer group is Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Betty White, you know, icons of their generation. I am a fan of Michelle Obama. Somebody said, “if you could have lunch with anybody, who would you choose”? For me it would be Michelle Obama, I so respect her and how she walks through the world. But I think, women who have stood for justice, stood for the rights of women, love animals, those types of things have always been something I look up to, and I’ve learned from.
Shannon: I am passionate about personal development. I have worked harder on myself than anything through personal development. I was invited years ago to attend a weekend conference called Dani Johnson. This wonderful lady had personally gone through a lot of junk. She does an amazing job teaching people to use that just as lessons, not as a downer or cause misery in your life. Through her work and my intentional studies, I believe that is what played a huge role of who I am today. I continue to work on personal development today. It will be an important role in my life forever!
Ohenewa: Female mentors I look to for guidance on how to be the most holistic version of yourself, like I actually am inspired by Bjork, the musician, because she’s a truly authentic woman and successful too. In terms of leadership, from the woman in my life, my mother and I suppose from the other close women I personally know. I learn from what they gained over the years and how to just make better choices and just be a great person and help others. A community is a big thing for women and that’s part of why I’m interested in highlighting women this month to connect with community on a higher level.
Julia: I have seen Laurie Brewer who is owner operator of Caffé D’arte here in Alaska and very much respect how she runs her very successful coffee business. I learned from her what it is to be able to look around to see good resources and learn how to utilize them, specifically to let her compassion work in her business. To help other women who have been in very unhealthy positions in life, be able to have an opportunity to improve their life.
How do you use your influence to help other women who are in business too?
Christina: So right now I’m serving as a committee member for Alaska behavioral health, and they’re doing a project partnership with the Steven A. Cohen clinic. They provide mental health services for veterans and their family. I’m also on the board of directors for the Alaska Women’s Leadership Forum.
Michele: Just that idea of, there’s so much more work to do worldwide and elevating women. We have a staff member or a previous staff member at home that’s doing filmmaking that’s elevating women; the issues are shining the light on issues for women in other countries. And I think that, working together continuing to elevate whether it’s pay equity, whether it’s access, whether it’s education in developing countries that that those of us that have that don’t walk out the door, being afraid of going to work or having a job or being able to drive a car need to support the women of other countries where that’s that freedom does not fully exist yet.
Shannon: Being an example of taking a leap of faith and getting out there, being authentic of whom God made you. Within our community of events, we host is Wine Women and Wealth. At this event we are pouring into the women of personal development, mindsets, and being the hub for ladies to further grow in all areas of their life. This event is monthly and has been so powerful amongst the group!
Ohenewa: This is one of the ways that I’m hoping that I can influence other women by just sharing stories in the city that I’m in at the moment. BrushPic is a worldwide company, but I am currently in Anchorage and I want to share with my present community on what other women and business owners are doing.
Julia: One of my most recent stories has been about Lady Snow Meditation. It’s run by Lady Snow Mustang, who is a local businesswoman with a YouTube feed that runs weekly. She does meditation now, wants to teach it in the future, but she’s starting with talks about encouraging self-improvement and handling domestic problems.
What’s your advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs?
Christina: So if they say: if you find something that you love to do, then you never have to work a day in your life. We’ve all heard of that. Yeah, yeah and it’s so true. But at the end of the day, where a lot of women, business owners, I think they just recognize that owning a business is just one way that we can take care of the people and the things that we love. I mean, to an end. So fine, if you can find that means to an end, that’s great. But if you can make it so that it’s fun for you, then it makes the entire tedious thing, not so difficult. And then also just networking, and nobody likes networking. They always say, Oh, I have to go to another networking event. But really, it’s just getting to know people, and not really asking them to help us, but kind of figuring out how you can help that person that you’re moving. Can you connect with that person too? What resources can you share with that person? Because that’s going to build up your community faster than you ever thought possible.
Michele: I think that the generation of today has so much more expectation for good, maybe than women of previous generations. I walked through a world where there’s been disparity in income for many years: recognizing that men were making more than I was just because they were men. So I think to stand up for yourself, value your talents; use other women to collaborate with and to be fearless. That’s probably not a message that’s new for the women that are coming up today. They’re much more. There’s been a good track laid by women of my generation and the generation ahead of me to say you are somebody, you are a big deal and walk through the world with your head up.
Shannon: Go do it. Go give it a shot. You will be blessed time and time again for giving back into God’s country and helping his children grow. Alling you to work for yourself as an entrepreneur gives you time and grace of freedom. Or for the lifestyle that you want to live. Whether you are raising a family or you are trying out what your purpose is in life. The more you get out and exercise your own business that you are working to build, you will either resonate with it and be passionate about it or it’s just not your cup of tea.
Ohenewa: Do what you love because then you don’t have to work a day in your life. But do what you’re passionate about because there’s a huge satisfaction in seeing something beautiful coming from your passion because your passion is a gift to everybody. So that would be my advice.
Julia: For any young women out there that want to become entrepreneurs I would suggest… First of all, be OK with who you are. Who cares about what other people think about you, just bring your best to the table and be OK with who you are. Secondly, if you haven’t had any kind of financial background experience or taking any classes in finance and business, take a few. Get to know someone really well that has a business and pick his or her brain a little bit about what it takes realistically to run a successful business
Michele’s interview highlights can also be watched here:
We do hope that you enjoyed these interviews as much as we did! Always remember that you are not alone. Women from all walks of life are now helping and collaborating with each other to strengthen each other’s businesses.
If you need more guidance on what to do, BrushPic is always open for a conversation.
How to Add Banner in a WordPress Bloghttps://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/beautiful-young-woman-home-office-working-from-home-teleworking-concept-scaled.jpg25601707Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Excited to post your new blog? We know the feeling 🙂 But something is not right. The blog photos are in there, your post is SEO friendly and your discussion is well-researched. So, what’s missing?
Yes, that big black space underneath the title that is sometimes too difficult to find. We got you. Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to add banner in your WordPress blog. Photos and screenshots are included too, you may thank us later 🙂
STEP 1: Set your featured image
This will be the image that WordPress will use as a preview photo on this specific blog. And ideally, this is also the photo that you should use as your banner to create consistency in your site.
STEP 2: Look for Post Options
Scroll down in the WordPress window and look for Post Options. It may be expanded or minimized like how it looks here.
STEP 3: Click Title / Description
Once the the Post Options area expands, there will be a navigation area on the left side of the screen that will appear. Look for the Title / Description tab.
STEP 4: Click Featured Image
Scroll down and look for Background. Since we already have a Featured Image, we can now choose this option as our banner
STEP 5: Preview
Always preview your work before publishing. You may also adjust the overlay to make sure that your title can be easily read. In this case, I adjusted the overlay to about 30%, but let’s save that topic for the next vlog 🙂
Your blog should look like this after. Once you’re ok with everything, just click publish.
_____________________
Woocommerce
In some cases, you may need to update woocommerce product category banners. Please follow the instructions below:
STEP 1: Click on Products -> Categories
Step 2: On the categories page, mouse hover on the category on which you want to update/add the banner image or video. Click on Edit
Step 3: To have an image as a banner on the product category, Upload an image by clicking the upload/add image button next to “Thumbnail” option.
To upload a video remove the image from the thumbnail in case you have already uploaded an image earlier, and then click on “Add video” button under banner_video option
Step 4: Click on update button. That’s it. Your product category should have a banner image/video now visible on the website.
We know. This is too much of a hassle to do every single time you’ll be posting. Add the fact that you have to type in every single word in your blog and add relatively interesting photos as well makes this task annoying.
Let us do it for you. We do not only build beautiful websites, but also manage them perfectly! Let’s talk, tell us all your problems, and we’ll solve it for you 🙂
How do I update wordpress?https://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/upgradewp.png550400Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
WARNING: The upgrade process will affect all files and folders included in the main WordPress installation. This includes all the core files used to run WordPress. If you have made any modifications to those files, your changes will be lost.
You should always update WordPress to the latest version. When a new version of WordPress is available you will receive an update message in your WordPress Admin Screens. To update WordPress, click the link in this message.
There are two methods for updating – the easiest is the one-click update, which will work for most people. If it doesn’t work, or you just prefer to be more hands-on, you can follow the manual update process.
Before you get started, it’s a good idea to back up your website. This means if there are any issues you can restore your website. Complete instructions to make a backup can be found in the WordPress Backup.
Automatic Background Updates
For WordPress 3.7+, you don’t have to lift a finger to apply minor and security updates. Most sites are now able to automatically apply these updates in the background. If your site is capable of one-click updates without entering FTP credentials, then your site should be able to update from 3.7 to 3.7.1, 3.7.2, etc. (You’ll still need to click “Update Now” for major feature releases.)
One-click Update
WordPress lets you update with the click of a button. You can launch the update by clicking the link in the new version banner (if it’s there) or by going to the Dashboard > Updates screen. Once you are on the “Update WordPress” page, click the button “Update Now” to start the process off. You shouldn’t need to do anything else and, once it’s finished, you will be up-to-date.
One-click updates work on most servers. If you have any problems, it is probably related to permissions issues on the filesystem.
5 Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategies for Small and Big Businesses Alikehttps://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/valentines-scaled.jpg25601707Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Holidays are associated with gift giving and it presents an opportunity for your business! Valentine’s Day is no exception.
Let’s take a look at some of the Valentine’s Day marketing techniques you can use to tap into the holiday spending mood:
Think Outside the Box
Create Special Valentine’s Packages
Create Daily Deals and Time-Sensitive Offers
Tailor your Ads
Run a contest on Social Media
Think outside the box
Candies? Flowers? Jewelries? Those are not the only things that can be gifted on Valentine’s! Whatever your product is, you can always make a way to capitalize it for Valentine’s Day.
Customized branding even for products that are not usually thought of for Valentine’s Day is just what you need to make it work.
The best part? They will be bought in pairs 🙂
For Financial Services, you can create a Valentine’s Couple Budget Challenge, providing teaching resources for young couples looking to promote financial literacy.
The program can be based on simulations of real-life financial challenges faced by young adults. You should be able to highlight how financial freedom can be attained as a couple through the services that you offer.
Towels are probably not high on your list when it comes to Valentine’s, but it does not mean that it can just be set aside this holiday!
Here’s a Valentine’s Day email example — subject line, “*NEW* Gift sets for you and your partner — this allows customers to buy not just one, but two towels as a set 🙂
Create Special Valentine’s Packages
Having couples pampered and relaxed is one of the best gifts that you can offer this Valentine’s Day!
For Spa and Massage Therapists, you may customize Valentine’s packages by putting together services that highlight the couple’s relaxation.
Since people would want to look their best for Valentine’s Day, you may offer a makeover package that will include treatments such as facial, body scrubs and the like.
But don’t forget the singles! Not everyone is partnered up for Valentine’s Day so have some offers that are focused on having a me time instead 🙂
Create Daily Deals and Time-Sensitive Offers.
Create sale offers with a countdown timer. Customers are more pushed to make quick purchases if they feel that they have a limited time to decide.
You can even switch up your daily offers with different products! This is great for audience recall too.
For restaurants, you can offer a couple of meal packages at discounted rates. You may also opt to include free desserts or glasses of wine 🙂
Just make sure to highlight that it should be purchased within your given time limit to create a sense of urgency.
Tired of generic and uninspired designs? We got you covered!
BrushPic creates beautiful and functional graphic design that can be easily available for your needs! We implement efficient marketing strategies for local and worldwide businesses alike!
Come on, we all know that people are going to be searching for ideas on what to give this Valentine’s. Why not ensure that your products are highly ranked in the search results?
Start a marketing campaign with specific and trending keywords that are appropriate for Valentine’s!
For Insurance Agents, use keywords that are timely and at the same time, emotional. Use headlines like “Want a unique way to show your better half an unconditional love? Give the gift that lasts for a lifetime – life insurance!”
Then explain in the caption why this unique gift is worth looking at. You can say “I know what will instantly pop into your head. Life Insurance? That doesn’t sound very romantic to me. Oh, but it is. Why? Because it makes pennies produce dollars that your family will be needing the most.
And if you want to really show your unconditional love, the best gift you can give is the certainty that should something unfortunate happen to you, your family will be financially secure.”
Run a contest on Social Media
Social Media Contests are fun and can spark engagement from your audience!
For veterinarians, pet parents can win gift vouchers for your services. Post on Social Media asking your followers to complete the sentence ‘I love my pet because ______ ‘ and ask them to use a special hashtag you made for this promo. Then pick the winners on Valentine’s day!
For make-ups, a “Show your Valentine’s Day Look” contest on Social Media is perfect! Let your audience join your contest by having them showcase the look that they will do for Valentine’s. Ask them to include in the caption why your products are perfect for their look and add the hashtag that is specific for this campaign.
We hope that Valentine’s Day will set the high tone of your business for the rest of the year by gathering purchasing habits data and using it to create more customized ideas!
Your relationship with your customers is on a group basis, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot make the conversations feel one-on-one.
Interested in more highly effective and revenue-generating email automations? Message us at info@brushpic.com or call us at (608)-333-5640
Maintenance of the website: What the client needs to know?https://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/maintenance.jpg1200603Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Upgrade all plugins to their latest version to maintain stability
1 – Keep an eye on the plugins that are in use and keep all of the plugins (whichever possible) up-to-date by clicking the update button near the plugin IF it is showing there and if any update for the plugin is available. Refer to the screenshot below for example:
To do so:
Click on Plugins → Installed Plugins from menu on the left side
You should be seeing list of all plugins that are currently installed (Active + Inactive) on your WordPress website. Click on the update button of the plugins.
Note:Please beware that it is sometimes risky to manually update plugins without any professional Web Developer’s presence and if you don’t have an idea of what you are doing exactly. Because updates brings some improvements/changes to the existing feature/functionality/design to what the plugin was offering initially so there are chances that you might see your sight distorted or not loading correctly. If such issue persists, please reach out to any professional website developer and discuss the issue with him/her to resolve it properly.
Also, only the plugins which can be upgraded without having to buy their premium version will be updated, not all free versioned plugins provide automatic updates!
Keep your website safe and secured:
Do not share the admin panel credentials of your website with people you don’t trust
Make it a habit of changing the admin panel’s password once every week or in two weeks.
There are lots of plugins available in the market for free to help you keep your site secured to some extent from virus attacks and malwares, namely: Wordfence, Astra, Securi, All in one scanner etc.
Install any one (Wordfence recommended) plugin from these and scan your site for viruses or malwares or any such potential issues at least twice a week
Remove any unneeded website extensions
Spam: Disable comments until and unless you want the people to be allowed to comment on your posts
You can disable comments sitewide by going into Settings » Discussion from the left sidebar of your WordPress admin panel. On this page, you need to uncheck the option that says “Allow people to post comments on new articles” and then click on the Save Changes button to store your settings.
Refer screenshot below:
Remove any inactive website administrators
– You can do that by going into Users → All users from the left navigation menu in the admin panel
– Delete any user that you want to. Refer screenshot below
Website Backups
Backup the files using plugins such as BackUpBuddy or BackUpWPPro that make your website work!
Backup File/database
Keep the latest stable version of the site’s backup in a safe, secured and reachable place like your google drive or dropbox so that whenever there is a need to restore the site back to its working state after a hack attack or virus issue or whenever site becomes unstable, it is easier to restore the site from those backup files
Functionality
Test any important functionality (i.e. working contact/signup forms, newsletter subscribe forms, etc.) to make sure everything is secure and working properly
What Makes a Good Website: Principles of Good Web Designhttps://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/websiteexamples-scaled.jpg25601997Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
What Makes a Good Website: Principles of Good Web Design (5 Top Examples)
No single aspect of Marketing is more important than a quality website. This is your organisation’s front door. A good website can break through. It can also convert users into engaged customers and brand ambassadors.
Thousands of pre-made templates and themes make creating a website easy. If all you want is a simple website that looks professional enough to give business a start.
But to differentiate in today’s competitive landscape, you need a website as unique as you are.
Well Designed and Functional
Your site reflects your company. This shows your products and services. Most importantly, your brand. So it’s essential to be visually appealing.
Keep it polished and professional.
Allow white space to be seen.
Include uncluttered layouts.
Also focus on quality photographs and graphics.
This will allow your message to shine through.
Equally important, the site must work quickly and correctly. Always build to web standards and proofread rigorously. Also test regularly for problems with speed or functionality. Every page should always be fast and functional. This is because any visitor could be a customer’s first or only impression. Broken, slow, or poorly constructed areas are a big no. It will leave your visitors frustrated and encourage them to leave.
Simplicity
Simplicity is the best way to go. Especially when considering the user experience and the usability of your website. Below are ways to achieve simplicity through design:
Color has the power to dominate. It can communicate messages and evoke emotional responses. Finding a color palette that fits your brand is a priority. It will allow you to influence your customer’s behavior towards your brand. Keep the color selection limited to less than 5 colors. Complementary colors work very well. Pleasing color combinations increase customer engagement. This also makes the user feel good.
The F- based pattern is the most common way visitors scan on a website. Eye-tracking studies have found that most people see the top and left areas of the screen. The F shaped layout mimics our natural pattern of reading. Just like in the West: left to right and top to bottom. An effectively designed website will work with a reader’s natural pattern of scanning the page.
Be succinct. Always be interesting and new. Use language that makes sense to your audience. Avoid jargons. Do not include corporate speak and acronyms. Explain your “Why.” Visitors have short attention spans. So be sure to spell correctly. Be relevant and update regularly. Blogs and social media updates are great ways to add fresh content. This keeps visitors returning. It also helps SEO strategy. Yes, keeping things fresh requires a bit of investment. No, you can’t do without it.
Visual hierarchy is the arrangement of elements in order of importance. This is done through the following:
Size
Color
Imagery
Contrast
Typography
Whitespace
Texture
Style
One of the most important functions of visual hierarchy is to establish a focal point. This will show visitors where the most important information is.
Our team will breathe life into your website and tell your story. We are a family of creative practitioners in the areas of design, marketing and technology. Send us a message to find out more!
BrushPic Interview with Mathieuhttps://brushpic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mathiue2.jpg16001306Michael OkaiMichael Okaihttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fb7287bcd205110f976e14d54afa36ee?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Ohenewa: “I would like to introduce you to Mathieu Frohlich with Finance of America Mortgage. Mathieu is a Mortgage adviser at Finance of America Mortgage. They make financing easy and offer a range of options from VA, FHA, Conventional, 203K, USDA, Jumbo Loans, or Hud 184. Thank you for making the time to take this interview with me. What made you get into this field?
Mathiue: “ I have some family, that owned the branch and they showed me how the company works what the opportunities are. They really show the ins and out of how lending works and it was really interesting, they convinced me to join them.
Watch the interview highlights on our youtube channel:
Ohenewa: “How is finance of America different from other mortgage companies?
Mathiue: “Finance of America really empowers their loan officers that are facing the clients. So they really want the individual loan officers to be the ones out finding the clients, building that relationship and give them all the tools they need to be successful, whereas a lot of other lenders are more focused on marketing, advertising bringing in clients through more of a call center type thing where you’re more of a order taker, they give you a client compared to focusing on the relationship between a lender and their client.
Eva: “Can you tell me about some of your loan programs?
Mathiue: “We offer a huge variety of loan programs overall ideas we want to be able to help you no matter what your situation is. Our job as mortgage advisors is to make sure you get the right financing to fit those needs but we do all your traditional loan programs. VA for your veterans, FHA .HUD 184, conventional loans, jumbo loans. Those are more what you consider traditional ones, but we also have a lot of in house loans that we make available so we have commercial ones so people can buy apartment buildings up to twenty units. We have lines of credit for builders so they can build new homes, so we try and be all encompassing for our lending options.
Ohenewa: “What is the most typical program that house hunters here in Alaska look for?
Mathiue: “We have a lot of veterans up here and the VA programs is the best one. That’s what I used to buy my house, is by far the best program has great rate, it’s a zero down program it’s very easy to use, so that one’s extremely popular, the other next one that we see is probably FHA, which is really friendly for first time home buyers.
They work with you, credit issues income issues are very flexible in their terms, as a lot of your first time home buyers will do that and then, of course, your conventional ones.
Conventional loans, you’ll see a lot for anyone making larger down payments or most common is where you’re selling your first home in order to be a move up buyer and buy that larger home.
You just got a promotion and want a bigger house, or your family’s growing, and you need a bigger house so that’s where you will have more of the conventional loan style.
Ohenewa: “I heard that getting multiple loans will badly affect your credit. What are your thoughts on that?
Mathiue: “So, multiple loans is more, how many are we talking about? If we’re talking about credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, things like that there are most of your experience, transunion, equifax, they want you to have several loans out there they want to see that you’re using credit that you’re paying your bills on time and that you have a couple different sources of credit, whether it is at auto loan, home loan, credit card things like that. They want to see a minimum of three trade lines. TransUnion won’t report a credit score if you don’t have at least one active trade line going the longer you have a trade line open, the better credit, a lot of credit is based off of your history. So don’t close a credit card if you’ve had it for a long time to keep it keep using it, use it once or twice a year, just keep the account going over time, as long as you’ve made all your payments. This really helps boost your score, otherwise the number of loans depends on how you’re using them. If all of your credit cards are maxed now that’s a bad thing, if you have ten credit cards, but they all have only ten percent on them for their overall bounds well, then that’s more of a good thing, because then you have a lot of credit that you can use in case of emergencies, unexpected bills or anything like that.
Ohenewa: “What would you say with someone wants to do a refinance but they worried that it could badly affect their credit?
Mathiue: “Having your credit checked normally only affects your score down a couple points, having your credit checked by multiple loans; five, six, seven times that’s where it starts, really taking an adverse hit on your credit so if you go around shopping for different credit cards and you don’t end up actually getting any credit card that’s also seen as bad shopping, with the even lenders, credit agencies expect you to shop around two or three different lenders, but your shop with ten- they start thinking something’s wrong, and you’ll really start hitting that, seeing that hit also hard inquiries you don’t want, you want to keep them down as low as possible. But anywhere in the two to four hard inquiries in a given period of time isn’t seen as that bad, isn’t really going to drive down your credit.
So if you’re thinking about refinancing, if you haven’t applied for any other loans recently, then it doesn’t hurt to have your credit pulled.
Ohenewa: “What is one of the misconceptions that people have about mortgages?
Mathiue: “That like your biggest one is probably that your bank is going to give you a good deal just because you bank with them, or that all lenders, all mortgages, are created equally.
They’re not, all of your companies operate differently they all have different fees they all do things differently and how they operate and so one lender might have a whole different program that meets your needs much more closely than another lender, and you don’t know until you go around in talk with a few of them.
Ohenewa: “Can you work with people outside of Alaska?
Mathiue: “So I’m personally licensed in Alaska, Arizona, California and Oregon, so I can do loans in those individual states but our companies licensed to nationwide and I can always refer to colleague, a fellow lone officer in a different state so it doesn’t matter where you’re looking to buy refinance, we have someone that can help you out.
Ohenewa: “I heard loans gets sold out without consent, is it a standard procedure?
Mathiue: “Every single person sells your loans, every single lender is going to sell your loan except in the rarest of cases it doesn’t matter who the lender is. They all get packaged up in mortgage backed securities and sold off now what happens there is, depending on who buys the package of all those loans at thousand loan block that gets sold off, they might have a deal with a different company, a servicing company that is a one you actually make your payments too.
So the people that own your loan are not the same ones that collect your payment a lot of time and so since they have that arrangement, you’ll get that letter in the mail saying, your servicing provider has just been changed and your loan has been moved because even then, sometimes your loan one can get sold four or five different times and stay at the same service and you’ll never know that that package of loans are sold, the only time you know is when your servicing company changes, and who’s collecting the money is a new company
Ohenewa: “So it’s not really a bad or good thing for the consumer?
Mathiue: “No it doesn’t affect the consumer, the biggest thing is the setting up of a new account with a new service provider to have your mortgage payment automatically withdrawn especially if it’s happened four times in a row, every single payment was made to a new service in the company because no one really had an idea about what was going on so selling them, buying and selling them again and they were just a little frustrated because they’re like, hey, i just may open an account, just made a payment to these guys and now i tried to do the same the following month, and they say, I can’t make the payment because my loan has been moved to another service in company, so it’s more of the frustration factor, but it doesn’t affect your loan you actually have a little more of a grace period during that time that the new account set up, so oh, every month, so don’t think that your grace period means you can skip a payment, but it does mean that if it takes an extra couple of weeks to find out who the new servicer is and to get that payment sent off, that won’t affect your credit that won’t affect your payment history whatsoever ,
Ohenewa: “Are there any email coming up webinars?
Mathiue: “That will be every Wednesday at six pm I want to get that started here in the next couple of weeks, and it’ll just be a consistent every Wednesday six pm, when you’re ready to learn more about buying your first home, or if you just want a refresher on how the home process home buying process works, you can join for free. FAMhomeloans.com
Ohenewa: “What are some tips that you can share with anyone looking to find the right mortgage lender?
Mathiue:“Definitely shop around and look strongly at the loan estimate so all lenders when they get a complete application are required to give you a loan estimate and in there is our best guess scenario on what all of the costs for all of your closing costs are but also what we put in for any origination costs that’s what you really want to focus on how much are you paying to get the loan? Origination costs a lot of times, lenders will charge a flat percentage fee and so that they’re charging one percent of origination fee that can, be quite a few thousand dollars, if you buy four hundred thousand dollar house, if you’re looking at a four thousand dollar origination fee, Finance of America does charge an origination fee, but it is a flat fee it’s one thousand four hundred and ninety dollars, and that’s all of our fees. We don’t have any other fees in there and is for our branch some branches are different based off location our Alaska branch is just a $1490 some other ones will hide in discount points those are the points you pay to buy down your interest rate so they might say, oh, hey, we can beat other lenders by giving you a three percent, instead of a three point two five percent
but that discount point might mean that you’re actually buying down that rate and paying more upfront costs and so they kind of hide it in sometimes other common fees that you’ll see will be something like document preparation fees, admin fees, copier fees they can hide in a bunch of fees in there it’s really focusing on that part the third party costs are going to end up being the same, no matter what lender you use because that’s
an appraisal fees and appraisal fee, we don’t take any money for that, no one else is allowed to take money for that it’s going to be the same, no matter who you use.
Ohenewa:“Can you tell me a little bit about the work that brushpic has done for you and your business?
Mathiue: “Yeah so brushpic has designed website, has designed powerpoint presentations, some logos, marketing material,and are about to design a couple more websites for me.
Ohenewa: “Bonus Question: If you were shipwrecked on deserted island and had food and water, what two items would you want to bring with you?
Mathiue: “Well, satellite phone and a battery to power it. Ohenewa: “One last question, what is your favorite hobby?
Mathiue: “I like, getting out to the cabin and spending as much time there as possible
outside of the city and absolutely perfect for four wheel and snow machine and fishing, you name it that’s a fun place to be.”
About the Interviewer
Eva Ohenewa Anno is the founder of BrushPic™. Eva is a multi talented digital artist and entrepreneur with a passion for helping others show up as their best version.