Project & Content Resources

A domain name is like the address on the mailbox of your house that tells others where to find you. The hosting company provides the plot of land which corresponds to your domain for you to build the structure of your website on. You can usually find and purchase domains through your webhosting company. It’s best to use words in your domain name that people might use to search for your website.

As you decide which company to purchase hosting from, you should look for:

a) virtual servers (best for speed)

b) hosting which can scale to fit your site needs

c) unlimited (no hidden) data & bandwidth prices

We temporarily host your site while in development. It’s moved to your own hosting setup upon completion. Suggestions are based on personal experience and consumer reports.

Flywheel (affiliate link)

SiteGround (affiliate link)

Inmotion (affiliate link)

Green Geeks (affiliate link)

WPEngine (affiliate link)

Email:

Google Apps for Work: hosting mail at your domain (affiliate link).

If you will need to sell things and take credit card information on your site, in needs a few more things to be secure. Shop around for the best rates on getting a dedicated IP address (necessary for a SSL) as a part of your hosting package. You don’t have to purchase a SSL exclusively from your hosting company.

SSL Certificates: Namecheap

No matter where you get your theme, it should be responsive – which means that it shows up as it should on mobile and desktop devices. Naturally I am happy to build you a theme from scratch or totally renovate an existing theme.
If you’re on a shoestring, there are many free themes available or premium themes at various themeshops which can save you the price of customization – just be sure to research not just the theme, but also the theme shop and the theme’s support record.

There are splendid new themes coming out all the time. Just ask me for suggestions germane to your project if you want some help.

Genesis Child Themes – versatile and robust themes using the Genesis Framework: premium themes I include in many builds

Themefinder for free themes in the WordPress catalog  (tip: check “responsive”)

Targeted Google search: “best WordPress themes for …”  eg. artists.

Themeforest and WooThemes I’m more equivocal about because theme quality can vary a great deal; just inspect each theme carefully in terms of reviews, support, and latest updates.

Always best to use pictures with high resolution (ie iPhone shots won’t do) especially for banner slideshows. For logos, start also with a large image or vector file.  It’s always possible to make a big clear image look good small… but not the reverse.   Not everyone has the time or budget to create fresh images.  Here are some stock photo sites if you need them.

Snazzy Background Generator Background by SiteOrigin

The Stocks: thestocks.im

Unsplash: Unsplash.com

Remove the background from a picture Clipping Magic

More stock images: IStockPhoto

Royalty Free Getty Images: GettyImages.com

About free Getty Images where credits will be used: The Verge article

Various Creative Commons Media: CreativeCommons.org

Ask me for referrals to some incredible photographers and graphic designers!

I have a great deal of experience and multiple degrees in both journalistic and academic writing and editing, and even teaching English (and German) grammar. I have also worked in PR, where I developed white papers and other publicity pieces.

If you need, I am able to write compelling, fresh content about your company with appropriate keywords in appropriate places to assist with optimization. This process might entail interviewing you and your colleagues, for example, or visiting your office.

Many clients already have information and PR pieces about their companies they would like to have adapted for their websites. I can help by identifying the most salient points and presenting them in engaging, eye-catching ways on your site.

I have translated articles, film scripts, books, transcripts, degrees, letters, and more from German to English. The rates for this depend on the language involved – ie, technical, medical, or specialized trade translations are billed at higher rates.