Spiffy Web Blog | Expect results from your website

Zen-like business writing blossoms into a better reader experience

by spiffyweb on April 13, 2013

People want to read clear stories and messages that don’t take up a lot of their time.

Inspire your writing process with shimbui 7

The average person spends 18 minutes a day reading and 2.7 hours watching TV! That’s what Twitter, work demands and our to-do lists have done to our lives – reduce the time we spend on everything.

Follow a few Zen-inspired ideas to create business writing and messages your audience wants to read.

The business writing nap

Writing to sound smart or keep up with the competition only results in boring copy for your customer. This typically comes from voluminous paragraphs with lots of jargon. A quick Google search for “end-to-end solutions” brings up 816 million entries!

Meet Koko, one of seven shimbui concepts. Shimbui is an aesthetic principle that comprises the “Zen of design.” Koko is about restraint and exclusion. Translate this Japanese concept for your writing and it means edit.

The joy of you

Make the time to think through what you really want to say – in your own words – to express a genuine point of view. Readers love authentic, humanistic writing.

Enter Kanso, the concept of understated beauty and utility. Remove the decorative adjectives and phrases from your writing and cut straight to the point of your story in your own voice.

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The power of one

One change can have a big impact on your outlook and writing.

Datsuzoku is the concept of taking a break from your routine or pattern to let creativity emerge. Write in a different location or at a different time of day. You’ll find a new point of view when you break free of your current patterns.

Zen business writing gets results

Slim down a 2,000-word article to 300 words and reduce your reader’s time from 10 minutes to 1.5 minutes! This is plenty of time to tell your story and get your key message across completely. Now, that’s a business win.

Try these Zen-like ideas on your next assignment and see what happens. If you feel you just don’t have the time, contact Cara for some inspiration and help. 626-676-5342

Sources: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671947/7-design-principles-inspired-by-zen-wisdom, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/your-day-in-a-chart-10-cool-facts-about-how-americans-spend-our-time/258967/

My secret love of writing in secret code

by spiffyweb on April 11, 2013

Writing for the web is like writing a performance review.

A couple weeks ago I had dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in years. We reminisced about the past company and people we worked with and how we met.

copy writing and marekting by spiffy press santa barbara

“Secret Letter” image courtesy of DryIcons.com, Flickr

Over truffle fries, she mentioned she was surprised to hear that I loved writing performance reviews.

Everyone hates writing reviews, she reminded me. Not I, said Cara. I loved writing annual performance reviews. It was one of my favorite responsibilities as a department manger.

Keywords for HR

When you write an employee review, you are essentially writing for two audiences, just like writing a blog article or web page. You write for the person who sits across the table from you (your human audience) and HR (your search engine).

I worked for an amazing company with an incredibly organized HR department. The company also provided an outstanding management training program where no stone was left unturned. Once I learned the secret code of words and phrases to weave into a review, I was hooked. Those words communicated an average, stellar, or not so good review to HR. Yet, the employee read it at face value without knowing the secret code embedded in front of them.

Bury your writing in plain sight

The keywords you research for your website can’t feel contrived or shoe-horned into your copy. They have to hide from the reader but call out to the search engines. Just like the review.

After we finished our ice cream sundae dessert (catching up with friends is the best!), I realized I surprised myself a bit too. I hadn’t made the connection until then between my love of writing web and blog copy and annual reviews. It’s a creative challenge, a puzzle to piece together and it keeps my mind busy solving problems, which I enjoy doing too.

There’s always a solution to every problem, even if we don’t see it right in front of us.

Email Cara (or call 626-676-5342) to write outstanding web copy and blogs for your business’ website.

A fast and sexy little website for DOCG Imports

by spiffyweb on April 10, 2013

This fun and quick turnaround project brings high-end prosecco to California.

web development in santa barbara californa, spiffy web

A small site big on personality — DOCG Imports

DOCG Imports needed a logo and home page designed and built in a week. We were happy to help this start-up company establish a presence so they can begin importing DOCG-certified prosecco into California.

Ever heard of DOCG-certified prosecco and wines? If not, check out the page. It’s an impressive designation for the world’s best proseccos.

Have a look at their logo and website here.

The website with a big kiss from Italy

The challenges with creating any website are essentially the same if you are building one page or 50. DOCG Imports was prepared to make the process as smooth as possible because they know who they are.

Before you start any website development project, make sure you know:

What you’re about and how you’re different. What’s your edge?
Your personality and style. How do you want others to perceive you?
Your offering and how it fits in the market. Why should people care?

If you know these basis, we can take care of the rest. And if you don’t, we can help you find the answers.

Great web design matters

Typically, we at Spiffy Web believe that a great website comes from clear messaging and business strategy first, great design second. This philosophy holds true on this project, but great web design and graphics truly gave this little site the big personality it needed.

We will be adding new content and pages so keep in touch. And if you know of anyone looking for authentic DOCG prosecco, contact Nina.

Contact Cara at Spiffy Web when you need professional graphic and web design, copy writing and web development in Santa Barbara, California.

It’s like a high five for web design and development

by spiffyweb on January 12, 2013

It feels great to see your work recognized as solid examples of web design and development

spiffy web design and development showcased on holythesis.com

Thanks for the hug Holy Thesis

Yesterday a client of ours sent us a link to Holy Thesis because the website we created for her was listed. A friend of hers randomly saw it and told her about it. A nice little game of telephone, no?

We were so thrilled to see the site, we checked it out and saw that four of our sites were listed! Can I get a whooo hoo?

Check out Spiffy Web’s web design and development examples

Holy Thesis’ goal is “to showcase the very best Thesis-based websites we can find, or you can amaze us with!” As their tagline says, it’s “a showcase of baddass Thesis sites.”

Please visit these sites and check the heart at the bottom of the image to vote for them:

Contact Cara to strategize a website that supports your business goals and is an excellent example of web design and development. 626-676-5342.

Internet Marketing Calendar: December

by spiffyweb on December 4, 2012

Take inventory and classify what needs to get done.

December is Awareness Month of Awareness Months Month! Ha! That cracks me up. As we wind down the year, there are a couple things to be aware of to improve your site and get it in top shape for next year.

Internet Marketing Calendar: December

December 10: Dewey Decimal System Day – Get organized and use this month to analyze your site’s data to find new focus, improvements and ideas to improve your site.
December 31: No Interruptions Day – Sit back and enjoy your hard work over the year with a silent day. You’ll need the rest because next year is going to be busy!

Have a look at our client spotlight stories to see how a strong Internet marketing strategy has helped others:

Grainger Arts & Crafts Studio started blogging two months ago and experienced an uptick in phone calls instantly. Take a look at their blog to see the type of original content we can help you create too.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Contact Cara to write web content, blogs and articles, newsletters and emails as part of your Internet marketing strategy. 626-676-5342.

View September’s tips

View October’s tips

View November’s tips

Internet marketing calendar: November

by spiffyweb on November 27, 2012

Be aware of how your site balances performance, design and content.

November is Banana Pudding Lovers Month. Can’t believe there is such a thing.

Internet Marketing Calendar: November. Be aware of balance

So moving right along from there, here are a few things to help your site run smoothly this fall:

November 8: X-Ray Day — Examine your site’s performance over the past year, evaluate your options and create a strategy to improve your site for the coming year.
November 23: Fibonacci Day – Bring your site’s content and design in balance. Many sites use photos in place of content, but your site needs text as well to talk to the web crawlers and tell them what you offer. While everyone loves to look at beautiful images, like a perfectly balanced nautilus shell, search engines are blind to the beauty and need words to see your site.
November 30: Computer Security Day – Get ready for the holidays. 88% of shoppers want to know their personal information is safe. Add verification badges for the security services you use.

Contact Cara to write web content, blogs and articles, newsletters and emails as part of your Internet marketing strategy. 626-676-5342.

View September’s tips

View October’s tips

Internet marketing calendar: October

by spiffyweb on October 5, 2012

Everyone loves a good story, including your audience.

INTERNET marketing in santa barbara, ca blogs, copy writing for the web

Marshmallows make a campfire story even better.

I don’t know what it is about a campfire, but it just screams “Tell me a story.”

Spooky or sweet, a focused group, hanging onto your next word is the best audience you will ever have.

My favorite campfire stories were on Silver Strand Beach in the 1970s where my family had a beach house. We lived there all summer and the scary stories were the best.

Even if they seemed completely unrealistic, sitting in the dark it was easy to imagine a giant monster, sea creature or cousin sneaking up behind you. Boo!

Use October to tell your story out loud. Here’s how:

October 5–7: Storytelling Weekend — Tell a story on your blog, in a press release or in a quote on your site. If you write a press release, don’t forget to post it to a service, like PRweb.com. And post the release to your web page in HTML format before you submit it via a newswire so you are the first source.
October 22: CAPS LOCK DAY – SHOUT OUT INTERNET STYLE. IT’S OK THIS ONE DAY A YEAR FOR TWEETS OR EMAILS.

Contact Cara to write web content, blogs and articles, newsletters and emails as part of your Internet marketing strategy. 626-676-5342.

View September’s tips

Internet marketing calendar: September

by spiffyweb on September 5, 2012

Go ahead and promote yourself this month!

internet marekting and web design development spiffy web santa barbara

September is Shameless Promotion Month. Go ahead and tell the world what you can do!

September is Shameless Promotion Month. Isn’t every month?

So here goes… Spiffy Web is Santa Barbara’s best provider of Internet marketing for your small business! We do an excellent job of getting to know your business goals and researching keywords that support your website to ensure it fits within your business plan.

What lucky timing that I received a testimonial this week, just in time for a shameless promotion:

“I’ve worked with numerous digital marketing agencies over the years, and one that really stands out to me is spiffy-web.com. Aside from delivering top-quality designs, what impressed me the most is the work Cara does in terms of content and SEO strategy.

She meticulously researches a client’s core business in order to write compelling copy for every page on the site. In addition, she performs extensive keyword research. This all comes together into one of the most cohesive and comprehensive content documents that I’ve seen.

What an amazing value this is. Impressive.”
– Paul Suntup, Founder Zel Creative.

Onto the marketing calendar with ideas for you to focus on keeping your website in tip-top shape:

September 19: Google.com Day — Many companies don’t include a meta description. Make sure each page of your site is written like an ad, with a call to action, not a boring phone listing. Google will default to using this tag in the search engine results page (SERP).
September 27: Google’s Birthday – Register your xml sitemap with Google through a free Webmaster Tools (WMT) account. And open a WMT and Google Analytics account if you don’t already have one.

Contact Cara to write actionable content and an Internet marketing strategy for your business. From keyword research and SEO to copy writing and design. 626-676-5342.

Web development that makes you smarter

by spiffyweb on August 14, 2012

Being smarter means you have more brain power to think about important things, instead of your latest to-do list.

web design and development, spiffy web, santa barbara ca

Free up some space in your brain to focus on your business.

I recently met with a client and realized that a pattern repeats every time we develop a website.

That pattern looks like this: I need to get my business online, I need to get my business online, months later I contact someone. Then I talk about I have to get my business online.

Why all the talk? It hit me like a ton of bricks. All the information, or most of it, is in one person’s head. As small business owners know, their brain is the client relationship database, the inventory checklist, the list of to-do items, the place where employee data is kept…and more. Lots more!

Getting this information out of your head through a thorough web development process feels overwhelming.

You don’t have to do it alone

Believe it or not, this is a process I love. I’ve always enjoyed sorting through large amounts of random information, data, stories, whatever you can come up with, and making it useful to you and others. It makes perfect sense that getting the information out of your head feels overwhelming, because it takes up more of your precious time (you are already busy with a million things to do).

It’s a fact that your time is needed early in the process to get through the planning and strategy phases. But once you do, it’s smooth sailing from there.

The process of organizing your business information and processes onto a website for all to see is one of the best business projects you can go through. It will dramatically change how you go about your daily business. There will be a new place for all of the data.

Sort through the piles of old photos and the stacks of stuff you never filed (but meant to) and get it into an online database. Whether that’s WordPress, SquareSpace or Volusion (or any other number of development platforms), the process of getting organized forces you to get your house in order.

Why web development is worth the time

The result of the web development process is not only a new website where others can buy your product/service and interact with you, but free brain space! No longer do you have to keep track of everything alone.

Email Cara to plan, design and develop a website that frees you up to do more important things. 626-676-5342.

Internet marketing calendar: August

by spiffyweb on August 10, 2012

The happiest month of the year includes World Wide Web Day.

Sunny internet marketing for August from Spiffy Web, Santa Barbara, CA

Maintain your website every month and the sun will shine on your website.

Is it any wonder that World Wide Web Day also kicks off Simplify Your Life Week? All wrapped up in the month dubbed “Happiness Happens Month”? Happiness and sunshine just go together in August. Use this month to keep your website in a happy state:

August 1: World Wide Web Day — The Internet is a fabulous invention that brings us closer together. Write original content to make your online experience easy and enjoyable for your audience.
August 1–7: Simplify Your Life Week – Keep your site and its connections in tip-top shape: Filter out your IP address(es) from your tracking software and connect your site to Adwords (from your Google Analytics account).

Enjoy these tips as you bask in the glow of summer.

Want the full Internet marketing calendar? Send Cara an email and she’ll mail you a mini brochure packed with help and ideas.

Contact Cara to write actionable content and an Internet marketing strategy for your business. From keyword research and SEO to copy writing and design. 626-676-5342.