On the blog…
Boring but useful – how secure is your business?
This is not a particularly entertaining post. BUT it is a very important one. At the time of writing this there has been war in Ukraine for around 3 weeks and during that time the number of cyber attacks on sites in Ukraine has gone up exponentially*. If things...
I’m not setting goals this year…
And this is why.. In a previous life I was a programme manager. I took meaty, complex programmes, broke them into manageable projects and then broke them down into tasks which I tracked like a terrier after a mouse. I had Gantt charts and dependencies and weekly...
What’s the best web hosting?
One of the questions I get ask A LOT is which is the best web hosting. And I always recommend SiteGround. There are a few reasons for this and rather than write an essay, I thought I would show you behind the scenes so you can see exactly what it is I love about...
5 essential keyboard shortcuts
Did you know that there are some combinations of keystrokes you can use on your keyboard that are like secret code for your computer? Known as keyboard shortcuts, they can save you loads of time while making you feel very professional! Instead of having to move the...
I hate Mailchimp
I hate Mailchimp. There. I've said it. I'm not usually one for hating things but after a recent foray into Mailchimp to help a lovely client migrate to MailerLite I realised that I do, in fact, hate Mailchimp. I have some very specific reasons for this which I'm going...
Create personalised links using Pretty Links
Have you ever wondered how some people have a lovely zoom meeting link (think www.alicejennings.co.uk/meeting rather than something like this https://us02web.zoom.us/j/818387 If you have a WordPress site it's actually super easy to get this set up using a fab plugin...
Supercharge your clipboard
Copy and Paste is a super useful tool that you are hopefully familiar with. You can either use the right click on your mouse to access the copy and paste mini menu OR you can use the keyboard shortcuts of Control + C / V on Windows or Command + C / V on a Mac. But...
Resizing Images
Can we talk about images? As I’m working through my website programme, teaching people how to build a lovely website of their own, one of the questions I get asked A LOT is what size images should be. The answer I tend to give is as small as possible but no smaller....
3 ways to find free images
Finding good images is something that everyone with an online presence needs to do. If you are lucky enough to have a natural flare for photography and a photogenic subject matter then you probably won't be needing stock photos but for the rest of us, we will need...
Finding Fonts for your Business
When we think of branding the first thing we often think of is a logo or a colour but the font you use can also have a big effect on how people perceive your business. The art of creating fonts is known as typography. This is a useful thing to know because some tools...
Chosing Your Brand Colours
In the same way that a logo can be instantly recognisable as part of your brand, the colours you use need to be the same across all areas of your business. You want your website colours to match your logo, social media headers, packaging, business cards and any other...
3 Ways to Get A New Logo
A logo is a graphic that you use to help people recognise your brand. The most famous logos are known globally, even if the aren’t all there. Take a look at these examples as a reminder of how important a logo can be.It’s easy to get hung up on your logo when you...
How to update your WordPress Website!
A quick video to show you how to update your WordPress site. Do it each month to keep out of trouble!
Email Marketing Glossary
Email marketing is full of tension. Like many aspects of running your own business it requires you to wear many hats and use different business skills. To get your email marketing working you will need: - some marketing skills to understand what you should be putting...
How to take payment on your website
Increasing numbers of small businesses are looking to take payments online for the packages they offer. Many of these businesses will have a regular website rather than an ecommerce site and upgrading can be both expensive and time consuming. If you are looking for a...
A love letter to MailerLite
** Jargon Alert** I'm sorry but I've used some terms in this post that are a bit jargony. I've also written a glossary that will help you understand them. If you are new to email marketing you might want to start by reading the glossary which you can find here...
Websites created on my course
One of my favourite ways of working with people is through group online programmes. I've been doing this for several years, well before Covid-19 forced us online and find it works really well to get people up and running with a website they have full control over. The...
Conference Tips – How to get the most from a conference
I'm off to a conference on Saturday and with my SORTED hat on I've been thinking about whether I should have a standardised 'system' for getting the most out of a conference or whether I should just go with the flow. I already do some things so I thought I'd create a...
I didn’t mean to write a book!
I didn’t mean to write a book. I’m not one of those people who has always wanted to write a book and if you’d told me a couple of years ago I would not only have written it but it would have been a Amazon bestseller I would probably have laughed at you. But here we...
What to post on Social Media cheat sheet!
Do you wish you did more on social media but never know what to post? Me too! A few years ago I did a lot of tech training, including getting people started on how to use social media and I created a resource, 30 things to post on social media. I've been thinking...
Quick Tip – Create a ‘canned response’
Sometimes I work with clients for a number of weeks to help them get complex processes in place. Other times I just make a quick recommendation to help them reclaim a few minutes here and there which can add up to a lot of hours over the year and results in reduced...
Monthly Website Maintenance
For many new businesses, a website is one of the biggest investments they make, either in time to create it themselves or investing in a professional to do it for you. And while your website will probably run fine without your intervention most of the time,...
Creating a shared Google Calendar
Shared calendars are super useful, particularly for group programmes or anywhere where you want people to be able to plan around your events. By adding a shared calendar to wherever they are doing their day to day planning, they are more likely to avoid clashes and be...
Setting your signature in Gmail and Outlook
Adding a signature to your email is a quick way to look more professional and help people to connect with you. You can add a signature in about 10 minutes and I've made some videos to show you how. In the videos I talk about Wisestamp, a tool you can use to easily...