It feels good to lend a helping hand – just ask the thousands of volunteers in Brown County. Likewise, it feels good for Packerland Websites to lend a helping hand. To recognize the important work of nonprofit organizations, Packerland Websites gave away a free website in its Give Back to Nonprofits contest. The Volunteer Center of Brown County won the contest, and the center’s upgraded website is live.
Volunteer Center Impacts the Community
Volunteers are the heart of a community, and the Volunteer Center matches over 10,000 volunteers with Green Bay-area nonprofits every year. Talk about making a big impact in the Green Bay community! The Volunteer Center wanted an efficient, effective way to share information with volunteers and nonprofit partners. Mission accomplished!
Upgraded Website is Appealing & Effective
“The new website is not only aesthetically appealing but it allows for quicker response times and the ability for people to get the information they need in an efficient manner,” said Ruth Paquin, of the Volunteer Center.Ruth worked with Miranda Schlise-Gomez, one of Packerland Websites’ developers, to create a user-friendly website.
“Miranda was great to work with,” Ruth said. “She was knowledgeable, creative, and responsive to our needs. Our new website had a lot of components to integrate from our old site, and she formulated ways to do this efficiently.”
5 Big Changes for the Upgraded Website
Here’s a closer look at the Volunteer Center’s upgraded website.
Modern Look – Visually appealing pages invite visitors to browse and take action. To modernize the front page, Packerland Websites changed the small image rotator into an eye-catching full-screen image.
Well-Organized Pages – User-friendly site navigation helps visitors find what they need with ease. Packerland Websites streamlined site navigation in several ways. First, we removed nonessential pages from the website’s main navigation page. Next, we formatted the nonessential pages as posts. Finally, we categorized the posts to make them easy to find.
Faster Load Speed – A website that opens quickly serves as a welcome mat for visitors. Essentially, a quick-loading website says, “Come on in. We’re happy you’re here!” To ensure the website will load as fast as possible, Packerland Websites hosts the website on a fast, local server. Additionally, we optimized photos and streamlined site navigation for a quick upload.
Upgrade website to WordPress – WordPress is the platform of choice for Packerlands’ websites. Previously, the Volunteer Center had little control over site files and content on Wix. With WordPress, the center owns its site files. Files are readily available for backups, moves, and changes. After being trained by the Packerland Websites staff, the Volunteer Center has the know-how and freedom to shape its website.
Improve Brand Presence by Blogging – The Volunteer Center uses its blog to tell its story, thereby branding and advertising its organization. Blog articles are shared on the organization’s social networks, and the links lead back to the upgraded website. This increases website traffic. As a result, more people will know about the Volunteer Center and how it helps the community.
Creative Way to Promote Volunteerism
“Being a small nonprofit, we understand the need for effective branding and awareness,” Ruth said. “Packerland Websites has been instrumental in providing us a creative and visually appealing outlet to assist our partners.”
Packerland Websites’ owner Bill Koehne said the upgraded website has far-reaching impact. Because the Volunteer Center works with 180 nonprofits, the new website creates a ripple effect.
“We’re not just helping a single nonprofit organization but also a community of nonprofits. That’s exciting for us,” Bill said.
Re-Zoom Your Brand
Some of us only have one or two monitors. Here’s Bill’s desk. Four monitors!
As the COVID-19 pandemic shifts work online, Zoom and other video conferencing platforms are becoming the new office. Social Distancing and Safer at Home policies are changing our work practices. Video conferences and online chats have become the go-to communication choice.
Communicating at a distance
Packerland Websites recently adopted Zoom as its communications platform to connect with co-workers and clients. Zoom is one of the few companies on the stock market that is increasing in value. Shares nearly doubled since the beginning of the year. That gives you an idea of how popular it’s become.
A great way to use Zoom is to build it into your website versus an email invite. As a result, Zoom becomes more than just a way to communicate. Additionally, you’re branding your business. Today, customers are less likely to visit you in person and more likely to participate in an online conference. What is the best way to retain brand identity and client experience at a virtual meeting?
Virtual Conferences Via Your Website
Scroll to the bottom of the Home page to view Conference Room 1-4
Reinforce your brand
Here’s what we did at Packerland Websites. In the footer of our website, we created buttons for Zoom Conference Rooms 1, 2, and 3. The conference rooms are interior pages of our website with simple instructions explaining how to connect with us. Clients meet with us virtually via the Zoom app or their browser.
We reinforce our brand by bringing customers to our website for a virtual visit. Clients are ushered into a conference room, similar to how they would enter a conference room at our office. Clients feel like they’re visiting our company and, in the process, become more familiar with our brand. Integrating Zoom into our website allows us to connect with clients and co-workers. Additionally, we’re reinforcing Packerland Websites’ brand presence by drawing clients into our world – through our website.
Strengthen your online presence
Integrating Zoom into our website allows us to connect with clients and co-workers. Additionally, we’re reinforcing Packerland Websites’ brand presence by drawing clients into our world – through our website. The COVID-19 pandemic has created obstacles and opportunities for businesses. Considering today’s Social Distancing and Safer at Home policies, now is the time to strengthen your online presence.
Interested in integrating an online communications platform into your website? One that reinforces your brand? We can help. Contact us for details.
Why Social Distancing is Bad – Seriously
My husband, Bill, the owner of Packerland Websites, never liked the term Social Distancing. He thinks it should be called physical distancing instead. As an outgoing extrovert, he doesn’t like the thought of being distant from anyone. Here’s his suggestion: Change social distancing to socializing at a distance.
Worried about the Coronavirus?
Life is far from normal, and everyone is affected by the Coronavirus in some way. Additionally, we are dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Not only are we worried about catching COVID-19, we’re also concerned about job loss, personal finances, the economy, the future… That’s a lot to handle alone, but it’s easier to deal with these worries when family and friends support you.
Stay Social
Bill’s advice is to stay social. Connect with family and friends with a phone call, text, Facebook Messenger or Portal, Snapchat, online games, etc. In your social circle, include grandparents, neighbors, and others who might need a friend. By sharing a conversation and a laugh, you reduce the risk of isolation, boredom, and loneliness.
Working Remotely, Yet Still Connected
We’re following the rules and physically distancing ourselves from others. For example, members of the Packerland Websites’ team are working from home. While we’re physically distant we’re also making an effort to stay connected. Currently, Bill is in an online video conference with Packerland Websites’ employees.
Social Distance as a Family
Our son, Will, is an epidemiologist (How many parents can say that?) and is part of the City of Philadelphia’s response to the Coronavirus. He says it’s an exciting but stressful time to work in public health. He answers a lot of questions from the public and has been our expert on COVID-19. Will joined our family’s video chat on Friday night and suggested we chat more often. We all liked the idea.
Stay Connected
In many ways we can work and socialize at a physical distance yet stay connected. Maintaining social relationships contributes to a positive attitude during these challenging times. So, make someone’s day by sending a letter or sharing a story, photo, joke, or words of encouragement. Be social!
Coronavirus = Business as Unusual
At Packerland Websites, we received calls and emails from churches, restaurants, and businesses asking us to add notices to their websites due to the Coronavirus. We understand the storm of activity and challenges the Coronavirus creates for business owners.
During this time of crisis, having an effective website working for you 24/7 can help you stay in business. Packerland Websites will give the highest priority to website clients requesting changes due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, we are currently waiving any fees for basic Coronavirus notices posted to customer websites. Send your requests via the Packerland Websites’ Support Ticket page.
Conduct a Website Review
In this new era of social distancing due to the Coronavirus,
websites are more important than ever. Customers are going to visit your
business in person less often. Instead, they’re more likely to gather
information via the internet. That’s why we encourage you to do a website
review.
Does your website effectively:
Tell your story
Display and communicate your brand
Provide details about your products and services
Offer a user-friendly experience that motivates the audience to respond
Contain up-to-date and accurate information that relates to your audience
Have you considered adding a store so clients can purchase
products online? An online store built by Packerland Websites is:
User-friendly
Mobile responsive
Ready in a matter of days
Extra secure
Easy to manage and maintain
These online stores offer inventory management services and
can calculate shipping costs and sales tax. Multiple delivery options are
available. You can ship products to customers and/or offer pick-up or delivery
services.
Coronavirus Precautions
What other changes might you want to consider on your
website? Let your customers know that your business is open. Let them know of
any precautions you’re taking to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Reassure
customers that it’s safe to do business with you.
Here’s an example. At Packerland Websites, we offer a
screen-sharing option as an alternative to face-to-face meetings. Our website
developers can be miles away from clients and still conduct trainings, website
reviews, and more.
Contact Us
To learn more about how to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak via your website, contact Bill at Packerland Websites, Bill@PackerlandWebsites.com or 920-826-5601.
How long until my website ranks?
I often get asked the question: How long does it take for my website to rank on a search result page? What the client really wants to know is, When will I begin seeing results? Unfortunately, there’s no solid answer. According to Google, it takes roughly three to six months, but the time depends on a number of factors. Ask yourself these questions:
How long has my website existed ?
What is the quality of the content?
Am I using Search Engine Optimization techniques?
Search Engine Optimization, abbreviated SEO, is a way to rank higher on a Google search or another search engine list. It all boils down to three factors: onsite SEO, offsite SEO, and the website’s relationship with Google.
On-site SEO
On-page SEO refers to the writing and images on a website’s pages, plus descriptions and tags added by the designer. If you have a business page, consider using specific keywords that are associated with your industry and location. Visitors surfing the Web will locate your website more easily.
Off-site SEO
Off-site SEO refers to indicators outside your website that affect your ranking. A backlink is one example. Backlinks provide an online path for visitors to find your webpage. When you publish an article, video, or company update on your site, consider ways to cross-promote. For example, post the URL on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. The audience can follow the link to your webpage. Backlinks represent a vote of confidence. One site affirms it’s worthwhile to link to content from another site. This positively affects a site’s ranking position on search engine result pages.
Be Google Friendly
I like to tell people to make friends with Google. We can help you (or you can) create a business profile in Google My Business and appear on a Google Map. Verify your business name, address, and phone number to educate Google and other search engines about your products, services, and location. Your website educates a human audience about the benefits of working with you. Additionally, it educates Google and other search engines to attract visitors to your website.
Contact Us
To learn more about ranking, design, and SEO services available through Packerland Websites, email Bill@PakerlandWebsites or call 920-826-5601
SEO Strategies That Work
Have you thought about your website lately? Too many people build a website and forget about it. As a result, they’re not achieving their top marketing goals. Consider this: A well-developed website is the only marketing tool working 24/7. Additionally, a website is often the first impression for potential customers. Therefore, it’s smart to make your website work more effectively.
If you’re a Packerland Websites client, you already have a great website. Your website is attractive, mobile responsive, and secure. Now it’s time to put your website to work. How can you help your website rank higher organically in searches? The answer is SEO, Search Engine Optimization. SEO strategies make some business owners’ eyes glaze over, so we’ll get to the point.
Value of Search Engine Optimization
Rank higher on Google searches
Get found online easier
Attract more visitors to your website
Convert more leads
On-site SEO Strategies
Essentially, SEO makes your website perform better. Consider the two types of SEO: on-site and off-site. If Packerland Websites built your website, the onsite SEO is already in great shape. We build websites with SEO-focused content, navigation, and design elements. Next, we add site maps and META tags to describe the website to search engines. In contrast to on-site SEO strategies, off-site SEO strategies affect how the Internet views the “health” of your website.
Off-site SEO Strategies
Off-site SEO is affected by:
Consistent, accurate listings of your business across the Internet
Incoming links from directory listings to your business
Directory listings that are owner-verified
Photos, keywords, and descriptions included in directory listings
Increasing and monitoring reviews in directory listings, including Facebook and Google
Google Maps, YouTube videos, and expanded content writing
Internet Health Check-up
So, how well is your website working for you? How healthy is your Internet presence? Check out our free online business scanner to see how your business appears on over 50 primary directories on the Internet. Then, take the next step and call Bill at 920-826-5601 for a free SEO consultation. Above all, Packerland Websites is an SEO specialist you can trust. We’ll help you develop the successful SEO strategies you need to rank higher in Google searches and get found online.
3 Basic Website Elements You Shouldn’t Overlook
To accomplish everything you want for a new or rebuilt website you need a bold strategy and an expert guide. Every website is different, because each is developed based on specific goals and objectives. However, all websites share a few basic website elements:
Domain Name
Website Hosting
Email Hosting
Unless you work with these three basic website elements all the time, it can be confusing. Let’s take a closer look at all three.
Domain Name
First, a domain name is like your Internet deed to your online real estate. The domain name is used to “point” to where you have things happening on the Internet. We can help our clients find, choose, and secure a domain name that will work best for their website. Be forewarned! You need to renew your lease every year, so watch your inbox for renewal emails and renew your domain name before it expires. When a website goes down, the first thing we check is the lease of the domain name.
Website Hosting
Second, website hosting refers to a program sitting on a server. A server is a fancy computer with critical backups and multiple locations. It spins up a response when someone types in your domain name and the domain name is pointed to the server that the website sits on (called A records). We are happy to arrange the safe and reliable website hosting for a majority of our clients.
Email Hosting
Lastly, email hosting is third basic website element. Of course, you want to keep the flow of emails coming and going. Email, like a website, is sitting on a server as well well (but not the same server as your website.) The email server accepts and sends out your emails once the domain name confirms that the email address is correct (called MX records). Email set-up is one of the many routine services we offer to clients.
You might also have an email client which manages your email for you. With this option, you directly log into an email account provided by your host. On our end, we need to properly link to your email hosting account. Although they are related, the hosting of a website is completely separate from the hosting of email.
Basic Website Elements
So, there you have it, an insider’s explanation of three basic website elements. Contact us to learn more about the website building process or to talk with us about online solutions specific to your business or organization. We love collaborating, because your success is our success.
Advanced Paragraph Plugin by Packerland Websites
Packerland Websites is excited to introduce a custom WordPress plugin that makes it easier to hyperlink files and edit content. Created by developer Mike McGraw, the open source Advanced Paragraph plugin debuted Sept. 11. It’s free to use and available for download here. WordPress introduced the Gutenberg editor in December 2018, and the Advanced Paragraph plugin makes Gutenberg more user-friendly.
So, what does the Advanced Paragraph plugin do? Three things.
First, the plugin adds a “Packerland Websites” category in the block search.
Second, the plugin extends the Gutenberg Editor to the full width of the computer screen. Gutenberg’s default editor is one-third width of the computer screen and centered. Occasionally, this narrow design makes it difficult to edit the content in the Gutenberg blocks. For example, it’s easier to edit columns with a wide-screen view.
Third, the plugin adds an Advanced Paragraph block to efficiently hyperlink files on a website page. This allows you to easily move from one document to another.
This block acts just like the paragraph block, but it has two extra buttons.
These buttons open the media library for you to select a file of your choice. Files include images, PDFs, or other files in your media library.
Once you have a file selected, the plugin will copy the URL of that file into your clipboard then close the media library.
After that, you can use the normal hyperlink feature to make a clickable link to that file
Efficiently creates internal, outbound links
Hyperlinking is a valuable way to direct your audience to worthwhile information. You can crosslink pages within the same or different websites. In addition, you can hyperlink to graphics, PDFs, or other files that you want your audience to see. The Advanced Paragraph plugin is an efficient way to create these internal links and outbound links.
Please note: You can transform this advanced paragraph block into the default paragraph block and the default paragraph block into the advanced paragraph block.
The Packerland team is excited to make this plugin available to our clients and to the general public. We’re committed to improving user interaction features so you can achieve your digital marketing goals. If you find any bugs in the plugin, please let us know.
We hope you find the Advanced Paragraph plugin to be a valuable tool for adding and editing content in WordPress.
Gutenberg Tutorial Helps You Manage Your Website
The ability to manage your website is now at your fingertips. This WordPress Gutenberg tutorial serves as a guide for making changes on your website. Do you have exciting news to tell about your business or nonprofit? Congratulations! Create a post to share the information online. Do you want to change some outdated text or add recent photos? Log in and get started. This Gutenberg tutorial by Packerland Websites puts you in control. Follow these step-by-step instructions to create the look you want to present to the world. The team at Packerland Websites created this Gutenberg tutorial to guide you through updates. Now it’s easier to change the content on your website.
Creating the Gutenberg tutorial
As website developers, we work with WordPress’ Gutenberg Editor all the time, but we know you don’t! That’s why we designed this tutorial to be simple and straightforward, especially for someone with limited knowledge of WordPress. We created a tool that clients can successfully use – no matter how tech savvy they are. However, this tutorial isn’t just for Packerland Websites’ fabulous clients. Essentially, we created this Gutenberg tutorial for everyone who’s learning how to manage a WordPress website.
First, we created easy-to-understand written directions.
Next, we added screenshots and images to illustrate what we’re talking about.
Then, we incorporated Quick Tips to offer helpful advice.
Lastly, we categorized tasks in the Table of Contents to help you find what you need quickly.
At Packerland Websites, we believe “Your Success is Our Success.” We want to see small businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities prosper. WordPress is the platform of choice for about 25% of websites on the internet. Because WordPress is so popular, we’re pleased to make this Gutenberg tutorial available to the general public. The tutorial is available to anyone who uses this robust platform.
Please let us know if you have ideas, edits, or suggestions for ways to improve this Gutenberg tutorial. Additionally, contact us if you are looking for help with digital marketing strategies. We can help you achieve your marketing goals through website design, SEO, content writing, and Facebook management.
Redirects Plugin Created by Packerland Websites
As an experienced website builder, I get excited about techie stuff that others might find boring. One thing I am really excited about is the Simple Access Redirects Plugin created by Packerland Website’s designer Mike McGraw. What makes it exciting? The plugin shows that Packerland Websites has the people and technology to build programs that the general public is now using. That’s quite a feather in our cap.
What is a Redirects Plugin?
Let me try to explain in a way that’s not too techie. Essentially, the Redirects Plugin is software on a website that sends visitors and online search bots to a different page than the original page. Perhaps the website is being rebuilt, and the original page was part of the old website. Instead of hitting a dead-end error message, visitors and Google bots automatically transition to the new page. Certainly, you want to avoid sending people to an error page and risk losing their attention. Additionally, you want to achieve the best position on search engine pages, like Google. Google is not impressed with dead-end pages and broken links.
What does this plugin mean to our clients?
The Redirects Plugin is a tool that Mike developed to capture the folders on an existing or previously operating website and redirect them to correct pages intended for the visitor. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot happening in the background of a website that no one sees. However, our developers see it, and more importantly, they understand it. The Redirects Plugin finds the pages that need to be transferred and moves them quickly and efficiently. A task that would’ve taken a long time (and is often ignored by many) is completed in minutes. This leaves more time for our designers to focus on what’s important – developing a website that meet your goals.
What additional features does the plugin have?
The Simple Access Redirects Plugin does more than just handle 301, 302, 400, and 500 redirects. It also adds expired headers to the site which tell the browsers how long to save the files in the cache. Additionally, the plugin scans each page of a site and finds anchor tags thus creating a list of pages that search engines will look over. Mike frequently updates this plugin, making it more feature rich and user friendly. It’s a work in progress, so users who find a bug should contact us so we can fix the issue.
What are your website goals?
Essentially, Packerland Websites builds websites around a marketing plan and the unique strategy you set forth. Before our team begins a website, we ask a lot of questions. Above all, we want to learn about your goals and vision for the site. As a result, our team can create a new website that achieves these goals. We invite you to view our portfolio. Our designers are efficient and experienced developers who know what they’re doing. Plus, they expend less time and labor with the new Redirects Plugin. Ultimately, this translates to more competitive pricing for website design.
For more information about the Redirects Plugin we developed or websites built around a marketing plan, contact us at Packerland Websites, Green Bay.
