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  31. <title>What to do after your Website is launched</title>
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  45. <description><![CDATA[<p>Choosing a Website Design Company What to look for when choosing a web design company When you start asking around, you’ll find that the offerings to build a website for your business are many and varied, from those that want to supply a quick “template” design to others that offer a fully customized website with [&#8230;]</p>
  46. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-to-da-after-your-website-is-launched/">What to do after your Website is launched</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  54. .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}</style><h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Choosing a Website Design Company</h1> </div>
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  63. .elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}</style> <h2>What to look for when choosing a web design company</h2><p>When you start asking around, you’ll find that the offerings to build a website for your business are many and varied, from those that want to supply a quick “template” design to others that offer a fully customized website with all the bells and whistles.</p><p>So, what are the real considerations? Are web design companies that offer cheap template designs a worse choice over those that offer the full customized Monty, or is something in-between right for you? You’ll find that there are other more important considerations than <a title="/how-much-does-a-website-cost/" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/how-much-does-a-website-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">costs</a> when making your choice.</p><p>The most important point I want to make here is that a website is not a stand-alone entity. It has many moving parts. The question really is whether the company that you choose to work with can handle all the various parts and whether the objectives that the business wants to achieve with the website will be reached.</p><h3><strong>What are the objectives</strong>?</h3><p>That’s usually my lead-in question when I meet a new potential client. It goes deeper than: “I want more leads” or “I want a website that looks really flash”.</p><p>I encourage my clients to put real and researched figures to it. It’s unlikely that you’ll become the top-selling wedding-dress company, or the most popular business consultant, lawyer, real estate agent, IT company (insert your business category here), just because you have a flash-looking website. (There are very few exceptions).</p><p>When I discuss these objectives with my clients, I will usually have done some market research myself. Figures like the market size, the competitors, local and seasonal variation, etc. are valuable when placing expectations on the performance of a website.</p><h3><strong>The many components of a website</strong></h3><p>Setting out the objectives usually leads to the realization that there are many components that are linked to the website’s performance. For example, a website without rigorous SEO will simply not perform. Neither will a website with badly written, or irrelevant content, slow speed, low engagement, or incomplete and low-value link building. Equally, there are other components that should be considered in your choice of a web design company.</p><p>This list of components will lead to a list of questions that your web design company should have ready answers to. Let’s look at some of them:</p><h3><strong>SEO or Search Engine Optimisation</strong></h3><p>SEO is a vast topic and one that is easily misunderstood. SEO is so closely linked to the website itself that I believe that website build and SEO should be done by the same company or a team that works together closely. My advice is not to choose the website and SEO Company separately. Frequently, an action relating to SEO will require a change on the website and vice versa. Sometimes the content wording, sometimes even the hero-wording that is linked to the identity of the business will need to change. If there is a divergence in thinking between web and SEO companies it could be detrimental to the performance of the website.</p><p>Ask your web designer how they will handle the on-page and off-page content SEO.</p><p>Technical SEO can be complex at best and only and above average understanding will lead to an above-average website.</p><p>How well does your web design company understand technical SEO and how do they apply it.</p><h3><strong>Content</strong></h3><p>Ensuring that your website ranks high in search engines is more and more reliant on good content. Keep in mind that this content has to be created, not only for the first instance of the website but also on an on-going basis. What’s more, the content has to be informative, relevant, and engaging. If you choose a web design company that is all about design and little about content, you’ll end up having a flash-looking website that no one visits because it does not rank for relevant searches.</p><p>Discuss in detail where that content will come from. Usually, the expectation is that the business will supply the content. Understand that there is a cost to that and one that is frequently underestimated. Someone with sufficient technical knowledge in your business has to supply this content for it to accurately reflect the product and service offerings of the business. Furthermore, it has to be written in a language that is engaging to your target audience and then distributed, not only via the website but also on relevant social media platforms.</p><p>Can your web designer take an active part in re-wording this content with an understanding of the complexities of your business and publish content on various platforms?</p><h3><strong>Analysis</strong></h3><p>Keeping an eye on what works and what doesn’t, who visits the site, how visitors engage, where they come from, how they are referred and other analysis, is all-important. Since we started with objectives, it’s now prudent to ensure that the objectives are reached. Measuring website performance is as important as measuring business performance.</p><p>Ask your web design company how they will handle this, whether you get on-going reports and importantly, who looks at the report, works with you on the interpretation, and how the required changes to the findings will be implemented.</p><h3><strong>Conclusion</strong></h3><p>There are other specific questions. Importantly, initial and monthly costs should be clear. Understand how your web designer handles ownership of content and URL, hosting platforms, delivery timeframes, software integration, security, and training. Ask about previous projects and successes and get client references.</p><p>More and more I learn that being a good web designer has less to do with design and more to do with how I engage with my clients. Those that want a quick website and little else are unlikely to succeed on their website journey, whereas those that engage me as a part of their team, bounce ideas off me and allow me to lead the complete web journey, those that understand that a website is a living entity with many tentacles, are the ones that achieve success.</p><p>Ask your web design company how they will engage with your business during the build of the website and what their long-term approach is. Remember that for a successful website, your web design company will be part of your team.</p> </div>
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  93. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-to-da-after-your-website-is-launched/">What to do after your Website is launched</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  100. <title>Choosing a Website Design Company</title>
  101. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/choosing-a-website-design-company/</link>
  103. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  104. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:31:28 +0000</pubDate>
  105. <category><![CDATA[Craft CMS]]></category>
  106. <category><![CDATA[Google Ads]]></category>
  107. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  108. <category><![CDATA[PPC Ads]]></category>
  109. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  110. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
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  114. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1815</guid>
  115.  
  116. <description><![CDATA[<p>What to do after your Website is launched The website is up, so what now? The work’s not done after your website has launched. That however is where many businesses stop with their online or website strategy and it’s usually the reason that, despite that stunning design, the website is not performing. Having a website [&#8230;]</p>
  117. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/choosing-a-website-design-company/">Choosing a Website Design Company</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  124. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">What to do after your Website is launched</h1> </div>
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  132. <div class="blog-item-body"><h2><strong>The website is up, so what now</strong>?</h2><p>The work’s not done after your website has launched. That however is where many businesses stop with their online or website strategy and it’s usually the reason that, despite that stunning design, the website is not performing. Having a website without effective SEO is a little like arranging a party and forgetting to invite the guests. “Guests” or your website visitors in this case, must to be invited. How else would they know about your website? It’s unlikely that they’ll flock to you in great numbers (or at all) if no one tells them where to go.</p><p>In “Website speak” we call that SEM, (search engine marketing) or <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/seo">SEO (search engine optimization)</a> and it’s a bit of an art.</p><h2><strong>But shouldn’t SEO be included in the website development?</strong></h2><p>Yes and no. Website development skills and SEO skills are in many ways complementary. For a successful website, both have to work together. SEO has many components and, not surprisingly, the website content is one of them. At the very least your website designer should alert you to the fact that SEO is a critical component of the website journey and, if they do not have the SEO skills themselves then I would expect them to assist you with finding a suitable SEO partner. At best, the Website Design, Website Development and SEO company should be the same team or should work closely together from the very start, i.e. already at the planning stage.</p><p>So let’s assume that you’ve had someone design and build your website without any guidance on SEO. You believe that your website is well designed, but it’s not generating business for you. What can you do?</p><h2><strong>ORGANIC SEO – Things that you can do without paying for clients</strong></h2><h3><strong>Technical Things</strong></h3><p>There are many things that you can look at, but let’s stick to the most critical points here.</p><p>Many web designers don’t care much about the technical aspects and I’ve seen websites where not even the very basic SEO things have been taken care of. Some of these may get a bit technical. You should feel free to put the list to your web designer. Here are some things that need to be done:</p><ul><li>Register your website on Google through “Google Search Console”.</li><li>Register your website on Google Analytics and learn to use Google Analytics. That will tell you a lot about who uses your website and how it is used.</li><li>Make sure that every page has a MetaData Title and Metadata Description. While you’re at it, make sure that every image has an “alt” tag.</li><li>Images should be optimized. Those images that come straight from your camera to the website without being cropped or optimized will usually take a long time to load. Google (and your potential website visitors) will quickly loose interest in slow websites. That takes me to “Page Speed”.</li><li>Run Goolge’s Page speed analyser to see how your website performs. If it’s slow then something has to be done. Look at “caching” and “CDN”. You may need a technical person to help with that.</li></ul><p> </p><p>There is a long list of further technical things that can be done, I’m thinking of Schema Meta Data, (and look up more).</p><p>If those technical things are too daunting, then you need to get the help of an SEO specialist or a website developer with some technical abilities.</p><p>There are things however that you can do yourself. In fact, business owners of staff in the organization are best placed to get involved in this. That’s producing good content for your website. Good content is now more critical than ever.</p><h3><strong>Website Content</strong></h3><p>Where your website is concerned, content is king. (You would have heard this before) and it’s very true. Analyse a common search for your business category, and you’ll probably find that the websites with good and useful content appear at the top of search results. (Try it: Search for “accountant” and see the type of content that the top organic sites have. There’s a good chance that the first entries will be content that provides useful information. The same is likely for most business categories.</p><ul><li>Let’s look at content. I bet that one of the first things your web designer wanted to know is information about your business. There’s a good chance that if you look at your website it’s all about that “your business”. Without being disrespectful, why would anyone be interested in that. Successful websites engage their visitors with what the visitor has searched for, and that is usually about something that they want to know for their benefit rather than for yours.</li></ul><p>So when you look at your content ask yourself this:</p><ul><li>Is the content written for the benefit of your potential customers.</li><li>Is the content informative</li><li>Is the content suitable for your target market.</li><li>Content and especially headings should contain (without being ridiculous) some likely search terms.</li><li>Is the content neatly presented:</li></ul><p> </p><p>There are a few critical things to note:</p><ul><li>Every page or section should cover one concept<ul><li>Every page should have a main heading (H1 Tag)</li></ul><ul><li>Every section on the page should have a subheading (H2 – H6 Tag)</li></ul><ul><li>Naturally the headings and sub-headings should relate to the content</li></ul><ul><li>Write so that it is easy to skim read.</li></ul></li><li>Write articles and blogs</li><li>Make videos</li></ul><p> </p><p>Creating content is not straight forward. It’s time consuming and does require some expertise. Getting someone to write about technical aspects of your products obviously has to be technically correct, but it also has to sound convincing. Writing about your Data Services in the tone that is more suited to preschoolers is hardly going to instill confidence in your products. Make sure you have the right people to write your content of hire the right person to help.</p><h2><strong>But what’s the point about putting a blog for your website if no one visits?</strong></h2><p>Good question, and there are two answers. Firstly, SEO takes time and is self-generating (i.e. the more people that visit your site, the higher it will rank, the more people will visit and secondly, you should distribute your content.</p><h2><strong>Social Media</strong></h2><p>Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. I bet that at least one of two of them will be relevant to your business. Even if you think that your customers are not social media users, what’s the harm in placing an entry on your business Facebook page and definitely on LinkedIn saying something to the effect that you’ve written an article. Identify who would find it interesting and use the right hashtags to attract that audience with a link to the article. You can do the same on Twitter and, if there is an opportunity for some visual content, then include it on Instagram and possibly on Pinterest.</p><p>There are other ways to spread that information. Since your content is useful to your potential customers, it’s probably useful to your existing customers as well. Send them an email to tell them about your article together with a link.</p><h2><strong>Paid SEO – Google Ads</strong></h2><p>We believe that every company should run Google Ads. Especially for new websites, organic search results are unlikely to bear fruit. Using Google Ads is a good way of targeting specific keywords and ensuring that site visitors land on the pages that your want them to see.</p><p>Google Ads is also a good way to test what keywords your audience is actually looking for. If one set of keywords does not bring you business, then you can try another, until you get it right and outshine the competition. Work out how much you’d pay for a sales team and compare that to Google Ads. The point is that Google Ads does not have to be expensive for your business. Definitely give it a go and get some help with setting it up.</p><h2><strong>Time</strong></h2><p>SEO takes time. The best time to start is now.</p></div> </div>
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  162. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/choosing-a-website-design-company/">Choosing a Website Design Company</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  169. <title>Before you get a website for your business</title>
  170. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/before-you-get-a-website-for-your-business/</link>
  172. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  173. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:28:41 +0000</pubDate>
  174. <category><![CDATA[Craft CMS]]></category>
  175. <category><![CDATA[Google Ads]]></category>
  176. <category><![CDATA[PPC Ads]]></category>
  177. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  178. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  179. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  180. <category><![CDATA[Wordpress]]></category>
  181. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1806</guid>
  182.  
  183. <description><![CDATA[<p>Considerations before you get a website for your business What you should know before you get a website for your business Investing in a website for business a smart move and in some cases it’s essential. A website could open a vast array of online possibilities; you could be expanding to an online store, arranging [&#8230;]</p>
  184. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/before-you-get-a-website-for-your-business/">Before you get a website for your business</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  191. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Considerations before you get a website for your business</h1> </div>
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  199. <div class="blog-item-body"><h2>What you should know before you get a website for your business</h2><p>Investing in a website for business a smart move and in some cases it’s essential. A website could open a vast array of online possibilities; you could be expanding to an online store, arranging your appointments, gaining online traction for advertising or simply use your website to gain awareness. Before you dive in, here are a few useful things that you should tick off about website design for business.</p><h3><strong>Purpose and the desired outcomes</strong></h3><p>I’m big on knowing exactly what your website should achieve and it is usually the first question that I ask my prospective clients. To a large extent the purpose and the desired outcomes determine how the website is designed, built and marketed and that determines the overall cost.</p><p>Purpose could simply state whether the website is an online shop or a brochure website and outline the technical functionality of the website.</p><p>The desired outcomes are more complicated. I’ve come across businesses that expected their website to take all the business and more away from their competitors. That’s just not going to happen. I remind my clients that the desired website outcomes have to have to be based on solid market research. No website will generate more business than there actually is in the market. Realistic planning avoids disappointment as is simply a part of a good business strategy.</p><h3><strong>Content</strong></h3><p>Probably the most time-consuming part of building a website is to create <a title="Web Content Creation and Content Management" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/content-creation/">meaningful content</a>. Even if the content already exists in some form in the business, then it has to be prepared and often re-written to form meaningful website content.</p><p>Producing that content also requires intimate subject knowledge and familiarity with your business. When you read on a web designer’s website that the first step in the process to build a website is to “get to know your business”, then that is meant sincerely. Without knowing your business well, no web developer will be able to write meaningfully about it and its products.</p><p>Producing written content that is factually accurate and in line with your brand, values and character of your business is one thing, writing it well is quite another. My advice is to get your website developed by someone within your country and by someone who has access to a professional writer.</p><p>Rich media like images and videos are important to communicate the uniqueness and character of your business and brand. Consider using your own photographs on the website rather than stock images. If you do then a professional photographer of videographer are a must. Even if the images that are above average, they may just not be good enough to create impact for your website.</p><p>Don’t underestimate the cost in time and money that creating good content requires.</p><h3><strong>Website Design and <a title="What to look for when choosing a web design company" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-a-web-design-company/">Build Budget</a></strong></h3><p>Just like content, the design and build requires specialist skills and knowledge. I have seen few effective websites that have been built by amateurs, although I’ve also been surprised by what can be achieved. Designing and building a good website is time-consuming, even if you use online web platforms like Wix or Squarespace.</p><p>With the build you have to consider the build platform. My experience is that most businesses are not too concerned about that, but it’s really important. Some platforms e.g. Drupal and WordPress may require more maintenance than online platforms, but are fast and flexible if you want to expand the functionality of the website. In contrast, the hosting costs of online platforms like Wix and Squarespace are usually quite high and less flexible for expansion. I like using WordPress since it is both flexible and well supported for expansion and there is no question about the ownership of the website. It can easily be transferred should that be necessary.</p><h3><strong>Marketing Methods</strong></h3><p>If the purpose of your website is to win more business for the company, then it has to be marketed. A website can be seen as the <a title="Why would your website customer look elsewhere?" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/why-would-your-website-customer-look-elsewhere/">shop window to your business</a> and as such it has to be shown to your target prospects.</p><p>You now have to work with an <a title="Search Engine Optimisation" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/seo/">SEO</a> and online marketing company to get the website seen.</p><p>That includes not only getting the website as close to perfect with “technical SEO” (your web developer should do that), but also noticed with on-page and off-page marketing. Off-page SEO is a vast subject and there are many varied approaches to it. Some may work for your business while others may not. Knowing which methods work is the task of your SEO Partner. Analysing, and making adjustments to content and method are usually required as is on-going link-building and content creation and marketing.</p><p>Then there is paid advertising through <a title="Online Marketing and Google Ads" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/online-marketing/">Google PPC</a> and other paid online advertising. To be effective and especially cost-effective, knowledge of your particular product and market is essential.</p><h3><strong>Who to partner with</strong></h3><p>Time, cost and effort aside, the most important decision you can make in creating and effective website is <a title="What to look for when choosing a web design company" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-a-web-design-company/">whom to partner with</a>. And don’t be fooled, it must be a partnership. Creating an effective website is an on-going commitment and process. Do it right and your sales may go through the roof. Do and average job and your money spent will be wasted.</p><p>The company you will work with has to take time to understand your business and objectives. They have to work closely with your sales and your marketing department, your photographer, your content creator.</p><p>SEO and web design are very closely linked. I believe that they should be done by the same company or businesses that work together very closely. They have to have the one common goal: “to make your website achieve and surpass your purpose and desired outcomes.”</p></div><section class="bg-white o-hidden blog-content author-sec "><div class="row"><div class="author-details"><div class="blog-description"> </div></div></div></section> </div>
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  209. <h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Let's get started on your website  project</h2> </div>
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  229. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/before-you-get-a-website-for-your-business/">Before you get a website for your business</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  236. <title>What does your SEO Company actually do?</title>
  237. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-does-your-seo-company-actually-do/</link>
  239. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  240. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:26:22 +0000</pubDate>
  241. <category><![CDATA[Google Ads]]></category>
  242. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  243. <category><![CDATA[PPC Ads]]></category>
  244. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  245. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  246. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1800</guid>
  247.  
  248. <description><![CDATA[<p>What does your SEO Company actually do? Ask a few SEO companies what they actually do and you’ll probably get as many different answers. Lets look at the purpose of SEO first: The purpose of Search Engine Optimisation is to improve the page ranking in search engine listings of a website and so increase the [&#8230;]</p>
  249. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-does-your-seo-company-actually-do/">What does your SEO Company actually do?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  256. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">What does your SEO Company actually do?</h1> </div>
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  264. <p>Ask a few SEO companies what they actually do and you’ll probably get as many different answers. Lets look at the purpose of SEO first:</p><p><strong>The purpose of Search Engine Optimisation is to improve the page ranking in search engine listings of a website and so increase the exposure and expand the <u>correct</u> target audience.</strong></p><p>Notice that my definition includes the word “correct” whereas many other definitions don’t.</p><p>SEO professionals achieve that in a variety of ways, the most important ones I will cover here.</p><p>Websites that make it to page 1 get significantly more expose and those that make it to spot 1 or 2 get the lion’s share of clicks, to the point where not being on page 1 is considered failure. That lead to many SEO people (I won’t call them professionals) guaranteeing a spot on page 1 of search engines.</p><h2><strong>Your audience matters</strong></h2><p>What these SEO people omit is to mention for which keywords your website will be on page 1. Getting to page 1 for a long tail keyword (or longer key phrase) is not difficult. So, while my own website is in spot 1 for the term “Website Review Auckland” it is evident that not many are searching for that term (in fact only 10 searches per month). The term “Website Design Auckland” on the other hand is searched nearly 900 times a month and is clearly addressing a wider audience.</p><p>Would it be beneficial to be on page 1 for that term? Well, it depends entirely on your intended audience.</p><h2><strong>Keyword Research</strong></h2><p>One of the very early tasks (if not the first) for an SEO Professional is to find the correct key words or key phrases related to your business and your particular marketing campaign. Unless your SEO person already knows your business well, it will require input from within the business. The type of information the SEO company will want to know is:</p><ul><li>Profile of the ideal client (Type A)</li><li>Profile of the clients (Type C and D)</li><li>How do these clients engage with your business?</li><li>Is there a lead-in product or services (e.g. a website review may lead to new website business)?</li><li>How do they find your business?</li><li>What is their pain point?</li><li>Etc.</li></ul><p>Sound familiar? Yes, probably because it’s the same as establishing a normal sales channel. Why should SEO be any different. After all the objective is to target the correct audience, not just any audience.</p><p>If you have an established website and some history, the one tool that can help here is Google Analytics. From that you already know who your audience is and how they engage with your website.</p><h2><strong>After the Keywords</strong></h2><p>The next step is to take a good look at the website to ensure that it speaks to your audience. I maintain that with the right information, every website can be improved, be that to shape it better towards your audience, to improve engagement or to improve the written content.</p><h2><strong>Written Content</strong></h2><p>Website written content is important. Not only should it have keywords strategically placed in meta data, headings and content, it must also be written in a way that engages the audience and entices them to take action.</p><p>Content is not a one-off task. For any business that wants to establish themselves online, fresh and interesting content has to be created on an on-going basis. Content is what drives interest in your website, attracts links from other websites and brings in new business.</p><p>Google’s new algorithms look for “Expertise, Authority and Trust” (EAT). That asks for informative, honest and original content.</p><p>Your SEO company may have the expertise to write that content, but chances are that a good deal of research is required, along with good writing skills, and it may be that a content writer will do a better job than your SEO company. It does go to demonstrate how wide the skill range of a good SEO company reaches.</p><h2><strong>Technical SEO</strong></h2><p>For me the technical SEO is the easiest. There is a list of things that has to be completed for the technical side of the Website. A large part of that is to work on website performance (speed). That requires small, correctly scaled image files and technical things like caching.</p><p>Websites that use page builders frequently get bloated with unnecessary code and for that reason I code my own html where website performance is critical. That really falls outside of the tasks of your SEO company, but some knowledge of coding is beneficial if there is to be consultation between your web design/development company and the SEO company.</p><h2><strong>Get SEO and Website Design to work together</strong></h2><p>In my opinion, the one does not work well without the other. I believe that better results can be achieved where both are done by one company or team. At the very least there has to be collaboration between these parties and the business.</p><h2><strong>PPC (Pay per Click)</strong></h2><p>Every business should consider using PPC advertising, either through Google Ads or a social media platform. Compared to other forms of advertising it’s inexpensive and, depending on how well the campaigns are configured, can be highly effective.</p><p>The trick is target the campaigns well and to monitor them often and to avoid spending money on non-target clicks. A/B testing will help with selecting effective wording and design of the ads.</p><p>PPC advertising should be an on-going exercise.</p><h2><strong>SEO is not a one off task</strong></h2><p>SEO work is not done once the website is launched and the initial SEO is taken care of. I already mentioned that content creation is an on-going task. Another to build links, both internally to and from the new content, and to reach out to external audience to link back to your website.</p><p>A word of warning here. Where I tried to purchase these links, it had the opposite effect to what I expected or wanted. Firstly, I suddenly got many site visitor from outside of New Zealand (my target country) and secondly, my Google ranking dropped. It’s difficult to say whether that was the cause, but it’s likely.</p><p>In my view it’s not wrong to pay for links back to your website, but it’s best to get YOUR work (with links included) published and pay the publisher for that. As long as you can determine where your work is published, you can select the right audience.</p><p>One important way to publish your work is to use social media. It does not matter whether you like Twitter, Facebook or Linked in. Publish your work on ALL sensible social platforms. I don’t have to explain what I mean by sensible. Take every opportunity to get your work out there. Facebook, for instance is a great medium to create posts and push them to the right audience.</p><p>SEO is a field that encompasses a wide range of skills, from technical to writing, web design and development as well as knowledge of social media. If you employ and SEO company and your website is performing well then you can assume that they have a lot to do with that performance. If your website is not performing well, then it’s either time to get in touch with and SEO company or fire the one you have.</p> </div>
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  294. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-does-your-seo-company-actually-do/">What does your SEO Company actually do?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  301. <title>SEO for Exporters</title>
  302. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/seo-for-exporters/</link>
  304. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  305. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:19:42 +0000</pubDate>
  306. <category><![CDATA[Google Ads]]></category>
  307. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  308. <category><![CDATA[PPC Ads]]></category>
  309. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  310. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  311. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  312. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1785</guid>
  313.  
  314. <description><![CDATA[<p>SEO for Exporters SEO for businesses that export products can be complex. For example, should you have different websites for different countries or the same site with language choice? If cultural differences demand a multi-faceted approach to your marketing then so should your websites and SEO. Here are some tips: Decide on one website domain [&#8230;]</p>
  315. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/seo-for-exporters/">SEO for Exporters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  316. ]]></description>
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  322. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">SEO for Exporters</h1> </div>
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  330. <p>SEO for businesses that export products can be complex. For example, should you have different websites for different countries or the same site with language choice? If cultural differences demand a multi-faceted approach to your marketing then so should your websites and SEO.</p><p>Here are some tips:</p><h2>Decide on one website domain or one for each country.</h2><p>If there are significant cultural and language differences then the answer is probably to have websites in each country. One way to do this is to have a “Country Coded Top Level Domain” (ccTLD) for each country e.g. <strong>example.co.nz</strong> for New Zealand and <strong>example.de</strong> for Germany. Google takes the TLD as a signal of where the business is located and TLD as well as where the website is hosted are strong indicators as is the country language code on the website (hreflang tag). Unique TLDs for each site makes management somewhat more difficult. An alternative option is to combine the sites either under one domain with a subfolder e.g.<strong> example.com/nz</strong> and <strong>example.com/de </strong>or you could use subdomains e.g. <strong>newzealand.example.com</strong> and <strong>germany. example.com</strong>. Both ways allow you to submit the sites as separate entities to Google, but while management becomes marginally easier, you lose the SEO signal from the TLD.</p><h2>Know your target audience.</h2><p>For successful SEO, using the right keywords in your content and on Google Ads is critical Each country has its own language nuances. Make sure that you’re familiar with the language. Best get a local to help.</p><h2>Use Google Ads in your destination country and analyse the results.</h2><p>Google Ads is a great tool to discover which words and phrases your target audience responds to. It’s a great way to A/B test your keywords and demographics. Translate what you learn from your paid SEO into your organic SEO.</p><h2>Host your website in the local market and in the local language.</h2><p>By far the majority of searches end up on a local website. If you have a multilingual website then it’s not good enough to translate word for word, but reflect the local way of thinking. Don’t think multi-language, instead think “multi-country”.</p><h2>Make friends with the local press.</h2><p>As an exporter, you probably have a good story to tell and local publishers are likely to snap up your good-news story. Make sure the article links back to your website.</p><h2>Write Blogs and articles in the local language and style.</h2><p>Make sure that you link your blogs and articles to local websites. Work together with other export partners, especially where products complement each other.</p><h2>Share your success and happenings, but use the right platform.</h2><p>Different countries use Social Media differently. Facebook in Europe as opposed to Orkut in Brazil, for example.</p><h2>Take a close look at your competitors</h2><p>Competitor websites in the local market will give you an idea what others do to sell their product. Do an in-depth analysis highlighting the difference between countries and try to understand why those differences exist. It may highlight some improvement opportunities in your approach.</p><p>At <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/">Hello Web</a> I understand various cultures and in particular, German, South African and New Zealand.</p> </div>
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  338. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-935f4e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-id="935f4e2" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="heading.default">
  339. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  340. <h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Let's get started on your website  project</h2> </div>
  341. </div>
  342. </div>
  343. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-292497b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child" data-id="292497b" data-element_type="container">
  344. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-ee237ca elementor-widget elementor-widget-button" data-id="ee237ca" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="button.default">
  345. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  346. <div class="elementor-button-wrapper">
  347. <a class="elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-lg" href="#">
  348. <span class="elementor-button-content-wrapper">
  349. <span class="elementor-button-text">Give me a call</span>
  350. </span>
  351. </a>
  352. </div>
  353. </div>
  354. </div>
  355. </div>
  356. </div>
  357. </div>
  358. </div>
  359. </div>
  360. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/seo-for-exporters/">SEO for Exporters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  361. ]]></content:encoded>
  365. </item>
  366. <item>
  367. <title>&#8220;Completing the user journey&#8221; and other website considerations for 2024</title>
  368. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/completing-the-user-journey-for-your-website/</link>
  370. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  371. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:14:19 +0000</pubDate>
  372. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  373. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  374. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  375. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  376. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1766</guid>
  377.  
  378. <description><![CDATA[<p>Completing the user journey for your website In many businesses, January is a time for reflection and planning. With 2022 on our doorstep, that time is just around the corner. My bet is that a large part of that planning will involve how the business is marketed and a part of that is the business [&#8230;]</p>
  379. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/completing-the-user-journey-for-your-website/">&#8220;Completing the user journey&#8221; and other website considerations for 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  380. ]]></description>
  381. <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <div data-elementor-type="wp-post" data-elementor-id="1766" class="elementor elementor-1766">
  382. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-1ddcbc9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="1ddcbc9" data-element_type="container" data-settings="{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}">
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  385. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  386. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Completing the user journey for your website</h1> </div>
  387. </div>
  388. </div>
  389. </div>
  390. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-abf43cd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="abf43cd" data-element_type="container">
  391. <div class="e-con-inner">
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  393. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  394. <p>In many businesses, January is a time for reflection and planning. With 2022 on our doorstep, that time is just around the corner. My bet is that a large part of that planning will involve how the business is marketed and a part of that is the business website.</p>
  395. <p>Websites have changed drastically over the years, not just in their appearance, but also in what they offer in engagement and functionality. The “user experience” of the business website has a large impact on the chance of getting that call or contact from a good potential client. In your planning, it pays to give some though on how your website can be in front of the line.</p>
  396. <p>2022 is no different. There are new trends in both design and functionality. Some of the trends are driven by the still increasing move toward mobile, but surprisingly, eco friendliness and sustainability now also play a part in how we present our websites, e.g. “Dark Mode” options.</p>
  397. <p>At the same time, the approach taken by Google in the ranking of websites has had an impact on how we write and present our website content and advertising. Google cannot be ignored.</p>
  398. <p>So, what are some of the essentials:</p>
  399. <h2>Mobile friendliness</h2>
  400. <p>The reason I put in spot one is that there are still may websites that don’t get this right. The user interface on mobile should be vastly different to a smaller presentation of the desktop version. A site visitor has different needs depending on whether they find your website on desktop or on mobile. That needs to be considered.</p>
  401. <h2>Design Trends</h2>
  402. <p>The changes in website design over time have reflected not only an artistic element, but also advancements in technology. The software we use to build websites is better and we now have platforms like Craft CMS that bridge the gap between “Web Page” and “App”.</p>
  403. <p>Bold and courageous colours are becoming more common, and the old and outdated “shadow effect” is making a comeback, but in a clever way. Read more about “<a href="https://uxdesign.cc/neumorphism-in-user-interfaces-b47cef3bf3a6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neumorphism</a>”.</p>
  404. <h2>Page Speed</h2>
  405. <p>If your website is a bit outdated, then it’s likely that the page speed is holding it back, not only from appearing high in searches, but also from being used once it is found. Website visitors are an impatient lot and if your website is not fast, a click back to the search results will find your competitors website right above or below yours. If that one is faster and more engaging they will simply not return to your site. To find out why page speed matters then&nbsp;<a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/google-pagespeed-insights/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">look at this article from Neil Patel</a>. To check the page speed on your website, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://gtmetrix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GTmetrix</a>&nbsp;or to&nbsp;<a href="https://pagespeed.web.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PageSpeed Insights</a>.</p>
  406. <h2>Clarity</h2>
  407. <p>Likewise, if your website does not immediately tell the visitor what the business is about and whether it is appropriate to what they searched for, then they will quickly have better things to do.</p>
  408. <h2>Keywords</h2>
  409. <p>The alignment of relevant keywords to the content of your website. I often make a point about “answering the search” on your website. For that you have to know what the search actually is. Spend some time thinking about the searches that your clients would use to find what you offer.</p>
  410. <h2>Content</h2>
  411. <p>Content and Keywords are closely related, but not so close that the content becomes biased. The thing with content is that there is so much out there, that Google has the luxury to choose what they deem to be the best content and they will likely ensure that the best content (in their opinion) rates highest.</p>
  412. <p>There are ways to write for the web, and it pays to get a specialist to do it, unless you have the time and skills to do this inhouse.</p>
  413. <p>The new trend is for content to be shaped to the audience. For instance, if you have websites in different countries, then the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/news/seo-for-exporters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">content should be country-specific</a>&nbsp;for each website.</p>
  414. <h2>Completing the user journey</h2>
  415. <p>We’ve already seen a significant shift towards this when businesses were compelled to change the way they engage with their customers. COVID19 pushed the face-to-face user interaction online. One example is the “Click and Collect” system that many stores had to implement.</p>
  416. <p>Businesses quickly had to add functionality to their websites that completed the user journey, from initial engagement to the end, with all possible interactions via the website. Website users have come to expect “online” to offer more than just the brochure of the business but want to see all actions that can be done online to be available to them online.</p>
  417. <p>With that change the requirement for online “trust” becomes high as does the presentation of the user interface.</p>
  418. <p><strong>This is not a complete list, but a good starting point. Your website will play an ever-increasing role in how your business is presented to your audience. Include it in your planning at the beginning in 2022. Give us a call if you need some additional input. Our results speak for themselves and you are welcome to ask us for references from our Auckland and New Zealand Web Design and SEO clients.</strong></p> </div>
  419. </div>
  420. </div>
  421. </div>
  422. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-dd0d7ad e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent" data-id="dd0d7ad" data-element_type="container" data-settings="{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}">
  423. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-e52cada e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child" data-id="e52cada" data-element_type="container">
  424. <div class="e-con-inner">
  425. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-64e63ab e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child" data-id="64e63ab" data-element_type="container">
  426. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-935f4e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-id="935f4e2" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="heading.default">
  427. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  428. <h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Let's get started on your website  project</h2> </div>
  429. </div>
  430. </div>
  431. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-292497b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child" data-id="292497b" data-element_type="container">
  432. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-ee237ca elementor-widget elementor-widget-button" data-id="ee237ca" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="button.default">
  433. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  434. <div class="elementor-button-wrapper">
  435. <a class="elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-lg" href="#">
  436. <span class="elementor-button-content-wrapper">
  437. <span class="elementor-button-text">Give me a call</span>
  438. </span>
  439. </a>
  440. </div>
  441. </div>
  442. </div>
  443. </div>
  444. </div>
  445. </div>
  446. </div>
  447. </div>
  448. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/completing-the-user-journey-for-your-website/">&#8220;Completing the user journey&#8221; and other website considerations for 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  449. ]]></content:encoded>
  453. </item>
  454. <item>
  455. <title>Craft CMS or WordPress for web development</title>
  456. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/craft-cms-or-wordpress-fro-web-development/</link>
  458. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  459. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:09:05 +0000</pubDate>
  460. <category><![CDATA[Craft CMS]]></category>
  461. <category><![CDATA[Web Development]]></category>
  462. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  463. <category><![CDATA[Wordpress]]></category>
  464. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1754</guid>
  465.  
  466. <description><![CDATA[<p>Craft CMS or WordPress for web development As web designers and web developers we’ve all likely been in a position where we are asked to take over an existing website. In most cases taking on the site includes taking on the core CMS as well. Standard systems like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla are usually easy [&#8230;]</p>
  467. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/craft-cms-or-wordpress-fro-web-development/">Craft CMS or WordPress for web development</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  468. ]]></description>
  469. <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <div data-elementor-type="wp-post" data-elementor-id="1754" class="elementor elementor-1754">
  470. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-1ddcbc9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="1ddcbc9" data-element_type="container" data-settings="{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}">
  471. <div class="e-con-inner">
  472. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-9857d3a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-id="9857d3a" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="heading.default">
  473. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  474. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Craft CMS or WordPress for web development</h1> </div>
  475. </div>
  476. </div>
  477. </div>
  478. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-abf43cd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="abf43cd" data-element_type="container">
  479. <div class="e-con-inner">
  480. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-524b72e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor" data-id="524b72e" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="text-editor.default">
  481. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  482. <p>As web designers and web developers we’ve all likely been in a position where we are asked to take over an existing website. In most cases taking on the site includes taking on the core CMS as well. Standard systems like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla are usually easy to take on, as are the hosted CMS platforms like Squarespace or Wix. The disadvantage is that your team has to be familiar with these systems to work efficiently, although I find that if you’re familiar with the general concepts, adapting between these systems is not difficult.</p>
  483. <p>Recently though I came across a website that was hosted on a bespoke Content Management System and the company that I was taking the site over from was less than helpful in assisting the site across. There was no other option than scraping the HTML, CSS and Javascript and to re-build it temporarily in a pure HTML environment, just to keep it running. I did that just to buy time and to keep the client happy.</p>
  484. <h2>From here I had some web development options</h2>
  485. <ul>
  486. <li><strong>Keep the site running in HTML</strong><br>The disadvantage is that each page, including header and footer has to be changed individually if there was a update or change in design or content. The other issue in this case was that the website code was a mess and it needed urgent cleaning up.
  487. </li>
  488. <li><strong>Rebuild the website using WordPress</strong><br>This was a real option. The design was not difficult to reproduce with any page builder, or if I wanted to keep the html code, the option of using the “Advanced Custom Fields” plugin would have presented that option.
  489. <p></p>
  490. </li>
  491. <li><strong>Use Craft CMS to utilise the existing HTML and rebuild the site</strong><br>Probably the closest that WordPress comes to Craft CMS is the “Advanced Custom Fields” plugin. There are similarities in how you can define fields and then use them in the code and in the Admin panel. But that is probably where the similarity ends.<br><br></li>
  492. </ul>
  493. <p>For the purpose of this website, the third option presented the best opportunities. I had the opportunity to clean up the code as I went along first building the header and footer and after that building each page. The code reduced to approximately one tenth of the original code, making the website perform. Here&#8217;s the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teamgreenprojects.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Craft CMS website for this Deck Builder</a>.</p>
  494. <p>I then kept the plugins to a minimum, choosing only a forms plugin, and SEO plugin and a Caching plugin.</p>
  495. <p>If you’ve never worked with Craft CMS then I believe that you’re missing out. You do need to understand some HTML and Twig and you need to familiarise yourself with Craft CMS. To this end, Craft CMS has some excellent tutorials and I recommend going through the “Up and Running with Craft CMS 3” Tutorial.&nbsp;<a href="https://craftquest.io/quests/new-to-craft">https://craftquest.io/quests/new-to-craft</a>.</p>
  496. <h2>Here’s what using Craft CMS has done for me.</h2>
  497. <ul>
  498. <li>I am much closer to the code and the functioning code of a website. Forms for instance can be built from scratch and I have done that (on the initial HTML after I took over the website), so now I know a lot more about this and feel OK with using a plugin.</li>
  499. <li>It’s given me the courage to build my own registration system (with lots of guidance from Craft CMS tutorials)</li>
  500. <li>It’s opened up my mind to create websites and systems without using plugins that would stifle functionality and creativity.</li>
  501. <li>Any HTML template can be used to create a Craft CMS website and the process is far more enjoyable (if you enjoy some coding and being in control) than plugging in images and written content to a WordPress page builder.</li>
  502. </ul>
  503. <p><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); text-align: var(--text-align);"><br></span></p>
  504. <p><span style="color: var( --e-global-color-text ); text-align: var(--text-align);">While I’ll still use WordPress for most websites that need to be created quickly, I think that many of my future websites will be built on Craft CMS. In the past 8 years of building websites, it is the purest form of website development that I’ve come across.</span></p> </div>
  505. </div>
  506. </div>
  507. </div>
  508. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-dd0d7ad e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent" data-id="dd0d7ad" data-element_type="container" data-settings="{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}">
  509. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-e52cada e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child" data-id="e52cada" data-element_type="container">
  510. <div class="e-con-inner">
  511. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-64e63ab e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child" data-id="64e63ab" data-element_type="container">
  512. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-935f4e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-id="935f4e2" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="heading.default">
  513. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  514. <h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Let's get started on your website  project</h2> </div>
  515. </div>
  516. </div>
  517. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-292497b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child" data-id="292497b" data-element_type="container">
  518. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-ee237ca elementor-widget elementor-widget-button" data-id="ee237ca" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="button.default">
  519. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  520. <div class="elementor-button-wrapper">
  521. <a class="elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-lg" href="#">
  522. <span class="elementor-button-content-wrapper">
  523. <span class="elementor-button-text">Give me a call</span>
  524. </span>
  525. </a>
  526. </div>
  527. </div>
  528. </div>
  529. </div>
  530. </div>
  531. </div>
  532. </div>
  533. </div>
  534. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/craft-cms-or-wordpress-fro-web-development/">Craft CMS or WordPress for web development</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  535. ]]></content:encoded>
  539. </item>
  540. <item>
  541. <title>Why your Web Designer should also be responsible for SEO</title>
  542. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/why-your-web-designer-should-also-be-responsible-for-seo/</link>
  544. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  545. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:03:58 +0000</pubDate>
  546. <category><![CDATA[Google Ads]]></category>
  547. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  548. <category><![CDATA[PPC Ads]]></category>
  549. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  550. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  551. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  552. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1748</guid>
  553.  
  554. <description><![CDATA[<p>Why your web design company should also do your SEO Websites are the foundation of any business. They serve as a digital storefront for products and services. Every time someone visits your website, they judge your company based on how professional it looks and how easy it is to navigate. A good website design should [&#8230;]</p>
  555. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/why-your-web-designer-should-also-be-responsible-for-seo/">Why your Web Designer should also be responsible for SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  556. ]]></description>
  557. <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <div data-elementor-type="wp-post" data-elementor-id="1748" class="elementor elementor-1748">
  558. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-1ddcbc9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="1ddcbc9" data-element_type="container" data-settings="{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}">
  559. <div class="e-con-inner">
  560. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-9857d3a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-id="9857d3a" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="heading.default">
  561. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  562. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Why your web design company should also do your SEO</h1> </div>
  563. </div>
  564. </div>
  565. </div>
  566. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-abf43cd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent" data-id="abf43cd" data-element_type="container">
  567. <div class="e-con-inner">
  568. <div class="elementor-element elementor-element-524b72e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor" data-id="524b72e" data-element_type="widget" data-widget_type="text-editor.default">
  569. <div class="elementor-widget-container">
  570. <p>Websites are the foundation of any business. They serve as a digital storefront for products and services. Every time someone visits your website, they judge your company based on how professional it looks and how easy it is to navigate.</p><p>A good website design should be both attractive and functional. It should also be optimized for search engines so that it can rank higher in search results and bring more traffic to your site.</p><h2>Should businesses focus on the look of their website</h2><p>Having a poorly laid out website can cost you customers. This is because people will have trouble finding what they&#8217;re looking for and may assume that your business doesn&#8217;t know what it&#8217;s doing. You may also lose business to competitors who have nicer looking sites with more intuitive navigation.</p><p>As a company, your website should be high on the priority list. If a website looks clean, professional and modern, chances are it also works well. A great design will keep visitors on the site and help them navigate to find what they&#8217;re looking for. Remember that good design should be timeless by using all the tools available to make it modern, functional and easy to navigate.</p><h2>A good looking website is pointless if it cannot be found</h2><p>It is imperative that your website is easily discoverable to your target audience. When it comes to search engine optimization, the importance can&#8217;t be overstated. A good looking website is pointless if nobody can find it.</p><p>As the competition in the digital marketing world is increasing, every company is looking for ways to stand out. One of the most efficient ways to do this is by having a well-designed website that has high ranking on Google.</p><p>Website design and SEO go hand in hand when it comes to marketing. The reason behind this is that you can&#8217;t rank your website on Google&#8217;s first page if it&#8217;s not well designed. Your website is a sure-fire way to bring you more customers, so it is important to rank high on Google organic searches or to have an expert manage your Google paid advertising (Google Ads). That is (amongst other things) the task of your SEO person.</p><h2>Why should the same company that builds the website also do the SEO</h2><p>Many businesses think that you should separate companies, one that builds your website and another responsible for SEO. The reason for this is that there are different skill sets required for these professions. A web development company needs to know how to build a website and then make it aesthetically pleasing, while an SEO specialist needs to know how to optimize a site and make it easy for search engines to crawl and index.</p><h2>A web designer can also have expert seo skills</h2><p>There is no reason that skilled web designer cannot also help to optimize your website for search engine optimization (SEO). A skilled web designer can help you create a visually appealing website with clear navigation and intuitive user experience. A skilled web designer should also be able to develop content that will rank highly.</p><p>Search engine optimization is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine&#8217;s unpaid results—often referred to as &#8220;natural&#8221;, &#8220;organic&#8221;, or &#8220;earned&#8221; results.</p><p>Web design is an art and SEO is a science, but they go hand in hand. They both need each other to be successful. The web design needs to be user-friendly and SEO needs to be able to get the content indexed by search engines.</p><h2>Can Web designers can also be SEO Experts</h2><p>Yes, in fact, I believe that web designers are in the best position to get involved in the SEO for a website. A critical part of web design is decision-making around content. That includes not only the placement of content, but also the quality of the content and in many cases the production of the content, i.e. the actual content writing. That falls into the skills of an SEO person.</p><p>But SEOs also have other skills that touch on programming skills. None of these should be beyond the grasp of a website designer. In my opinion, the website design, website development and SEO skills can be covered by one person. At Hello Web, that is how we get our outstanding web design, development and SEO results.</p><h2>A business will benefit from working with one team rather than separate entities for web design and SEO</h2><p>I believe that working with one team for the complete web journey is a benefit to businesses. It creates certainty around responsibilites i.e. one party cannot blame the other for non-performance of the website. The business has a clear go-to person without risking becoming the entity in the middle, between two companies that should have the common good of the business in mind. This is true especially when there are issues that need to be addressed or where the website does not perform.</p><p>My recommendation is that if you are having work done on your website, then choose a company with skills in SEO and vice versa, make sure that your SEO company has skills in website design and development.</p> </div>
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  600. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/why-your-web-designer-should-also-be-responsible-for-seo/">Why your Web Designer should also be responsible for SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  606. <item>
  607. <title>How much should a website cost (Updated &#8211; 2024)</title>
  608. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/how-much-should-a-website-cost/</link>
  610. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  611. <pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:35:24 +0000</pubDate>
  612. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  613. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  614. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  615. <category><![CDATA[Web Development]]></category>
  616. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  617. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1740</guid>
  618.  
  619. <description><![CDATA[<p>How much should a website cost (Updated &#8211; 2024) The typical answer would be “it depends”, but I want to be quite detailed in this article. It pays to be prepared when you shop around. Know that you’re not being charged too much. Also make sure that your expectations and objectives are in line with [&#8230;]</p>
  620. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/how-much-should-a-website-cost/">How much should a website cost (Updated &#8211; 2024)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  627. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">How much should a website cost (Updated -
  628. 2024)</h1> </div>
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  636. <p>The typical answer would be “it depends”, but I want to be quite detailed in this article. It pays to be prepared when you shop around. Know that you’re not being charged too much. Also make sure that your expectations and objectives are in line with those of your website provider.</p>
  637. <p>“It depends” however, is an accurate answer. Pricing a website is far less about the number of pages and its functionality than it is about the website design, business objectives and the availability of information.</p>
  638. <p>Let me break it down.</p>
  639. <h2>Before your Web Design Company can start pricing</h2>
  640. <p>Keep in mind that your website is a reflection of your business, whether that is a brochure site or a shopping cart, so if you’re expecting your web company to accurately present your business, then be prepared to answer a list of questions. In most cases a website is aimed to achieve above a list of competitors. To make that happen, your web designer must be familiar not only with your business, but also that of your competitors.</p>
  641. <p>So, even before your web design company can start pricing, they need to fully understand your objectives, your products and services and your clients and they may need to spend some time on researching that information.</p>
  642. <h2>A very basic website</h2>
  643. <p>Unless you want a bespoke design, one that truly reflects your brand and your business, you can probably work with a templated design. That may work to keep design costs to a minimum. The build may be limited to adding a logo, changing colours and adding content, so the expectation can be that this is the least expensive way to build a website.</p>
  644. <p>Don’t be fooled by how much work is really involved though. In my experience, the minimum time to set up a meaningful website, including creating the core, adding templates, written content, images, logo, SEO, security etc. will take at least 24 hours. That excludes meeting with the client, assumes that images need little or no manipulation and that content is supplied in a web-ready format and also that there is no functionality beyond perhaps a web form.</p>
  645. <p>It you’ve ever worked with templates then you’ll know that they can be very restrictive and to make any changes outside of the allowed parameters can be frustrating and can take time. If you want a low-cost website, then don’t expect anything that falls outside of the template design or functionality.</p>
  646. <h2>A bespoke design</h2>
  647. <p>You may be surprised that many web designers or developers use some form of template even for bespoke designs. For some of my websites I use one standard template that provides most of the “device responsiveness”. That saves me time, but does add some “bloat” (strictly unnecessary code) to the website and can therefore compromise performance. It’s a payoff I can live with most of the time.</p>
  648. <p>The templates I use do not restrict design and, before I even think of the build, I design both the front page and the follow up pages. Those are presented to the client on A4 paper.</p>
  649. <p>The design proofs can be time-consuming, not only to gather ideas, but inevitably, a final design usually consists of a few revisions before the final showing on glossy paper.</p>
  650. <p>Bespoke design usually places more emphasis on the business brand compared to a templated design. Brand, presentation, user interface and a many other parameters have to be geared towards the business and must consider outcomes. That usually means a longer meeting time with the client, more research and sometimes a second or third attempt after the initial presentation.</p>
  651. <p>If you want a bespoke design then anticipate that you need to work closely with your web design company and that you or someone in your business has to spend time on the project. Also remember not to be too prescriptive. If you’ve chosen your web design company well, then trust them on their guidance. How much more time to add for a bespoke design depends on many factors. Usually your web design company can give you an accurate quote after the first meeting. Be prepared to spend the time with the designer in that meeting and don’t expect a quotation without an initial meeting.</p>
  652. <p>If you’re after a bespoke design and you’re still shopping for a web design company to work with, then be prepared to kiss a few frogs. You’ll find that the pricing can differ significantly. Be careful not to choose on price alone.</p>
  653. <h2>Website Content</h2>
  654. <p>As web designers we’re unlikely to be experts in your field of business. I’ve come across the expectation that the web designer magically creates content. Even where the content is supplied, it has to be re-written (usually condensed) and geared towards “web speak”. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to come up with the right hero words and images. If you’re not prepared to pay your web designer for spending time on creating content then you may want to work with a branding agency or a professional content writer on some areas of content.</p>
  655. <p>A good business website should have images that are unique to the business, i.e. not stock images. For that there may be the cost of a professional photographer and the cost of image manipulation. The images that are take on a phone or are on the business Facebook page seldom make good website content, and if they do then they usually require some time-consuming manipulation.</p>
  656. <p>Selecting stock images that are consistent with the business brand and image also takes time, so even for a templated site this must be taken into consideration.</p>
  657. <p>Be clear with your web designer who is responsible for providing and reshaping the website content and ask tehm to be clear about the direct costs and time costs.</p>
  658. <h2>Skills and knowledge of your web designer</h2>
  659. <p>Experience counts for a lot. Learning about my clients business is one of great positives of being a web designer. The website success is greatest where the web designer can get immersed in their client’s business and work closely with them, not only during the design and build phase, but also after the project completion, on the marketing and SEO of the website.</p>
  660. <p>It pays to use a website designer who can write sufficiently well so that you don’t have to re-write the content yourself. Also, it’s worthwhile to choose a design company that has some experience with your business products and services, or enough business experience to be able to relate to the needs of your clients. After all, most websites are created to speak to your clients or to your potential clients. (<a title="What you should know before you get a website for your business" href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/what-you-should-know-before-you-get-a-website-for-your-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">See how to choose a web design company</a>).</p>
  661. <h2>So what is the actual cost of the website</h2>
  662. <p>Expect to pay at least (it really depends) for a basic templated site if you&#8217;re using a web developer or a web development company. There are ways to minimise the costs, so&nbsp;<a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/contact">why not give me a call to discuss your options</a>. There are also factors that can add to the cost. Be clear about what your web designer supplies and what your input to the process will be to get a complete website, with initial on-page SEO take care of.</p>
  663. <p>For a bespoke design you can pay anything over (give me a call) even a price that is far above that in the 10s of thousands depending on the requirements. Factor in the design time, potentially the cost of a professional photographer, branding agency, graphic designer (if required) and the time it takes to create content (written and media), research, etc. and the cost will be anything above that. With a bespoke design, the answer really is “it depends”.</p>
  664. <p>So how can you get a reasonable estimate? The answer is to meet with your potential web designer before you expect a quotation. Trust me, that meeting is essential for all parties.</p>
  665. <h2>What about on-going costs?</h2>
  666. <p>That’s perhaps the topic of another blog, but understand that having a website without active SEO and on-going marketing is a lot like arranging a party and forgetting to invite the guests. Expect to allocate some on-going costs to make your website a success.</p> </div>
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  676. <h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Let's get started on your website  project</h2> </div>
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  683. <a class="elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-lg" href="#">
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  685. <span class="elementor-button-text">Give me a call</span>
  686. </span>
  687. </a>
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  696. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/how-much-should-a-website-cost/">How much should a website cost (Updated &#8211; 2024)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  703. <title>The best way to build your own website</title>
  704. <link>https://www.helloweb.co.nz/the-best-way-to-build-your-own-website/</link>
  706. <dc:creator><![CDATA[masterman]]></dc:creator>
  707. <pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:24:52 +0000</pubDate>
  708. <category><![CDATA[Organic SEO Ranking]]></category>
  709. <category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
  710. <category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
  711. <category><![CDATA[Web Development]]></category>
  712. <category><![CDATA[Website Content]]></category>
  713. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hellowebdesign.co.nz/?p=1732</guid>
  714.  
  715. <description><![CDATA[<p>The best way to build your own website I’ve seen only a few cases where people have built their own websites with good results. What they all had in common was that the owner spent a significant amount of thought and time to get things just right and, unless they had prior experience in web [&#8230;]</p>
  716. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/the-best-way-to-build-your-own-website/">The best way to build your own website</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
  717. ]]></description>
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  723. <h1 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">The best way to build your own website</h1> </div>
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  731. <p></p><p>I’ve seen only a few cases where people have built their own websites with good results. What they all had in common was that the owner spent a significant amount of thought and time to get things just right and, unless they had prior experience in web design and web development, they learned a great deal along the way.</p><p> </p><h3>Self Hosted or Online Platforms</h3><p>There are excellent platforms available that make the process of building a website easier, platforms like Wix or Squarespace and WordPress Online have become significantly more affordable than they used to be.</p><p>There are also self-hosted options (e.g. WordPress Hosted) that provide more ownership and design flexibility. They require an installation on a Website Host Platform, a step that can be daunting for the uninitiated.</p><p>Here I will explore how you can ensure success with your website whichever platform you choose to use.</p><p> </p><h3>Website Purpose</h3><p>Define your website purpose from the outset and never lose sight of it. Your design, your content and the user experience should reflect and support that purpose throughout the website. Too frequently DIY website builders get side-tracked by complex designs and animations. KISS, in my opinion is the best approach. Keep It Super Simple.</p><p> </p><h3>Getting the Website Design just right</h3><p>You don’t have to be a graphic artist to build a successful website. Whether or not you have an eye for design, browse many other websites in your market and especially website templates like Envato Market and look at as many templates that you can. Depending on the platform you are using, the template does not have to be restrictive. In WordPress (self-hosted) for instance, you can deviate significantly from the starting template.</p><p>Choose a template that can be adapted to your brand and that serves your chosen purpose.</p><h3>Building the Website</h3><p>Online platforms come with their own page builder and there is no need to install anything on a 3rd party hosted platform. Remember though that you are tied to that provider for the life of your website. You can get straight into building your website.</p><p>The advantage of choosing a system like Hosted WordPress is that you can choose a host provider and you have more control over the design, add-ons, technical aspects like performance and SEO components. This may be crucial for the ultimate success of the website. (There are other platforms e.g. Drupal or Joomla, but I’ll stick with WordPress in this article since I find it is the easiest to work with.)</p><p>There is usually a functional page builder included with the WordPress Template. I recommend choosing a template with “Elementor” as a page builder since that is quick to learn and can also be extended with additional plugins.</p><p>The initial WordPress platform has to be installed on a host provider. This is either done by the actual hosting company or by someone with the right technical expertise. This step is included in our DIY product.</p><p>Once the site structure and theme is installed you can alter the design to your needs.</p><h3>Adding Images, Content and Media</h3><p>While this is the fun part, don’t underestimate the time required to get it right. Written content has to be thought about and crafted carefully so that it is to the point, clear and concise.</p><p>Images have to be carefully selected (use resources like 123RF and Unsplash). Again, the time taken on selecting images can be deceiving. Once chosen, the images must be formatted, cropped and adjusted to suit your purpose. If you don’t have an image editor already installed, then I suggest using software like GIMP.</p><h3>Adding SEO Components</h3><p>Getting the website right is only one step in the online journey. Once the website is looking good and live there is still the task of addressing all the technical aspects of the website. That includes all on-page SEO components like meta data, schema, search engine and analytics components. That does require some technical know-how.</p><h3>How we can ensure Website Success</h3><p>I have seen a few cases of excellent DIY websites, but they are few. I’ve seen others that are just not up to scratch. We want you webstite to be successful. Only with all the required components in place can a website be successfull. The solution is to have help available in the areas that are difficult to achieve without web design and development experience.</p><p>At Hello Web we offer a DIY Website Product that takes care of the more challenging aspects that you may come across while building your site. We include 4 hours of support that you can utilise as you. Here are some of the areas that we suggest:</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">1. Ensuring that the Theme that you select is appropriate for your purpose</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">2. Installing the core WordPress System and Theme</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">3. Guidance on how to use Elementor or GIMP</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">4. We assist with adjusting style-sheets that fall outside of the Theme</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">5. Making sure that the site formats well on all devices</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">6. We assist with adding the SEO components</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">7. We guide you through some of the Off-Page SEO requirements like installing all Google components</p><p>Building your own website can be fun and rewarding. We guess that you may need a bit of help along the way. If you choose to have your own hosted website rather than using a purely online system, then let us guide you on your online journey to make sure that your website venture is successful.</p><p>(Views expressed in any article are the views of the author.)</p><p></p> </div>
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  748. <a class="elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-lg" href="#">
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  750. <span class="elementor-button-text">Give me a call</span>
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  761. <p>The post <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz/the-best-way-to-build-your-own-website/">The best way to build your own website</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.helloweb.co.nz">Hello Web</a>.</p>
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  768. </rss>
  769.  

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

  1. Download the "valid RSS" banner.

  2. Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)

  3. Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//www.helloweb.co.nz/feed/

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