In writing about best practices in web design recently, I’ve really been struck by the overlap between good SEO and accessibility practices. I certainly knew many good practices in each, but the number of times I found myself saying “Do X because it benefits SEO and screen readers” was really striking. So I thought to … Continue reading “SEO and Accessibility: Two birds. One Stone. [link]”
I opened this book on a flight from Seattle to Minneapolis and was pleased to read that Steve Krug wrote Don’t Make Me Think so it could be read from cover-to-cover on an airplane! It’s true and it was awesome. Let me highlight the most important ideas I took from this website usability classic.
As I continue to learn more about WordPress and benefit from the work of others, I’m excited to share a piece of code with the community that makes WordPress a little bit easier to use!
Earlier this week, I wrote about my experience with year-end giving. Coming off the heels of that post, here are some great tips for saying “Thank You” to your donors right after they’ve made an online donation. I still think there’s room at that time to carefully introduce other ways to engage with your organization, … Continue reading “Saying “Thank You” After a Donation [link]”
I make all my year-end donations at once after considering all the possible places I might give. That means I get to use a bunch of online donation systems back to back to back. Here are my reactions from an intense period as a website user, rather than my normal role of website builder.
Read about some of my plans for the year and then join me for a cup of coffee to kick off the new year!
I used to have a long drawn-out explanation for the importance of accessibility. No more! Read my new argument courtesy of Steve Krug’s classic book, Don’t Make Me Think.
What a year! Take few minutes to relive 2011 along with me. It has been a good 12 months for MRW Web Design with projects across the U.S., the world, and the web! Bear with me as I share the technical, professional, and personal milestones from this year.
Google Analytics can feel overwhelming the first time you use it. So many data points! So many filters! So much jargon! In this post, I’ll define the most common jargon-y terms, take you to a few of my favorite reports, and suggest strategies for efficiently using Google Analytics.
Labels make a difference. If you say to someone “Here, have this delicious apple,” and then hand them a watermelon, confusion ensues. Obviously, the name of the frequently-updated section of a website is a little more ambiguous. It’s also more important.
I’ve watched this video more times than I can remember, and it’s one that informs how I view my daily work and collaborations with clients and colleagues.
This year, I’ll be adding a new tradition to my year-end giving: open source “thank you” donations! Join me!
The slider isn’t just a small hamburger, it’s a rampantly-popular way of showcasing content on a website, and it’s one that sometimes gets used with little thought toward effectiveness.While I still believe there are a few instances where it’s appropriate, I think we all could afford to slow down, take a deep breath, and think about what we’re doing with sliders on our websites.
I’d like to give a warm welcome to the newest MRW Web-built website, Archipelago Consulting. Archipelago Consulting is the new website for conservation consultant Kent Redford. If you fancy, take a moment to read about the Archipelago Consulting project in my portfolio or visit the Archipelago Consulting website to see the result for yourself!
WordPress uses a technique called child theming to create a new design based on an existing theme (a set of files that defines a WordPress design). In June, I gave a presentation to the Seattle WordPress meetup about child theme uses and techniques. This post contains the slides of that presentation and an example of one recent project in which I used the child theming technique.
WordPress websites use “themes” to give them custom designs. Picking the right theme, though, is quite challenging. You can purchase themes, modify themes, or hire someone (like me) to design and build a custom theme. Each strategy has pros and cons which I’ll walk you through in this post.
