Some of the reasons to have a website include boosting credibility, generating leads and having online sales. However, having a website and having an effective website are two very different things. Even if the website is just a “simple” website, it can still be profoundly effective. Upon completion of this episode, a website owner will understand some of the most common pitfalls associated with having a website. They will discover common mistakes which should be avoided and they will also learn easy actionable steps that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of their own website. To view the accompanying webinar, go to:https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/a-guide-to-having-an-effective-website-2021/

2. 2
Practical and entertaining education for
attorneys, accountants, business owners and
executives, and investors.

3. Disclaimer
The material in this webinar is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered
legal, financial or other professional advice. You should consult with an attorney or other
appropriate professional to determine what may be best for your individual needs. While
Financial Poise™ takes reasonable steps to ensure that information it publishes is accurate,
Financial Poise™ makes no guaranty in this regard.
3

4. Meet the Faculty
MODERATOR:
Joshua Lyons – Managing Director of Joshua Lyons Marketing; Owner of CRE Marketing Group
PANELISTS:
Tony Brown, Strategic Media Inc.
Vicky Gouge, Full Moon Design Group, Inc.
Jessica Cao, UpLevel Marketing
4

5. About This Webinar -
A Guide to Having an Effective Website
Some of the reasons to have a website include boosting credibility, generating leads and
driving online sales. However, having a website and having an effective website are two very
different things. Even if the website is just a “simple” website, it can still be profoundly
effective.
Upon completion of this webinar, a website owner will understand some of the most common
pitfalls associated with having a website. They will discover common mistakes which should
be avoided and they will also learn easy actionable steps that can be used to enhance the
effectiveness of their own website.
5

6. About This Series - Digital Marketing Tips for the
New (Or Old) Business Owner 2021
Approximately 83,300 small businesses in the United States are closed every year because
of ineffective marketing. This indicates many business owners are unknowledgeable of how to
leverage the power of marketing. While this is unfortunate, it is not surprising. There are
countless marketing companies trying to sell their services, and these services range from
billboards, to social media marketing, to telemarketing and more. Though these marketing
tactics can be very effective, improper planning and execution can lead to failure. As such,
this webinar series is designed to educated business owners on how to prepare, execute and
refine their own customized marketing initiatives. After finishing this webinar series, the
business owner should have a much clearer and strategic plan for their own marketing.
Each Financial Poise Webinar is delivered in Plain English, understandable to investors, business owners, and
executives without much background in these areas, yet is of primary value to attorneys, accountants, and other
seasoned professionals. Each episode brings you into engaging, sometimes humorous, conversations designed to
entertain as it teaches. Each episode in the series is designed to be viewed independently of the other episodes so that
participants will enhance their knowledge of this area whether they attend one, some, or all episodes.
6

7. Episodes in this Series
#1: A Guide to Having an Effective Website
Premiere date: 1/20/21
#2: What Every Website Owner Should Know About SEO
Premiere date: 2/17/21
#3: Email Marketing Dos and Don’ts
Premiere date: 3/17/21
7

8. Episode #1
A Guide to Having an Effective Website
8

9. Introduction
• Many business owners believe they need a website, and rightfully so. But, once created,
they check that “to-do” item off their checklist. Then weeks, months, or even years later they
wonder why they don’t rank well on Google, or why they aren’t generating any leads or sales
from the website. Unfortunately, this is a common situation that could have easily been
avoided if the business owner had simply given a little more thought into the creation of their
website. That’s what this webinar is all about. If you have a website, but have never really
paid attention to what makes it generate quality results, then this is for you.
9

10. Questions You Should Ask
• Why do you need a website? If all you want is to simply have a website, then that’s easy
enough to do. But it’s much better to have a website that’s designed to generate leads, drive
sales or lead your audience to take a desired action. Know what you want.
• Do you care about ranking well on Google? If the answer is yes, you’ll want to make sure
and have search engine optimization (SEO) done to your website. If you don’t care about
Google, then SEO isn’t a factor for you to consider.
• Identify your budget. Website costs can range significantly. However, the difference it cost
is often due to making sure the website aligns with your goals. If you want a website that drive
leads, that’ll most likely cost more than having a website that’s simply an online brochure for
your business.
10

11. What to Consider for a New Website
• Aside from development and design, here are some key points to consider if you are
creating a new website:
 Select a quality hosting service that’s appropriate for your website needs
 Strategically choose you domain name, especially if you care about SEO
 If you’re going to build the site yourself, consider you website building platforms
 Don’t overlook the importance of website security and having an SSL certificate
 Decide whether you will maintain your website, or have someone do it for you
11

12. Select a Hosting Service
• “Hosting” is one of those website develop jargon words that can be very confusing. But,
here’s what hosting is: Once your website is developed, the actual files need to be stored
somewhere. Just keeping them in a folder on your laptop won’t make them actually show up
on the internet. A website hosting company will hold your website files, and ideally, keep them
safe from cyberattacks and anything else that might cause issues with your website. Also,
make sure your hosting company will make regular backups of your website. This is a very
important point to remember. To learn more about your website hosting options, consider
doing some additional research on the topic. This will help you get started on the right foot
with your new site.
12

13. Choose Your Domain
• While you might not have known what a hosting company does, you likely know what a
domain is. But in case you don’t, this is the actual URL for your website. For example,
www.FinancialPoise.com is a domain. When you click that domain you go to a website that’s
hosted with a hosting provider. While you select your domain, there are a few points to
consider. First, if you’re a company you’ll want to use .com at the end, rather than .net, .org,
or something else. Also, consider using your company name in the domain. The moderator’s
website is www.JJLyonsMarketing.com, which includes most of his agency’s name. Also, if
you can include the service or product you provide in the domain, that can be very helpful too.
You can see this in the last example, which says “Marketing” as part of the domain.
13

14. Consider Your Website Building Platform
• There are a lot of platforms you could use to build your website. Some of the most
popular are WordPress, Wix and SquareSpace. But, which one should you choose? Here are
a few tips that might help you decide:
• WordPress ultimately has the best flexibility and is used by most companies around the
world. If you don’t mind taking some time to figure out how to use it, or you can hire a
developer, this is the way to go, in our opinion.
• Wix and SquareSpace are very popular website platforms. The learning curve isn’t as
steep as what you would get from WordPress. If you want to get up and going quickly, and
you don’t care to hire a developer or take time to get past the learning curve, one of these
website might be a good choice for you. Definitely put a little research into this, if you can.
14

15. Don’t Forget About Website Security
• Chances are strong that you’ll spend thousands of dollars on your website. Whether it’s
$1,000 or $25,000+, you’ll want to keep your website safe. It’s not uncommon for someone to
build a website, then decide to save about $75 per year by not paying for website security. As
a result, they open themselves up to cyberattacks. Be sure you don’t make that mistake. Also,
make sure your security includes daily website backups, if your hosting company doesn’t
automatically include that. And if you collect credit or debit card info through your website,
definitely be sure to have an SSL certificate purchased.
• Question: What happens if your website get’s hacked and you don’t have proper security?
• Answer: You’ll likely need to rebuild it, at full price, from scratch.
15

16. Decide How to Do Your Website Maintenance
• Even if you have great website security, it’s still possible to hacked. And by the way, you
may ask the question “Why would someone hack my website? It’s just a little website for a
small company in the middle of nowhere.” That’s a great question. If humans were doing the
hacking they might not care about your website, but hacking these days is often automated
through computer programs, and they’ll attack anyone, including a small website in the middle
of nowhere. The person who maintains your website can ensure everything is secure. It’s a
good idea to have your website audited on occasion and cleaned up as necessary. The
website audit will display some, if not all, of the errors or warnings that need attention.
16

17. Avoid Issues That Cause a Slow Website
• If your website’s slow, it’s quite possibly for one of the following reasons. These can
easily be avoided or fixed, as long as you know what the issues are:
 Images are too large
 There are too many plugins
 The hosting company or hosting package is not appropriate
 The website coding is messy
17

18. Images Are Too Large
• If you’re using a website like Shutterstock to get your images, you might just find an
image that looks good, purchase it, download it, then upload it to your website. This makes
sense, but the issue that comes up is that the image downloaded is probably a very high
resolution image. This means it might be 10MB large when it should actually be far less than
1MB in size. In fact, the typical web page shouldn’t be more than a few MB. So, one large
image can easily cause the website to be too large and load slowly. Here are some basic tips:
• 1. Make sure the image is only 72 DPI.
• 2. Reduce the resolution to what you need. For example, if you only need the image to be
in the body of a page or blog post, then 600 pixels wide is probably perfect. Don’t upload an
image that’s 2,000 pixels wide, in this situation. It’s simply larger than you need.
18

19. Be Cautious With Plugins
• A plugin is essentially an app or software for a WordPress website that can easily be
installed. Plugins can make it very easy to include certain features to a website that doesn’t
have those features by default. For example, let’s say you have a blog on your website but it
doesn’t have social media share buttons. If you want to add those buttons, you can simply
install a plugin designed to accomplish this. Many people prefer to use a WordPress website,
because of how flexible it is to customize through plugins. However, each plugin you add has
the potential to slow down your website. If you have a lot of unnecessary plugins your website
could become very slow. So, make sure not to go overboard on the plugins for your website.
Only use what you truly need.
19

20. Use an Appropriate Hosting Package
• If you and your customers are based in Chicago, but your website is hosted on a
computer in California, or even worse… in another country, this can slow your website load
speed. Chances are that you won’t be in the same location as where your hosting company
has it’s servers (big computers that hold your website files). That’s okay. But, if you have the
choice of where your hosting company’s servers are, you might want to choose a company
that will be relatively close to you. Aside from the hosting provider/location, there are also a
variety of hosting packages for you to choose from. Take a little time to familiarize yourself
with the options available to you, so you know you get something that will not slow your
website down. When you talk to hosting companies, you may want to ask them about this.
20

21. Make Sure Your Coding is Clean
• Here’s a quick illustration: “The super old fox decided to very carefully sneak up on a cute
little rat, in an attempt to attack it, and after a few minutes of serious contemplation it decided
to take the first step.” Compare that to this sentence: “A fox carefully approached a rat.” That
second sentence was far cleaner than the first. Just as sentences can be written differently,
so can websites. The coding in one website might be very messy, while the coding in another,
very similar website, can be clean. The shorter the coding (text) the easier and quicker it is for
your website to load. Make sure your website coding is clean. A website audit will help tell you
whether or not there is messy coding which needs to be cleaned up.
21

22. Make Sure Your Website Converts
• While you certainly can create a website to simply function as an online business card, it’s
more effective to design your website in a way that actually makes your phone ring, or results
in you receiving emails from interested customers or clients. Here are some tips on increasing
website conversions:
 Use Call to Actions
 Use Lead Magnets
 Be Smart with Popups
 Focus on Storytelling
22

23. Use Call to Actions
• Let’s say you create your website as a brochure. It talks about who you are, what you do
and what you offer. Then, that’s the end. Chances are very slim that someone will actually
read the contact form on your website and then connect with you. Why? Because you didn’t
tell them to contact you. Your website should clearly tell visitors to take a desired action. For
example, if you want someone to call you, then say “Call Me At [Your Number].” That will
increase the odds of someone actually contacting you. Some common places to include the
call to action include the top right menu area of the website, the middle of the homepage
[before someone starts scrolling down], and toward the end of the homepage or landing page.
If you don’t already have call to action buttons or text, be sure to add them to your website
right away.
23

24. Use Lead Magnets
• A lead magnet is a piece of content that’s free. Well, almost free. All you need to do is
provide your email and name. Then, once provided, you receive the content you were looking
for. If you were to offer some really great information to your target audience, what would it
be? If you build websites, maybe you’d create a document titled “55 Ways to Have a Highly
Effective Website” and then make it a downloadable PDF magnet. What would your audience
want? Once you’ve identified this, create it and add it to your website as a free download.
Then, let that lead magnet grow your email list. And as your email list grows, you can nurture
the relationship with those contacts in a way that will ultimately encourage them to contact
you and user your services, or purchase your products.
24

25. Be Smart With Popups
• How often do you go to a website, see a popup appear in the middle of the screen, and
then you actually read it and subscribe to whatever the website’s offering? Chances are, you
don’t subscribe. That’s because the popup is in the way. It’s an annoyance. Rather, than
using this type of popup, consider having a small popup that only displays in the bottom
corner of your website. It’s obvious, but not annoying, and it has a clear call to action. Popups
are often considered annoying and it’s even reported that they hurt your rankings on Google.
Whether or not that’s true, consider a more subtle and less annoying way to encourage
people to subscribe to your newsletters.
25

26. Focus on Storytelling
• Everyone likes a good story, especially when it’s about them. Most website owners will
create a website that talks about how amazing they are, and they assume that will make their
audience want to use their services. But try shifting the message. Rather than pulling them in
because you’re amazing, focus on them, the client. If they land on the website and the first
thing they see says something like “Looking for [Service or Product] in [City]?” they’ll instantly
start shaking their mental head up and down because you “get them” and instantly addressed
their needs. Focus your wording on how you can help them through their challenges, how you
can uniquely meet their needs, how you’ve helped others just like them, and then make it
super easy for them to act on your call to action (“Call Me At [Your Number]” or something like
that).
26

27. Think About Using a Website Designer
• Many people think a website designer and a website developer are the same thing.
They aren’t. A designer is the person who designs what the website will look like, but
they don’t necessarily build it. A developer is the person who’ll take the design and
then do the coding to make it become a functional website. Their skill sets are often
very different. If you want to make sure your website has an attractive design that
has the proper call to actions and uses the storytelling concept, talk to a designer.
Not only do they know what looks good, but having a design mockup of your website
will ensure it looks the way you want it to look. Not doing this could result in you
spending a lot more money to have the website redone because you didn’t like the
design your developer came up with. Also, having the design saves time on your
developer’s end, since they don’t have to figure out what the website should look
like. They just follow the designer’s instructions.
27

28. Make Sure Your Website’s Indexed
• Every now and then someone will spend money to develop a website, then discover
months later that the website isn’t even showing up on Google when you search the
company name. In fact, it doesn’t even show up when you search the website URL. The
reason this happens is because Google doesn’t know the website is live. In order to
resolve this situation, you can set up an account with Google Search Console and follow
the instructions it gives you. Or you can ask your website developer to assist with this, if
you find it too technical. Once Google knows the website’s live it can make it should up
on Google very quickly. However, it might not actually rank well for the phrases you want
to show up on Google for. But still, once your website is indexed it should at least show
up when someone searches for it.
28

29. Consider Doing Search Engine Optimization
• We’ve mentioned search engine optimization (SEO) a few times in this episode. The
next one in this series will focus exclusively on the SEO concept. But, it’s important for
most websites and should be briefly mentioned here. Ultimately, your website will
improve the way it shows up on Google when you do two things. First, you need to
regularly publish great content to your website. This is one reason many websites have
blogs, so they can regularly publish great blog posts that will help with SEO. Second, you
need to get other high quality websites to link to your website. This can easily be done by
adding your website URL to various online company directories. Some online directories,
of a sort, include Google My Business, Yelp, Yellow Pages, BBB, your local chamber,
Angie’s List, etc. Great content and quality backlinks will help your website rank well.
29

30. Ensure Your Website is ADA Compliant
• In recent years many website owners have been sued for not having an ADA
(Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant website. As an example, if someone who’s
blind visits your website, will their reader be able to read the content of the website to
them? Will it even be able to read the images on your website to the website user? If not,
your website isn’t ADA compliant. But there’s more to it than just text and images. In the
past there was a bit of confusion as to what all needs to be done to have an ADA
compliant website. The requirements aren’t particularly clear. However, a number
organizations from around the world put together something called the “Website Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)” to help shed some light on what exactly needs to be
done to have a compliant website. Before you make your website go live, while still in
development, make sure you and your developer reviews these guidelines, to ensure
your website is ADA compliant.
30

31. About the Faculty
31

32. About The Faculty
Joshua Lyons - josh@jjlyonsmarketing.com
Joshua Lyons, the managing director of Joshua Lyons Marketing, has been part of the marketing world
since 2009. He began his marketing career upon graduation from the University of West Florida, with an
education in public relations and marketing. Joshua worked for several companies, developing and
implementing proven online marketing strategies and boosting their exposure and revenue. After many
years of marketing, in commercial real estate, hospitality and other industries, Joshua began his own
marketing agency, Joshua Lyons Marketing. He launched his business in 2015 and continues to provide
marketing services for clients around the United States. Joshua works with new businesses,
entrepreneurs, larger established companies and organizations that are internationally recognized.
Additionally, his clients range in industry from banking, home repair, medical, professional coaching and
more. His company provides a variety of marketing services, but the core services offered include
website development, content writing and search engine optimization. Those who wish to learn about
marketing can read his company blog, which is designed to help individuals and marketing teams as they
develop their own online marketing strategies.
32

33. About The Faculty
Tony Brown - tony@strategic-media-inc.com
Tony Brown is with Strategic Media Inc., https://www.strategic-media-inc.com. We have been
in business for 27 years and as your digital marketing experts, we take what makes your
company unique and highlight it. We take your ideas and goals and turn them into creative,
marketing solutions. We know you are not just another company in your industry, so we want
your customers to see that, too. No one needs another company telling them what they are
doing wrong. They need someone to tell them what they could be doing better. We design
and market your business online to expose more people to your brand and convert them into
customers with our services. We offer SEO Website Design, Local SEO, Paid Ads, Social
media ads, Reputation management, and software development.
33

34. About The Faculty
Jessica Cao - jessicaBCao@gmail.com
As a Digital Communication Strategist, Jessica helps clients develop and implement
marketing and brand strategy, creating targeted content for email marketing, blogs, social
media, websites, business development and lead generation campaigns and various other
marketing media. She has worked in various marketing and management roles with
organizations such as Beau Rivage Casino Resort, Special Olympics Florida, EW Bullock
Marketing and PR firm, and most recently, Executive Search firm, The Ropella Group.
Jessica holds a B.S. in Marketing and an M.A. in Strategic Communication and Leadership
from the University of West Florida. When she’s not sharpening her marketing skills and
knowledge, Jessica loves spending time with her husband and 4-year-old son, Enzo,
travelling, going to the beach, and volunteering with organizations that support women and
children.
34

35. About The Faculty
Vicky Gouge - gouge@fullmoondesigngroup.com
Vicky Gouge began her creative journey at an early age with a constant passion for drawing
and sketching. This passion was the foundation for her excellence in the arts and the
numerous awards she won for her creative artwork. Vicky has gone on to work in every
aspect of graphic design and marketing, lending to her expansive knowledge of the industry.
As Principal of Full Moon Design Group, Vicky brings to the company a fervor and drive for
accomplishment and advancement. Her focus is to build long term relationships by offering
cutting edge design solutions and top-notch client service. She believes that building long-
lasting client relationships is crucial to everyone’s success, and it is this belief that is the
foundation to Full Moon’s exponential growth. When she’s not busy trying to conquer the
world, you can find her relaxing by a pool with a cold beer in hand with the music streaming!
35

36. Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions about this webinar that you did not get to ask during the live
premiere, or if you are watching this webinar On Demand, please do not hesitate to email us
at info@financialpoise.com with any questions or comments you may have. Please include
the name of the webinar in your email and we will do our best to provide a timely response.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The material in this presentation is for general educational purposes
only. It has been prepared primarily for attorneys and accountants for use in the pursuit of
their continuing legal education and continuing professional education.
36

37. About Financial Poise
37
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business owners and executives, and investors. It’s
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entertaining, explanations about legal, financial, and
other subjects of interest to these audiences.
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