A few years ago I wrote a post about free resources for your blog and website. Here’s an updated list of free resources for 2020. Finding resources for your site is hard. Finding good resources that are free is even harder. Never fear! We’ve rounded up our current favorite resources
This morning I woke up to an email from a former client that their site was down. Talk about a rough start to a Monday. As I dug into the issue, I quickly discovered that the site had been victim to a brute force attack. Hits on the site had
I saw an awful post on Facebook recently, and I can’t stop thinking about it. And yes, I’m going to show you because I feel it’s important to the discussion to understand the context. This image was shared by someone I love dearly. She is kind and loving and would
Here’s my plea on this FB/Insta-Outage Day: Make social media part of your digital strategy, but please don’t let it be the only part of your digital strategy. Use social media as a place to listen and a place to foster relationships. Don’t look at social media as your only online presence.
You’ll survive the outage days much better.
I’m a basketball fan. I have an intense love of the game. I love everything about it. I love watching, I love playing, I love analyzing, I love strategizing, I love the competition. Basketball is one of my many happy places. I was at a basketball game last week. It
I’m a solo entrepreneur. For years and years it’s been just me. I’ve pulled in help on occasion (and have recently hired an awesome VA – that’s a transition I’m still figuring out!) but really, Merket Creative is me, Roxanne. I love it. Of course I’m working on growing and
Just because everyone CAN use your product doesn’t mean they WILL (or even SHOULD.) Here’s how to niche down your target market so you know where to spend those precious advertising dollars.
This week was the final session of IntAct Social. Over the last four weeks we’ve chatted about doing social media on purpose. It’s been so much fun, and I’m looking forward to watching improvement from those that participated. If you didn’t take the opportunity to participate, here’s a quick recap
Business owners are hard on themselves. And that’s to be expected – we have high expectations and we always fall short, because there’s always one more thing we could have done. Motherhood is the same. We do one wrong thing – yell in frustration, don’t get the dishes done, or
Rudy Gobert got snubbed. Jazz fans know it, but this isn’t a discussion on snubs. This is a discussion on the kind of men we need in our world. Rudy was visibly disappointed. He deserves to be. And he got emotional. This is fabulous. It’s vulnerable. Rudy showed us what
Storytelling is everywhere. And last week I learned an important lesson about storytelling during an NBA game. I was at a basketball game last week. Nosebleed seats, but it was still so much fun. The halftime entertainment is always interesting, so while many people tend to leave the arena for
So, you need to write a bio for your about page? Maybe you’ve got a brand new website? Or maybe you’re just revising your site, and you know your bio needs a refresh. Whatever the reason, writing a bio can feel overwhelming. Writing a bio for a website is a
One of the questions I get from new business owners (or even experienced business owners who are ready to branch out) is “What is digital marketing?” It’s a great question, and a fair one too. Here’s the simplest explanation: Digital Marketing is any marketing that happens ONLINE or ON AN
I’m a business owner. And a mom. And a volunteer. And a wife. And a daughter. And a sister. And a sister-in-law. And an auntie. And… the list goes on and on and on. I have no doubt your list is the same. You’re probably everything to everyone, and you
Business is an interesting thing – especially when you do creative work, as I’m sure you know. I’ve been building websites for nearly 12 years – longer than I’ve known my husband! It’s been a significant part of my life. One that I love and hold very dear to my
WordPress 5.0 is scheduled for release today! This release is a big one, and WordPress professionals like me have been anticipating this update for months now. Let’s get right to it. Here’s what you need to know about the release of WordPress 5.0: WordPress 5.0 includes the release of the
Should you have a regular schedule for posting to social media? I saw this question posted in a business group today and nearly lost my mind. OF COURSE you should have a regular schedule for posting. Here’s why: Social media is a great experiment of expectations. I follow an embroiderer
Recently, I was lurking in a Facebook group for small business owners. A lot of the same discussions come up regularly. People are searching for a particular service, they ask for recommendations, or they shout offers from the rooftops hoping that somebody will listen. One of the questions that comes
Like many of you, I have an Instant Pot. It’s glorious. I can stick food in it hours ahead of time and eat a warm meal moments after walking in the door. Whenever I’m using my Instant Pot, I’m reminded of the old commercial for the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie: Set
I was asked recently my best advice for last-minute Black Friday deals. Not in finding deals, but in creating them. Maybe Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on you, and you realized as you were out buying your turkey that you totally spaced prepping anything for Black Friday. Or Small Business
I was on the phone with a potential client recently when the topic of KPIs came up. One of my favorite questions to ask when I’m on a call is what KPIs are being tracked. It usually gives me a good idea of what’s being watched, and what is perhaps
My daughter is in elementary school. Each morning we drive near the school, then walk the rest of the way. It’s a wonderful way to start our morning – a walk and talk on the way to school? It’s blissful. This morning, though, the traffic was much worse than usual.
I was in a deep discussion recently with a dear friend when the topic of imposter syndrome came bubbling up. If you’re any kind of professional, you probably know the symptoms well… a sinking feeling that you’re going to be found out as a fraud? That everyone will realize you’re
I volunteer in a religious organization that serves 12-18 year old girls. We meet twice weekly, once for a lesson and once for an activity. The girls are usually there willingly, but some are there out of obligation. One of the programs in place to help the girls is focused
Gratitude is one of those words that get tossed around like parade candy during the holiday season. But there’s really something to it. Did you know gratitude is a mental coping strategy that can help with grief, anxiety, and depression? Since entrepreneurs and business owners are especially susceptible to these
Can I be blunt? Your social media sucks. I watch your Instagram channel, your Facebook feed, and your LinkedIn profile. I see you on Twitter. I even catch rare sightings of blog posts. And it’s so discouraging to me. Do you know why? Because you’re doing it wrong. Yes, I know there
We fired our financial planner. Let me rewind a minute… My husband and I met with a financial planner. We were finally comfortable enough to talk to someone about our financial future. It felt like a BIG deal. Seriously, a big deal. You see, I’m restructuring my relationship with money.
YouTube descriptions are one of the underrated nuggets of the SEO world. If you’re creating YouTube videos, it’s easy to spend all your focus on lighting, sound, script, and overall content. After all, it’s a YouTube video. If you’re going to create high quality vide content, these things are a
You don’t need a website. I know what you’re thinking… Roxy, you build websites. Why are you telling me I don’t need one? Here’s the thing: I’ve built websites for over 10 years. I have watched businesses succeed, I’ve watched businesses fail, and the one thing that sets every one
Let’s chat about branding… Imagine for a minute a car lot. There are blue cars, silver cars, and red cars. How much will you pay for a red car? You can’t answer this, right? Because there’s SO much more to that car than just the color. What if I got
Is your social media ready for the holiday season? Let me guess – you’re telling me “Yes, Rox, it’s totally ready” but in your head you’re panicking and wondering if you really are ready or if you’ve just lulled yourself into a false sense of security, knowing that come the
Dear Teacher, You changed my life. You believed in me when I didn’t know if I should – or could – believe in myself. You took moments just for me. You ignored the rest of the world and saw me. Thank you. You dedicated your life to teaching, both in formal
Happy Monday! Tomorrow is THE DAY. IntAct Social begins tomorrow at 10 am MST, and I am SO excited! Here’s a link to the Facebook group if you haven’t already joined. Here are a few questions that have come up over the last few weeks. What IS it? It’s a
We’re back! It’s been a bit radio silent over here, but for good reason. 🙂 This summer has flown by for me. My family relocated to the beautiful (and dry) northern Utah (thank you Air Force!). It was quite the adventure, part of which included a drive from Seattle, through the mountains of
Art is an experience. If you’ve ever walked into an art gallery you know that viewing art can have a profound effect on your soul. Many artists we meet shy away from sharing art online because they feel it takes away that in-person experience. While there’s nothing like seeing art without
Do you backup your site regularly? Because you should. Sit right down and let me tell you a tale of the time the backup (or rather, the lack of a backup) ruined my vacation. Once upon a time, I was an adult counselor at a youth camp. It was a
What is hosting? I get this question all the time. We get so excited about our new business idea, buy the domain (because domains are CHEAP!) and then try and figure out what’s next! After a quick google search, you realize you need a host. But what on earth is
Branding is so much fun. It’s all colors and fonts and all things pretty. Right? Well… almost. Branding is a bit more like baking a cake. Do you have a favorite cake recipe? Like a REALLY good recipe, all from scratch, like your gramama used to make? Close your eyes
Google Analytics… Yeah, we’re going there today. If you’re a business with a website, you should care about Google Analytics. I’ll tell you why in a minute. What is Google Analytics? I’m glad you asked! It’s analytics with the power of google behind it. Let me take it one step
Digital marketing can get really overwhelming really fast. I was at an arcade a few weeks ago. It was a fundraiser for my daughter’s school and it was total chaos. The place smelled like a dirty hotel, there were kids running around like wild banshees, and about a third of
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row background_color=”#1aadb5″ _builder_version=”3.0.89″ custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_margin=”|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”dark” admin_label=”It’s time to share a little love around here! ” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ text_orientation=”center” header_font=”Cherry Swash||||||||” header_font_size=”37px” text_font=”||||||||” text_text_shadow_style=”preset4″] It’s time to share a little love around here! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”http://merketcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/screencapture-illumegalleryoffineart-1515787038915.png” admin_label=”Home
There’s a lot of talk around mobile sites. “Everyone is on mobile now!” “Design for mobile first!” “You’re missing out on customers!” A lot of these are true, but what does that actually mean to you – a business owner? Who cares if your site doesn’t load great on mobile,
Have you ever done a website audit? They can be a little bit intimidating. A website audit is kind of like cleaning a messy room. I’m not talking a quick 5 minutes and you’re done sort of clean… No, the kind of room that you avoid because you know it needs
Read the updated version here Finding resources for your site is hard. Finding good resources that are free is even harder. Never fear! We’ve rounded up our current favorite resources for free images and video to give your site a quality feel. Pixabay ✅ Photos ✅ Video What we like
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] We’ve just migrated your site to WordPress and you’re ready to start blogging. Wahoo! Here’s a step-by-step tutorial how to do just that! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_video admin_label=”Video” src=”https://youtu.be/18Q1Xn9i7yo” /][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Not feeling the video today? No
Made with ❤ by Merket Creative
