Kaz Design Works

Happy New Year! May all your 2022 dreams and goals be realized! #HappyNewYear... #NewYear2022 See more

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my clients, colleagues, family and friends. Thank you for supporting my business during the past 14 years!

In case you’re wondering about the new announcement from Facebook, here’s a (long) video about it!

When adding a link to Facebook or Instagram from your website be sure it opens in a new tab where possible. Facebook does this thing called redirecting where it redirects the link so many times it’s impossible for the visitor to get back to the website that took them there. Instagram does it too!... If you’re a visitor clicking on the link, right click the link and choose open in a new tab so you don’t lose the website you came from!

Did you know October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month? CIRA has released its annual cybersecurity survey that contains some pretty spooky numbers. Did you know that nearly 70% of businesses that were impacted by ransomware paid the ransom? Read all CIRA’s article on the state of cybersecurity in Canada here: https://www.cira.ca//report/2021-cira-cybersecurity-survey

If you’re having weird emails through your Divi contact form (code instead of input text), the issue has been fixed by the developers but your Divi theme will need updating to take effect. Let me know if you need yours doing for you.

Now that Spring is here, we should be seeing colours like these again. Although I don’t think my garden will ever look like this! What do you think of these Spring colours? Would you choose them for your website?... #ColourPalette #webdesign #graphicdesign #colours #aestheticcolours #colourscheme

Do you like this colour palette that I picked from a photo I took last summer? #whatsyourcolour #colourpalette #choosingcolours #graphicdesign #websitedesign

Now that Spring is here, we should be seeing colours like these again. Although I don’t think my garden will ever look like this! What do you think of these Spring colours? Would you choose them for your website?... #ColourPalette #webdesign #graphicdesign #colours #aestheticcolours #colourscheme

Do you like this colour palette that I picked from a photo I took last summer? #whatsyourcolour #colourpalette #choosingcolours #graphicdesign #websitedesign

2020 has been a hard year for many people. I am thankful for my clients who have supported me through this troublesome time. I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy new year, and all the very best for a brilliant 2021 and beyond. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE 2020 2021

Tuesday Tip: don’t let your Bluetooth mouse battery die especially if you only have one USB port and it’s being used to backup files when your battery dies!Tuesday Tip: don’t let your Bluetooth mouse battery die especially if you only have one USB port and it’s being used to backup files when your battery dies!

Canadian small business owners: Do you have a Grant for Website Development? Thinking of applying for one?... Be prepared when you apply. Know the investment needed. Ask us about our website design packages! #WebsiteDesign #WebDesign #WebsiteRevamp #WebsiteDevelopment #GovernmentGrant #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #NeedANewWebsite #CanadianSmallBusiness #CanadianBusiness #BusinessOwner

For those whove been wondering about the difference between a Wordpress.com (free) and a Wordpress.org (self-hosted) website and which one you should get/use, this article does a good job of explaining the difference and highlights some of the main pros and cons. In a nutshell, if youre a hobby blogger and dont want to make money from your website, use Wordpress.com. If youre a business owner use Wordpress.org self-hosted with a reputable web-host such as siteground.com.

Happy Easter. #easter

#socialdistancing

Its business as usual with Kaz Design Works during our national / international time of self isolation and social distancing. I work from home, so Im used to being self isolated. However, I know for many of you this is a completely new situation. Meet Val from DRM Practice. Val is one of my website design clients. She launched a brand new business late last year and relies on large events and corporate team building workshops. So now, like many of you, this is definitely not a good time for her business. However, she still remains positive and upbeat and has created this video to motivate others who are self isolating at home. It will help you get a little physical & brain activity at your desk (no equipment required) and hopefully put a smile on your face.

WordPress users: do you love or hate Gutenberg? #WordpressWednesday

Happy International Womens Day to all the amazing woman in my life...from family members, to friends, to clients and to business partners all who play an important part in my life. #iwd2020 #EachForEqual #internationalwomensday

Oh how I love brainstorming with clients starting new ventures!Oh how I love brainstorming with clients starting new ventures!

Do you work for free or are you a business who wants to convey a professional image? Then why use a free DIY website? Ask yourself...Does it convey a professional image or does it communicate that youre cheap?... Be honest with yourself. Truly, what does it convey? Even if youre a start up, you should be conveying a professional image from the get go. Even if its a just a one page website, with a short bio and contact info, make sure its self-hosted, and enlist the help of someone who can make it look like you didnt just throw it up haphazardly!

How often do you revamp your website? Once a year? Once every 2-3 years? Once every 4-5 years? Whats a website?

Happy New Year. Heres to a successful 2020. #newyear2020

Merry Christmas from Kaz Design Works. #christmasgreetings #christmas2019

I haven't shared my website portfolio in a while. If you want to see some websites I've recently designed and developed, you can see them here.

Lest we forget.

I havent shared my website portfolio in a while. If you want to see some websites Ive recently designed and developed, you can see them here.

Tuesday Tip If youre considering promoting your company by handing out pens with you logo on, be sure to invest in a good quality pen. So many times Ive been given a branded pen that either stops working within 5 minutes (if at all) or breaks easily. Not only is a cheap pen a waste of your investment when it ends up in someones garbage a day or two later but your company will also lose credibility. It doesnt have to be a fancy fountain pen or a gold-plated biro, bu...t it should last a while and stand up to the hardest pressure a writer is likely to use. Ask the supplier to let you sample a few. Test them out for a month on different papers and cards (including backs of business cards). If they stand up to your rigorous testing then go for it. If not, ditch them and invest in something else of better quality that is longer lasting. #TuesdayTip

Tuesday Tip When you add a link to a Facebook or LinkedIn post, once the visual link with icon/image & website title and description show up, you can delete the text link. Either double click the link (you typed) to select it and hit delete, or use the backspace until its deleted. Your post will look a lot tidier, especially if the link is really, really long.... PS: This does not work on comments, however. #TuesdayTip

Excited that my client launched her new business yesterday, including this website that I developed for her from scratch in WordPress following the design mocked up by her graphic designer. The site includes WooCommerce store for her DRM Practice Package and ball stand & drumsticks, as well as a membership section for her certified DRM practitioners. A lot of frontend and backend stuff went into creating her vision and providing the functionality she needed. Above the fold screenshots taken on my iPad. Check it out at https://drompractice.com

I know its Wednesday not Tuesday, but I must pass this tip on. Be sure to own your domain name and host through your own account. Even if youre offered them both for free. When things go wrong (too many possibilities to list), or you want a new website or change web host, its very hard for someone you hire to act quickly if they cant access your site because someone else controls/restricts access or you just dont know who owns/runs your stuff anymore.... I have at least four clients right now where this has recently been or is currently an issue.

Who else uses Creator Studio? How do you like it?

Can you tell what company/business I just visited? Probably not...these were all the ads on a single screenshot of a page on their website!! Its like this because they are trying to monetize their website with ads through Wordpress(.)com but they have no control of the ads that appear. (And there were even worse ads than these on throughout their website.)... When you host your business website at Wordpress(.)com it is very off-putting for visitors to be bombarded with ads every other paragraph...and in this case an entire screen! Even worse, if an ad pops up over your menu bar, like this website, it prevents visitors from navigating your website, which means most will leave without finding out what you offer. (Top ad in screenshot is covering the menu bar of the site I just visited.) Instead, host your website with a third party web host and install Wordpress on your domain there. You can get web hosting for under $10 a month, which, if youre in business, should be affordable. This is just one reason why this is better business practice...but there are many others! #wordpresswednesday

Happy Canada Day!

Certain elements are being removed from Facebook business pages in August, so youll probably want to make some changes so important info doesnt go missing. Change is good right?

Lets talk Social Media share buttons on your blog. When they are placed on the left, they are fine on desktop, but on mobile they cover the left edge of your text, making it hard to read. Place them on the right, over the top of your ads and links, where they do not get in the way.... #socialmediabuttons #tiptuesday

Startups & DIYers: when creating your website, be sure to include your contact infirmation where it can easily be found. 3 places people look for your contact info: 1. A separate contact page with a link to it from the main menu bar in the header. The contact link is usually the last link on the right so its easy to see/find. Include various calls to action and links to your contact page within your content to encourage visitors to contact you. ... 2. The top bar: here you can include your phone number & email address as well as your social media links (as icons) so they can connect with you on social too. The top bar appears on every page above the header and can be fixed so its always visible. 3. The footer: here you can include your physical location as well as your email and phone number, and social links. You can even include a simple contact form. The footer appears on every page so your information will be visible when visitors finish reading / scrolling through your content. Include a call to action on each page to encourage them to contact you. Although you dont need to include all three, I highly recommend at least using number 1.

Not just web designers but website owners too. The reason I use WordPress: because its so versatile. #wordpresswednesday

Oops...dont forget to proof read the small print!

A little Facebook tip. When tagging a friend in a post, or replying to their comment, be a little friendlier. Use the backspace (X) to delete their last name. Saying your friends full names in conversations is not what youd do in real life, so why do it to your friends on Facebook?... Only teachers used to use our full names when they wanted to tag us, and who wants to be reminded of that! #facebookfriday

Tip Tuesday If you get a comment on your blog telling you how great your post is, what a great topic, you are a really good writer, we need more articles like this, blah blah blah, but they dont actually mention anything specific relating to what you wrote about, that indicates they actually read your post, it is 99.9% likely it is spam, purely there to get people to click on the link accompanying the comment. Do NOT approve, do NOT reply thanking them. They are not real!

Now that the WordPress Gutenberg interface has been around for a while, who's loving it, who's still trying to figure it out, and who's reverted back to the classic editor?

Las nights 3rd annual OWIN International Womens Day Dinner & Speaker Event was a fabulous success. Job well done to the Event Committee and thanks to all the sponsors & community partners, emcee & speakers (featured here) who made it possible. #IWD2019 #BalanceForBetter #OWIN (Video by Kaz Design Works.)

Now that the WordPress Gutenberg interface has been around for a while, whos loving it, whos still trying to figure it out, and whos reverted back to the classic editor?

If your password wont work, even though youre sure youre typing it correctly, check your keyboard hasnt changed to a different language. If there isnt an eye icon to view it, type it into Word to check the symbols are correct.

Tip Tuesday Be sure to get a print version of your logo from your graphic designer. Using low resolution JPGs & PNGs that are for web purposes only will mean your logo will print very poorly, especially when it needs to be blown up for large format printing.

Happy Valentines Day! They have a day for everything...today is also National Cream-filled Chocolates Day... well, you dont say! I wonder how many people will be receiving cream-filled chocolates as a Valentines Day gift today? Whos idea was it to make National Cream-filled Chocolates Day the same day as Valentines? Great marketing!... #valentines #chocolates #greatmarketing

Do you know about this International Womens Day event celebrating local women? Purchase early bird ticket by Feb 12th and youll automatically be entered into a draw for a fantastic prize package.

Today is National Irish Coffee Day. I cant help you make your Irish Coffee, but I CAN help create and maintain your Wordpress website! #irishcoffee #irishcoffeeday... #wordpress #website #webdesign See more

Are any of these things on your January to do list? How many have you accomplished so far? #websitedesign... #websiterevamp #webcontent #websiteupdate #socialmediagraphics See more