Indigo Nine

Is your website leaving you feeling a bit ‘meh’?! Is it in need of a little TLC?

Why not download my Website Review Checklist and take it through its paces.

It'll help you:
✨ Highlight areas that need attention
✨ Identify opportunities for improvement
✨ Give your site the boost it deserves

I think it's pretty fabulous! 😊 (but hey, I would!)

https://indigonine.co.uk/website-checklist/

P.S. I’d love you to come back and tell me how you got on.

Website Checklist | Website Audit Tool - Indigo Nine Website Design Boost your site's performance with this comprehensive website review checklist. Identify and fix critical issues to keep your website in top condition.

It may not be as exciting as the Taylor Swift concerts in Edinburgh over the next three days!

But check this out from our local cafe! It's genius.

And Maggie - our Golden Doodle - was made up with the pork sausages! Big applause all round!

Here's a business that knows how to treat their dog customers well!

There are hundreds of thousands of website designers out there!

So finding the right one for you is going to take a bit of work, but with some thorough research and careful vetting, you will find them.

Here are some tips for finding the right website designer for you:

1. Do Your Research:

Start by looking at potential designers’ portfolios and reading reviews from previous clients. Check out their websites to get a sense of their work and also take a look at their social media and LinkedIn profile for insights into their style and professionalism.

2. Assess Their Work:

Look at how their previous projects perform in terms of design, functionality, and user feedback. This can help you gauge how well they’ll be able to translate your brand vision into your web design.

Also, look at who they’ve worked with. Have they worked with other value-led businesses or businesses similar to yours that uphold the same ethical approach?

3. Meet With Them:

Perhaps most importantly, meet up with your potential designers either online or in person. This will show you a lot about their working style, commitment to deadlines, and handling of client input.

It will give you a good sense of whether you can work and communicate with them. Ask detailed questions to understand their process and ethics.

Ultimately, follow your instincts and don’t ignore your gut feelings. You’ll know when you find the right person for you.

If you want to know more about hiring a web designer, you can read my recent blog here
https://indigonine.co.uk/ready-to-hire-a-website-designer/

Having your website built is a big deal.

Finding affordable, experienced website designers you can trust is a little more difficult than you might hope, and if you run a business that prides itself on upholding values like integrity and transparency, it can be even harder.

But ethical, trustworthy AND talented website designers are out there; you just need to know where to find them. Here's my latest blog, which gives you my top tips for finding the right website designer for your values-led business and highlights some red flags to look out for when hiring a website designer.

Please get in touch if you're curious to find out more.

Want To Hire A Website Designer But Need Help? Ready To Hire A Website Designer? Top tips for finding an ethical website designer that’s right for your business with 5 red flags to look out for when deciding.

Did you know you can book a free 30-min call with me to discuss your website project? DM me and let’s chat 😊

My last dog walk this year! Wishing you all a wonderful New Year and the best of times for 2024 # # #

It disturbs me, to the core, when I hear of web designers/ developers holding their clients to ransom over their domains and hosting.

Obvs, not referring to all the lovely web designers I know (and love) from my own community.

But please know, this happens.

One of my most recent clients found herself in exactly this position. Her web designer had registered her domain in HIS name!

This is a big red flag! Nuh huh! And not ok.

When it comes to your domain, you should buy it yourself and register it in your name. It’s a vital part of your branding and an important business asset.

When a designer registers a domain name on your behalf - and they don’t specify you as the registrant - they end up as the registrant and therefore the owner of your domain.

You don’t own it!

And if you want to move your website, or move to a new designer, or if they go MIA, you could end up losing your domain name altogether.

Don’t risk your online identity - register in YOUR name.

P.S. When you work with me on your website project, we will get all the fundamentals in place, including domain and hosting, before we start on anything else. DM me and let's chat.

You can confuse people in two ways: First with this hair, and secondly ... see more

We’re doing an Advent Calendar over at Scottish Business Mums. There’s a tip or two, offers, and promos. Go have a peek 🎄

Web Design Tip #1: Create Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTA)
An effective CTA tells site visitors the next step you want them to take. When creating CTAs, be concise (avoid vague phrases), use an action word or verb that entices visitors to “do something”, personalise the language, use colour, contrast, size, and placement to grab attention, and use a mix of clickable buttons and hyperlinked text for maximum usability. Let us know in the comments how your CTAs stack up!
Thanks Indigo Nine

Guess whose website just got a glam makeover?!

Spoiler alert: MINE!! 💁‍♀️

After dragging my feet on this forever, I finally got around to giving my website a major facelift! A brand-new look and vibe! And it’s been long overdue!

Whilst I love to design beautiful new websites for clients, when it comes to sorting out my own … *cricket noises*!

I’ve been ignoring, procrastinating, and making excuses. Because we all know doing this stuff for ourselves is hard. The thing that you’re good at often becomes challenging to do for yourself! Anyone else find that?

But I got motivated, focused, and now ready to launch a shiny new site that I’m proud to share. And here it is!! TADA! 🎉

If you’ve been procrastinating or making excuses, if your website is bottom of your to-do list - DM me, and let’s chat about your project. What better way to start the New Year?!

P**f!! And just like that! Happy Monday!

Is your website up to scratch?

If not, potential customers are going to click away and look elsewhere.

And most visitors will make this decision within 3 seconds of landing on your site!

Here are some statistics that show why visitors are clicking away.

These statistics show that your website needs to be responsive, load fast, be easy to navigate, and be well designed if you want to keep people on your site.

And that’s the whole point! You want visitors to stay and explore so that you don't lose out on valuable customers.

Get in touch if you think your website is not in tip top shape and let’s discuss.

A website is a powerful tool for any business.

It's a place where you can control the narrative and offer potential customers a window into your brand.

A website adds instant credibility and can help you to stand out from the crowd

It's also a great way to build rapport with your target audience.

By providing valuable content and engaging with visitors, you can turn your website visitors into loyal customers.

So if you're not already using a website to promote your business, now is the time to get started.

Contact me or book a free 121 chat and let's discuss your specific needs (click through on my website link for more details).

It's my birthday today, and I'm looking forward to going out with friends in Edinburgh for lunch and cocktails 😀🍹

Look at these wonderful flowers that arrived for me yesterday! How lucky am I?

Have a great Sunday everyone! Enjoy!

Your domain name is your online identity.

It's how people find you on the internet, and it's an important part of your brand.

When you're ready to start a website, the first step is choosing a domain name. There are a few things to keep in mind when picking a domain name:

Make it easy to remember and spell. People are more likely to visit your site if they can easily remember your domain name. Avoid using slang or jargon that people might not understand.

Keep it short. A shorter domain name is easier to remember and type than a long one.

Choose a .com or a country extension, like co.uk. If you are charity or non profit organisation use the .org extension. Do a little research on domain extensions before you buy, to make sure it fits with the needs of your business..

Once you've chosen a good domain name, you'll need to register it with a domain registrar. This process is usually pretty simple and only takes a few minutes.

Registering your domain name with a hosting company is often a good idea, as you can access and manage everything from one place.

Once your domain is registered, you're ready to start building your website!

Feel free to give me a shout if you need any help with setting up your domain name - link in profile.

Oh my! Look at this little beauty! On my car this morning! Nature's beauty at work!🕸

I love a good podcast!

I'm really enjoying Africa Brooke's Beyond the Self podcast. It's full of insightful 'nuggets'!

What podcasts are you enjoying now?

How often do you update your website?

It's a good idea to update your website regularly in order to keep it fresh and relevant.

Not only does this give potential customers a positive impression of your business, but it also helps you to rank higher in search engine results.

New and fresh content also helps to keep visitors engaged, and coming back for more.

Whether you're regularly adding new blog posts or updating your product list, making sure your website is current is essential for any business that wants to succeed online.

Let me know in the comments how often you update your website.

When it comes to web design, font choice is important for two main reasons.

First, the font you choose should be easily readable so that visitors to your site can consume your content without difficulty.

Second, the font you choose should fit with the overall aesthetic of your site.

In reality, a website shouldn't have more than three fonts.

It's important to take care in choosing and pairing fonts so that they complement each other and create a cohesive look for your site.

A resource I like to use is fontpair, where you can get lots of hints and tips on fonts that pair well together.

Give me a shout, if you want some help with your font choice.

October is one of my favourite months for so many reasons! But mainly because it's my birthday month! And what's not to like about that 😀🎂

Today is World's Biggest Coffee Morning (Macmillan). Why not pop into your local café and support a good cause.

What's your favourite cuppa?

What are cookies? No, not the edible kind!

Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on your computer when you visit a website.

They are generally used to improve the user experience by allowing websites to remember your preferences, browsing activity and provide information that is relevant and specific to you.

In short, cookies can provide a better web experience.

But why do websites ask you to accept cookies?

Well, it’s all down to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a data privacy protection law that requires online businesses to be transparent about how they collect and use personal data.

But do you have to accept cookies? The short answer is, no. Rules like the GDPR are designed to give you control over your data and browsing history.

However, if you do not accept some cookies, certain features of web design may not work properly for you. For example, saving your shopping cart or repeatedly showing you the same content every time you visit.

But take note, you shouldn’t accept cookies from an unencrypted website; that means a site that has no little padlock in the browser web address.

Being aware of all of this helps to protect and keep your information safe online.

Does your website have a cookie policy?

Do you know who your ideal client is?

Building a successful website is so much more than just creating a beautiful space online.

It’s about defining exactly what your business is about, understanding what type of clients you want to work with, and knowing how to communicate with them.

One critical element is understanding who your ideal customer is.

Who will be visiting your site, what are they looking for and why do they need your specific solution?

Take a look at my blog if you want to learn more. Link in comments.

Just popping in to say ... I love this little girl!!
'Nuff said! 🧡😀🐾

Have a great weekend.

Just for fun! This phrase came up this week! And it made me laugh! I like to think everything I do in Indigo Nine is the bee's knees!! 😀

😂

At Indigo Nine, we specialise in WordPress web design.

WordPress is one of the most popular site-building platforms in the world and powers millions of websites around the world.

In fact, in 2022, WordPress is estimated to power 40% of all websites on the internet.

That's a pretty impressive statistic!

But why is WordPress so popular? Well, there are a number of reasons.

First of all, WordPress is free and open source, which means anyone can use it. All you need to purchase is a domain and a hosting plan.

Second, WordPress is extremely versatile and can be used for everything from simple blogs to complex web designs. And WordPress scales beautifully as you grow your business.

And finally, WordPress plays nice with search engines like Google and has loads of themes and plugins that help with advanced SEO optimisation.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or migrating an existing site to WordPress, I can help you get the results you want.

Why not, contact me today to learn more.

I had the most beautiful lunch-time walk today! All of this is on my doorstep! Well, a 2-minute drive away! Feeling very grateful.