Doing a bit of research with keywords and found this cool plugin for wordpress.  I can’t say enough about how much I like wordpress.  I think it’s a great content management solution for a website and with this plugin it makes it much easier to sell your stuff online.  I can’t wait to try it out.

Wordpress Shopping Cart Plugin

It has social networking tools built into it so you can promote new items when you put them on your site.  Best of all it’s a free plugin, but of course there is an upgrade to premium services, but free is good!

BTW, I love designing custom wordpress websites…

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

Just thought I would share the creative direction process I use when someone hires me to design their website or marketing materials. Everything is a collaboration. Some companies have a formalized process where they send a series of questions. I just do it by email with a few short ones. I don’t want them to feel they have to answer every single question before I start designing though, so this is just a general rule to go by.

These can be applied to websites and other design projects…

What do you want people to think of and feel when the view your website, or logo, or marketing material?

Can you give me a few examples of what you like in design?

What do you think your brand is and personality?

What colors do you prefer and why?

What type of style do you prefer?

For websites…

Can you show me a few websites that you like the design of and why?

What type of layout do you like? For example, left sidebar, top, right…

Without creative direction it is virtually impossible to create together, so these questions help to get the process started.  Sometimes I get lucky and hit the design mark on the very first try.  I love that.  Sometimes my first proof spurs them on to narrow their tastes down.  Naturally, I prefer option number one.   Oh, of course it does help if they already like what I have done because of course my personality goes into all the work I do as well.

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

Did you know that websites look different in different browsers and even on different computers because of the resolution?  This can be nerve wracking to a web designer.   Basically the only thing we can do is make sure your code is as perfect as you can get it and test it out in all the browsers before you publish.  Also, another good tip is if you can look at your website stats and see which browser your visitors are mostly using then you can tweak it mostly to that browser.  It really is virtually impossible to get a site to look EXACTLY the same in every single browser so why drive yourself crazy even trying.

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

Build it and they will come.   Not necessarily.  Build the website, then talk about it, network, promote it, facebook and twitter it, seo and market your website THEN they will come.

How can you get a head start on the promotion and marketing, before it is even completed?  Put up a temp page while it is being built, even have an opt in form to begin building your database of new clients, even months before the site is ready to go.

Why do this?  Well, google takes a look at the age of domain as well as the inbound links to cast it’s vote to bring it up higher in the search engines.  Older sites with lots of people linking to them will have a higher search engine rating while the ones that are just starting out won’t have much at all.  While you are brainstorming, building the website and business plan, it’s a good idea to put a temporary page up and add it to the search engines and promote it, in the meantime.  When your site is ready to be launched, you will get a head start on traffic.  Make sure you have an opt in form for people to get your newsletter, so you can tell them when it is launched and ready to go, and of course, send them news and tips and specials when your are an official online business.  Basically, these are called landing pages, but it’s a good idea to use a landing page as a placeholder in the meantime.

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

Just finished this article, I have to admit she has a point…where do all your best clients come from?

The only way to figure that out is to track it.  For me it has been a combination of my website (people finding me, my newsletter, referrals & networking).  What about you?

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

Two new projects I finished up this week.  The first one is http://www.yorrenergyworks.com, for Barbara Lindenberg.  She is located in Vancouver, Washington and does reiki treatments, yoga classes and more.

The other new project I finished is for http://www.lightangel.net.  Margaret Harrell needed a gallery for her already existing website to showcase her beautiful cloud photography.  Here is the page…

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

I went to a networking event this week and was talking with a woman about her business.  She gives meditation workshops and was thinking of developing a holistic directory online.  I think both a great ideas but the one thing is she hasn’t quite fully developed is her meditation classes.  Naturally, I would think the first course of action is to get focused and an expert in what you are already doing…THEN branch out.  There is nothing wrong with big thinking, in fact I would encourage it…but some things and events most likely need to occur before other projects take off.

What big thinking bloopers have I done? Well, I do have alot of artwork, created by me, in my apartment.  I remember a few years ago I got it into my head to try and sell some of them online via cafepress t shirts or prints. The thing is I didn’t just put a few pieces up, I put everything up in every kind of online gallery around, the good and the bad.  I thought SOMEONE would like the stuff, even if I didn’t like it some of it…:)   So what happend?  I think I sold maybe three  t shirts in all of one year.  I spent all that time and effort when it might have been best if I just chose the few items I really liked, tested out whether there was a good response, promoted those items, then expanded.

This works well in other areas of life too.  You can’t take on the world, but you can take steps to what you want while keeping the big picture in mind.

Here is a sample of my goofy art…

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

I am sure this applies to other social media sites as well, but I noticed on my squidoo lenses you can add your blog rss feed.  This is great to get more traffic because squidoo is a highly trafficked website, so any links pointing to your site, and the more of them, will help shift some of that to yours.  I just added this blog to squidoo, let’s see what happens…

Third Eye Studio Squidoo Lense

I am sure there are social media sites that let you add your rss feed, just gotta find them…

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!

E – Book covers marketing, product developement, motivation, how to get started on the website, article marketing & more from Kat Smith – Starlove.  She did it all herself from trial and error, learn from her experiences on what works!

How to be an Entrepreneur Online E-Book

$12.99 (Instant Download after Payment)

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Heather is the owner and creative director of Third Eye Studio, a graphic/web/art studio located in Lake Worth, South Florida.

…specializing in creative and unique custom print and web design. Let me help you grow your business!