November 23, 2023

Is It Time to Redesign My Website?

“Is it time to redesign my website?”

A lot of small businesses ask themselves this regularly and it’s a fair question. A website is not an unchanging asset. Changes in digital marketing, the internet at large, consumer preference, and search engine algorithms all impact your website.

What once worked perfectly might not work a few years later. Still, while the internet is constantly evolving, few small businesses have the resources and time to update their website annually. Even if they did, a full website redesign every 12 months would likely just confuse customers.

This is the crux of the problem. Waiting too long to redesign a struggling site could cost your brand money. Updating a site too frequently makes your marketing strategy convoluted and more difficult than it needs to be. How do you know when it’s time to redesign a website?

Well, you’re in luck. The web developers here at JSL Marketing & Web Design assembled their tips for evaluating when to redesign.

Signs That You Don’t Need to Redesign Your Website

Before we dive into the tell-tale signs that you need to redesign your website, we want to make one thing clear. Sometimes, a full-website redesign is not the right call. There are no hard and fast rules here, but we thought it was important to note occasions when we might not recommend a website redesign.

Sign 1: Optimizing Does the Ticket

Redesigning a website is a big lift and takes time. However, depending on your unique situation, it might be better to address issues within the site that don’t require a complete redesign, but do require some web design changes. Changing graphics and colors, rewriting content to be better optimized for search engines, and tweaking some technical elements oftentimes can rapidly improve your website. These changes certainly will change the website itself, but the main core of the site is usually kept intact. If these light changes are easy to implement and will have a large impact, there’s no need to redesign the site.

Sign 2: Additional Opportunities

Maybe the problem isn’t even your website. Maybe it’s how you’re promoting your website. Changes to site promotion strategy sometimes are all you need to improve a site’s performance. If the basics of your website are sound, but we see that your competitors are much more visible on Google Ads, social media, and local SEO than your business, that usually means that the site isn’t the problem. It’s the overarching marketing strategy that could be used to promote the site that needs tweaking.

Sign 3: It’s Not Broken

If your site is driving visits and revenue and you’re happy with the results, then it’s probably best not to completely redesign. Now, we always recommend paying close attention to performance and attribution, to ensure you’re not missing anything. However, if the site is performing, don’t fix what’s not broken.

It’s better to know what needs tweaking and have a well-researched plan than to change a site just for the sake of novelty. If the site is performing, we might recommend a full site audit to confirm that it’s functioning properly and see if there are optimizations to make. However, if that comes back with good results, then you can let the site be for now.

Signs It Is Time to Redesign Your Website

Sign 1: It’s Been a Few Years

A newer website isn’t always a better website, but a newer website will likely have optimizations an older website does not. Google has hundreds of ranking factors that are used to rank websites. Some elements of SEO are pretty set in stone and never really change year to year. For instance, being mobile-friendly has been important for website rankings for years and given just how popular cell phones are, this shouldn’t change any time soon. Other elements of Google, however, vary year to year and it’s not uncommon for a new policy or algorithm to change how a site ranks.

Take all of that together and you start to realize that a site that has not undergone major structural changes in a few years is probably behind the times. That is usually reflected in our next sign:

Sign 2: Performance

An underperforming website always makes itself known. If you pay close enough attention to the vitals of the site and where the site ranks, issues will become readily apparent. Data from platforms like Google Analytics and SEMrush are always the best ways of knowing it’s time to redesign your website. If you consult with these platforms and see downward trends in site visitors, revenue or time on page or competitors surging, it’s time to consider changing something and fast.

Sign 3: Your Business Has Changed

If you are unveiling new services, expanding into new markets, or have a new logo, it’s usually more cost-effective and efficient to work on a new website. Launching a new web page or logo as you go often gets messy. Inflection points in your business are the perfect time for a comprehensive evaluation of your site, your business’s needs, and your content, and it can often be more budget-friendly to roll those efforts into a new site.

Sign 4: It Looks Old

This is a highly subjective reason to redesign, but sometimes you can just tell. If you look at your website and think it looks a little clunky or old-fashioned, you’re likely not alone. Your site visitors probably think that too. You might be able to tweak the graphic design of the site, but sometimes, the problem is the platform the site was built on. This almost always means it’s time for a full website redesign.

Sign 5: It’s Simpler to Rebuild

A site with a lot of issues might not be worth the effort. If the content needs rewriting, the site map is outdated, there are multiple SEO issues and the graphic design needs a complete overhaul, redesigning might be easier. You can, of course, still take what worked from your old site where it makes sense. Bedrock web content, with a refresh, is usually worth examining and repurposing. However, if the old site is a bit of a disaster and needs a lot of work, it’s often easy to start fresh with a brand-new site.

Contact JSL Marketing & Web Design for a Free Website Consultation!

January 13, 2022

How To Keep Your Website Secure & Protected

Keeping your website properly secured is a difficult task, but an important one for small business owners! A properly secured and properly hosted website will ensure that your data is protected, your customers’ contact information is secure, and that your Search Engine Optimization is top-notch. No one wants to trust a sketchy website with their most important information and investing in impenetrable cybersecurity will increase the confidence of both your customers and Google in your online presence.

Still, you may know that you need cybersecurity for your website, but you also probably have questions about how to implement it. You’re too busy trying to grow your business to master cybersecurity; you need a trusted partner to guide you through something as difficult as cybersecurity.

Our web designers and web developers sat down and put together the following guide to help you through the web security process. Please note that these recommendations are high-level and applicable to most clients, but your situation may be unique. For a custom-built cybersecurity analysis, reach out to our web development team for some insight.

Read On To Learn More About Keeping Your Website Secure

Website Security Tip 1: Use HTTPS

You may be asking, “What even is HTTPS?” That’s a valid question and an important one to answer if you’re looking to secure your site. To answer it, we need to define HTTP, the precursor of HTTPS.

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It’s a system that allows for the transfer of data from a web server to a browser to allow users to interface with the website in question. Essentially, HTTP allows data to flow across the internet and serve pages. In contrast, HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTP data is not encrypted, which means it can be stolen. HTTPS, however, uses an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate to establish secure connections for the transfer of data. It all can get very technical; just know that you should absolutely use HTTPS for secure website building.

Website Security Tip 2: Invest In A Quality Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a platform that lets you manage, host, and display your content, which is often stored and displayed on a website. In layman’s terms, a CMS is a foundation upon which multiple brands can build their websites off of and then modify, publish, and distribute their web content.

Since content management systems are such an integral part of the heart of websites, the quality of the system used is one of the most important parts of your web security. A website is only as good as its underlying components and the best cybersecurity measures won’t do anything if the CMS you chose just isn’t up to par.

The good news is that there are multiple great content management systems to utilize for your website. Which one is the best one for cybersecurity? That’s not an easy answer. There are multiple components that go into choosing a CMS and different web designers and web design agencies will have different opinions. At JSL Marketing & Web Design, we choose WordPress, the largest content management system in the world, but that is not the only answer to this question. The most important aspect, however, is that the agency in question can tell you their content management system of record and why they have chosen that platform.

Website Security Tip 3: Add Secure Plugins

There is a myriad of security plugins that can be added to any website to enhance the cybersecurity of the site. These plugins are an added layer of defense on top of the basic and functional cybersecurity offered by some of the other methods listed here. Depending on your unique situation, you might have additional cybersecurity needs and these plugins are a great way to tailor your web security to you.

Some of the more common security plugins include…

WP Scan
iThemes Security
WordFence Security
Google Authenticator

These are a few of the most common security plugins, but talk to our web development team for a specific use case you have and we’ll try to recommend the perfect plug-in for your unique situation!

Website Security Tip 4: Regularly Backup Your Site

Despite your best efforts, things will go wrong. Hence why it’s so critical to backup your website. An unexpected crash is always stressful, but the ability to reload a recently backed-up version of the site will alleviate a lot of that stress, plus avoid any lost revenue. At a minimum, you want to backup up your site once a week, but biweekly or even daily is better. At JSL Marketing & Web Design, we regularly back up our sites on a daily cadence to ensure that our client sites are properly logged and recorded.

Website Security Tip 5: Train Your Staff On Best Cybersecurity Practices

The above website hosting questions are all well-and-good, but there is still one large and glaring weakness in your cybersecurity: your staff. Ignorance of phishing scams and the reuse of simplistic passwords will weaken the security measures taken above. To counteract this, we recommend having regular training with your staff on your basic web security practices. The cadence needed will vary tremendously with the size of your business and your needs, but once a year is the absolute minimum we would recommend.

Secure Your Website With JSL Marketing & Web Design

While everything listed here is helpful, the best way to protect your website is to incorporate the most up-to-date cybersecurity defenses into your site during your build. The additional layering of web security after the launch of a site will improve security, but designing your new site with web security in mind from the beginning of the site build usually is better. At JSL Marketing & Web Design, we build all of our sites with proven security measures to protect our clients and their information.

Secure & Reliable Web-Hosting
WordPress Content Management System
HTTPS & SSL
Daily Web Backups
WordFence Security Plugin To Monitor Site Changes & Aggressive Login Attempts
Custom Plugin Compatible Templates
The Latest Coding Standards
Third-Party Integrations

Your website’s security is important. Entrust that task to a seasoned web agency with proven security credentials to protect your client’s data.

Get In Touch With The Expert Web Designers At JSL Marketing & Web Design Today!

September 22, 2021

Do I Need A Website Redesign? Six Quick Questions To Ask Yourself

If you’re a business owner, it can be tough to determine if you need a website redesign. You probably have a website and know you need to do your best to keep your website current with the industry’s best web design practices. However, that is much easier said than done. If you’re running a small business, it can be difficult to find the time to find talent, keep costs down, and improve your customer relationships, let alone worry about your web design. So what are you to do?

Luckily, our web redesign team came together and put together the following list of quick questions you need to ask yourself about your current web design. Use this list to quickly determine what is and isn’t working with your current website and then prepare some solutions!

Read On To Learn More About Website Redesign

6 Quick Website Redesign Questions

Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

This is the “low hanging fruit” of web design. Website users expect sites to be mobile-friendly, so you’re likely taking a huge performance penalty if your site does not load properly on mobile devices. If you’re on the fence about if you need a website redesign and your site does not load on mobile, you have your answer. It’s time for a redesign! Do it for your site’s mobile users!

What Keywords Does Your Website Rank For?

What keywords do you want to rank for? Which phrases are most likely to turn search engine users into loyal customers? Once you have that list of keywords, you can then compare it to the keywords your site is currently ranking for. If the list you want to rank for is substantially different than the ones your site ranks for, you might need to rethink your content strategy.

This is also the perfect time to analyze how your site is tagged and if you need to update your site’s SEO. If you likely will need to update most meta-descriptions and tags, then a web redesign project or even a new website might be in order.

How Old Is Your Site?

This rule of thumb isn’t foolproof. You might have a two-year-old site and still need a web design! However, if it’s been over three or four years, you almost certainly need to redesign your website. You’ve missed some extremely impactful Google updates in that time and your site just won’t perform well if it’s out of date.

Plus, your site will just look out of date to your site users if it’s been a while since you last redesigned it. This could really impact how your customers perceive you, especially if you’re in an industry where credibility and expertise are everything. (Think tax preparation, legal, or healthcare.) If it’s been three years or more since you last redesigned your website, then it’s time to redesign.

Is Your Website Branding & Logo Current?

Sometimes, the simplest reasons can be the most compelling! If you updated your logo and/or branding in the past and your website doesn’t reflect that branding, then you absolutely need to redesign your website! Your users are likely confused if they know your branding or logo from another medium like social media or email marketing and then don’t see that logo on your website. Avoid that confusion and make sure that your logo and branding are consistent across all mediums, including your website.

Is Your Website Generating Leads?

Sometimes, it’s easy to overanalyze the website in question and become lost in the granular details of the site. Don’t miss the forest for the trees and get sucked into every detail of your bounce rate, landing pages, user experience, and content strategy. Simply ask yourself if your website is producing leads!

This is a pretty easy way to determine if there’s room for improvement on the site. If your lead generation strategy needs help, then it might be time to redesign your website! Pay especially close attention to the quality of your leads. Your site might capture dozens of contact form submissions, but the majority could be from salespeople or bots. Take the time to evaluate if the site is generating qualified leads, not just a good quantity of leads, and then redesign your site accordingly if not!

Do Your Users Like Your Site?

Your site could rank well, be mobile-friendly, and generate great leads, but it’s still worth getting customer feedback on how they like their experience on the site. Taking customer feedback periodically is a great way to uncover hidden weaknesses within the site, problems that you might not have been aware of.

Take that feedback to determine which aspects of the site are working for your customers and which need improvement. You might discover that it’s relatively difficult to checkout from your eCommerce store or that your chatbot is actually more annoying to your customers than helpful. Hear it from your customers directly and come up with a plan to solve those annoyances!

Redesign Your Website With JSL Marketing & Web Design

Making the decision to redesign your website is a great first step. However, it’s by no means the last step. Redesigning your site will require expertise in SEO, digital marketing, and the current standards for web design. If you know you need to redesign your website, but don’t quite know how to go about it, reach out to JSL Marketing & Web Design!

Call Us At 855.458.2873 For Your FREE Website Consultation!

Our experts will sit down with you to really understand what makes your business tick. When we’re done with your consultation, we’ll leave with an understanding of…

Your Brand’s Marketing Goals
Your Optimum Conversion Rate
Your Website’s Current Calls To Action
Possible Value Propositions For Your Unique Products & Services
Your Site’s UI Experience

If you’re ready to proceed with a full website redesign, know that you’re choosing the best. We’re here to support you and your brand. We won’t oversell, overpromise, or underdeliver. Our web redesign experts are here to help you find the solution that’s best for your unique situation!

“When it comes to working with JSL, I’d say the customer service is world-class. You won’t go wrong at all when you choose them.” – Ryan R.

“It has been easy to work with the JSL team. There has been true accountability and I’m very glad we chose them during our selection process. Thanks, JSL, for all of your hard work so far!” – Valerie L.

Let’s talk shop. We’re here to build you a gorgeous, properly branded, and revenue-generating site, the kind that will wow you and delight your customers! We promise never to oversell, underdeliver, or give you anything less than our best! Let’s get your next website redesign project started today!

Fill Out The Contact Form Below To Begin!

March 04, 2021

Medical Website Design Dos & Don’ts

Medical marketing is part art, part science, but finding the right combo between the two pays big dividends! The medical industry is an extremely profitable one, and certain types of new patients could be immensely lucrative. That alone is a reason to invest substantially in medical marketing if you are a provider!

However, healthcare marketing comes with many unique challenges and obstacles that other industries don’t have to contend with. You will need to be cognizant of many details when marketing in healthcare, including insurance providers, HIPAA compliance, competing practices, and most current scientific treatment plans in your specialty.

Treating patients, managing billing, supervising staff and attending necessary medical conferences, AND staying current in medical marketing is a tall order! If you are a healthcare provider, managing your marketing can be a time suck, an important but demanding process that distracts from the areas you’re an expert in.

That’s the main reason that JSL Marketing recommends outsourcing your marketing needs. It’s just impossible to be a world-class health care provider, run a successful medical practice, and run successful medical marketing for your practice.

This approach ultimately frees up more time for you to focus on what you do best: caring for patients and running your practice. Per that approach, one of the first elements to examine when you are considering hiring external marketing help is your website.

Medical Websites Are Important

Medical websites are an important resource for your patients and potential new patients, but most practice websites are less than ideal. The result is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. Your practice won’t receive the right quality and quantity of patients, and your patients won’t find what they’re looking for if your practice website is unimpressive or difficult to navigate.

Our medical website designers at JSL Marketing & Web Design have put together some helpful tips and tricks they’ve learned over their years in medical website design! This list will help you evaluate what is and isn’t working on your current website and will help you make an informed decision about a new medical website!

Medical Website Design Don’t

Don’t Use Industry Jargon in Your Medical Website Design

There’s a time and place to bust out the medical dictionary, but health care providers walk a balancing act between educating their website visitors and confusing their website visitors. Content writing is a vastly different beast from medical journal writing, so be sure to use an informal and friendly yet educational tone in whatever content you publish on your website.

Learn More About Website Copy Writing!

We’re not saying you should never use technical, medical terms on a medical website. Far from it! Just be sure that you’re choosing the right time and place to do so! For instance, a webpage about a particular type of overuse injury will naturally be more academic and technical in its language than your staff biography page.

However, if your current website comes across as stuffy and overly technical on most pages, you might want to consider hiring a content writer and web design team.

Don’t Forget to Humanize Your Practice Website

Many Americans have debilitating fears about healthcare. They’re searching for healthcare on Google for very particular reasons, and those reasons typically aren’t ‘sunshine and rainbows.’ A lot of the website visitors your practice receives are scared, nervous, and apprehensive.

Despite that, many medical practices don’t highlight the human nature of healthcare enough on their sites. For optimal medical website design, we always recommend including a biography page for your doctors and important staff members at your practice.

This is a great way to showcase accolades, medical association memberships, and expertise in the field, but it’s also a great way to give your practice a human side! We’d recommend highlighting the hobbies, personalities, and interests of your doctors and staff on these biography pages for the best medical website design.

Don’t Forget to Think like a Patient

If a white-collar worker begins to develop heel pain in the mornings, they will naturally not have the medical knowledge to accurately name their condition. Now, any podiatrist will immediately recognize heel pain first thing in the mornings as a telltale sign of plantar fasciitis. However, our white-collar worker probably isn’t typing “Plantar fasciitis” into Google when they show symptoms. Despite that reality, too many medical practice websites are centered around medical condition keywords and not the terms users are typing into Google. This is just one example of how medical websites often don’t serve the user’s needs.

Furthermore, many medical websites don’t make it easy to find the practice’s contact information, don’t display what types of insurances they accept, don’t advertise locations and hours, and don’t allow site visitors to download necessary practice forms pre-appointment. If your current medical website doesn’t make it easy for your website visitors, you may need to consider a redesign. An easy, stress-free, and quick user experience is great for your website’s SEO and great for your patients!

Medical Website Design Dos

Pay Attention to Your Website Graphic Design

Many medical websites still look like they were designed in 2011, and that’s a guaranteed way to lose site traffic. Your homepage doesn’t need to be a digital Mona Lisa, but it should be clean, professional-looking, and inviting for your website visitors. No one wants to see a doctor with an unprofessional-looking website, but too many practices are still using cookie-cutter web templates! Your medical website homepage should display your practice’s logo, pictures of the staff, and branded videos about the history and mission of the practice. These are sure-fire ways to engage your site visitors and draw them into your site.

Review Our Portfolio of Web Design Projects!

Make it Easy to Contact the Practice Through the Website

We’ve briefly talked about making your contact information visible, but savvy practices should go one step further. If you’ve entrusted your site’s redesign or upkeep to a smart web design agency, they’ve made sure every phone number on your website is clickable from a mobile device to ensure you’re getting the inbound calls you need! Ideally, your website could even incorporate an appointment scheduler for patients!

Contact Us Online to Discuss Website Scheduling Plug-Ins!

Highlight Real People’s Stories

Word-of-mouth is the best way to showcase the good you do for your patients. Take the testimonials and stories of your patients and add them to your website design for a powerful user website experience. These could be simple text testimonials on a webpage or a short video clip of the patient telling their story and experience with the practice. Regardless, it’s a great way to digitally prove you’re the real deal and that your patients trust you!

Medical Web Design From JSL Marketing & Web Design

Web design is tough, but it’s especially tough when you’re running a medical practice. Trust your medical web design needs to the marketing experts. JSL Marketing & Web Design is an award-winning digital marketing and web design agency, with locations in Dallas, TX, San Diego, CA, Austin, TX, and Grand Rapids, MI.

We’ve been helping small businesses grow and reach new customers for years and would love to help your practice reach new heights! Don’t just take our word for it – take the word of our medical clients!

“We have been very pleased with the quality of work, communication, and support from JSL Marketing. Their knowledge and expertise is top-notch, and we’ve seen great results with the SEO, content writing, and forward-thinking ideas”

-ABC Pediatrics

Call Us at 855-562-5208 to Begin Your Medical Web Design Project!

November 05, 2020

Website Redesign vs. Website Development: What’s the Difference?

Web design is a tricky subject. Great web design needs functional web operations, well-written content, graphic design knowledge, and marketing prowess to create a website that is greater than the sum of its parts. The process is tough, but the jargon can be tougher at times. The digital marketing industry uses a lot of very particular and technical terms when describing web design, which can make the process a little obtuse to outsiders and clients. One question we encounter frequently is, “What’s the difference between website redesign and web development?” They sound similar, but these two aspects of digital marketing are quite distinct.

We’re here to answer that question with a thorough run-through of the terms and what they mean for your business!

Web Design vs. Web Development: The Difference

Web design is the process of designing websites, with special emphasis on content production, graphic design, and page layout.

You may hire a freelance web designer or work with larger web design companies or web design agencies, depending on your need. It typically doesn’t involve hard coding, which we’ll return to when we talk about web development.

Web development, on the other hand, is the process of building, publishing, managing, and maintaining a website.

This usually involves database management, programming, web design, and technical maintenance. Depending on how the website is built, this could require hard coding, but this will be dependent on each project’s needs.

So, what does that actually mean?

Web designers will focus on perfecting flow, imagery, user interface, and branding. Web developers, on the other hand, own the function and operational efficiency of a website through SEO elements and technical health checks.

If a website is a car, a web designer can change tires, buff out scratches, and repair windshields. Using that same analogy, a web developer is more like a mechanic who deals with the actual functionality of the engine underneath the hood.

How Are Web Design & Web Development Projects Different?

It’s important to note that web design is technically a subcategory of web development. Again, both these disciplines should work in tandem. The type of digital marketer who can apply schema markup and other off-page SEO elements to a website often does not have the artistic grounding to perfect the flow and branding of a website.

The same is true for a web designer. Web designers are great at thinking through how users need a website to look and function, not how search engines read the site. Any successful web development or web redesign project needs both areas of expertise to truly shine. Google’s algorithmic updates and industry-specific changes in branding make it all but impossible to specialize in both web design and web development simultaneously. It really takes two different sets of knowledge!

Splitting those disciplines into two positions is the best approach to ensure you have top talent in both areas.

However, those two positions need to work together when creating the build while still remaining distinct. This is called “full stack web development,” which means that both front end and back end web work are blended to create a great website.

That’s where JSL Marketing & Web Design shines!

JSL Marketing’s Full Stack Web Design & Web Development Process

Our process will look a little bit different from client to client, but generally, expect the following when working with JSL Marketing & Web Design on a web design or a web development project.

Learn Client Goals: Our team meets with the client to talk through the client’s needs. Does this website need to be e-commerce compatible? Who are the client’s main competitors? What does the existing website look like? Do we need to build a new one from scratch, complete with more powerful SEO elements, or will a graphic design “facelift” on front-end web elements suffice?” Once we have all those questions asked, we move on to Step 2.

Research: Our team dives into the current website to customize a project plan that will help the client get where they need to be. Are there accounts we need to access? (i.e., hosting, etc.) What content will be transferred over? Do we need to write new content centered around the keywords that will help the website rank well on Google to make the site perform? Is the current branding sufficient, or does it need to be tweaked? Once we have answers to all those questions, we can layout a customized project plan, including benchmarks and due dates, for the client. Once that plan is approved, we transition to the fun part.

Develop the Project: The content is written, the web template is selected, and the website is built! This stage will depend on the amount of work scoped out in step 2. If we have thirty new pages to write and optimize for search engines, that will take longer to finalize than creating a few new branded images and logos. We’ll make sure to schedule a cadence for project updates and set a preferred communication style to ensure the client is taken care of as we finalize the build.

Final Approval: Once we have the finished product, we present it to the end client for final approval. We walk through every page, each piece of content, and every image to make sure it’s up to the client’s standards. We also thoroughly test every element of the site in this stage for quality assurance. Once we receive approval, then, and only then, do we set the final site live. Don’t worry; we’re still around to answer questions and even possibly provide support as the client familiarizes themselves with the new site.

Websites work best when cross-promoted on other marketing channels. Google and other search engines rank sites based on the number of site users, so the more traffic you have, the better. That’s one of the reasons we recommend promoting a new website extensively through other marketing mediums. If the client is interested, we’re happy to take a deep dive with them through their current marketing situation. We’re happy to discuss all of the following with you.

Pay-per-Click Advertising: Use highly targeted ads on Facebook or Google to reach your perfect customer! This type of advertising is billed “by the click,” which means that advertisers only pay for users who click their ads. That means you’re only paying for what you need.

Content Creation: As mentioned previously, we’re happy to write additional website content for a website redesign or design project. However, sometimes you have additional content needs, whether it’s blog content, industry-specific white papers, or mailed brochures. Our content specialists will work with you to discuss what those are and the style of voice you need your content written in.

Email Marketing: Your customer base is one of your greatest marketing assets. Those existing customers already recognize your brand and, statistically, are much likelier to purchase again. Some studies estimate that the odds of reselling an existing customer are between 60 and 70%, versus 5 to 20% for a new customer. Use automated email campaigns and email blasts to draw those likely repeat customers back to your brand!

Social Media Marketing: Some 70% of the US is on social media. Reach those people with custom-created social media content! There’s a reason to market your brand on social media for every business, whether it’s sharing industry-specific content, communicating brand news to your followers, or showcasing product and service reviews. Talk to our team to discuss your unique business situation.

Photography & Videography: Crisp, clean, and beautiful photos and videos tell stories for brands! Statistically, we’re much likelier to remember images than the written word. Branded photos and videos are a great way to cut through all the advertising “noise” your users hear and ensure they remember your brand. We’re happy to talk through whatever your unique photography and videography needs are, be it product shots, FAQ videos, or demonstration shorts.

And More!

Marketing, like web design and web development, is part science, part art. Our team knows how to find that happy medium of evidence-based expertise and artistic panache to drive success for our clients. We have thirty 5-star reviews on Google and a litany of satisfied clients on our testimonials page that speak to that! More importantly, however, we have an amazing portfolio of web design and web development projects under our belt!

August 03, 2020

Cornerstone Service: Web Design in 2020

JSL Marketing & Web Design had humble beginnings, like many startups. With just a couple of employees (our founders) and a dream, JSL was born. The initial beginning of JSL was to simply fill an industry gap and provide better services for businesses looking to migrate to online or revamp their current online storefront. But soon, the reputation of JSL’s quality, value, and customer care spread like wildfire and JSL began to grow.

Now, JSL Marketing & Web Design offers over 13 digital, video, photography, development, SEO, branding, content, and ad services, but our first passion is still our biggest – web design. And that’s a good thing because websites and their designs in 2020 are becoming increasingly important, especially as so much work is done online.

Even information is passed online more often than face-to-face in 2020, making the way you present yourself, and the quality of the information your website gives more important now than ever before.

And that’s why we wanted to bring you our second monthly Cornerstone Service blog topic on Web Design for the modern age!

Ultimately, If You Have a Business, You Need to Be Online

And if you’re going to be online, you might as well have an awesome website. See that circular (but true) reasoning there?

Need proof? Approximately 46% of your website visitors will judge the credibility of your company based on your website design alone! Not your services or your reviews or even the words on your site – but the design alone.

At JSL, we’ll build you an incredible (and affordable) website that ticks all of the design boxes and compliments your brand, all while making a bold statement online.

All of Our Websites Are:

SEO Friendly – I mean, it’s what we do
Customized for Your Specific Needs – no cookie-cutter templates here
Mobile Responsive – this is a must, trust us
Fresh, Clean, & Branded to the Nines – Again, branding is what we do
User-Friendly – because otherwise, what’s the point?

The JSL Web Design Process

What makes JSL unique is that we combine the power of beautiful and functional design (the images and layout) with captivating and engaging copy (the text and ‘meat’ of your website) to bring you a truly fantastic website.

And before we even start on your website, we do a full SEO analysis which allows us to build in relevant keywords and other proven SEO techniques right from the start (saving you a lot of time and headaches in the long run).

The killer combination of Design + Copy + SEO really takes our websites to the next level and sets our clients apart from the competition.

Custom Website Design & Beyond!

As a full-service website design, digital marketing, and SEO company, we offer a plethora of digital services for after your website is finished as well. Everything from content creation to brand identity – we’ve got you covered. But do you know what we love the most? Making beautiful, functional, clean, and engaging websites from the ground up. Your website is your digital storefront, make it a good one.

We don’t just slap your content and branding on a $99 website template, that’s an insult to your business. Instead, we’ll make a custom website just for you.

Have unique specifications you want or need? We’ve got you.

Want a unique look without a $10,000 budget? We can work within your parameters.

We can even create or overhaul-edit an existing template until it’s unrecognizable, so you get the best price + a stand-out website!

Whether you want a 100% custom site, or only 10%, we are focused on creating and executing clean, beautiful web design and development that focuses on your unique needs, industry, and business.

Structure + Beauty

Building a website is sort of like building a house. You have to make the structure sound if you want the house to do all the things houses are supposed to do, except in this case, the house is supposed to get you foot traffic, invite people in, and make you money.

We love making things look good, work well, and meet your goals. And when it comes to website design, our team has worked in a variety of industries, something that has truly allowed us to broaden our horizons and think outside the box.

Each of our clients are different, which means we learn something new each and every day (it’s what keeps us young). But we also have the experience and expertise in web design and digital marketing that makes us your sure-thing (it’s what keeps us wise).

Why Choose JSL for Your Web Design & Development Needs?

We’ve been around for a while, making our name synonymous with success for our web design and marketing clients, all the while keeping JSL Marketing & Web Design family-owned and dedicated to being transparent, honest, and treating others how we would want to be treated.

We make custom web design and digital marketing packages depending on what you need for where you’re at and where you’d like to go, not just the price-point we want to see.

We know you work hard at what you do and we think your web design company should too. And when we say we get real results, we mean it! Just look at our own site, its SEO, and our national rankings for highly competitive keywords.

The best part? We have the reviews to back up our brags. Transparent, right? It’s almost like we became popular because we simply do our job well, with no shortcuts or cheats. See for yourself by our video and written testimonials, Google reviews, and more!

“I’m looking forward to working with them for years to come.”

KATIE C.

“You won’t go wrong at all when you choose them.”

RYAN R.

See More Reviews & Testimonials

Need More Convincing? Take a Look at Our Past Products

Jon and his wife Ashley came to JSL in need of a full rebrand for their business, a task which not only included developing a concept for the logo and the business’s website but also involved rethinking the name of the business itself.

When Jon first approached us, our team immediately realized that we had to devise a name that would not only pinpoint the brand but would also positively influence the visibility of the business. By closely working with our client and researching the matter, “J + A Productions” was born. Afterward, we came up with a plan of action that successfully fulfilled the client’s needs through our copywriting, SEO, logo, and design services.

Once JSL established the initial brand by working closely with ACE and taking into consideration their preferences and needs, it was time to start developing a new website. ACE has worked with patients from birth to 105, in both medical and educational settings, thus it was essential for the website design to be suitable for all ages and all fields of study, while maintaining the positive outlook of the brand with color and pop.

iLink came to JSL asking for a redesign of their website, which, though functional, was aesthetically outdated and stagnant. Additionally, the content wasn’t clear enough to truly show the value of iLink’s services. iLink needed a website that would convey the modern, technical aspect that is expected from a website that focused on advanced autonomous driving solutions.

iLink needed to bring clarity and quality to their web design and copywriting – which is why they turned to JSL Marketing & Web Design.

Texas Tradeshow Services wanted their website to look “clean and modern” while preserving the welcoming and friendly undertone that is the basis of their core values. While they wanted their new website to look and feel professional, Texas Tradeshow Services needed to emphasize their devotion to their clients, and their dedication to taking out the stress and turmoil that any show installation and dismantle process can potentially entail.

After being left hanging by their previous website provider, Texas Tradeshow Services was missing an online space to bring attention to their business and the services they offer. Having a very specific audience in mind and wanting a website that would translate the aesthetic they were envisioning, they decided to turn to JSL for advice and help.

Want to See More Beautiful Web Designs? Check Out Our Work Here!

We Did It For Our Business & Website, & We Can Do It For Yours Too!

At JSL Marketing & Web Design, it’s all right in our name! We provide customized, mobile-responsive, fully-optimized Web Development and Web Design services.

We are your full-service Digital Marketing and Web Design Company. This means we offer a variety of different services, including beautiful Web Designs that truly work, convert, and are optimized for SEO, as well as getting you the best return on your investment.

As the premier Web Development experts, we are excited to improve your business’ online traffic, visibility, and reach!

Our team of creative web designers are all about making extremely user-friendly, branded, and functional websites. And that’s what sets us apart and makes us the best Web Design Agency for your job. We are focused on creating and executing clean, customized Web Design and Development that focuses on your unique needs, your industry, and your ‘why’.

We care about your why, because your business is unique, and we want to showcase your value and journey. From our web designs and content, to digital marketing and SEO, we put passion into every project – and that’s why we always beat the competition!

At JSL Marketing & Web Design, Our Number One Goal is Your Success

We’ll build you an incredible (and affordable) website that ticks all the boxes and compliments your brand, all while making a bold statement online. Maybe you already know a fair amount about Web Design and Development, or maybe you just know the number of pages you want, and the budget you want to stay within – either way, we can help!

Many Web Designers will simply upcharge you for a template website, something that everyone has, isn’t customized for your industry or company, and frankly, looks bland to your viewers. JSL Marketing & Web Design does just the opposite! We love Web Design and we know you’ll love our end results.

From small startups and local businesses to corporate clients and international firms, we have proven again and again that we are the best Web Design Company for all of your online needs.

We pride ourselves on helping each of our clients reach new audiences, grow their business, and create a solid presence online. Which means it’s no accident that we have such great reviews, ratings, and past portfolios.

JSL Marketing decided from the very beginning that we would be a different kind of Web Design Company, one who always puts in the hard work to get results for our clients’ website development projects.

Contact JSL Marketing & Web Design for Your New Website

We aren’t just ‘another’ Web Design Agency, we are the best Web Design Agency!

We know – there are plenty of agencies and companies out there giving honest digital businesses like ours a bad rap. But there are also web development companies who are going to charge you next to nothing and deliver next to nothing as well.

If you can’t tell, we’re just a little bit passionate about website design, our digital services, and the success of our clients. So if you’re ready to get started on your own website, please contact us to set up your free consultation today – we can’t wait to start working with you to build a better brand online!

JSL Marketing & Web Design proudly serves web design clients in Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Grapevine, Irving, Plano, and the surrounding areas.

January 09, 2020

New Year, New Website | Web Design Stats & Checklists

A business cannot be successful today without a website, and a website cannot be truly successful without UX/UI design, expert SEO, valuable content, adequate white space, thought-out color schemes, branding, positioning, and alignment, as well as mobile-friendly formatting.

Sound like a lot? It is – and that’s just the tip of the digital iceberg.

But what does all of that mean? How long does it take? What are the steps and how much does it cost? Does it really need to be custom to be good? And what does ‘UX/UX design’ even mean, anyway?

If you’ve often had questions like these or want to know more about a possible website design (or redesign) in the New Year – then read on.

Web Design Stats You Should Be Paying Attention To

38% will leave your website if the layout or content isn’t attractive
47% expect every webpage to load in under 2 seconds
88% of online visitors will not return to a website they’ve had difficulties with before
A company’s trustworthiness is based 75% on web design
On average, users spend 6 seconds looking at your written content – the rest is spent on design
You could add 7% to your conversion rate if you increase the speed of your website
48% say a website’s design is their #1 ranker in determining the company’s credibility
Over 60% of companies who designed a mobile-first design website saw a considerable increase in their sales
Almost half of online users will switch to a different site if the first isn’t mobile-friendly
60% of internet access is done from mobile devices
50% of e-commerce purchases come from mobile devices
Almost 70% of small businesses lack a Call to Action (CTA) on their website or home page
Over 45% of website visitors check your products or services page before going to any others

Still think web design isn’t that big of a deal? Or that a $150 template site will do?

Your Custom Web Design Checklist

SEO is #1

Search Engine Optimization isn’t just about blogs and social media, backlinks and domain authority, it’s also about site speed, internal linking, click-through rates, bounce rates, and time per page – all of which directly relate to your web design.

Looking at it from another angle, it doesn’t matter if you have the most beautiful website in the world if it doesn’t rank well. Because it doesn’t matter if you design a beautiful site if no one ever gets to it.

UI/UX is #2

UI Design is User Interface Design

Which means you think of the interface – or look – of the site. Though this area is quite complex, it can be explained in a slightly watered-down way like this:

UI Design focuses on using the design of the site in unison with the content & layout to be both attractive and guiding to the user.

UX Design is User Experience Design

Which means you think of the user experience or the ease of use & usability. Essentially, it means you are trying to make your site easy to navigate & intuitive to follow.

Color Choices & Branding

If anyone has ever asked you your favorite color, your least favorite color, or even your opinion on what hue or shade they should choose for an event, item or merch, then you have some experience in color and branding.

Your branding and your color make you recognizable and professional, not to mention adding to the visual appeal of your business – and remember, your visual appeal is what most will judge your trustworthiness on.

Use Lots of Whitespace

Whitespace is just as important as your branding and color scheme. Why? Because all of our time spent looking at screens strains our eyes, and huge blocks of text are not easy to follow, digest, or even look at.

Don’t hurt your readers’ eyes, give them adequate whitespace instead.

Actually, whitespace doesn’t need to be white, it should be named ‘blank space’ more accurately. It simply needs to be a section in between your text that allows your eyes the rest they need before moving onto a new section.

Think of blogs as a great example:

Most blog pages use narrower writing margins, or, they have extra whitespace on both sides (as much as 2” margins on both sides, instead of the usual 1”). Additionally, blogs always keep their paragraphs short, in digestible chunks that draw the reader down, keep them from feeling overwhelmed, and are easy on the eyes.

Have Clear Call to Actions (CTAs)

If your web design isn’t clear and accurate with its Call to Actions, then you are truly doing yourself a disservice, as CTAs are how you get your website visitors to do whatever it is you want them to do.

This can be to contact you via phone call, email, submission form, or other ways. Additionally, a CTA could be to take a survey, to buy a product, or even to simply share something on social media.

‘Call to action’ just means you are asking your website visitor to do something, or, you are calling them to do an action.

Live Life in the Fast Lane

Here are some of the most common ways you can help boost your site speed during a web design:

Optimize your photos, all of them
Compress filed that are large, so they will open quicker
Minimize HTTP requests in Google Chrome’s Developer
Do your research and choose a good hosting site, this greatly affects your speed

Are You Ready to Start Your Web Design Project?

If you still feel worried about taking on a web design project, talk with JSL Marketing and Web Design – after all, it’s in our name. Or, take a less direct route and check out our portfolio here, or peruse our own beautiful, functional website.

We can’t wait to match your beautiful New Year with a beautiful new website!

April 19, 2019

5 Features of a Truly Outstanding Web Design Agency

Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business, but then why do so many business owners think that merely having a website is enough? Paying ‘just anyone’ to make a website for you is doing yourself, your company, and your customers a great disservice, not to mention supporting sub-par web design agencies.

Instead, use the 5 characteristics below as a template and launching pad for what you should look for in your potential web design agency, and get the very best for your website. After all, a website is the first impression to a large percentage of your customers – make sure it’s a good one!

Whether you are an expert or new to the web design world, the below will help you meet potential web design agencies with confidence, so you can make the most informed decision and choose a company that is right for you.

A Strategic & Clear Process

Let us be clear here – if your potential web design agency doesn’t tell you point-blank what their process is, run the opposite direction and never look back.

In fact, if you feel that they aren’t clear, aren’t sure, or aren’t strategic, then you should still run in the opposite direction.

And if they aren’t honest, transparent, and open about their process – well, you know what to do.

Now, of course, we at JSL Marketing don’t want to toot our own horn (yes, we do) but all of our clients get not only clear verbal layouts of what our web design process looks like, but also this beautiful visual aid:

It’s almost like we want you to be informed or something. Go figure.

Focusing on Your Story

Every company has a story, and that story is what sets you apart from the other 28,000,000 small businesses in the United States (or the other 18,500 large businesses).

Having a unique ‘why’ and story are some of the ways you can connect with your audience, or potential customers, and a way in which you can share your values, goals, and services.

Unfortunately, many web design agencies are more worried about your color scheme and branding than your story and motivation.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we love branding, visual designs, and consistent style as much as the next web design company, but we also know that there is so much more to a company than just font styles and founding dates.

Communication

This should be at the top of any list when you are trying to decide which company to work with. Whether you are looking for a roofer or a florist, a travel agent or a yoga studio, consistent, clear, and quick communication is paramount.

And web design agencies are no different.

In fact, communication might actually be even more important when it comes to design, as you need to be able to communicate your desires, and they need to be able to communicate their strategy as well as what they need from you.

Fault lines in communication are easily the largest aggravator when dealing with any kind of technology company – don’t let it happen to you.

UX & UI Design

Maybe you’ve heard these buzzwords, maybe not, but regardless – you need to know about them.

UX Design: this means user experience, which has to do with the functionality of your website. Make sure you ask your potential web design agency what they plan to design for the functions of the user experience. They should be able to talk about their competitor and customer analysis as well as content development.

UI Design: this means user interface, which is essentially how easy it is for your website-goers to use the functionality that has been implemented.

A great example is Apple and Samsung, they both create phones that function at the same level, however, the user interface for Apple is largely considered better, or, the ease of use is considered better, according to many users.

Make sure that your web design agency is well-versed in both the functionality and the ease of use that your new website will require in order to be successful.

SEO, Of Course

This should always go hand-in-hand with a new website or redesign, as a website built without SEO in mind is a website that won’t be successful.

You can have the most beautiful website in the world, but if it isn’t optimized to be found by search engines, then no one will see it.

That seems like a tragedy to us, which is why we are a full-service SEO, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Web Design agency.

But again, we aren’t trying to toot our own horn or anything.

Does Your Company Deserve a Better Website?

Well, yes, most likely it does.

But ultimately it is your decision if you want to keep your current website, start over from scratch, or find a solution somewhere in between, like a redesign.

But it is important to remember that a website in 2019 is like a business suit in 1980 – people will judge you, your company, and your ability based on it. So, make sure your suit is giving the right message, speaking to your target audience, and reflecting your brand.

If your website needs a little help (or a lot) then get in touch with our design team today, and check out our SEO, Content, and Digital Marketing add-ons while you’re perusing our own site.

We would love to learn more about your company and create the perfect website for it. And if you want to see our work before you commit, then check out our social channels where we often share the beautiful redesigns or full builds we complete for our clients.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

January 29, 2019

2019 Trends in Web Design

Trends in Web Design are an interesting beast, as we don’t want to always follow what is ‘on trend’ but we cannot ignore where styles and the future are moving either.

Web design is all about creativity, which often means running the opposite direction from what’s trendy. But some current trends are already showing themselves in 2019 – and we love them!

Sure, some have to do with user accessibility, while others deal with aesthetic appeal, but many deal with your specific company culture, your brand, and your business’ unique feel and ‘why’.

At JSL Marketing & Web Design, we are all about your ‘why’ and have been for years. So, we are happy that trends seem to be finally catching up with our values and views on uniqueness, creativity, clarity, and authenticity.

Curious?

Read on to learn the best and brightest trends coming for web design in 2019!

The 7 Largest Trends for Web Design in 2019

New Videos, Graphics, & Illustrations

Videos have been climbing in popularity since 2016, but 3D graphics, ‘glitch’ videos, and creative illustrations are now joining video as a web design trio.

All of the above seem to be growing as companies and websites try to keep customers on their sites for longer with interesting graphics, videos, colors, and more.

Whether you are using video for a personal connection, information, advertisements, or humor, this trend seems to be here to stay – which is just what JSL Marketing & Web Design likes to see.

There is a certain beauty to using multiple mediums to reach your audience, and we don’t mean paper ads in conjunction with digital marketing, radio, and/or TV commercials.

We mean the multiple mediums of 2019: picture, video, social posts, content, culture, and more!

Stronger Branding & Brand Identity

Sprouting directly off of our ‘multiple mediums’ segue, branding and brand identity is more important in 2019 than ever before.

And developing a brand identity (and incorporating this into your website) doesn’t just mean using specific colors or fonts – though this can be important for recognizability. Brand development is about creating a certain look and feel for your website, with the ultimate goal of leaving that same impression in your customers’ minds when they think of your business.

Many companies are allocating funds to their branding in 2019, whether that is to become leaders in their industry or a company that has positive reviews and culture with their target audience.

It is becoming more and more apparent that a strong brand and brand identity is the cornerstone of a successful year.

Use of Industry-Specific Colors

Piggybacking off of branding is industry-specific colors.

Some industries are using more muted, subdued or pastel colors for their website redesigns, while others are using big, bold, bright colors to personify their brand.

But then what is the trend? Pastel or bright? Bold or subdued?

Well, that depends on your industry.

In general, it seems that creative companies, such as website designers, photographers, digital artists, videographers, fashion agencies, and the musically inclined, are using brighter colors to showcase their website.

On the flipside, many of the more traditional industries are softening their colors for a calmer, more serene new year.

This trend depends fully on your understanding of your industry and the direction you want to take it.

Consider a foray into color psychology if you are still deciding on your branding, colors, or website redesign style in 2019.

A Push for Improved Content & Writing

When the JSL Marketing team heard about this trend, we were elated, as content is something we adore.

And not only do we love content and writing, we are always working to improve upon our content skills – both for clients and for those dreaded Google updates.

If the content on your website isn’t worth reading, then why is it there?

If your email marketing content isn’t interesting, then why are you sending it?

And if your blog content doesn’t teach, delight, or intrigue its readers, then why are you posting it?

Make sure your content – meaning every word on every page, blog, email, tweet, or text – is there for a reason, and is able to further nurture your company culture, brand, and ideals.

And delighting your customers while you are at it doesn’t hurt either.

This means you have a voice, you use humor as if you were speaking, you are authentic and friendly, positive and honest.

Let your content speak for you this year, and always improve upon it.

Need help with your content marketing or copywriting? Talk to our experts and learn how the power of words can help your business in 2019.

More White Space Than Ever Before

Yes, writing is important, but where the writing isn’t can be just as important from a design point of view.

White space is needed in order to not wear out the eyes of your reader, and Google likes it too. But the smaller ‘chunked’ paragraphs and short sentences aren’t going to cut it in the new year.

Instead, this new web design trend of 2019 pushes minimalism in many ways by incorporating fewer words on home pages and above the fold, giving websites a clean look that invites the customer in.

Sometimes what you don’t say can really matter, and white space plus minimalism is a great example of this.

This trend will not work for every website, and in its extreme, it can narrow your customer base quite a bit, as they still need information and want to feel like you are being authentic and honest with them.

Ultimately, this trend comes down to using your words – and white space – wisely.

Micro-Interactions & User-Controlled Changes

Maybe you think you don’t know what a micro-interaction is, but we bet you do, and we bet you’ve loved them.

Think of a website, perhaps a retailer, that shows different views or angles of a product or outfit when you hover over it.

Maybe a trail of color follows your mouse. Or maybe any items you hover over zooms or gains a new lighting or frame.

These are micro-interactions or user-controlled changes, and they add to the user experience. Not only can they be a fun way to enhance your brand image, they can add a little fun to your website and create more of an impact on its users.

Overlap Everything

If this seems the slightly eccentric cousin of minimalism, you aren’t wrong.

By overlapping tabs, backgrounds, pictures or styles, you can add visual interest to your website while still keeping it understandable with strong lines and stark contrasts.

This overlap-style works with pastels, bolds, monochromatic, black and white, or anything in between as well.

It is a great way to step into a bolder look without losing out on fun features, clarity, or content.

Ultimately, you are trying to make your website represent you, so consider all aspects of your brand, design style, and culture when you decide if you want to follow any of the above trends or let them lie where they may.

Join JSL Marketing & Web Design in the New Year. Let’s Make New Trends & Better Websites Together in 2019!

Did the above trends in web design spark your interest? Or have you been considering an upgraded website for years but don’t know where to start?

JSL Marketing & Web Design is a one-stop, all-encompassing, full-service web design company. And we can help you with your branding, marketing, content, SEO, website creation, and more.

So, if 2019 is going to be you and your company’s year, then contact JSL Marketing today and see how we can harness the very best of web design trends for your needs.

November 09, 2018

5 Simple Steps to Securing your Website and Online Presence

The World Wide Web is a wonderful place, a new adventure, new frontier and portal to anywhere in the world. How amazing, right?

Well, yes, absolutely, but with all this freedom and adventure comes more than a few risks. And though cybersecurity is trying to keep up with technology the best it can, there are a few things that everyone should be doing in order to ensure their own safety, their website’s safety and even their company’s safety.

Are these steps difficult? Are they overly technical? Are they time-consuming and labor-intensive?

Surprisingly no. All of the tips outlined below are actually things that anyone, and everyone, should be doing. That’s why they’re simple steps.

We at JSL Marketing want you to be safe, whether we’re the ones monitoring your website or not, we want to make sure that your business is secure and protected from those who might want to do it harm.

Read on to learn how you can protect yourself and the top 5 quick, easy and simple steps you can take to get you to cyber-security bliss.

Know That Cyber Security is a Real and Powerful Thing

Most people do not know how to hack into a website, most people don’t know how to create malware or a virus, and therefore, many people assume that these skills are rare or that ‘no one really knows how to do this’ or ‘no one would want to do this to my site’.

This is simply not true.

Many people know how and very well might want to use their shadow-skills against you or your website.

As strange as it might seem, the very first step in cyber safety is to acknowledge and accept that there are security threats everywhere and yes, it can even happen to you.

Keep Up With Your Accounts – All of Them

All of them? What do we mean by that? You only have the one website, right?

Unfortunately, that idea is wrong and could end up being damaging to your online security.

Your business LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even email can be hacked, and each can give the hacker sensitive information that you or your clients do not want on the general web.

This means you should not just be monitoring your main business website, but all connecting sites as well – all accounts, all the time. We recommend using software that can protect your computer but also your websites.

Or you could partner with an agency who can provide extra layers of protection and security for all of your accounts and monitor them consistently as well as making sure your host is secure. In addition, an agency partner should scan your website for vulnerabilities, errors or warnings throughout the month both for SEO and security.

Back Everything Up and Often

This could be seen as a no-brainer, but sometimes little saves like this can get away from us and suddenly we don’t have a copy from the last three months.

This tip helps two fold, first it guarantees you always have what you need, but second, it can help you stay up to date with your anti-virus software or malware detection software.

Having a copy of your website ensures that no matter if you break something, your company does, or you get hacked, you have duplicates you can fall back on if needed to restore order quickly.

Choose a Password Worth Having

Contrary to what many websites or accounts require, eight characters just isn’t enough.

Practice good password creation and management and don’t use the same password for multiple sites. Also, never share your password with others, don’t write it down, email it, keep it in your smartphone unprotected or leave it on your desk or monitor.

No, not even on a sticky note. Because the truth is, not all hacks come from the outside, so, please practice safe password measures when you are home, at work, and everywhere in between.

You don’t need to be paranoid, but you do need to be aware and take needed measures to protect yourself and your customers.

Go for HTTPS

This not only adds a security feature for your customers’ peace of mind, it is also free.

And if added security and happy customers aren’t enough, HTTPS sites also make Google happy, as any non-HTTPS site after July 2018 is getting seriously docked in their rankings by Google.

If you encrypt your login pages, payment pages and others which could have private data, then anything any potential hackers do glean will be meaningless and unusable. Poetic justice, no?

Need Help on Your Next Steps?

JSL Marketing and Web Design has a squeaky clean track record when it comes to keeping our clients safe and their websites secure.

We scan for errors or warnings, can set up your HTTPS site, recommend secure hosting sites, keep your website clean, help with password creation, manage your accounts, always keep our software up to date and even backup your data.

That’s everything you have to worry about – poof – gone and in our capable, careful hands.

So, if adding some extra website security sounds like your next step, connect with us at JSL Marketing and see what we can do to make your website happier, healthier and safer.