Use a Child Theme for your WordPress Website

Working with Child ThemesWordPress Security is important now more than ever. To help with vulnerabilities, updating your WordPress Theme monthly is important. One problem many inexperienced designers run into is that they update the primary theme, most of their work will be overwritten and they will have to re-upload their files to maintain their changes. Child themes will solve this issue and creating one is simple. Developing a child theme will allow you to customize your theme of choice without disrupting the core foundation of the theme. Admins can update without overwriting core theme files and styling.

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DuVall Designs Recommends Yoast for WordPress SEO

A clean and organized website is essential to your website’s success. Having a search engine-friendly website provides a strong foundation for future marketing efforts. With over 1 million downloads, Yoast and All-in-one-SEO are by far the most commonly used plugins for SEO. Although we’ve had great success with All In One SEO, Yoast’s recent improvements now provide a highly robust application allowing webmasters or savvy clients to maximize their search rankings. Out of the box, Yoast will provide you with the basic tools needed to create a highly optimized website. We recommend purchasing the PRO version for additional features such as the redirect tool and monitoring multiple key phrases making it well worth the price. They also offer 6 months of support after purchase.

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Have you tried using the DIVI theme from Elegant Themes?

DuVall Designs recommends Elegant Themes. The majority of our latest semi-custom or custom web designs use Elegant Themes as our core foundation. Their latest theme (DIVI) offers a ton of features and robust capabilities for clients once the project has been completed. The DIVI theme is the latest, greatest core WordPress theme available on the web today.

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Online Marketing

The final installment of this series by DuVall Designs in Phoenix, Arizona, will cover getting your website launched well with effective website marketing. Most small business owners view digital marketing as an overwhelming, expensive, and complicated undertaking. But it does not have to be. With a little guidance about where to look and what to avoid, the process of website marketing can be easily tackled.

The first thought to keep in mind is that marketing is never finished, but rather it is an ongoing process. Try to budget a little time each week for online website marketing activities. One best practice: set a timer and work for exactly one hour. The timer will help keep you focused and will curb any tendency to stray off and browse. During that hour each week, focus on these types of activities:

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Search Engine Optimization

The many facets of search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is the sixth in the series by DuVall Designs in Phoenix, Arizona, that provides a look at the details of web design that all business owners must face.  Search engine optimization means setting up your website to maximize the chances that your web address will return highly when anyone searches for your product or service by typing keywords into a search engine.

SEO Keywords
Earlier in this series, in installment #3 Choosing Key Words, we looked at how appropriate choice of keywords and keyword placement would help boost overall SEO efforts.  As your website is being designed and constructed, it is time to discuss SEO with your website designer or website developer.  There are more types of SEO than can be covered in this article, with more techniques being developed every day.  But there is a reliable set of basics that should be addressed.

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Website Design

DuVall Designs in Phoenix, Arizona, is providing a look at the details of web design that all business owners must face.  This fifth in the series discusses finding the right web designer or web developer to help bring your website project to the internet.

Most business owners will use the terms website designer and website developer interchangeably, though there are some differences.  Typically a website designer focuses more on the structure or plan, flow of information and user experience of the web design, whereas a website developer will contribute the programming and construction that keeps the entire website working seamlessly and effectively.  In today’s market it is common to expect both of these skills from a single website company – particularly if the website company employs a staff or team of people – and this article will use the terms interchangeably.

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Website Content

In the fourth installment of the series that outlines the steps of the website development process, DuVall Designs in Phoenix, Arizona, provides a look at the details of web design that all business owners must face.

With the keywords and key phrases chosen, it is time to focus on your content.  Copywriting for the web is a unique type of writing.  There are a few basic considerations that will not only get your information up on the website but also help your website designer create pleasing pages and search engine optimization.

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Choosing Key Words

The third in the series to help visitors better navigate the details of the website development process, DuVall Designs in Phoenix, Arizona, provides a look at the details of web design that all business owners must face.

As you begin to work on the content of your website – what products you will sell or what information is available – it is important to consider how your potential customers will find you.  Most of your web traffic will come from search engines.  It is therefore truly important to use the same words that your visitors will use in a search and to use those keywords as often as reasonably possible on your site.

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The ABCs of Building a Website – Know Your Budget

The second in the series to help visitors better understand the website development process, DuVall Designs in Phoenix AZ, is providing a look at the variety of topics new business owners must face.

Most of us consider “budget” to be a dirty word.  But with website development, determining your budget will be one of the most important decisions you make.  You can find website designers that offer website creation costing anywhere from $500 to $500,000.  Chances are good that you do not want or need either of those two extremes.  So determining what you WILL need is important.

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