Website 101 Podcast

We talk to Wes Bos all about web development, soft skills, and everything needed to succeed in web development. Wes's history and background in web developmentHow does Wes learn enough on a new technology to start teaching it?How to decide what to learn with new technology or languagesImportant advice for a new developerMost important technical skillLearn the fundamentalsNo code designWeakest development skillOnline courses vs BootcampsEmerging technology Show Links Canada Learning Code Amanda Lutz's episode Juno College (Previously Hacker You) The Great Divide (Chris Coyier) Beginner Javascript Owen Craig's Episode Purchasing power parity Javascript 30 All Wes Bos courses Wordpress Svelt

Sean interviews Mike about his journey to becoming a web developer Bootcamps / collegeStarted with Macromedia FlashMike was a drummer in 4 different bands - learned web development to build the band websitesFirst website built for his band in late 90sFirst client site - restaurant (February 2000)First job was web developer at a magazine publisherBuild toolsDesign vs Development preferencesAdvice for new web development Show Links Mike's first client website - wayback machine Adobe Image Ready CSS Zen Garden SASS Tailwind CSS Grunt Alpine Js Vue Petite Vue jQuery More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike o

To kick off our 5th season Mike interviews Sean about his journey to becoming a web developer. Sean's first website was a Geocities website built in 1997First client website built in 2008Started full time self-employment in 2013Provided official support to end-users of ExpressionEngineWhat does Sean like the least/most about web developmentSean's advice for new web developers Show Links Geocities Moodle Dreamweaver Microsoft Frontpage Adobe GoLive Movable Type ExpressionEngine GreenSock More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

Time to pimp your website typography with Oliver Schöndorfer. Learn the fundementals of typography and why it matters to your website and message. We start off by defining what Typography is. Then the various types of fonts including serif and sans-serif fonts and when to choose which to choose. I (uppercase I), l (lowercase l), 1, a, g testThe difference between legibility and readabilityComic Sans and Helvetica fontsAvatar and PapyrusHeading, body fonts, and fonts that can be used everywhereOliver Judges Sean's website headingsTips on how to choose fonts for a websiteWeb font marketplaces5 common web typography mistakes and how to avoid themLeading and line heightline lengthOliver gives a review of the Website 101 Podcast website typography. Show Links Pimp My Type YouTube Channel Oliver's Newsletter Stop Using Open Sans Design Academy Google Fonts

Learn all about Owen Craig's journey from novice developer to bootcamp instructor. Why he transitioned from social media manager to development, why Owen chose a bootcamp and how he later became an instructor at that same bootcamp. What is a bootcampWhy a bootcamp vs other pathsFavorite part of web developmentLeast liked part of web developmentHow Owen became an instructor at Juno collegeHow to keep up with changing technologyAdvice for a new developerHow to evaluate what to learnNo code developersMost important skill a developer should have Show Links Juno College Udemy Code Academy Wes Bos Juno College (Free Events) Andrew Welch Jargon Part 1 Jargon Part 2 More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean

We talk to Laura Bailey of Revy Web Design all about Wordpress, her journey from IT technical support in the UK to running a Wordpress agency with employees in a small town in British Columbia Canada. Laura, talks about her role as a business owner, website designer, and building bespoke websites for her clients. The difference between a pre-built theme and a theme builder such as Elementor.Lauras default plugin stack for WordPress sites.Rank Math SEO vs YoastOptimizing WordPress sites for performanceUpdating WordPress and PluginsWebsite MaintenanceWordPress Hosting Show Links Revy Web Design Elementor Divi Oxygen Beaver Builder Classic Editor Gutenberg Editor Deactivate Gutenberg Crocoblock Suite Advanced Custom Fields Th

Website optimization expert Andrew Welch discusses optimizing your website performance and speed. Site speed is a ranking signal for google. Ensuring your website is fast and efficient can give you a boost in your SEO results. We also discuss: How optimizing your site can improve your bounce rateContributing factors to a slow website\What you can do to improve your site without touching codeLimit the number of tracking scriptslazy loading images / mapsWeb hosting - shared vs VPSCaching & MinifyingImage Optimization / Responsive Images Google image srcset peas to find the article by Eric Portis that Andrew Mentions. Show Links Andrew's dotall conference talk Google PageSpeed Insights WebPageTest Tags Gone Wild! Managing Tag Managers Servd Fastly CloudFront Responsive Breakpoints

We have a short survey for listeners that we will use to plan season 5. This will help us to choose episodes that our listeners want to hear more about. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus tip to help you improve your website. The survey will be available anytime into the future. If you find it while listening to archived episodes, please fill it out. Show Links Listener Survey More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

Returning guest Angie Herrara discusses alternatives to google analytics for tracking website visitors. We discuss Fathom Analytics and Stat Counter. Reasons to consider using an alternative to google analytics include concerns about privacy and a simpler, easier to understand interface. Google is very complex and difficult to understandFathom Analytics is privacy orientedFathom and Stat Counter have a simpler easy to understand interfaceThings that you want to understand and know how to track with whichever analytics you useIf it's free (google analytics) then you are the product Show Links Google Analytics Company of One Use Fathom How Fathom tracks without cookies Stat Counter Hot Jar Crazy Egg Full Story More Website 101 Podcast Email

In this episode Mike and Sean talk with returning guest Gaurav about content marketing; what it is, why it's important, and how to do it. Gaurav starts off by defining what content marketing is and why it's important. Later we discuss the similarities and differences between content marketing and advertising. FunnelsAdvertising vs content marketingSEOLong tail keywordsNewsletter and blogSocial Media & content marketing Show Links S02 E08 Copy Editing and Copy Writing Jonathon Stark More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

In this episode Mike and Sean discuss various things you can do to improve your existing website without doing a complete redesign and rebuild. We talk about ways that you can improve your website by making small changes yourself at no cost. Some changes may require a web developer but these will be low cost but with high value. A website is like a garden, it needs to grow, it needs pruning, and watering. These tips will help keep your website fresh and exciting. Show Links How to conduct a website content audit for your nonprofit Google PageSpeed Insights Accessibility Accessibility - Why It's Important More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

We discuss accessibility, with Matsuko Friedland, in websites, why it's important both for users and website owners, as well as some tips on how to ensure your website is accessible. Matsuko starts off by explaining what accessibility is and why it's important. We also talk about what a screen reader is and how a screen reader works. Why should we care about accessibility other than the legal requirementsThe three levels of WCAG complianceSemantic HTMLHeader Order is importantAccessibility is good for SEOColor ContrastPlaceholder contentPixel and Tonic, CraftCMS, selected by the W3C for accessibility Show Links Accessibility Why It's important Curb Cut Effect Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Building the most inaccessible site possible with a perfect Lighthouse score Empathy Prompts Accessible Colors

Today Marlene Oliveira of moflow discusses the value of conducting a website content strategy, and why you should do it before anything else. What is content strategy?Measuring the success of a website buildS.M.A.R.T. goalsHow to collect and document material for a content strategyThe format of a content strategyThe value of consulting with internal stakeholdersWhat communication looks like during a content strategyHow long does it take?The value of engaging in a content strategyAdvice for do-it-yourselfers Show Links Developing a website content strategy for a new nonprofit site: elements to include How to create communications objectives from nonprofit strategic goals More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

In this episode Sean and Mike discuss red flags to be aware of when looking for a web developer. Conversely we also talk about things that clients do that are red flags for web developers. A lot of what we talk about is common sense things like not interrupting people and appropriate response time, but common sense is not always as common as we would like. Show Links Web Jargon part 1 Web Jargon part 2 More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

In this episode Sean and Mike talk with Amanda Lutz about how to talk with your web developer. How much does a website cost?Think about what you want from your websiteHow to measure success of a websiteHave realistic expectationsNot all feature requests are equalFree isn't free!Agree on how you'll communicate throughout the project. Good communication is crucial. What constitutes an emergency? How to tell a developer "something's broken!"What platforms will your website support?"Make the logo bigger" - Provide objectives, not solutions. Show Links More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

In this episode we talk about why using Click Here for link text is bad practice. We then briefly go over the remaining episode topics that are planned for season four. Mike gives a brief history of where Click here comes from. Mike has advice on how to make your links stand out so that click here is not necessary. we also go over the negative SEO impact of using click here. We also talk about how the the internet body that determines and publishes about web standards: The W3C has decided to use Craft CMS to publish their website. Show Links Mike's Blog: Don't Say 'Click Here' Smashing Magazine: Click Here W3C: Don't use "click here" as link text W3C Selects Craft CMS More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on Link

Sean and Mike talk about the value of having your own website rather than just social media accounts. What are some benefits of having social media accounts at all?What are some drawbacks of making social media accounts your primary Web presence?Having your own website gives you full control over your content.Don't be bound by social media algorithms. Social networks are satellite sites, not your home planet. Sharing content to social media sites.Social networks make you look exactly like your competitors.How people tend to find you online.Social networks can limit your audience to members only.Social networks come and go. Remember Myspace? Show Links Use social media to promote your website, not replace it. Own Your Digital Content What's The Best Home For Your Content? More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on Li

Mike and Sean discuss what a content audit is and why you should perform one. A discussion of what is included in content audit including orphan links. A content audit is a good opportunity to prune outdated content.Mike explains how to use a spreadsheet and common columns to include when doing your content audit. Show Links Airtable How to Perform a Website Content Audit to Guide Your Content Marketing Strategy Screaming Frog WordPress All Export How to conduct a website content audit for your nonprofit More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

Sean and Mike discuss the benefits of having a regular maintenance plan for your website, and having a Web developer on a retainer contract. What is a maintenance plan / retainer?Retainers can help with budget limitationsPotential forms that maintenance plans can takeBenefits of having a developer on retainerDrawbacks of not having a developer on retainer Show Links Why Your Website's CMS Should Be Updated More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn  

Mike and Sean discuss best practices for creating email accounts to represent your business. Why shouldn’t I use a free email address that ends with @hotmail.com or @gmail.com?How you can use a free email service while keeping your company domain name in your email address.Free email options provided by cPanel in shared hosting accounts.The plus ("+") hackEmail address naming best practices Show Links Gsuite More Website 101 Podcast Email the Podcast! Twitter Sean on LinkedIn Mike on LinkedIn