My first blog launched to crickets, as most do. Because of course, I had no idea what I was doing. Write whatever comes to mind, hit publish and then write a status on Facebook to promote it. That’s how this blogging and marketing thing works, right?

Well it’s been two years since then, and I thankfully learned a thing or three from my own errors and a lot of reading.

It’s been a total of 19 days since this blog launched, and I’m happy to report the launch could not have been more different from my last one. That’s my polite Caanadian, non-braggey way of saying, this launch was wildly successful.

So you have an Etsy shop and are looking to professionalize your business a bit and get on the 'big fish' level? The debate on when to leave Etsy and go it alone is one many Etsy sellers face as their shop continues to prosper.

Having a website is a common top priority as an Etsy shop begins to grow. Having a website enables you to do so much more than the Etsy shopfront enables. It also allows you to connect with your visitors (show them the fabulous, real you!), explain more complex features/considerations when making purchases (eg. sizing guides, product variations and options), connect with visitors through content creation (blogs/videos! which can then be pinned 

If you're just beginning to blog with Squarespace or are currently fence-sitting, not sure which blogging platform to choose, I have a perfect video just for you!

Watch the video below for a complete beginners guide and intro to blogging on Squarespace. I cover 

0:17 - A look at the post editor
0:36 - Adding text
1:21 - Adding image
1:41 - Naming image for SEO & Pinterest
2:17 - Adding text headings & text links

Today I'm going to walk you through something which I see clients and friends get wrong all the time.

It happens right at the start when they go to set up their Squarespace website and blog. Later down the line this mistake is a colossal pain to fix, so I want to be sure that you dear friend don't make the same one. Because you know, your hair is pretty and I really don't want you to spend days a few months into the future pulling it out while trying to work your way back out of this mess.

I've run into a few people who have made this mistake and honestly their thought process makes logical sense, so the mistake can be very easy to make.

Before jumping head first into blogging here for my website design studio, I ran a travel blog for 2 years. Rather I should say I wrote a 'I don't know what the hell I'm writing about, this is stuff I like' blog for 1 year and then narrowed to write a travel blog the next.

(All new bloggers do it. Narrowing focus and niching is a lesson we all must learn with time.)

As any blogger begins to notice, some blog posts receive crickets while others receive a roar of attention. I enjoyed having a number of posts shared thousands upon thousands of times. I'm going to let you in on what I took away from my most shared post.

40,300 shares as of mid August 2016 to be precise. 

Tell me, does this sound familiar?

You have a long list of things that must be accomplished today. You work online for your blog/biz and part of that means being active on social media.

First you start on Twitter, responding to Tweets, interacting with followers and scheduling Tweets for the day.

You scroll down to a Tweet from one of your favourite bloggers. 'My 10 secrets which exploded my Twitter following in 30 days.'

When people ask 'what is the best Squarespace template,' there really is no one, overarching correct answer. There are however answers for 'this template would be best for this type of site.'

Each template is designed with a specific type of website in mind (eg. blogger, photographer, business, e-commerce, etc), so there are some templates that lend themselves better than others to the type of website you're creating.

After using a great number of the templates between my own sites and sites made for clients, I now have a set of favourites which I'll share with you. I also have some worst/definitely don't use this template if you're looking for X, tips too.

I have a little metaphor for you. Can you figure out what I'm getting at? It all related back to listing prices, you'll see.

You’ve been working for a few years, moved on up to a cool new apartment and are in the market for a new sofa. While you’re doing better financially than in your student days, you’re still ballin’ on a budget. You currently have a DIY palette sofa you found on Pinterest but are looking to upgrade. While at the corner of Main & New Street you notice a new furniture shop. Looks trendy, why not stop in?

Let's be honest, most online entrepreneurs didn't leave slaving at their 9-5 to become a 24/7 slave to their inbox. I enjoy a relaxing weekend away at the countryside or grabbing cocktails with friends in the evening just as much as the next person.

When I first began my business I definitely dealt with an internal struggle related to managing clients expectations in terms of email. I was new, I wanted my clients to LOVE me and my customer service skills, leave raving reviews and recommend me to everyone they knew who wanted a website designed.

I tended to respond to emails within the hour, but what did that lead to? A response 5 minutes 

If you don't quite yet have the budget or a hard-in-stone direction to justify hiring a website designer, not to worry, these 10 steps will help you up your website game significantly. 

Each one is super-actionable, your site can come out looking modern and sleek by the end of the day with these simple changes.

1. LESS FONTS & COLOURS ARE MORE

Pick a maximum of 2 font styles and 2 colors. Eliminate all the rest and make everything consistent with these fonts and colors.

At some point in your business you'll realize that it's high time to have your clients sign contracts. Maybe you're forward-thinking, just starting your business and are yet to take on your first project. Maybe you've been in business for a little while now, but contracts just never dawned on you until now. Maybe you had a not-so-pleasant encounter with a client and suddenly it hit you 'maybe a contract is a good idea.'

Today I'll walk you through my oh-so-simple process for contracts. I found an online tool I absolutely love, and I'm positive you will too. While I share many online tools with you here on the blog to help take the headache out of running your business, this one is up there for an absolute ...

So you're new to Squarespace? Perfect. Let the initiation begin! .... Ahem, I mean, 'Welcome!'

I know you're going to love the simplistic and design-focused platform. But let's get you a little informed so you can begin to learn just how to use this amazing tool and uncover a few secret options as well as workarounds you didn't know existed.

These 10 articles written by some fellow Squarespace-loving entrepreneurs are the best on the web. They're perfect for those just beginning with their new Squarespace site.

Picking a template is the first order of business when creating your new Squarespace website. When you register for a Squarespace account and choose either the free trial period or purchase a plan, the next thing you’ll be prompted to do is to pick a template. 

While changing to a new template in the future is possible, know that picking a new template is basically the equivalent to re-creating your website. This means that changing once you’ve had your site up for a while is a time investment, as changing requires you to redesign and reset your style options. This is why it’s important to choose a template from the get-go that you will be satisfied with and will be able to grow with over time.

At some point in time when conducting business online, you're going to want/need some copyright free stock images.

You might be announcing an upcoming project or trip and be in need of promotional images, but of course as the project/trip has not taken place yet, you don't have any images to show off.

Or, you simply need an image of a desk, and you would rather not waste time cleaning up your desk, spreading out your laptop, your most professional pens, stapler, and coffee cup, and then drag the desk around to windows in your home to find the perfect lighting?

In life, 'getting around' is generally one of those things that is not looked so highly upon. BUT, when it comes to blog posts, the more promiscuous those little things are the better! 

So let's get that new blog post of yours shared alllllll around the internet, shall we?

Wether you're a big blogging fish with an impressive following or a new, smaller blogger, it's important to get others to share your content. 

Why?

That following you have there are truly a fantastic bunch. However we want you to continue to grow, spread your one-of-a-kind message and have as many people as possible benefit from your valuable ...