Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.
Before we get to this week’s links, I want to let you know about a special offer that expires at the end of this week.
We sent it to existing StudioPress theme customers, and I got the go-ahead to include it in this week’s newsletter as well.
It’s simple, and valuable.
This week’s special offer
Get started with StudioPress Sites Hosting this week, and you will receive a coupon for one free migration from our friends at Fantasktic.
All you have to do is choose the right plan for you — Content or Commerce — and then when you check out you’ll receive your free migration coupon.
And then?
You can check out SP Sites Hosting and see how features like the Content Optimizer work. If you decide to stick with SP Sites, then just give the coupon code to Fantastkic when you’re ready to migrate your site, and they’ll do it for free.
Your site gets better performance and becomes more powerful … all without any headaches on your end.
The only “catch” is that you have to click this special coupon link, otherwise the coupon code won’t be included at checkout.
The free migration offer expires this Friday, July 14, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
And by the way, if you’re currently hoping to save money on your website costs by using cheap hosting, this is definitely an offer you’re going to want to take us up on.
For more on why that strategy is shortsighted, check out the link below in the Technology section.
I know the guy who wrote it. He can be trusted. 😉
Okay, now on to this week’s links!
Content: Are you working too hard to placate the naysayers?
A couple of years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Bernadette Jiwa at our live event in Denver. She and I also did a podcast interview.
I was struck by her eloquence, her generosity and kindness, and how insightful she could be in so few words.
This blog post is a great example of her work. It’s not quite Godin-esque, but it’s close.
My guess is that you’ll see the first three stories coming. But the fourth story that Bernadette describes may stop you in your tracks — either because you didn’t expect it, or because you realize it’s a story you’ve been overlooking.
Don’t overlook it anymore.
Four Stories Every Business Needs
Design: Data-backed tips on how to optimize for mobile
You already know that having a mobile-responsive design (or even a mobile-first design) is a must. People are using the web more on mobile devices than desktop devices — a ship that sailed a while ago.
But …
That doesn’t mean that mobile conversions are outpacing desktop conversions. They’re not (yet).
And there is still a long, long way to go before most websites are actually optimized for mobile conversion. Part of the reason why is because we’re only just now starting to scratch the surface in terms of our understanding about what mobile conversation rate optimization actually means and entails.
This post from Marketing Land gets into some of the details, which are quite interesting (especially the data on how render start time impacts conversion). You’ll learn three important tips that can help you improve your mobile site’s optimization right away.
New evidence highlights the conversion lift of mobile optimization
Technology: Good hosting is an investment; cheap hosting is an expense
There are times when it’s okay to go cheap.
But when it comes to website hosting, you almost always get what you pay for.
So if you want slow, unreliable performance, then go cheap. Pay less than $10 per month. You’ll save some money, but you’ll also severely handicap your site’s ability to grow.
If, on the other hand, you’re serious about your website, and you want outstanding speed and uptime you can trust (especially when your traffic spikes), then you need to invest in better hosting.
The bottom line is that outstanding performance is critical to the success of your WordPress website … and it’s worth every penny.
In my latest post on the StudioPress blog, I describe five important reasons why you need to consider hosting more as an investment that can pay massive dividends rather than an expense to minimize at all costs.
5 Reasons You Need to Avoid Cheap WordPress Hosting
Strategy: Are you missing opportunities with your Thank You pages?
This article opened my eyes.
I don’t think I’ve been giving Thank You pages the respect they deserve as opportunities for further engagement with the most enthusiastic members of my audience — those who have already completed a transaction.
Just makes sense, right?
This blog post from Inbound Rocket highlights several ways that you can use your Thank You pages as part of an engagement and conversion strategy that isn’t myopic, and actually thinks past the initial sale.
See if you can incorporate one of their ideas into the next Thank You page you create.
So … which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?
I’ll be back with a new edition next week. And don’t forget to check out StudioPress Sites Hosting this week so you can get your free migration before it expires on Friday.
Keep building.