Questions and Help from Webinar

[tschmigiel]

Hi Lynn,
First I wanted to say THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!
I am very new at this (I started the end of August) and I have learned more from your site in the last week than I have the ENTIRE rest of my time working on my site.
I can also see I have a ways to go, because I haven't made any money as of yet. I have been in that problem with going in this direction and then that direction and feeling quite lost. I have just printed your Action Plan for Leveraging your Competition as well as your link building strategies. Will you please take a look at my site for me and tell me what I should be focusing on? I really could use your help with what to focus on instead of searching for plugins that I don't even know what they are or do. Help?
thanks again so much,
Tess
oh ...my site is http://www.weddingthemesbytess.com

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Tess,

Love your topic of wedding themes :)

You have a static main page - or a sticky post - so that one message is always on the main page, correct?

I think you should shorten it a bit, put some of the personal info on the About Page, and stick with leading the new visitor into a specific action. What do you most want your visitor to do when they arrive on your main page?

I tried clicking on your categories, but I get the same page of content for every category I click. This is confusing, so I just keep clicking the back button... so the site needs a little work on "usability" for the visitor. Let's start there.

[tschmigiel]

Lynn,
Thank you and WOW, you are FAST!!!
Yes, it is a sticky post and I see exactly what you mean. I will work on that first and thanks again! :-)
Tess

[angienewton]

Tess,
So glad to see you post on the forum. It was nice to have you at the webinar today.

[Lynn Terry]

Let us know when you make changes - I'd love to look again :)

[tschmigiel]

Lynn,
Well I fixed the catagories and they really are much better. I have lots and lots of stuff to add to each catagorie but at least now you can tell it's taking you somewhere.
Also, I changed most of the stuff from the 'static page' or home page....I couldn't decide whether to make that a product page or what so I kind of did a welcome for now. I also put a couple black friday sales on there....to be honest it took me so long to figure out what was going on with the catagories that my mind is blank. But overall I think it looks much better.
Let me know what you think!
Again--thanks so much, Tess

oh and Thank you Angie, I enjoyed it very much! :)

[Lynn Terry]

This is MUCH better :)

I would add some wedding theme images to each category. You might luck out at iStockPhoto.com or similar - but that would really draw the eyes in.

[StephenT]

I wish I had been able to be on the webinar, but had a house full of company. Had I been there, I would have asked this.

What if you didn't do good research before you jumped in. Like so many things, I tend to jump first and look later. I have no problem with action, I have a problem with planning. I see my niche as so broad and so competitive that I wonder if I can ever get it narrowed down to a profitable point.

[tschmigiel]

Thank you all for so much encouragement!
Lynn,
Thank you especially!
I am going to add some pictures now. That is one of the things I was trying to figure out, where to get some. So thanks!
Then from here I think some blogging and checking out competition. I have printed your "leveraging competition" and I am going to work on that. Any other suggestions?
thank you again!
Tess