Week 2 Answer Vault
Q. On my voiceover website is one video demo enough? Or should I leave it out completely until I have more video demos of work that I've done for a client?
A. If you have one video demo then yes, most definitely show it. Just have the video demo in the video section as shown in the Day 8 voiceover template tutorial. Instead of having two videos side by side just place the one video there. It will take up more space but that's ok. When you find on YouTube another video of a job you did then add that in next to the one video you already have and place them side by side. A website is an ever-evolving process.
Q. On my landing page I have one small section that I want to copy and paste on all of the multi-pages that I have. Is there a way to copy that one part on my landing page and paste it into the other multi-pages?
A. If it's only one small section of your landing page that you want to copy and paste then no. You can't copy one small section. You can however copy the whole landing page and create a whole new page but then you'd have to delete everything except the small section you want to keep and then build the second page. If you do it that way it's a ton more work than just redoing that small section on each page. I wouldn't recommend it.
Q. I sell my products on Etsy where you need at least 10 images of the one product from all angles. If I uploaded all 10 pics of that one product on my website, would that be too much?
A. I get it. Etsy wants to show the product from all angles so the buyer knows exactly what they are purchasing. But if you feel that it is overkill on your website then I'd say try 3-6 images on your website and see how it looks. Feel it out and make the best decision from your gut. It's never wrong.
Q. I watched the client logo videos. When it comes to adding the client logos to the website the top video says one thing, but the bottom video says another thing. Which one should I go with?
A. Sorry my bad. The top video is on Squarespace 7.0 and the bottom video is on Squarespace 7.1. So depending on if you are 7.0 or 7.1 will determine which way you upload your client logos.
Q. When I click on the blue cross I only have the option to work on the footer. This has never happened to me before.
A. You are too far down. You are clicking in the blue cross that is for the footer, not for the sections above the footer. A quick fix is to find a section above where you have created something, click on the blue cross, choose whatever you need to choose for what you want to create (add bnak +. Gallery, etc.), then on that section that you just created - look to the right and see the up and down arrows. Click the down arrow until you have that section in the place that you want it.
Q. My accent light is not white like your videos. My accent light is black.
A. This can happen when your accent color is better paired with black than white. Squarespace will do this for you automatically. It's not the best way to design but it's still possible. So I'd say design with the black background for now, add in all of your content so it flows, then on Day 11, change the colors by watching the “Solidify Your Colors” video so the black background is gone and your website looks more branded with your brand colors.
Q. With the About Page can we include some interesting information about us? I'm a creative but I also play hockey in my free time. It's a fun fact but I'm not sure if I should include it in my About Page.
A. Yes! Include it! Put it somewhere down in the bottom of your About Page. So we read your About Page, get an idea of who you are as a pro, then you can open up a bit at the end of your About Page and really show that fun fact. That's a great way to add in a little flavor at the end. Love it!
Q. When creating my client logos I have white squares behind them. Even when I click on export transparent in Canva I still get the white squares.
A. This can happen. You can either go into Photoshop (or find someone who will do this for you in Photoshop) and export your client logos with a transparent background. Somehow Canva is still having difficulty doing this. And then use those client logos that were exported from Photoshop that really have a transparent background. OR... you could wait until Day 11, figure out what color you want behind your logos... (yes they will have the white square on the logos but just go with it for now), decide what color you want for the client logo background, then go back to Canva, change the background of the client logos to the exact same background color of the client logo section in your website, export them from Canva, and upload them to the client logo section in your website. Then the background color of your client logos and the background color of your Squarespace section will match and there will be no trace of any lines. Your client logos will float in the color that you chose.
Q. I want to put my actor's resume on my website as a downloadable PDF. Where do I place it?
A. Watch the Day 8 video for actors and you'll find out.
Q. What if we don't have enough testimonials?
A. Don't have any testimonials at all? Leave it out for now. And after a fun job that you've completed write your client a testimonial first and ask them for a testimonial back. Or if they write you back after the job with a line or two about how much fun it was working with you, you can ask if you can use that as a testimonial. That is how you build up your testimonials for your website. And each time you get a new testimonial sprinkle them throughout your website. One by one. Step by step.
Q. What if we do a job for the end client but the middleman (like an agency) is the one who booked you? What logo do I use?
A. Use the end client's logo. Not the agency's logo.
Q. What if we do a job for the end client but the middleman (Like an agency) is the one who booked you? How do I get a testimonial from that?
A. Your best bet is to ask the middleman (the agency) for a testimonial. The middleman is the one who booked you and has the contact info of the end client. You shouldn't ask the middleman for the end client's contact for a testimonial. That's bad form. Rather ask the middleman for a testimonial.
Q. I reached out to some clients for testimonials but not all of them have responded back. How long should I wait? Should I follow up with them? What should I do?
A. Everyone is busy. Sometimes you put something out there and it doesn't stick. Sometimes you put something out there and it does. So for the people that got back to you with testimonials - great! Use those. For the people that didn't get back to you with testimonials - leave it. Don't follow up. That's annoying. Don't wait on them. Just move on. There are other jobs out there that you can get testimonials from. Don't take it personal. Just keep moving forward.
Q. I have testimonials that are about my character and not about the work that I do. For example, "Sara is a great person with lots of positive energy." Can I use that? Or should I wait for more testimonials from clients talking more about my work in my industry?
A. Having a testimonial that is all about your character is actually a good thing to have. Just make sure that you have 1-2 max. If you only have character testimonials on your website then it will show that you don't have that much work experience. But having 1-2 character testimonials on your website shows your personality. And actually builds your know, like, and trust factor.
Q. When it comes to client logos, I've got tons. From the small, not well-known companies all the way to the big hitters. How much is too much when it comes to client logos on your website and which ones should I choose?
A. When I first started out I had a few client logos of local businesses on my website. One was of a no name company that made lentils. And I promised myself to keep adding client logos to my website until it got overflowed with logos. A few years later, it did and I had to make a cut. The first thing I cut were all of the lesser-known companies' logos. They helped me build my business but I was playing with the big leagues. Having the lesser-known logos on my website was not serving me and in the direction I wanted to go - which was up. So start with your smaller known company logos and build from there. When you get more well-known client logos add them in to the mix. And when your client logos section is getting too full, start taking out the lesser-known client logos so the more well-known logos are more present. I recommend between 12-15 client logos on your website. At the end of the day, your website visitors will scroll through them, take in 2 or 3 of them, think to themselves, "well if this person worked for THAT company, they MUST be good", and then keep scrolling. So don't overthink this. A max of 12-15 client logos on your website is just enough. No more.
Q. What do I do if I want a "Featured In" section on my website. This isn't client logos. I haven't worked with them. I've been interviewed by them or have spoken at their conference... but they're not a client. What do I do?
A. Excellent question. Go into Canva, create a 5000 x 1000 pixel document, at the top write FEATURED IN: and below that in a row drag and drop all of the logos of the places you've been featured in - magazines, conferences, podcasts. Make sure that the background color is the same as the color you choose to place your Featured In graphic (I'd recommend either below the first part of your landing page or at the bottom of your Abut page) and you're good to go.
Q. For my testimonials I want to have the person's face in a circle frame and their name below it. And the testimonial above it. How do I do this?
A. Create the entire testimonial in Canva. Create a custom design with 5000 x 2000 pixels, write the testimonial at the top, drag a circle frame below that and center it, put the person's face in the circle frame, then below the circle frame type in who the person is. Decide what colors you want to have for your website by watching the Day 11 video - solidify your colors. Decide where you want to place the testimonials on your website. Change the background color of the testimonials to fit the background color of where you want to place them in your website, export them from Canva, and upload the testimonial graphics as an image onto your website.
Q. I just want to create a simple text block. So I click the big blue button, click on text, and then I have a huge text block. This is too big. What am I doing wrong?
A. You are skipping a step. Click the big blue button, click on Add Blank +, then in the section that has been created hover your mouse over to the left until you see a grey dot. Click on the grey dot. Choose text. And now you have a text box that you can customise to your liking.
Q. What if we do a job for the end client but the middleman (like an agency) is the one who booked you? What logo do I use?
A. Use the end client's logo. Not the agency's logo.
Q. How do I resize my images for my website so my website doesn't take too long to load?
A. Your images shouldn't be larger than 2000 x 2000 pixels. If they are use this app to resize them: https://www.jpegmini.com/
Q. Domains names available to me are firstnamelastname.com and firstnamelatname.co.uk Should I buy both domain names? Or should I just pay for the one I am likely to use? It seems silly to buy and be paying for something that wouldn't be doing anything.
A. Yes buy both domains. Just for security purposes. I own almost all jonathantilley.com /.co.uk /.mobi /.edu But I only use .com. Why? So no one else will use my name with a .whatever behind it. It’s securing your name online so no one can take it. And that is worth its weight in gold. So buy both domains and then choose which one you want to use. If you plan to stay in the UK for the next 5-10 years use .co.uk. If you plan to move to the states switch over to .com. But buy both just for brand security.
Q. How would I add my agent's logo to my website? I don't want to put it in the happy clients section. So where do I put it?
A. I’d put your agent's down below in the footer. That way it shows an affiliation but not like they are a direct client of yours in the happy clients section. You may need to put one spacer on each side of the logo to make it appear smaller and not so big.
Q. If I want to add the same picture to my SS site do I have to upload the same picture again or is it saved within SS - like in a media library - where I can find it and reuse it?
A. SS does not have a media library like Wordpress or other website builders. You have to upload the image each time you want to use it.
Q. My official headshots are all portraits. When I upload a headshot in portrait to the top of my website as a headline it's huge and doesn't look good. Should I just use a landscape photo from the shoot for my top image on the landing page and just put portraits in the gallery?
A. Yes. Brilliant idea.
Q. For my About Page should I use 1st or 3rd person?
A. First person is always more personable.
Q. I have two different businesses and two different websites. But I want to make my website visitors know that I have two businesses. How do I do that?
A. Let's pretend business 1 is voiceover and business 2 is acting. On website 1 (voiceover) put ACTING in the main menu and link it to your acting website (website 2). In your acting website (website 2) put VOICEOVER in the main menu and link it to your voiceover website (website 1). In the About Page of your voiceover website (website 1) at the end of your About Page write that you also do acting. Highlight that sentence and link it to your acting website (website 2). In the About Page of your acting website (website 2) at the end of your About Page write that you also do voiceover. Highlight that sentence and link it to your voiceover website (website 1). That should do the trick.
Q. When people contact you via your website are you concerned about spam or bots?
A. No. If I get an email from my website that is spam or from a bot I immediately mark it as spam and then I'll never get an email from them again. Spam and bots happen. It's a daily practice of two seconds a day to clean out your inbox. That's just the way it is when you run a business.
Q. I'm struggling with Wordpress. Should I swich to Squarespace?
A. The short answer: yes. The long answer: You have the tutorials on how to build a website on Squarespace with WMM. So build it in SS, see if you like it, and if you do, then cancel your Wordpress and launch your SS site.
Q. I am already on SS with my current website but I like my new website I created in WMM so much that I want to use the new website and get rid of the old SS website. I don't want to pay twice. What do I do?
A. Launch the new website. Once it's online, delete the old SS site and cancel that old website's SS subscription so you aren't paying twice.
Q. I need help with SEO. I watched a webinar from someone who said you should have different versions of your job title all over your website on different pages. But I feel that is a bit spammy and takes away from the authenticity of my website. What should I do?
A. DOON'T FOLLOW THEIR SEO INSTRUCTIONS! Your website will lose all authenticity if you do that. It’ll look spammy. Rather, check out the WMM Extras where there is a whole module on how to do SEO in SS without losing the authentic vibe you've already created AND build your SEO properly.
Q. How do we do a backup with SS?
A. You don't. SS does it all for you. No need to create a backup version. It's all saved on your SS site. As long as you have all of your content in your folders from Day 2 then you are good to go.
Q. Analytics. I just saw a YouTube video talking about Google Analytics. What should I do?
A. SS has excellent Analytics. You can find the SS Analytics on the left side column and see who went onto your website, when, and for how long. You won't need Google Analytics because you have SS Analytics.
Q. What are the best settings for embedding a Vimeo video onto my website?
A. In General, click on Hide video, click on allow to embed anywhere, click on do not allow anyone to comment, click off the download option and comment option. That should do the trick.
Q. If I want to create a video for my website on my smartphone should I film in vertical or horizontal?
A. Websites are still considered desktop and laptop mediums. Although more than 70% of website traffic is on a mobile device. So record your website videos in landscape / horizontal and you are good to go.
Q. For my email address, what email address should I use?
A. Your email and your website are 2 totally different things. Use whatever email account you already have to have people email you via your website. If you want to change your email address or get a new email address that is in line with your new website's url (for example if your new website url is firstnamelatname.com and you want a new email address that is something like firstname@firstnamelatname.com) then either contact your current email provider and get that email address or I like to use GoDaddy for my email accounts. Then once your email address is set up and you can access your emails as you always do then add in your new email address - firstname@firstnamelastname.com - into your contact form in the footer and in the top right button, if you chose to have the top right button be there for your contact.
Q. I want to create another SS site. What do I do, and do I pay for a new website each time I launch a new website or is it all included in the first website I bought?
A. YAY! You've caught the website building bug! All you have to do is log in to your current SS account, click the top button CREATE A SITE and start from scratch. For each website you build and launch you must pay for each individual website. So no "buy once and you can build as many websites as you want". That doesn't work. For each website you build and launch you must pay for each individual website on SS.
Q. Can you explain the different payment plans on SS?
A. Watch Day 12. It's all in there.
Q. I need to change my domain name. How do I do that and what should I choose?
A. GoDaddy has the best and cheapest domain names around. And SS links up to GoDaddy domains very easily. I always recommend you getting your firstnamelastname.com so no one else can take your name on the internet.
