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Small Biz Geek

Small Biz Geek

Small Business Design, Marketing & Technology Journal

Solving small business design, marketing & tech problems

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Design

Thee posts in this category are related to design and small businesses, including but not limited to graphics and visual aspects...

Computer Says No: Does Your Website Work for People with Disabilities? β™Ώ

Published: December 18, 2020; Updated: September 17, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Internet, Legal, Web Development, WordPress

Photo of a dog wearing large glasses using a computer tablet

The 2020 surge in internet use has led to record levels of online activity. It’s high time for businesses to check that their apps and websites are fully accessible to all.

In the Pandemic, QR Codes are Finally Proving Worthy in the West 😷

Published: August 27, 2020; Updated: September 12, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Marketing, Operations, Web Development

Graphic image of Face mask and QR codes

In western society QR codes have been mostly regarded as an ugly marketing gimmick, but they’re now proving valuable as a logistical solution to the virus problem.

20 Years On and Website Hit Counters are Still a Waste of Pixels 🧮

Published: February 1, 2020; Updated: August 2, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Web Development

website hit counters

Website hit counters clutter up the computer screen and run the risk of looking like an unsophisticated attempt to impress visitors. Counters should be extinct, with the exception being for humour, parody and pastiche.

Waiting on Final Images for a WordPress Website? Use this Handy Thumbnail Placeholder Trick 🪟

Published: June 25, 2019; Updated: July 30, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Web Development, WordPress

A handy WordPress media uploader hack for dummy image placeholders in your website build, with a quick swap when the final versions are ready.

“Don’t Make Me Think: Revisited” – Steve Krug (Book Review) πŸ“˜

Published: November 14, 2017; Updated: February 17, 2024 Filed Under: Books, Design, Web Development

Don't Make Me think - Steve Krug

A person of average technical ability must be able to navigate your website easily. This is required reading for anyone wanting to create a better experience for their visitors…

QR Codes Could Get the Chance They Deserve Thanks to iOS 11 πŸ”—

Published: August 8, 2017; Updated: October 10, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Software, Web Development

QR Codes

QR codes are great in theory. They’re a novel means for accessing information via smartphone, but the adoption rate among consumers is fairly low. That could change…

Cheap Instant Website Builders: Should We Dump Them? 🫗

Published: February 14, 2017; Updated: September 7, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Software, Web Development

Woman frustrated with laptop

What is so bad about instant online website builders, if the claims are to be believed? Are jealous rival designers defending their turf? This could be a messy breakup…

Badly Behaved Images? Leverage the Power of Vector Graphics to Eliminate Unruly Design ⚑

Published: September 13, 2016; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Web Development, WordPress

Scalable Vector Graphics image

The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format is the frequently overlooked solution to high quality design both in print and online. Once explained to non-designers, it is obvious the advantages afforded by “vector paths” is common sense, essential to workflow and cost effective…

Google AMP: Shocked Webmasters Learn of Changes to Mobile Site Search Results ⚑

Published: June 14, 2016; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Web Development

Google Amp

Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is the most important design and development change to hit webmasters in the last 5 to 10 years. Life just got complicated…

10 Website Trust Signals You Can’t Afford to Ignore πŸ˜‘

Published: April 12, 2016; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Marketing, Web Development

Website Trust Signals

Does your small business website seem honest and trustworthy to customers? Use these psychological triggers to increase conversions and build a good reputation…

Overwhelmed by Web Design? Use This 10 Step Project Checklist and Stay in Control

Published: November 10, 2015; Updated: February 18, 2020 Filed Under: Design, Web Development

Website Design & Development Checklist

Are you a web design client or consultant? Do you need to track project progress? This website checklist is a coherent action plan for setting priorities and better managing your time…

This WordPress Media Uploader Problem Makes Your Blog Look Amateur πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈ

Published: August 11, 2015; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Video, WordPress

WordPress Thumbnails

WordPress automatically creates thumbnails when you upload images. Add a featured image to a post and a smaller thumbnail is used for your blog archive. How does yours look?

2 Advantages of Using PNG instead of JPEG on Your Website πŸ“°

Published: July 28, 2015; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Video

PNG Format

What format do you save your digital images to? Would you like to take advantage of background transparency? Try the PNG format…

Say What? How Your Website Colours Communicate

Published: March 17, 2015; Updated: April 6, 2018 Filed Under: Design, Internet

How Your Website Colours Communicate

Website design colour schemes must be analysed carefully. The colour palette you choose affects communication, user experience and purchase decisions…

Simple DIY Excel Customer Management Database πŸ—’οΈ

Published: September 30, 2014; Updated: March 5, 2024 Filed Under: Design, Legal, Marketing, Operations

Excel Customer Database

Small Businesses are advised to keep sales/enquiry records in a spreadsheet as part of their customer management activities…

5 Ways to Make Your Small Business Look Bigger

Published: April 8, 2014; Updated: February 20, 2020 Filed Under: Design, Internet, Marketing, Operations

Big Fish

There are a few creative ways to use technology and resources to improve the perception of our operation. We can apply a more professional veneer…

Business Card Idea: Hand Stitched Price Tag

Published: October 8, 2013; Updated: March 27, 2019 Filed Under: Design, Marketing

Hand made business card

If your business is arts/crafts related you might be interested in these hand made business cards. I use them whenever I sell artwork in locally…

Small Business Website – DIY Vs Pro ⚖️

Published: January 2, 2013; Updated: September 8, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Internet, Marketing, Web Development

Small Business Website - DIY Vs Professional

There’s no question about it: a website is essential for any small business. If you don’t exist on the web, you’re creating unnecessary inconvenience…

DIY Laminated Printed QR Code 🖨️

Published: September 25, 2012; Updated: August 27, 2023 Filed Under: Design, Marketing

DIY Printed QR Code Marketing Materials

Here is a low cost method for experimenting with printed weather proof QR codes to promote a local product or service on a website…

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  • In the Pandemic, QR Codes are Finally Proving Worthy in the West 😷
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