The Village Websmith - Web Design & Development in Your Area

Image of Message Not A Dream A Plan Madhuri Mohite From the page Wednesday Website Workshops

OK, so your website is up and running, all you have to do now is sit back and wait for the calls, right? Well, not exactly. Like any form of advertising, your web site needs to be promoted and managed. The message needs to be fresh, topical, powerful and in the public eye.

This takes effort. It takes imagination. It takes forethought and consideration. Luckily, there is a lot you can do yourself, particularly with Webinthebox® that can help to keep the wheels turning without spending a fortune.

In order to help this process, you can now join in an online masterclass in 12 modules based on real questions asked by real customers over the 20 years of Websmithery here. Each module lasts an hour and delegates will be provided with course material to act as an aide memoire as well as a 'homework' assignment each week, with online assessment and advice.

Are you a morning person, or an evening person? With only five spaces per workshop available, you can choose a time of day that best suits your workload. There will be a slot in normal business hours, and a slot in the early evening after work, so you can choose which group to join according to the shape of your day.

Give us the tools and we will finish the job Every module includes a recommended list of resources and tools to help you. Most of these are available free online, and are the tools that we use ourselves in the Websmithy. You don't have to spend a fortune to get reliable, easy to use, fast software.

Modules based on real world needs Over the years here at the Websmithy, a strong pattern of what our customers want to know about managing their online presence has been established. By going back over the answers to questions and concerns, the following list of modules has been created to provide the most relevant and important information.

1. Understanding audiences - human and robot
2. SEO - What it really means and how to DIY
3. Layout and graphics - their importance in framing and showcasing your message
4. Photographs - choosing and assigning
5. Photographs - what's in a name?
6. Your message - how you say what you say
7. Your message - uploading and shaping
8. Your message - grammar and spelling do matter, here's why
9. Non-web promotion - customers are everywhere
10. Social media - use it to your advantage
11. Outgoing contact - fly fishing vs ledgering
12. CREAM - the virtuous spiral of ongoing improvement

Book early and save The price of registration for the full course is just £240, payable in advance, but for bookings before August 15^th you can claim an 'Early Bird Saver' rate of £180. Follow this link to the booking page to check availability and claim your place.

Abenhall is a tiny, ancient village in a secluded quiet valley near Mitcheldean. The parish includes the settlement of Plump Hill, on the Mitcheldean to Cinderford Road as it climbs into the high Forest.

Once part of the Westbury Hundred (which was known as Dene at the time of the 1086 Doomsday book) Abenhall is on the Flaxley to Mitcheldean Road. Originally a mining and iron making centre, it is notable for its 14th century Church of St Michael, which is built of local red sandstone and has excellent contemporary carvings relating to the Forest of Dean's industries. These include a shield bearing the arms of the Freeminers on the west wall and the fabulous mid -15th century octagonal font, that has tools of miners and metalworkers incised on its St Michaels at Abenhall sides.

St. Michael's Church - originally built as a chapel of ease, the church was expanded in the 14th century to include nave, south aisle and tower. The arms of the Freeminers can be seen on the south side of the tower and on the 18th century font. St. Michael's Church - Abenhall is 1.5 km south of Mitcheldean and is set in beautiful surroundings on the edge of the Forest. Old Parish baptism, marriage and burial registers, from 1596, are stored at the Gloucestershire Record Office. For more information, please call us on the number shown, or click in the header of any page to email Abenhall-forest-of-dean@villagewebsmith.co.uk.

  Show list of services, towns and postcode districts

  Hide list of services, towns and postcode districts

Home page for Abenhall,, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire

Welcome to Magnificent Monday - MOJO Day!

Monday is MOJO Day here. The day that we suggest ways to focus on what is truly great about your business and yourself, then make sure that everyone knows about it.

One of the earliest opportunities to tell potential customers about your MOJO is your business strapline or slogan. This is your chance in ten words or less to let the world know, not only what you do, but why you do it better than anyone else and why they should call you first.

I have been thinking about straplines since seeing one on an electronic advertising banner while watching the Autumn International series of rugby matches on television over the weekend. Despite belonging to a household name comapny, which obviously has immense amounts of money to throw at creating and displaying their information, one simple step had been missed. They had not applied the 'So What?' test.

The slogan in question simply read "Better than water". This scores highly in the brevity stakes, but says nothing to anyone who hasn't read their long-form advertising. It is precisely that group that should have been the target for this form of advertising.

Try it for yourself. The 'So What?' test is just to imagine yourself selling that product to someone else. You offer that statement as a justification to purchase and imagine them saying "So what?" in response. You explain the statement briefly and then compare your answer to the original statement. Which is better? It will always be your answer.

Now look at your own business strapline and carry out the same exercise. If tha answer is too long, reduce the wording but keep the meaning. Your strapline is a vital first taste of your business and should go everywhere people see your name, your website, letterhead, business cards, vehicle and office signage; everywhere.

Over the years, hundreds of Village Websmith customers have been helped to identify their MOJO, put it into a powerful message, then get it seen by potential new customers. Call us today on 0203 239 0350 or click in the header of any page to email us and get your MOJO working.

Abercraf is well known for these attractions: Waterfalls caves and close by the National Red Kite Centre.

Abercraf is also close to our headquarters in Shirenewton, Monmouthshire, which helps us to maintain our policy of only working face to face with customers to make sure they get the best results quickly when writing the content for their web sites. This is a much quicker method of establishing what aspects of a business are the most promotable and getting the order of things. So, if you have a small business in Abercraf, just get in touch with the Village Websmith and experience the difference of truly personal web design for yourself. For more information, please call us on the number shown, or click in the header of any page to email Abercraf-s-wales@villagewebsmith.co.uk.

  Show list of services, towns and postcode districts

  Hide list of services, towns and postcode districts

Home page for Abercraf, Brecknockshire, South Wales

Welcome to Winning Wednesday

Wednesday is derived from the Norse god, Odin who was their supreme god and god of victory.

Read me my story! That is not such a trivial request in any business. Getting a beta reader for your web content and brochure information can help to make your message much more effective.

Having been privileged to beta read a novel and a non-fiction book for Sarah Banham recently, the principal is one that can be applied to business copy to make sure it is working as hard as it can work.

What's the difference between a beta reader and a proof reader? This lies in the scope of tha activity. Proof reading is a vital stage before publishing anything about your business to make sure that the grammar, spelling and language are correct and overall, the document makes sense. Beta reading goes one step further in regarding the quality of the message as well.

Particularly with copy writing for your business, everything has to be perfect. The information content must be accurate, but at the same time, attractive and stimulating. The narrative must lead the reader to the only logical conclusion; that they need you to supply the products and services in question.

With a trusted beta reader or two, you can ask them to judge whether your story works or not. If they don't confirm that they would respond favourably, rewrite until it has the desired effect.

Over the years, hundreds of small businesses have trusted the Village Websmith to get their message across clearly and powerfully, so if you don't have the time or the tools to write your web copy and get it beta read, talk to us about how cost-effective a Webinthebox® site can be. For more information, just call us on 0203 239 0350 or click in the header of any page to send an email.

Aberdare is well known for these attractions: Country park fabulous indoor market and Aberdare Park home of historic motorcycle road races.

Aberdare is also close to our headquarters in Shirenewton, Monmouthshire, which helps us to maintain our policy of only working face to face with customers to make sure they get the best results quickly when writing the content for their web sites. This is a much quicker method of establishing what aspects of a business are the most promotable and getting the order of things. So, if you have a small business in Aberdare, just get in touch with the Village Websmith and experience the difference of truly personal web design for yourself. For more information, please call us on the number shown, or click in the header of any page to email Aberdare-s-wales@villagewebsmith.co.uk.

  Show list of services, towns and postcode districts

  Hide list of services, towns and postcode districts

Home page for Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff, South Wales