Michelle Ames, an entrepreneur and marketing expert, emphasizes the significance of small details in website design, such as SSL certificates, branding elements like logos and favicons, and the importance of user-friendly navigation. She provides guidelines on creating effective call-to-action buttons, optimizing page load speed, and ensuring accessibility, while also cautioning against common pitfalls in domain name selection. The document serves as a comprehensive resource for enhancing the effectiveness of websites through thoughtful design and functionality.

1. Michelle Ames, MBA
Marketing Diva
Marketed by Michelle, LLC
https://wpfanatic.com/wcri
It’s the Little Things that
Make a Difference

2. Who Am I?
•Overextended, Overcommitted Entrepreneur in
Rochester, NY
•Avid Scrabble™ Player
•Photographer
•Mom
•Serial Volunteer
•WordPress Fanatic
•Web Designer
•Marketing Diva
•11th Hour Expert

3. Consider the effect of
just one thing:
• One match.
• One grain of sand in your shoe.
• One mosquito bite.
• One word of kindness.
• One vote.
• One minute.
• One seed.
• One small thing can make a
difference on your web site.
The power of
“one small
thing.”

5. If you don’t believe little things matter,
try sleeping with a mosquito in your room.

6. Purpose: 4 Questions
What is the purpose of your site?
What action do you want a visitor to take?
What is the feeling you want to evoke for a visitor?
What are your primary content areas?

7. Sense of Security: SSL Certificates
SSL Certificates are small
data files that digitally bind a
cryptographic key to an
organization's details. When
installed on a web server, it
activates the padlock and the
https protocol and allows
secure connections from a
web server to a browser.
Check with host, or use an
outside SSL provider:
• letsencrypt.org
• verisign.com
• globalsign.com
• digicert.com
• etc.

8. Branding: Favicon
A favicon is a 16x16 pixel piece of real estate
that is the smallest piece of branding you will
own…and that is overlooked by over 40% of
websites.

9. Branding: Logo
Do you have a logo? Does your logo represent you? If you are using multiple
iterations, do they match (color, font, image)? Are you using it appropriately? Does it
link to your home page?

10. Branding: Colors
Do your colors make sense? Do they blend with your logo? Do they evoke the feeling you’re
going for? Or do they make your visitors run screaming “my eyes!!!”

11. Branding: Colors

12. Footer Elements
Should you display open hours?
Contact information?
Social Media Links?
Review sites? (i.e. Yelp, Angie’s List)

13. Footer Elements
Should you display affiliations & memberships?
Awards?
Contact options? (Phone/text/email)
Copyright?
Builder?
WordPress? Theme company?

14. Up-to-Date Information
https://marketedbymichelle.com/are-you-dressing-your-website-for-success/

15. Up-to-Date Information

16. Appropriate Info/Home Page
Don’t make your logo larger than life.
Don’t thank your mother.
Don’t focus on anything other than what you want your visitors to do.

17. Appropriate Info/Home Page
Do use images that drive your call to action.
Do make the call(s) to action clear.

18. Button Labels
Don’t use boring labels like “submit.”
Do use descriptive action words like “register” or “join us” or “sign me up!”

19. Privacy Policy/Terms & Conditions
No one will read them. Have them anyway.

20. Affiliate Link Disclosure
Make it clear that you will
receive some kind of
compensation for the sale.
Make sure they know that
will not increase their price.

21. Image Size
Not loading? Check your file size. Check your image location/URL.
Pixelated? Check your file size.
Distorted? Check your file dimensions.

22. Page Load Speed
Test site speed at:
https://tools.pingdom.com

23. Accessibility
Consider:
• colors
• alt-tags
• contextual links (rather
than “click here” or
“more”
• tab order
http://webaim.org/ for more

24. Menus

25. Menus
Mega menu with icons on the secondary navigation.

26. Menus
Consider:
• order
• call to action first
• drop downs
• mega menus
• location
• megamenu
• primary
• footer
• sidebar
• random
• number of menus

27. Use of White Space
Amazon has A LOT of content, but it’s organized in a way for you to navigate it visually
and with ease. It doesn’t overwhelm.

28. Use of White Space
Random white space (combined with the menu from hell) doesn’t allow the eye to move
freely, or allow appropriate room to ”rest.” Call to action is not intuitive.

29. Use of White Space
Is there too much? Do visitors have to scroll too far for content? Is it white?

30. Email Addresses
Using anything other than an email @yoursite.com is simply unacceptable.
Using info@yoursite.com is boring.
Consider branding yourself with a memorable email address.
• celebrate@rachaelbcupcakes.com
• diva@marketedbymichelle.com
• success@angellaluyk.com

31. Domain Names
Be cautious with:
• Hyphens
• Multiple words
• Length
• Double meanings
• Perception
• Spelling
kidsexchange.net – Kids Exchange
choosespain.com – Choose Spain
partnerstalking.com.au – Partners Talking
whorepresents.com – Who Represents
gotahoe.com – Go Tahoe
therapistfinder.com – Therapist Finder
speedofart.com – Speed of Art
mofo.com – Morrison & Foerster, LLC
teacherstalk.com – Teachers Talk
auctionshit.com – Auctions Hit
childrenswear.co.uk – Childrens Wear
ihavegas.com – IHA Vegas Holiday Rentals
Consider these tragedies:

32. Opportunity: Custom 404 Page
A custom 404 page is an opportunity to connect with a
visitor who has found themselves in the wrong place.
Why not turn an unfortunate click into a connections?

33. Opportunity: Custom 404 Page

34. Opportunity: Custom 404 Page

35. Questions/Discussion
• Michelle Ames, Marketing Diva
• Twitter: @michelleames
• SlideShare: slideshare.net/michelleames
https://wpfanatic.com/wcri/
At five feet tall, not
only do I believe that
little things can make a
big difference…I live it!