100 Billion Reasons to Use WordPress

100 billion stars

100 Billion Stars on WordPress

The universe is absolutely amazing. When one considers the incomprehensible size of it…..the billions of galaxies, many of them containing billions of stars it can make you stand in awe or drive you crazy thinking about it. Pascal wrote,

I see the terrifying spaces of the universe that enclose me, and I find myself attached to a corner of this vast expanse, without knowing why I am more in this place than in another, nor why this little time that is given me to live is assigned me at this point more than another out of all the eternity that has preceded me and out of all that will follow me.

But I digress….this a website about WordPress, right? About websites, right? About the mundane, right? Well, yes. The internet is vast, and though quite small in comparison to the universe, nonetheless by our standards…..it does have an immensity all its own.

Melissa, the creative behind 100 Billion Stars, wanted to move from Blogger to a real website, but with over 400 posts, a following, established search results, over a 1000 images….the task seemed a little daunting. And…….drum roll  please….that’s where I come in.

Here’s something obvious that I’ll state anyway…..you’re going to have problems….in life as well with your website, your email, your computer and even your trusty toaster. That’s not the issue, the issue is how will you handle them? With a website, if you’re not familiar with them, a problem that will take you an hour to solve, will take me a few minutes…..not because I’m so freaking great….but because I do this everyday….it’s my job. And in the case with Melissa, a problem that took me an hour to solve might have taken her……well, a lot longer.

We had some code, some good code, but it didn’t address our particular issue. With a little recoding of that code by me Melissa is on her way without a lot of headaches. Now she has time to check out those 100 billion stars and leave the mundane to me.

The 100 billion reasons to use WordPress? Well, let’s begin:

  1. ……

Portland Interior Designer Website

Anita had a website. Wasn’t happy with it. I’d heard the story before. Money spent. Not satisfied. More money….no satisfaction….it’s a sad tale….but in this town….it’s a common one.

Interior Designs, Designed exclusively for youHer current website was old and not easy for her to update. She wanted a new one….but she didn’t have a lot a money to spend….I can work with that. This is a tough town. I know, I live here too.

This would only work if the design and colors could be changed to her liking. That’s where I come in. I’m a web programmer. I solve problems, I get results.

I told her I could help her and the price…..well, the price wouldn’t cost her any sleepless nights, let’s just start with that. The deal was settled over the phone. She sent me down payment and I got started.

I don’t always work alone. I have contacts. Been doin’ this awhile. Mr. WordPress said he could help us out…..I trust him….we’ve been doin’ business together for a long time. What happened? Well, let’s just say that old web site is history…..that’s all you need to know.

New Site for an Insurance Consultant

This client doesn’t have a website and has been putting it off, she says, for the last six months even though she knows she needs one. As an Insurance consultant she’s not so much interested in getting business off the internet, but she does want a website she can send people to for general information to save her time.

She also wants to have control over what people see if they search her name on the internet. Here’s a nice little test: search your name and/or company in Google or any major search engine. Do you like what comes up? If so, you’re good. If not, a website that you have control over is a great answer.

This site will be launching in the next week or so…..

Morris & Giacinti LLP Website Launches

Morris & Giacinti Original Website

The Old Morris & Giacinti Website

Morris & Giacinti LLP had a one page website that needed to be updated. Attorneys Suzanne and Nicole wanted something that they could update themselves, something they could blog with and something good for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). They didn’t have a lot of money to spend. WordPress was a perfect fit.

The Artisteer templates didn’t fit what they wanted, but they could not afford custom design and customized implementation of that design into WordPress.

Morris & Giacinti New WordPress Website

The New Morris & Giacinti WordPress Website

One of the things that I love about WordPress is its versatility. While reading one of my trade magazines I came across a WordPress theme that I thought would work for Morris & Giacinti. There are literally thousands and thousands of WordPress themes out there. Some are free, some you have to pay for. This theme cost about a hundred dollars.

Once the theme was installed I tweaked it to Suzanne’s and Nicole’s specifications: added a new header with image logo searchable by search engines, new image heading on home page, dual sidebars (one for regular pages one for their blog) along with CSS changes throughout (this affects letter-spacing, font-colors, etc).

The result is a clean, professional looking website. WordPress comes through again.

Conways’ Tennis WordPress Website Launches

They liked the design, but they wanted a site they could update themselves. This site was built without Artisteer. Although Artisteer is a great program, it really only fits a particular set of needs. If you have more complicated needs I can handle those too. I took the present design of the site and integrated it into WordPress. This gives the owners of Conways’ Tennis the ability to add and change content, add photo galleries, add new pages and generally take control of their website.

The Old Website

The Old Website

The New Website

The New Website

BNI Synergy Network Website Launches

BNI Synergy Network Website

BNI Synergy Network New WordPress Website

BNI needed a new website and needed it quickly and at minimal expense. As with all the sites listed here, Artisteer made website building process quick and efficient.

The new site can handle as many pages as they want, can be updated themselves, is good for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and if they get tired of this look they find free themes or pay for themes if they wish.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money for a great website. Contact me (Glen) at Sweet Thursday Web Development if you have any questions (619.303.3796).

Alan’s Music Center Website Launches

The new Alan’s Music Center WordPress website has launched.

Alan Music Center Old Website

Old Website

The New Alan's Music Center Website

The New Alan's Music Center Website

Great Hands 4 U Launches

Great Hands 4 U Old Website

Great Hands 4 U Old Website

David Neff is a massage therapist. He’s had his site, GreatHands4U.com for quite awhile. It was built with tables and the design of the site was outdated. However, like a lot of people in this economy David didn’t have a lot to spend. Once again Artisteer, WordPress and Sweet Thursday Web Development make the perfect solution. read more »

Need an Inexpensive Website?

Sweet Thursday Web Development One-Day Website: White Six

There are times when you need to pay a fair amount of money for a web site. Maybe you own a large company, maybe you need highly customized design or programming or maybe you’re looking for an ecommerce website.

But there are times when you shouldn’t. Let’s face it, sometimes you just can’t spend the money. Maybe you’re a struggling small business, maybe it’s just a hobby web site or maybe it’s just not feasible for your budget. read more »