Web & WordPress Resources – new

Web Designer

Thank you for taking the time to visit Websites by d’Zign, serving Santa Cruz, Port Townsend, Seattle, Port Angeles, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, and all areas in the U.S.

I realize that you don’t know anything about me, and it’s hard to trust a stranger through cyber space. There are plenty of great web designers out there, and you need to find one you feel you can trust and work well with. So I’ve included a little bio for starters. You never know how well you will enjoy working with someone until you start the work, but I’ll try to take some of the mystery out of it before you choose. Get a little more info > >.

Recent Web Design and Website Redesign Projects

With the announcement of Beverly Donofrio’s new book, Astonished: A Story of Evil, Blessings, Grace, and Solace, I refreshed her author website.

Google fonts and redesigned buttons to buy her books gave her website simple and elegant touches, for an air of newness, without doing a complete website redesign.

“Lynn gave me a beautiful, informative website, easy on the eyes and graceful to behold!”

– Beverly Donofrio, author, “Riding in Cars with Boys”

I have resurrected my WordPress blog, which includes web design tips and tricks, suggestions, and recommendations, plus travel and other assorted paraphernalia. I had originally used a more colorful WordPress theme, but decided to go with what I like best: clean and simple, letting the content stand out. I hope you can find some web design ideas and helpful articles on Web Travels.

Santa Cruz Pilates studio, Body in Motion, moved to the WordPress platform to be able to update their pages directly. At the same time they wanted a fresh look, including a slideshow. Body in Motion Santa Cruz Pilates studio offers Basi Pilates Teacher Training, Xtend Barre, and more.

Redwood Coast Landscaping is a landscape construction company that has been serving the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. They upgraded their site from a corporate template to something more professional, with more attentive customer support. They got all that, and free hosting, too.

I balance out my virtual–world work with real–world work as a Pet Sitter in Port Townsend (near Seattle) with my friend, “Aunt Jane.” We bring home, office, and pet sitter services to Port Townsend, Sequim, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, and other Olympic and Kitsap Peninsula areas.

This Web Design is for my Pet Sitter in Santa Cruz website, for when I visit California. At this time I am offering free house sitting, and dirt–cheap pet sitter services while staying in Santa Cruz. If you think you might need these services, please check out my Pet Sitter website for more information.

What You Get:

• You own your website
• You are the official Registrant of your domain name
• Free xml sitemap
• Inserting your content, upload to your web host, and test functionality
• Personalize one banner/main image of the design
• Read the full list and descriptions.

Santa Cruz & Port Townsend Web Developers

If you’re passionate about code and web design/development, whether for business or a hobby, you’re invited to meet with our Web Developers group.
The Santa Cruz group began the summer of 2008 and meet once a month to connect with other like–minded folks. Presenters speak on a variety of subjects such as HTML, CSS, typography, etc. Go to our Santa Cruz Web Developer MeetUp site to find out when and where we’re meeting. Our Port Townesend group is new and still in the stage of defining itself. Find out more on our Port Townsend Web Developer site. We invite web designers and developers from Sequim, Port Angeles, and the surrounding areas, if you are willing to travel.

Web & WordPress Resource List

This list of resources was put together for the wonderful people who show up for the WordPress Workshop that I help Nate Malmgren with in Port Townsend. I thought you, my visitors, may find it helpful also. It comes from years of research and experimentation. I will try to create more formal resource pages in the future, maybe with full reviews, but for now I hope this helps you.

WEBSITE HOSTING

iPage

They have the best introductory deals! And they have an easy–to–use interface. They suggest using their Akamai upgrade to speed up your site. Be sure to read the fine print.

Go to iPage website

BlueHost/HostMonster

I have had good customer support with them.
BlueHost website

EMAIL MARKETING

Vertical Response
No Monthly Fees — Pay as You Go.

Some pay only $15 a year. Why pay full price when you don’t have to?
Go to Vertical Response website

DOMAIN REGISTRAR

NameCheap

You need a domain name in order to have a website. I find that NameCheap is the least expensive, especially for Privacy Protection (Privacy protects your address, phone number and email from scrapers and spammers)—usually under three bucks. You do not need to purchase your domain and hosting from the same company, in fact you may want to try iPage for hosting.
NameCheap website

STOCK PHOTOS, GRAPHICS, VIDEO, AND AUDIO

iStock Photo

www.istockphoto.com

WORDPRESS THEMES

Weaver II Pro

This is what I usually use to build WordPress websites and blogs.
Weaver II Pro website

StudioPress

This is another option for a WordPress theme. It costs more than Weaver II Pro, but they have prebuilt themes that are professional and slick, if you don’t want to take the time to design your own. I’m looking forward to using them one day. Suggestion: with this, as with most themes, if you choose a theme from here, be sure you like it the way it is. It may take more work and/or money to customize the basic structure.
StudioPress website

PLUGINS FOR WORDPRESS

Most plugins can be imported into Wordpress through the menu system on the left—this is the easiest way:
> Plugins
> Add New
Search using the titles below, and use the names below (when available) as reference to know that you’re getting the right plugin.

Easy Theme and Plugin Upgrades

Chris Jean or chrisbliss18
This is required to update Weaver II Pro.
Easy Theme and Plugin Upgrades website

Google XML Sitemaps

Arne Brachold
This is needed for google to find your website and pages more easily and quickly.
Google XML Sitemaps website

Fast Secure Contact Form

Mike Challis
Good product and a good guy. I use FSCF almost exclusively on both HTML and WordPress websites.
Fast Secure Contact Form website

Meteor Slides

Recommended by Weaver II Pro.
Meteor Slides website

NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery website

Portfolio Slideshow

Recommended by Weaver II Pro.
Portfolio Slideshow website

Login Security Solution

Daniel Convissor
Developer’s description: Requires very strong passwords, repels brute force login attacks, prevents login information disclosures, expires idle sessions, notifies admins of attacks and breaches, permits administrators to disable logins for maintenance or emergency reasons and reset all passwords.
Login Security Solution website

Spam Free WordPress

Free version to replace Akismet.
Spam Free WordPress website

Please keep in mind that plugins and other programs and products change. I have done my best to find quality, low–cost items. Please see my Privacy and terms page for more information.

Affordable Web Design, Website Redesign, and Website Maintenance for Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, Port Townsend, Sequim, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, Seattle. Profiles: Thumbtack, WDD.

Affordable Email Marketing

Not Ready to Hire a
Web Developer?

Need a Referral?

Need skills or a style different than what I offer? I’m more than happy to refer one of my colleagues. Email me for a customized list.

• graphic design
• IT and hosting engineering
• Software development
• Startup development
• Drupal, JS, JQuery
• Apps (Mac & Android)
• Marketing
• Social Networking
• Copywriting
• and more

Just pop me an email with what you are looking for, and I’ll send you a list of professionals who specialize in what you need. Email me.

Port Townsend Resources