The Challenge of a new site for Author Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Author Lyn Miller-Lachmann had a rudimentary website that she had developed herself using Sandvox – a basic, a static html site. While it conveyed information about Lyn and her books, and allowed her to blog about the issues she cares about (including but certainly not limited to Portugal and LEGOs), it really did not showcase her or her work in a completely attractive way. Lyn had heard about GoatCloud as a result of the work we did for another author (thank you, Anita Sanchez, for passing word along!).
The Solution: A handsome, exceptionally functional website
After discussion with us, Lyn decided to go with a WordPress website. We really focused on look and feel and structure. Lyn wanted to bring all her old blog posts into the new site herself (she had familiarity with WordPress as a result of her working on other websites). With our assistance, she chose to go with a theme (a WordPress theme is the component providing the look and feel of a site) that really seems to suit Lyn well. It is handsome, logical and very functional.
Lyn’s new website contains the necessary security and performance software, of course, limiting the risk of hacking, and which improves performance for visitors (search engines like this too). We also optimized the site for search engines and made sure “redirections” were in place so that visitors clicking on old links would get to the new page, and not get the dreaded 404 (page not found) error. Our summer graphic artist intern, Jacqueline Gaul, designed a great looking new logo entirely in keeping with Lyn’s focus and interests.
We provided new links on the site making it easier for visitors to learn how to buy Lyn’s books, including at nearby independent booksellers.
We added links to the social media outlets Lyn cares about, especially Instagram.
We made sure the site looks great on screens of all sizes, including tablets and smartphones.
New site for Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Lyn is quite the do-it-yourselfer, so our training (a basic part of our development package) covered the bases of how to update software, back up the site, to add and modify content, and even to potentially monetize the website (tastefully), something that she may consider down the road (and which any other passionate blogger should consider!).
We frankly have loved working with Lyn. Our lives’ passions end up overlapping quite a bit. We can’t wait to see her online presence enhance her success as a writer! If you haven’t read her work, start doing so now!
