How to Share Photos 23 Mar 3:59 PM (25 days ago)
This doesn’t sound that difficult – we all know how to share photos in lots of different ways!
Well, let me be more specific. How do we share photos without reducing the quality or the size of the photos? Did you know that sending photos through Facebook or texting can actually “damage” a photo?
Photos directly off your DSLR camera, or even your cell phone, are huge files with lots of information. They do not zip through the internet quickly. Social media sites are successful because they have found great ways to take your monster camera files and smush them down in size and quality so they can zip through the internet – and don’t get me wrong, that is awesome! But putting those photos on a website after sharing on social – I’ll just say “ick”.
When it comes to websites, we need to be very careful how we handle pictures. We need them to look as good as possible. If someone with DHM, or another web designer, ever says to you that they need your “original photos” for their work, here is the way you can do it.
Side Note:
While uploading an image to Google Drive – even the free one – does not compress/shrink/damage your images, Google Photos has compression options that you need to set in order to avoid degradation of your images. Just use Drive, as I did in this video.
I’m sorry this video is a little rough. I admit, I needed this for two clients right away. . . .
Hope that helps!
Web Design for Horse Breeders: Five Common Mistakes 22 Jan 3:06 PM (2 months ago)
A well-designed website will give your potential customers a favorable impression of you, your business, and your horses. On the other hand, there are many issues that are likely to result in a negative perception or an unsatisfactory user experience, and still more that may cause the site to rank poorly in search engine results. Here are five of the most common design errors on horse marketing websites.
Cluttered User Interface
In a recent survey of over two hundred web design agencies, 84.6% of web designers named having a cluttered website design the most common mistake made by small businesses.
Some pointers:
- choose a clean, uncomplicated design.
- avoid decorative fonts.
- opt for a pared-back, coherent color scheme.
- use white space to create context and guide the viewer through the material.
- break up large blocks of text with graphics, space, bullets, or headings.
- use only very high-quality, relevant images.
Additionally, be sure to place a highly visible call-to-action button on the landing page and use a prominent navigation menu with five or fewer tabs. If your business needs more complex navigation, consider drop-down menus tabs.
Design Does not Work on Mobile
In the US, 63% of Google searches occur on mobile devices; three of every five users will be viewing your horses, projects, pedigrees, inventory, services and contact information on a mobile phone. However, 80% of viewers will stop engaging with content that does not display well on their device.
Opt for responsive website design. Responsive websites adjust their layout and content to adapt to the dimensions and resolution of different screen sizes. Users on mobile devices will not have to zoom, pan, and scroll excessively to see all the elements on the web page; they will be much more likely to stay on your site.
Inadequate Accessibility
Accessibility is a set of best practices that makes it easier for people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive limitations to understand and interact with a website. Not providing adequate accessibility features can be bad for business, bad for your image, and it is inconsiderate.
Do:
- include adequate alt text.
- provide keyboard input functionality.
- provide closed captioning with videos.
- avoid low-contrast colored typography and
- provide consistent navigation elements.
Be a good human. Provide sufficient accessibility.
Little or No SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of enriching web page content to make it more visible to search engines such as Google and Bing. SEO will help your website to perform better in search results, capturing a higher ranking and attracting more organic traffic. Organic traffic is visitors who find your site by searching for your horses as opposed to clicking on a paid advertisement. Compared to paid advertising, organic traffic is cost-effective, sustainable, and has a significantly higher click-through rate. You want as much of it as you can get.
To boost ranking, attract more traffic and to comply with Google’s guidelines:
- Provide adequate meta descriptions, alt tags, and a sitemap.
- Include a lot of keywords but use them rationally.
- Create high-quality, original content.
- Check to be sure that your navigation and links function correctly.
No Social Proof
Social proof on your website gives prospective clients confidence in your credibility. It helps you gain their trust. Social proof improves search engine ranking by confirming your expertise and authority and providing references for your reliability. Additionally, search engine crawlers see new social proof as updated content, which improves your SEO.
In conclusion, a well-designed website is critical for horse breeders to create a positive impression and attract potential customers. Avoiding common mistakes such as a cluttered user interface, poor mobile compatibility, inadequate accessibility, lack of SEO details, and absence of social proof can significantly enhance the user experience and improve search engine rankings. By implementing best practices in web design, horse breeders can ensure their websites are both functional and competitive in digital marketplace.
How to login to your WordPress website 15 Jun 2023 6:56 PM (last year)
Is my site WordPress?
Yes, your Digital Horse Marketing website is built in WordPress, the most popular software for building websites in the world. There are a lot of reasons we use WordPress and maybe someday we’ll write about some of them. But for today, we just want a quick tutorial on how to login to your site. After all, if you draw a blank on this step, it’s hard to get anything done! And that happens to everyone at some point.
Bookmark your admin dashboard
Remember bookmarks? All the different browsers have different ways of bookmarking a site. Whatever your favorite browser, just make a bookmark or a favorite for this address:
https://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/
If you aren’t logged in when you go to that address, you will be sent to the login page. If you are logged in, you will go straight to the admin dashboard. Slick, huh?
Type in your login credentials
You can use either your username or your email address which is great since it’s harder to forget your email address. Then, type in your password.
If you are working on your own computer, do yourself a big favor and check the remember me box. It will keep you logged in for up to two weeks. Saves clicks!
Notice that the login page will also let you reset your password if you forget it. Just be sure to make your WordPress passwords very strong – that’s important to keep your site secure!
Here’s a quick video of me logging into my site. You’ll see I have my site bookmarked in my bookmarks toolbar. You may also notice I use the Bitwarden password manager which beats the heck out of keeping them on sticky notes.
Get in and add those horses for sale!
How to write your About Us page for your horse industry website 17 Apr 2023 8:27 PM (2 years ago)
Creating an About Us page for your horse industry website is an important step in establishing a connection with your target audience. It is a great way to introduce yourself and your business, and to explain why you are the right choice for those looking for the horse and services you provide. In this article, we will look at why an About Us page is important, what to include in it, how to build it to suit horse industry readers, tips for writing an engaging page, and that final review before you publish.
Why an About Us Page is Important
An About Us page is essential because it provides potential customers with a better understanding of who you are and why you are the right choice for them. It is also an excellent chance to build trust and credibility while showcasing your expertise in the horse industry. Furthermore, it is an excellent opportunity to strengthen your brand identity and offer a more personalized experience to your customers.
We often find that customers would prefer to skip or minimize the importance of this page. Absolutely understandable! Who wants to write about yourself? And honestly, it is never the highest traffic page on a website. However, there are good potential customers out there who will not complete a big transaction with someone they can’t research a little. Those people will scour your About Us page before they write you a check. Don’t eliminate them before you get a chance to talk to them.
What to Gather Before You Start
Building a compelling About Us page is easier if you collect some information in advance. This should include a brief overview of the horses or services you offer, your operation’s mission and values, information about the team behind the business, and customer testimonials.
That gives you a good start at writing your page’s text. But appealing pages, as you know, include photos and videos because they are a powerful tool to make your page more engaging. Including images and videos can help to break up the text and make your page more attractive. We all like to see pictures of horses, don’t we?
We recommend using YouTube to upload your videos and then embedding them in your website. That approach takes a lot of load off your website server and gives you the advantage of your video being searchable on YouTube as well. Plus, it’s free!
Now you have a good list of the items to collect before you sit down to build your About Us page. Like so many things, building this page will be easier if you do a little preparation first. DHM customers get lots of help collecting this information and putting it all together.
Tailoring Your About Us Page to the Horse Industry
When developing an About Us page for the horse industry, of course it is crucial to include information specific to our industry and your niche in it. Include your experience and qualifications, any awards or recognitions you have received, and any affiliations you may have with industry associations. You could also highlight anything unique about the horses, services or whatever else you sell. Are your horses handled daily but unaccustomed to herd life? Or have they grown up with plenty of room to be a horse but less human interaction? If you stand stallions, do you offer exceptional facilities? Or do outside mares enjoy your lush pastures? This is a great place to set your potential customers’ general expectations.
Writing Your Engaging About Us Page
When you sit down to write your page, you are aiming for an informative and easy to read page. To achieve this, use a conversational tone, and make sure to include stories, anecdotes and other interesting facts. Additionally, focus on the customer, and make it easy for them to contact you. Think of some of your favorite customers and write like you are talking to them.
Start with a compelling introduction. The first few sentences of your About Us page should grab your reader’s attention and make them want to learn more. Starting with a story about your horse operation is a good way to start.
Every horse breeder has their own unique approach to selecting mares and stallions. Use your About Us page to share your goals and explain how it sets you apart from other breeders in the industry and your niche. If you are a trainer, explain why your training makes you different.
Reviewing Your About Us Page and Hitting Publish
After writing your About Us page, you should analyze it to ensure it is effective. Read through it carefully, verifying that all information is accurate and up-to-date. Additionally, check for any spelling and grammar mistakes and ensure that the tone remains consistent throughout.
Now is a good time to review the SEO for your page. Have you used your keywords appropriately or should you add a few for more clarity? Write your SEO Title and Meta Description. If you are a DHM customer, we provide a great tool to help with SEO items, social media previews, and general writing metrics.
Before publishing your page, review it one last time to ensure that it meets all of your requirements. Lastly, update your page regularly to ensure that it remains relevant.
In conclusion, creating an effective About Us page is a great way to connect with your audience and build their trust in you. Your page should include a brief description of your horses and services, information about the team behind the business, customer testimonials, and any awards or recognitions you have received. Be sure to use some great photos and videos. Don’t forget to review it one last time before you hit publish.
Why Facebook is not good enough 4 Apr 2023 4:34 PM (2 years ago)
It’s easy to think Facebook is good enough. Many breeders, trainers, marketers have built good businesses on Facebook and there is no doubt it should be an important piece of your social media marketing. However, Facebook’s rules ban selling live animals. Usually, they don’t enforce the bans but on occasion they do. All it takes is for someone to turn you in and an important post or, worse, your entire business page, will be taken down.
Your website presents a professional image
Even if you can live with that risk, you are better off using Facebook as an adjunct to your own website. A website presents a more professional, serious, long term and committed appearance to your potential customers. You control what appears where and in what order it appears. The parts you need to be permanent stay that way – no mysterious algorithm controls what shows up where. Facebook pushes important information, like that about your stallions, down in favor of those cute barn dog photos. On your website, your stallion’s page remains in the same place.
Speaking of the algorithm, don’t forget that your business page doesn’t show up in people’s feeds enough to be very helpful. It used to, but they changed that because they want you to buy ads to “boost” your business posts.
In short, you own your website. You do not own Facebook. You don’t even have a good lease.
Use Facebook to drive traffic to your website
Frankly, Facebook or a self-serve website builder will work well enough for some people. And without a doubt, Facebook is an important broadcasting system as part of a overall digital marketing system. Most horse industry businesses should have a presence on Facebook. (You don’t have to like it, but you should probably use it.) We will teach you to use Facebook without being consumed by Facebook. You will learn to make Facebook posts that drive traffic to your website.
You own your domain name and your content on your own website. If you want to move it, we’ll move it or we’ll provide the files to your new developer. It’s yours, you control what you say about your operations and your horses. We encourage you to say “horses for sale” all over your site!
While Facebook is undoubtedly an important piece of your social media marketing, relying solely on it can expose your business to unnecessary risks. With your own website, you present a more professional appearance, have more control over your content, and reduce the risk of having your marketing platform taken down. Consider investing in a website for your horse breeding operation today, and let us help you take the first steps towards digital horse marketing success.
How to Post Your Horse for Sale to Facebook 18 Jan 2023 10:01 AM (2 years ago)
Let’s face it. Facebook and it’s annoying ban on selling live animals is frustrating. Everyone sells their horses on FB but no one admits it.
Build your horse for sale post
You’ll have exact directions in your site Help. Just look for Publishing Help toward the top of that big menu along the side in your Dashboard.
Take great photos
Yep, we say that all the time. And yes, decent photos are better than none. And yes, we’ll talk about horse photos a lot. But this step requires an additional photo at 1200 x 630. If you use the wrong size, or more specifically the wrong ratio, Facebook will crop it and of course you’ll have no control. Here’s some photos that I took, cropped for what seemed like excellent reasons and what FB would do to them. In other words, try to get one eye catching pic and upload in this ratio. Even if the one you use in your post is this same photo cropped differently, you’ll need one that is the 1.91 to 1 ratio. Yeah, just think 2 to 1, over 1200 pixels wide, and with some room on the edges for random-seeming cropping.
Don’t forget the Search and Social displays
You need to fill this section out on every post. Really, yeah it seems like a pain when you are trying to get a bunch of colts on your site late at night or early before work. But it’s how you influence what Google figures out about your page and how it displays it.
Importantly, this section is also how you can control the display on Facebook. And that’s necessary because FB doesn’t allow horse sales. Your FB post needs to drag people away from there so you can explain on your own site why the horse is for sale and give a price if you want to.
This screenshot shows how to find the Yoast SEO section of your Post Editor. It is a little hidden but not hard to find once you know how important it is. By the way, Yoast is the brand name of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plugin we use. There are other good ones out there and they should all allow you to do the same things.
Once you have that side panel showing, click on the “Search appearance” item. A modal will pop up – that just means a pop up box. It will let you suggest to Google what you think your page should look like to searchers. I say suggest because Google might decide to write it’s own description for you. That is frustrating but this is so important that we need to take the time to do it all as good as we can anyway.
Use your keywords. Keep an eye on the preview so you don’t use too many characters or words. You want keywords in both the SEO Title and the Meta Description. That helps Google figure out it should display your site. Then of course you want your preview to appeal to humans that want to buy a horse like yours. You have to make the photo and the text appealing to humans so they click!
Key point here! Do not change the Slug on his screen unless you really know what you are doing. Changing that actually changes the URL or address of the page. That is almost always a mistake from an SEO standpoint. I really wish they would let me disable that option.
Post your horse for sale to Facebook
Yay! Now comes the easy part. This is all about the prep and once it is done, this is easy.
Go to your Facebook Page. Make sure you are posting as your Page. Then all you have to do is Write an intro bit about the horse and paste in the link.
You’ll see the information you posted in the Yoast SEO section pulls up on the Facebook post. Slick, huh? Beats the mess Facebook can make when you let it choose!
Below the screenshot you’ll see a quick video of the process.
Why you need a website to sell horses 17 Jan 2023 8:22 PM (2 years ago)
As a horse breeder, you take pride in the quality of your horses. Does your website showcase your horses the way they deserve? Or could a well-designed website help you achieve more success? Have you tried building your own site but are either unhappy with the results or it’s looking a little dated because it was built long ago and updating it is difficult?
In today’s digital age, having a website for your horse breeding operation is not just an option, but a necessity for most breeders and trainers. It can help you showcase your horses, services, expertise, and accomplishments to a broader audience, helping you grow your business.
Advantages of websites for horse breeders and trainers
Here are just a few reasons why you should have a website for your horse breeding operation:
- Increased Visibility: By having a website, you can increase your visibility and reach a larger audience. Potential customers can easily find your website through search engines and social media and learn more about your breeding operation when they click through to your site.
- Improved Credibility: A well-designed website can help establish your credibility and professionalism. It can highlight your expertise and accomplishments and provide testimonials from satisfied customers. Your website can help establish trust and help a prospective customer decide if your horses are what they are looking for or not.
- Content Control: With a website, you have all the room you need to detail your horses for sale and stallions at stud and to do it with the use of a solid, logical site structure. Visitors can find everything they want easily. Additionally, search engines can understand that site structure and those horse details. For example, if people are searching for specific bloodlines and you have carefully formatted pedigree tables rather than photos of registration papers on your site, they might find you.
- Customer Engagement: A website can also help you engage with your customers and build relationships with them. You can provide valuable updates about your breeding operation, and news and events. Newsletter signups can be a valuable communication channel. Contact forms protect you from spam and give people an easy way to email you. You can also spell out the best ways to reach your team.
- Competitive Advantage: Finally, having a website can give you a competitive advantage in the horse breeding industry. It can help you stand out from other breeders and attract more customers. Since most people research online before making a purchase, you want to make it easy to find out about you and your horses.
Overview of building a website
Now that you understand the benefits of having a website, you might be wondering how to get started. Building a website can be overwhelming, especially for those who lack technical skills. Here is a very bra broad of the steps you’ll take to build a website and establish a strong online presence:
- Define the Purpose and Goals of the Website: Before starting, it is essential to define the purpose and goals of the website. Horse business owners need to consider what they want their website to achieve, whether it is to increase sales, attract new customers, or provide information about their horses or services. Once you have decided your purpose and goals, you determine the website’s structure, design, layout, and features that align with your goals.
- Choose a Website Software Platform and a Hosting Provider: After defining the website’s purpose and goals, you need to decide how and where you will build your site. The software you use to build your site is particularly important. (We should write an entire article on that.) There are several options, each has advantages and limitations. Some can produce professional looking websites, and all can be used to make amateur looking sites. Hosting providers are companies that provide the technology and services needed to make the website available on the internet. Some hosts specialize or provide website building software, so you need to choose that first. You should choose a quality hosting provider that offers reliable services, fast loading times, and excellent customer support. Hosting is truly a “get what you pay for” service.
- Collect Your Materials: You will need photos, pedigrees, and a lot of text about your horses and your operation. Be sure to optimize your photos so they load fast on websites. Decide what will be the easiest way for you to write – that might be inside your website, typing in Word or Google Docs, with a pencil and paper, or even by talking to your phone or your computer and having it take notes. Use what you are comfortable with and what is most efficient.
- Use Attractive Design Elements: When designing your website, focus on attractive design elements that support your brand. Use high-quality, but optimized images and videos, and choose a color scheme that reflects your branding.
- Plan for User-Friendly Navigation: Design the navigation for your website in advance to make sure it is easy to navigate and user-friendly. Visitors should be able to find the information they need quickly and easily. For example, your About Us page should be prominently in your header navigation.
- Design and Develop the Website: Once you have your software platform and host, you can start designing and developing the website. Be sure that the website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines. In addition, your website should be responsive, meaning it looks good on all devices, including computers, tablets, and smartphones.
- Optimize for SEO: Finally, optimize your website for search engines to increase your visibility and attract more customers. Use relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags, and double check that your website is mobile-responsive.
In conclusion, having a website for your horse breeding operation is essential in today’s digital world. Can you afford not to have a professional website for your horse business? A site can help you increase your visibility, establish your credibility, engage with customers, and gain a competitive advantage.
Yes, building or rebuilding your website can be a daunting task but it is worth it. If you would prefer to focus on the content on your site rather than the technical details, have a look at what we can do for you. Or, if you are ready to get started, choose the plan that is right for you. If you don’t see the perfect service package for you there or need a custom site, drop us an email.