Hey Charleston!

Wingspan Marketing is a small WordPress Development company specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for businesses in the Charleston, SC area and beyond.

Since early 2007 I have been working with small businesses and non-profits to build a strong robust presence on the web. Here are a few of my past and present clients.

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New Site For Diamond Del

Diamond Del’s

There are certain sites that are just fun to work with. DiamondDel.com was one of them. The site was for a really unique business that was not only challenging but also provided an opportunity to develop some elements that I hadn’t had the opportunity to develop before.

The main idea of the site was to promote Diamond Del online to people who may not have an idea of what this company does. It is a little unique in that it is a field trip that comes to you. Teachers contact Diamond Del and then a representative works with that teacher to schedule the event. On the event day Diamond Del sets up a trailer on school property and the children simply walk into the trailer and begin learning a ton about gemology.

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November 5, 2011 in Blog, Wordpress Development with 0 Comments

Time To Sign For It, Finally

certificate

Today I finalized my paperwork for the State of South Carolina and officially became the “managing member” of Wingspan Marketing LLC located in Summerville, SC. WOOHOO!!!

It has been a crazy road so far to get to this point but I believe I’m ready to take this new challenge in my life. I have to say that credit is not do to me or anyone else but my Savior. I would have never made these decisions without Him guiding every step of the way. Sometimes it felt like He was smacking my legs to stay on track while others He seemed to be carrying me on His broad shoulders. Ether way, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that Wingspan Marketing LLC and every project it produces is only done because of a loving and caring God.

That being said, it was still an incredible feeling to walk into the bank today with my 4 year old, Matthew, and sign the paperwork to open up my business account. Proud, would be a good word to describe it.

In 2007, when I was asked by the Pastor to head up the website ministry I would have never dreamed that I would be doing web development full time.

I know many people have had their LLC since they were 3 and this really isn’t that big of a deal to them. That is just it though, it is a big deal to ME and my family. I can see how this will give me a platform to work from.

I feel as if I am wearing spikes for the first time on a wet golf course or cleats on a freshly watered soccer field. The traction that this paperwork seems to give me is just what I needed to take the next step.

Even bigger things are in the works than I had ever previously thought were possible.

November 2, 2011 in Analytics, Blog, Email Marketing, Hosting, Site Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Wordpress Development with 1 Comment

Structure Of A Good Article

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Good article writing starts with a sound structure. Anyone can write articles. Everyone has either an experience or an expertise that could help so many people.

Most leaders I know have expressed to me the desire to share this information through a blog or an email newsletter. They end up not doing anything because they just can’t seem to pin down what a good article looks like.

In the hopes of encouraging everyone to write, here are 3 key characteristics of good articles. I have noticed these 3 common traits on the most popular blog articles.

  1. A Solid Title – Every good article begins with a solid title. By solid I mean one that leads people to read the article not tricks people into it. Be creative but don’t be manipulative.

  2. 250-500 Words – I have yet to find anything worse than an article that takes 3,000 words to say 300 words worth of important information. There are some articles that require a long explanation, but overall, blog articles that succeed seem to always be below 500 words.

  3. Keep It Simple – The most effective blog articles are written on a very basic vocabulary. We all know you can use big words the right way. It’s impressive, (I mean that) but it usually distracts from your purpose. After finishing your article reread it and try to simplify your wording so that more people can understand what you are saying.
    If you have to use and uncommon word make sure you give a definition. The definition will help the reader understand what you are trying to say.


These are only three basic characteristics of good articles that I have witnessed. Of course, there are many exceptions to these but overall they really do describe the fundamental aspects of a good article.

Have you been waiting to write article for you business or personally? Give it a shot. Pick a good title, keep under 500 words, and keep it simple.

If you follow these three principles you’ll be well on your way to being an encouragement and influence to many people online.

What are some of the exceptions to these three characteristics?

February 10, 2011 in Blog, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Wordpress Development with 0 Comments

Why Choose WordPress To Power Your Website?

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There are many reasons to choose WordPress as your next platform for developing an online presence but I always emphasize one reason above all the rest.

Community makes the decision to choose WordPress easy. I know how important community is when developing a property online because I have experienced it but maybe your just starting out, or are just trying to find the best CMS for your business website. Either way, I’m going to give you three reasons to use WordPress because of the community around it.

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January 29, 2011 in Blog, Wordpress Development with 0 Comments

Foundations Of A New Website

Foundations of a new website

[This is the introduction to a series on going through some "Foundations Of A New Website". It is designed to help guide you through some of the fundamental questions you need to answer when you begin developing a new property online.]

When you develop an online presence, either from scratch or redesign, there are critical key aspects to consider at the beginning of the development process. These should be considered even before getting started with the new design.

It’s been stated over and over again that creating an online property is not a “build it and they will come” type situation. Most of the work of a successful web presence takes place after the “publish” button is pushed. But there are several things in the very beginning of the process that can make or break your success.

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January 28, 2011 in Blog, Site Optimization, Wordpress Development with 0 Comments

WordPress Tag Cheat Sheat

One of the incredible things about WordPress is the community that supports it. The WordPress codex is an incredble resource that has helped me out so many times over the past few years. I was searching through some of it today trying to find some help to an issue I was having.

Again, I was shown an example of the good people that provide quality resources to WordPress users. I just happened to stumble upon this handy dandy WordPress Cheat Sheet in .pdf format.It is a great starting point if you are trying to adjust some code or theme structure in your WordPress site. Not only does it hold some great information but it can give you a better idea of the big picture of how WordPress works. Here are the main headings in the Cheat Sheet…

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January 5, 2011 in Wordpress Development with 2 Comments