Guest: Conference Speakers Ruth Thaler-Carter and Kathie York

It has become common wisdom that every freelancer or business owner needs a website to be found, vetted, and hired, but there’s more to it than throwing a site together and hoping for the best — you need a site that’s easy to use and makes the most of your skills and experience while building credibility and brand. Get the basics of why and how to create (or improve) a site, content and design essentials, and do/don’t-do examples, and also discover why websites aren’t just about bots and search engines.

Website content needs to grab attention before visitors click away. Learn how to set up your website whereby it encourages users to delve into the pages of your site.

Here’s what you can expect to learn in this class:

• How to make your website the best way for you to be found

• What domain names to purchase

• Identify the pages, information, and buttons to include on your website

• The value of ease of usability

• Design tips for your website

Duration: 1 hour, 52 minutes

Ruth E. “I can write about anything”® Thaler-Carter started Communication Central in 2006 to serve and bring together colleagues at all stages of their freelance careers. She is the author/publisher of “Get Paid to Write: Getting Started as a Freelance Writer”; author of the original “Freelancing 101: Launching Your Editorial Business” for the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) and co-author of the 2020 edition; and co-author of the 2020 edition of the EFA’s “Résumés for Freelancers.” She presents webinars and in-person sessions about freelancing, the basics of editing and proofreading, websites for freelancers, diversity, and related topics for the EFA, NAIWE, Cat Writers Association, ACES: The Society for Editing (she was one of the first ACES freelancers), Association Media & Publishing, Society of Professional Journalists, Writers and Books, International Association of Business Communicators, and other professional organizations, including the UK’s Chartered Institute for Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and Editors Canada.

Kathie York is a website usability expert who spent 30+ years working in IT as a tech writer/editor/proofer, software tester and trainer. She promises, “No confusing IT-speak during my presentation!” When she realized that she wanted to reach people on a friendlier, one-to-one level, it was time to become a freelancer. She is an experienced copywriter and certified software quality engineer with first-rate ideas for making work processes non-overwhelming and guiding colleagues to focus on their human website visitors. She knows that SEO gets people in the door, but the site owner must keep readers engaged to move them to “Yes.”