This month marks four years in business for me. There have been many growing pains, low points, oh-my-gosh-what-a-joy! moments, times I’ve been proud of my work and others when I’ve been disappointed I didn’t do something 5% better, so so much learning, and a lot of wonderful clients who let me be human, had faith in me, and supported my growth through all of these phases.
This is the year of getting my systems really dialed, being more clear about what I do and who I work with, and building more partnerships so I can serve my clients better.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me in the past four years! The support from my clients and my community is my delight this month. What’s delighting you this month?!
This Month’s Observation: Your branding matters.


We all know branding matters, but I love noticing when a brand really pulls me in or turns me away. Two examples came up this month.
First, Screamin’ Sicilian Pizza Co. — in search of a fast, easy dinner, I scanned the frozen pizza aisle. All the usual brands blurred together but this one stood out. It felt artisan, hand-crafted, family-owned. It was twice the price of the other frozen pizzas, but I loved the brown box and fun, creative drawings. Sadly it wasn’t good at ALL, but the box still got me to buy it. 🤪
Second, I have an incredible therapist that I recommended to a friend recently by sharing her website. Her website is really simple, but it has these lovely line drawings and a unique, artsy font (pictured above) used for her headings. The first time I saw her website, I thought YES! Unlike the pizza, she’s been absolutely wonderful. I might not have connected with her if she had a different, less compelling (to me) brand.
I work with a lot of businesses who skip the branding part of their business. They have a logo, and then they’re ready to get a website up. We can work together figuring out fonts, colors and graphic elements, but if you have the budget to work with a proper brand designer to create your brand holistically (not just your logo), that process can be worth its weight in gold.
If you’re not convinced how much branding matters, take note of what things you give a second glance to because of the colors, fonts, or graphics they use.
And while we’re talking branding… I just published a new blog post on how much branding you need to have figured out before you build your website.
Website & SEO Updates from Around the Web
An Accessibility Overlay Made This Website Unusable
My colleague Adam Lowe shared this video from a recent presentation showing how the UserWay overlay made a site less usable/accessible.
How to Maximize Ads on Meta to Generate More Leads
Another colleague Christie Osborne shared some tips on Meta (FB & IG) ads post-iOS14 update that changed the game. Read the full article.
Facebook login option removed from several big brands’ websites
Dell, Best Buy, Nike and others have removed the Facebook login option from their websites.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau Warns Ad Legislation Is Coming
We might eventually see federal legislation around privacy — not a bad thing IMO, but it’ll be interesting to see how it develops. Constant new legislation is the #1 reason I recommend Termageddon to my clients.
20+ Examples of Automated Confirmation Emails
I’m delighted by confirmation emails. They can go a long way in building trust with your clients/customers.
8 Things to Check Before You Optimize/Delete Old Content
If you have a lot of blog posts on your website, it’s worth reviewing your old content periodically.
Can I Do SEO On My Own and What Does It Involve?
A great overview of what goes into SEO if you’re considering DIYing it.