Erin, I'm a bit pressed at the mo, so I don't have time to sift down through the text of your rates page, but I wanted to say that I really like the look of the site. And 'wordslinger' awesome.
Two comments: It may just be my browser, and my aging eyes, but the text showed up super small. The grey is great (I use it as my text color as well), but the bulk of the extensive text is blurring together for me.
You could create some breaks by bolding important phrases and/or putting those lovely, big quote marks in a different color. Perhaps the fuschia of the testimonials tag.
This is important...you have two pages that talk about you and your background/abilities, which is critical, of course...but I don't immediately see why _I_ should put those abilities to use. For instance, am a harried coach who freezes when it comes to publishing my ideas? (why, yes, I am!) Could I use your help as a 'back-stop' to ensure accuracy and clarity in my web copy? (I bet I could).
It may be different in the editing/writing world, so others may have better wisdom, but landing on the first page, I would want your potential customers to know exactly why they should be your customers...and sadly, that has little to do with your background.
You could accomplish this with snappy case studies, (I did it for them, I can do it for YOU), top 5 things to look for in a great 'ghost', (you'll look great and they won't even seem me on your page), 5 mistakes non-writers make (play to their pain because we've all made those mistakes and are willing to pay to avoid them in future).
That sort of thing.
No, that's a good point, and I am still heavily working on those pages. I actually think I am going to transfer my first blog post on there to be the bulk of my home page, with a little tweaking.
This is exactly the type of feedback I need; thanks, bonny!
Ok, I re-worked the services and rates section. Take a gander, if you would, and let me know if what I have now id better, too much, just right. [link]
I love your descriptions of the services, it's very clear and will be helpful to customers who don't know quite what they want.
I notice that the text was a little small as well, but overall, I love it.
I actually think I am going to transfer my first blog post on there to be the bulk of my home page
My web person suggested this too. I've done it, and feel that it's good to have the fresh material...but I don't keep it fresh enough!
Must get on an effective schedule somehow.
Right now, I don't know if I can adjust text size or color of quote marks.
I probably could code it...but I could PROBABLY decode a bomb with a handbook too. That's something that will have to come in a bit, I think. Coding scares me, and I know almost nothing about it so far.
Vortex, thanks! I'm glad it was navigable and understandable.
Bonny, I'm going to try to be blogging at least once a week; the home page I plan on keeping static, but having an active blog not only keeps you more searchable, it pings people who have a RSS feed or are subscribed to your site.
For me, it will also be where I can showcase my writing skills in addition to the portfolio.
Erin, if you're willing to have Paypal keep a small percentage, a pro account with them (which I think is required for a business using Paypal anyway) will allow people to pay you using their credit cards.
I will have to look more into that. I thought I might need to do so; well, I will have to get the 2nd bank account set up, then.
Not a bad idea anyway - it doesn't even have to be formally a "business account" (which may have extra setup requirements and a different set of fees). Mine is a free one at one of the online banks. But knowing that I have one account, with its own debit card, through which all my biz $$$ goes, and connected to my PayPal is in-freakin'-valuable for my sanity and simplicity.
This thread is happy making. I'm toying with putting together a "Personal Assistant By The Hour" sort of thing.
In our new (shit) economy multiple income streams seems to be a good way to go -- so if I'm teaching ESL, accent coaching, pursuing (and hopefully getting) voiceover work, and consistently running errands, etc. for various busy well-paid New Yorkers I could do alright in the next few years.
I already checked at my bank and the Small Business account requires $15K. Um. I think I'll just be getting a regular one in my own name only, and that way, I can just transfer monies to our joint account for bills and such.
Trudy, I very seriously thought about focusing on VA (Virtual Assistant) work. People can make a very decent living, if they position themselves right.
Make sure you have a clear-cut business hours section; I've heard some crazy shit about people calling VA's at all hours, asking for such and such.
