Blog - Spruce Web Design

Author Website vs. Social Media displayed on a laptop screen.

Author Website vs. Social Media: Which Do You Actually Need?

March 27, 2026

What if your entire audience vanished in a single afternoon? It happened in my town, and it can happen to your author platform, too. Your Author Platform is on Rented Land (and the Landlord is Fickle) I live in a

author working on their website, and receiving a 500 error

Why Listening is the Most Important Part of Web Design

March 20, 2026

Not every author needs a warhorse of a website. If your designer pushed you into a complex system just to justify a monthly maintenance fee, you’ve been handcuffed. Let’s talk about the designer fail that’s stalling your visibility. The Predatory

Books in a library in black and white. Text over that says Favorite Books - Feb 2026

My Top Reads of February 2026

March 12, 2026

I had a solid reading month in February. I’ve been trying to be more discerning with my TBR pile, but I still ended up with one mediocre friend recommendation and one absolute stinker that I hated. Public Service Announcement: Authors,

Image of journal on desk - window looking at the pacific ocean

Stop Renting Your Audience: Why Every Author & Speaker Needs an Offramp

March 4, 2026

Don’t let an algorithm change destroy your business. Learn why authors and speakers need an email list and website to ‘own their ground’.

Information Architecture for Authors: Why Your Website Needs a Plot

February 14, 2026

The “Creative Playground” Trap Your website shouldn’t strictly be an extension of your personality, where visitors are met with an ever-changing space and don’t know what to expect. Your website should follow certain rules. That doesn’t mean you can’t show

6 Social Media Mistakes You’re Probably Making (and how to fix them)

December 26, 2024

Stop wasting time on social media! Learn about 6 common mistakes that hurt your reach and engagement, plus simple fixes to boost your results.

Lifecycle of a Small Business Website

October 1, 2024

I’ve been thinking about the lifecycle of small business websites a lot lately. I’m currently doing a redesign for a client, and I’m planning my fourth iteration of my own business site in the past five years. While redesigning a

How Does AI Content Creation Work

January 13, 2024

Let’s look at how AI content creation works, and when we would want to use it. Let’s say we’ve done some work creating a calendar of content we want to create for social media. Maybe we have a blog post

How to batch your content for your business socials

How to Build a Content Plan in 5 Easy Steps

January 6, 2024

One of my goals this year is to get more social followers who want to learn how to improve their online presence. My social media pages have very few followers, and my email list is minuscule. So, I’m on a

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