Blog
Writing about web design, website development, content management systems, and running a business.
Craft CMS 3 Feature Tour
Craft CMS is a user-friendly content management system that allows you to create completely custom websites, and Masuga Design uses it frequently for client projects. Here's a look behind-the-scenes at what the CMS has to offer the content editor.
Deploying a Craft CMS Site with Gulp and DeployHQ's Automated Build and SSH Commands
Our method for coding Craft CMS sites allows us to generate local build files with source maps for development, and minifies and revs assets (and runs composer!) when deploying to production using Gulp and DeployHQ's automated Build and SSH commands.
How to Make Craft CMS Plugin Licenses Using the Craftnet API
Need to give away a free license for a commercial plugin in the Craft CMS Plugin Store? There is no GUI at id.craftcms.com to do this, so use the Craftnet API to easily generate license keys without a purchase.
How We Switched from Google Maps to Mapbox
With Google Maps' recent price hike, you may be considering switching to Mapbox. This post is a brief overview of how we made the switch for a client site.
Switching to Mapbox: the Less Expensive Google Maps Alternative
With Google Maps' recent price hike, many sites may face a massive cost increase. Mapbox is a less expensive, full-featured alternative to Google Maps. It may make your site look even better, too.
Keep it Brief. Life is not Email.
Life is short. It's amazing you're even here. Why are you spending so much of your time writing email?
Ask Qualifying Questions Early to Avoid Red Flag Prospects
I find red flags with potential prospects early by asking basic qualifying questions about timelines and budgets. Reading between the lines helps everyone move on before too much time is spent on a project that isn't an ideal fit.
Masuga’s Expensive Mistake: Our HubSpot Inbound Marketing Experiment (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our HubSpot Inbound Marketing Experiment, I share our experience over our first few months with HubSpot and our inbound marketing efforts, and how we eventually called it quits.
Masuga’s Expensive Mistake: Our HubSpot Inbound Marketing Experiment (Part 1)
In Part 1 of our HubSpot Inbound Marketing Experiment, I explain our decision to go all-in on HubSpot and the idea of inbound marketing to help our early 2016 revenue woes.
A Perfect Lull: What We Learned From An Extended Lean Time
Operating a small business can be difficult and unpredictable, with peaks and valleys that result in lean times. Over the past several months, we experienced a "perfect lull" in client work. Recognizing that we had a problem, we took four measures to fix it so that an extended lull in new work wouldn't jeopardize the business ever again.
