In this special multi-part series, we will be exploring the great mystery of Search Engine Optimization.  With practical tips and real world examples, we will help you fine tune your search engine optimization strategy using WordPress and the iThemes’ Builder theme.

Now is a great time to join us at WebDesign.com.

For the past couple of months he’s been teaching part-time while we tried to build momentum to hire him full-time.

I hope many in our existing WebDesign.com community realize the commitment and investment we’ve made asking Benjamin to join our team and focus solely on WebDesign.com training.

I’ve been on many of his courses (which include his two-day WordPress developers course that is currently in the WebDesign.com premium library) and have been amazed at his practical teaching style and have learned some things myself!

As you might know, we are one company and one team with three brands: WebDesign.com, iThemes, and PluginBuddy. We originally met Benjamin as one of our early customers, who urged me to start some sort of an All Access Theme package at iThemes and got to know him more at our iThemes Dallas Bootcamp in January. He’s got thorough knowledge of our iThemes and PluginBuddy products and done several seminars and courses on them already.

In the next couple of weeks, you’ll be seeing more webinars and premium courses scheduled as Benjamin and I seek to add more and more value to our existing 65+ hours of training in our WebDesign.com membership.

The best is yet to come!

Here’s some notes about Benjamin ….

Benjamin was the International Business Development Director for GarageGames.com and was instrumental in its acquisition by IAC in 2006. He also worked as the Vice President of an international non-profit responsible for training NGOs around the world in the proper uses of technology. This included the largest micro-finance organization in India.

Benjamin is also a successful entrepreneur and has a wealth of knowledge in WordPress and Drupal that he brings to our WebDesign.com team and members.

We also have a couple fun facts about Benjamin …

• He has traveled through over a hundred countries and was born in Karachi, Pakistan.
• He was struck by lightning while watching Stephen Segal’s “Marked for Death” in a mountain cabin.
• He has recorded several musical albums with some bands out of Nashville and toured throughout the South.

Learn more about Benjamin, including some more fun facts, at his personal website: BenjaminBradley.com.

And be sure to sign up for a free trial of the WebDesign.com membership here!

Cory and Brad will walk through how to use PluginBuddy Mobile to easily create a mobile-ready versions of your site, including live demonstrations of creating mobile versions of some pretty cool and famous sites!

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/518100906

• Finetuning your WordPress Back Up Strategy
• Creating a Mobile Version of Your WordPress Site
• BuddyPress for Dummies Webinar with Lisa Sabin-Wilson
• Builder Theme for Beginners Course
• Creating Stunning Blog and Website Headers
• Convert Your Website to Builder
• Social Media Consulting
• and more!

Please check out our entire calendar and details by visiting the EVENTS PAGE and to sign up for the FREE WEBINARS you would like to attend. All webinars and courses will be recorded and available to the annual WD Members.

>>If you don’t already have a WD Membership, check out all the great details and benefits today!

Course Description:

The WD Consultant and Business Course addresses the important information for entrepreneurs wanting to become a Web Design Consultant or who are starting and building web design businesses.  This class will provide over 20 years of valuable experience in the web and graphics media industry.

Course Dates:

Session One will take place on Saturday, May 22 and Session Two will be scheduled for Saturday, June 12.

Fees and Recordings:

The WD Consultant / Business Course is free for all WebDesign.com Annual Members and it will be recorded and offered as a part of that membership. If you are not a WD Member, you can sign up here to get this course and all the others: http://webdesign.com/training/

Certification:

Upon completing the course, WD Members will have the opportunity to become WD Certified for the additional fee and by taking the certification test. For more information on WD Certification, please click here for more info.

Webinar Links:

Once you are signed up as a WD Member you will be able to access the webinar links in our member’s forum as well as be e-mailed with the information.

The session for next week, May 22nd, is still on and we will do the Session 1 material then and possibly go all day to cover both sessions.  New details and information will be mailed out by Monday.

Thank you for your understanding!

The upcoming courses include:

• BluePrint Basics (WordPress Websites) : Friday, May 14th
• WD Consultant Course : Saturday, May 15th and 22nd (Two Part Course)
• Builder BootCamp (Advanced) : Saturday, June 5th

We’re also providing a bunch of FREE WEBINARS including:

• Plug In Focus (Widget Logic) : Monday, May 17th
  
• Pricing Your Work and Your Worth : Thursday, May 20th
• Helping Your Clients Understand Websites : Friday, May 28th

Check out our WebDesign.com events page to sign up for your FREE webinars (space is limited) and to get the times for each one of these events.

And if you get signed up for the WD ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP you’re going to get all of those new classes as a part of your yearly membership!!!  You’ll be saving some dough and getting premiere training that is going to be awesome.

You may be coming to this website and are wondering which lane you should take?  You might be asking questions as to how to arrive at your destination quicker.  Well, I will try and put on my best impersonation of a sexy female computer voice and help you by recalculating… recalculating… recalculating…

Our first stop is to encourage everyone to sign up for FREE.  Why? Because once you sign up we will send you information on how to access several quality hand-selected training videos/courses for you to watch.  No obligation.

Our second stop in our journey is the WebDesign.com membership.  We have compiled an incredible wealth of industry knowledge and practical experience and have wrapped it all up into informative and educational courses.  Learn how to start your own freelance company. Wrap your brain around project management to increase your productivity and efficiency. Harness the power of WordPress to build your next website. Scale the mountain to career stardom.  The greatest feature about the WebDesign.com membership is that content and classes are constantly being added to the membership.  It only costs $397/year to join the WebDesign.com membership. Over $4,000 worth of class value (and growing) is at your fingertips for only $397.

Our third stop are the brand new certifications.  As it says on the certification page:

The WebDesign.com Certification is for the serious entrepreneur, designer, or developer who wants to invest in their skills, build their business profits, and have a powerful brand name backing them up in the market place.

What this really means is that if you are serious and are ready to set yourself and your business apart from all the other developers, consultants, educators, then this is the direction for you.  Not only will you experience live training events focused on preparing the participants for a successful career, you will be part of a community of entrepreneurs who are striving to succeed.  As Cory Miller likes to say, “When I go into a gas station, I want to see the credentials on the wall that this engine repair guy has received training and isn’t going to mess up my car.”

Once a participant completes the certification course and passes the practical examination, they will have the weight and powerful brand of WebDesign.com behind themselves and their business.  The WebDesign.com certification enables individuals to take their skills sets to a higher level to stand above the crowd.  Each certification (Developer, Consultant, Designer) costs only $1,000 and includes the live class events, testing fees, and access to marketable white-label assets and more.

The helpful aspect of a GPS is that a GPS is constantly being updated with road conditions, route changes, and even weather conditions.  WebDesign.com is like that GPS.  We are constantly keeping an eye on the web design road and what is coming down the road ahead.  We know where many of the pitfalls are located and what tools you need in your toolbox to succeed.  Because of this knowledge-base that WebDesign.com brings to the site, members are constantly being prepared with accurate (not out of date) information and tools to take full advantage of opportunities that are out their on the road to success.

So…

Step #1 – Sign up for FREE

Step #2 – Join the Membership

Step #3 – Achieve the Certification(s)

Step #4 – SUCCESS!!!

And as my beloved GPS would say, “You have arrived at your destination.”

1. WebDesign.com University is now simply WD Membership. Our company will always be a membership-based business and this is our core focus.  We believe it makes better sense to continue to brand our name and not the University concept.  All of the benefits and great instruction will remain in this membership.

2. WD Certified Partners. We are in the process of developing course tracts that will allow individuals the opportunity to become certified in specific skill sets. The certification has many tangible benefits (please read them here) and while the actual certification is an additional fee, the courses will be made available to everyone who has a WD Membership.  We felt this will be great training that everyone can benefit from regardless if you seek certification or not.

3. More Courses and Webinars. Now that we have our foundation set, you can expect more stand-alone courses and free webinars to be a regular offering of WebDesign.com.  This is just one great reason we’ve partnered with Benjamin Bradley recently.

4. A New Website: We will be unveiling a brand new website design in the next month.  This has been in the idea stage for a while and we can’t wait to give our own website a complete overhaul.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your continued support and feedback!  We really appreciate all of you and the time you have invested with us.

Thursday, March 25th: We will offer a free preview webinar to give more details about our WD Certified Program and to answer questions you might have about certification.  You can register for free by clicking here.

Saturday, March 27th: Benjamin Bradley will offer a free preview webinar specifically about the WP Developer Certification course and will answer questions you have about this program.  You can register for free by clicking here.

Thursday, April 1st: James Dalman will offer a free preview webinar specifically on the WD Consultant Certification course and requirements.  He will answer your questions about this program.  You can register for free by clicking here.

Thursday, April 15th: James Dalman will discuss some of the secrets to building your brand for you or your business.  Q & A session at the end of the free webinar.  You can register for free by clicking here.

WP CERTIFIED DEVELOPER COURSE:

This live webinar course will kick off Saturday, April 17th at 8 a.m. CST and be a full day event from WebDesign.com.  This is a two part series, with the second and concluding class taking place on May 1st.  Please note that you do not have to take the additional certification test we offer, but you MUST BE A WD MEMBER to attend this amazing course that will be offered by Benjamin Bradley.

For more information, please visit our website at www.webdesign.com.