I’m Ready for a Website! What do I do?

First, congratulations for arriving at this point in your business!

You’re ready to build your website and grow your presence in the world. How exciting! And scary… you know nothing about how to do this. Where do you even begin? There is so much information and everyone loves giving you their opinions. They obviously say their website is the best and you should go with what they did. Ultimately however, it’s about what is best for your business. These tips are not to tell you what website platform to use, but rather to provide you with information for you to make an informed decision. The tips are based on numerous questions I have answered from business owners just like you. I felt it is time to put them together for you here. You’re welcome to contact me for a consultation to help guide you through this first step.

 The basics of web design.
what do I need to know first?

This is an excellent question to kick things off! People have started by asking for ideas about domain names for their practice. Others ask about the different website building platforms such as Wix, Squarespace and WordPress. And many ask how to build their own websites themselves versus a company to do it for them. Here is where I begin.

Even before you dive into domain names and web platforms, it’s good to have a business plan that includes your branding and marketing strategy. Branding is about who you identify yourself, what makes you special and who you want to work with - you ideal client. Even a simple marketing strategy will give you an idea of what steps you need to take to reach your ideal client and turn (convert) them into a paying client. I suggest creating a list of questions and then doing the research to find the answers:

• What is my vision for how I want to represent myself?

• Who do I want to appeal to (who is my ideal client)?

• What is unique and different about me and my business?

The key to building an effective website (or anything you create) is preparation. I often use the analogy of building a house. A lot of time, energy and research is put into the blueprint before breaking ground. It’s worth it!

Once you’ve gathered all the answers you need, you should have a clearer idea of what to do next. What is your budget? How strong is your passion for being involved with building your website? How much time do you have? Just as with building a house there are three elements. The first I’ve already mentioned: the blueprint. This includes where you want to build your website, with what materials and whether it’s a DIY job or hire a contractor (the web designer).

Where to build your website is about choosing a host.

Hosting companies include GoDaddy, BlueHost, Siteground, HostGator and many others. While GoDaddy is the most popular and well-known, I recommend Siteground. Why? Well-priced packages and responsive customer service that doesn’t try upselling you on products.

Marketing companies include their own hosting services. These are private companies that have their own host servers. The catch is you buy into their subscription plans and they own your website. If you want to change or move to a different company, it can be a rather sticky process. There are many private companies that include website services.

All-in-one web platforms include hosting with their plans. They want to make it as easy as possible for you to make your own website. These are budget-friendly options and reduce having multiple touch points to keep track of. You may be most familiar with these as a startup or entrepreneur: Wix, Squarespace and WordPress are among the most popular.

Choosing the materials is about which platform you want to use.

The question is what web platform fits your brand? While all websites built today may look similar, there’s enough difference that distinguishes one from the other. When it comes to your website, much like your office, you want to create a multi-sensory experience that helps them get who you are. Referring back to your business plan and brand identity, these will help you pick a platform and template that best represents you. If you choose a DIY platform, you’ll also want to test their web building interface.

Do you want to build your website or
Have someone else do it?

Here’s a list (not complete) of things you’ll need to know to build your own website:

• Technical aspects - domain registration, hosting, email setup, SSL certificate activation, privacy and terms of use policies, SEO best practices (both onsite and with online ads).

• Design aspects - use of images/videos licensing for stock materials, mobile responsive layouts vs. desktop/laptop layouts, backend interfaces - where you create the pages. Other features - newsletter setup and integrating a third-party email service like MailChimp.

• Content aspects - Copywriting that’s optimized for SEO, images/videos that are on-point with your brand and color scheme.

Each of these are considered specialties and there are people offering specific services, such as front-end designer, copywriter, and SEO specialists. Updates to best practices occur periodically and these specialists make sure their working knowledge is up-to-date.

Many DIYers fall into the trap of building very nice looking websites, but miss some of the finer details and left wondering why they’re not getting calls or emails from the website. This is exactly what I want to avoid by providing you with this information. It’s not an exhaustive list of all aspects, but includes enough for any website. Another option is to collaborate and reduce costs that way. I suggest that the aspects you work on, do them well. There’s nothing worse than finding out you made a mistake and having to spend extra time and money fixing it. Much in the same way of installing the plumbing incorrectly and having to tear down the walls and pull up the floors to do it correctly. Do your research first, really know how to do the aspects you want to do.

This should help you take this first step to building your website. What else do you need to know? What other questions have I answered? I’ll list them below along with my recommendations. Again, there is no one right way that’s best for everyone. Lead with your own business plan and brand strategy to create your own unique website experience for those you’re targeting. The key is to spend as much time on what you’re most passionate about. My guess is it’s helping and caring for your clients.

Additional Tips & Recommendations

What should I use for a domain name?

The trick is to use more than one. That way you cover more ground and search terms. You can have one that is your name. Another can be your business name (provided it’s not too long) and another can include where you’re located. More domains cast a wider net. Speaking of net, choose the .com suffix or if you are more tech savvy, you can choose a more specific suffix. You search for domain names from any of the hosting companies listed above. Each will have their own pricing, but all will let you know if the domain is available. BONUS TIP: Domain names should be short, easy-to-remember and easy to say. When asked what your website is, you don’t want to have to spell it out or have it be a tongue twister! Although that might make it memorable. 😉

What is SEO? Why is it such a big deal?

Search engine optimization are the set of practices that lead you to having a high score on the search engine results page (SERP). When a person types in a search term in Google, within milliseconds, Google will generate a list of websites that match the keywords and content. Google generates this list based on your SEO score. Everyone who has a website knows the importance of having that top spot for their chosen keywords / search terms. If your website isn’t showing on the first page, don’t expect a lot of visits to your website. This is where having a marketing strategy helps in providing the steps to take to work towards a high SEO score. Things like having an active social media feed on your website, a regular blog, and specific “authority” pages that you update periodically. In other words, Google likes an active website, much like a well-lived in home vs. one that’s abandoned. BONUS TIP: SEO goes beyond your website. To improve your SEO score, it’s about how wide your online presence is.

Check your website’s SEO score

Updating your Google business profile helps. Networking is key. Ask yourself, how many people are talking about me on their websites and social media platforms? How viral are you? Is your content being shared? Imagine giving a workshop to a roomful of 50 people and everyone is recording it and then sharing it on their websites, youtube and social media? Always take the opportunity to take selfies with people, have them record your best messages and invite them to share online. Cast your net as wide as possible and keep going!

What is the most cost-effective way to build a website?

Of course, this is just my opinion. It starts with you get what you pay for. You’ve just invested time, energy, money, really everything into your business. It’s best to have the plan and strategy set ahead of time to know your marketing budget and plan accordingly. You don’t want to be stuck with a great business, well-positioned, niched perfectly and then have to drip it out and not see the return you expect. You want to build a website that truly represents the level of service you provide and matches the type of clients you want to attract. In general, marketing is an investment that comes with upfront costs which you expect to make back. And your website is a marketing tool that is expected to have a return on investment. If done well, it does pay for itself and yields a profit for your business.

What is my recommendation?

Whether you build a website yourself or hire a web designer, my go-to recommendation is Squarespace. This is not a paid endorsement for them. I’ve built several of my own websites and numerous others for individuals and businesses using the Squarespace platform. They have practically everything just right. Truly an all-in-one platform, with everything you need for your small business needs. Starting with a personal website at $12/month (paid annually). It quickly pays for itself. Some key features it includes: free custom domain and hosting, SSL certificate, easy integration with social media and email networking, templates that have improved SEO, and a hybrid interface that uses both a navigation tree and drag and drop elements. They have positioned themselves well for DIYers as well as web designers who can offer more advanced features with custom coding. They have templates optimized for a number of industries and packages that go from personal websites to advanced small business e-commerce websites. There are additional costs for custom email with G Suite and extra domains. I’d say this is the most cost-effective web building platform for startups and entrepreneurs. If you have any questions, contact me, I’m always happy to geek out on this stuff!