10 Tips to Create Your Website
Spring is here and it seems like everyone is motivated to create something new! I've been asked by two friends lately how to create their own website. After talking with them and giving a few tips, I figured there are probably others out there who have the same questions. We've been trained to think that building our own websites is something the average person cannot do. Well, I'm here to tell you that isn't true. In most cases, someone who is just starting out can create their own website. I have fabulously talented friends who can design a beautiful website but if you can't afford it, then you are in DIY mode. It's also a great experience to build and manage your own website for a while. It helps you learn about what's important and why "all the things" are necessary when you become a big shot and need to hire someone else to build it for you!
I like lists. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you, "Sara loves her some lists." So, I'm listing ten tips to help you as you create your website.
1.) Set goals for your website. Are you going to be selling something on it? Do you want to create a blog to drive traffic? Are you a creative entrepreneur and want a place to display your work? Understanding why you want a website and what you want it to do for you will help you pick the right tools.
2.) Research Website Builder tools. There are several really great website builder tools out there that you can implement really quickly. And, there are great blog posts available to help you pick the right one. I am using Wix as my website builder and I really like it. There are lots of templates to pick from and they make it very easy to design your own website even if you don't have coding or design skills.
3.) Pick your URL. You may be thinking...why is this number 3 on the list? I would've expected getting a URL selected and purchased as the number 1 tip. Here's why it's number 3. Picking a business name and website URL is HARD! If you already know what you want to call your business and you've checked with one of the domain companies to make sure it's free, then good for you! But for me, I actually started playing with templates and designing things before I picked my URL. Domain companies like GoDaddy or Web.com are great places to check your URL and see if it's available. They are also great for purchasing your URL and hosting your site. But, you can also purchase your URL and host your website with your website builder. Most of the website builders today offer this service as well. Why not? They are already helping you build your site, they can host it too.
4.) Play with templates. Once you have a website builder and you have decided what you want your website to do, pick a few templates and play with the images, copy (that's a designer word for words on the page) and design. Your website builder will guide you on this path. And, they offer a lot of articles to help you get started putting everything together.
5.) Images matter. If you are like most people, you are probably obsessing over the words on the page for your website. Yes, copy is important! Especially for SEO purposes. (More about that later.) Images are something that people forget about. Think about your favorite social media posts. They all have photos and images attached to them. Photos and Images help tell the story of your business. If you cannot afford custom images taken specifically for your business, there are several free and low cost image sources available to give your website some flavor. Unsplash is probably my favorite but Dreamstime and Iconfinder are great too.
6.) About that copy. Writing for websites is hard. I'm not going to sugar coat it. There are lots of components of website copy that ensure your website will be found by Google and other search engines. When I first started working with websites (way back in 2001) as long as you had a website and it told people what you did, you were good to go! But, things have changed and continue to change when it comes to SEO and getting found by Google. I'm actually in the process of improving the SEO on my website and it's only been up for 3 months. Read up on SEO and what it takes to be a successful content writer these days as a jumping off point for your website copy strategy.
7.) Create an About page. I know, talking about yourself may be difficult for many people. It was (and is) hard for me too. But, no matter if you are selling a product or yourself, people buy from people. They like to hear who you are and why you are in the business. If you are selling a product, tell them the story of how it came to be. If you are selling your services, tell them about your experience. The idea behind great About pages is telling your story with passion and honesty. A little humor doesn't hurt either.
8.) Start a blog. Since I'm a huge believer in inbound marketing and sales, I'm also a huge believer in SEO and content marketing. In order for you to have leads coming to your website and generating interest in your products or services, you need to have a strategy to rank with Google and other search engines. As of the writing of this blog post, that included having new content added to your website on a regular basis. Now, if you see my website today...I'm not doing everything I need to when it comes to adding regular content. But, you can bet that I am working my tail off to execute my own content marketing strategy.
9.) Get social! I'm an introvert. My husband is an extrovert. He is in charge of sharing all of our personal social posts. All the adorable pictures of our kids and vacations and everything else. I don't naturally like to share things socially. I do love to share things I learn with my friends and colleagues. So, when I think about social media that way, I do like to use it. Your website is your way to share helpful tips and tools with your clients and colleagues. Social media is the megaphone you use to get those tips and tools out to the public. Otherwise, nobody will know to come see what you can teach them.
10.) Launch the damn thing! This is probably the hardest part. Most people are afraid of criticism. They don't want to put anything out into the web universe if it isn't perfect. Even I fall victim to this and I've guided many clients on how to build out their digital marketing and sales channels with budgets into the millions. Vulnerability is hard. But if people can't find you online, you're looking at a really hard sell. And, let's be honest...if you aren't selling anything, you won't have a business. So your website is your home to hustle. Make it work!
Ok friends. That's all I have for today. I hope you can get a few nuggets of goodness from this post. And if you don't, that's ok too. I will be writing about each of these steps in greater detail over the coming weeks. Stay tuned and keep hustling!
