top of page

Building a Website 101

Websites promote you 24/7. They are a way for potential clients to find you, learn about you and work with you. Have you ever researched the prices for building a website? Some seem unreasonably expensive while others seem too cheap. From the very basic knowledge I have of websites (editing WordPress sites that have already been created), I thought, how hard could it be? How’d That Go…

I started the new website in November of 2019, it was a themed WordPress website so I thought, easy. I got this. Some of the edits were simple, while others stumped me. I have always reached out to Brock, who happens to be a close friend of mine and old coworker, for all technical advice and help when I get stuck on a project. He is a literal genius; he has saved my butt a few times and has always figured it out. He’s got great experience and helped big time with this new website. From simple fixes, to coding, to changing the smallest of items that would take me 30 minutes just to find the right button, he has helped me bring this website all together – even though I am already ready to make some changes. I am all for DIY if you have the time or basic knowledge for building websites. When business owners are just starting out, WordPress and WIX can be great options. Please know, they will take a lot of time. Websites are way more tedious than I thought they would be, and take an enormous amount of time. Plus, it becomes exhausting trying to learn everything necessary to finish off the website the way you want it. A few of the most valuable lessons that I've learned along the way are outlined below.

Layout & Design

Start by finding your favourite websites. When you go to a company's website (whether they are in your industry or not) figure out what it is you like about them. It could be the:

  1. Colour

  2. General layout

  3. Simplicity or complexity

  4. Photos

  5. Feeling you get while on the website

  6. Personality of the owner

  7. Professionalism

  8. Clarity of Service/Product offered

Make a list of your favourite websites, and a list of reasons why you like them. Then it’s time for you to get to work. Choose how many webpages you want your site to have, what you want showcased on each page, and how people will navigate your site.

Words & Such

A tonne of words go into a website, and you are the one that is going to have to write them (unless you are hiring a copywriter). There are main pages to consider, and I would have them fully or partially written before you start the design online. Websites can always be edited, but you need content for your page. Most websites have at least these main pages:

  1. Home

  2. About

  3. Services/Product

  4. Blog

  5. Contact Us

You will also need professional photos & graphics for your site. You can use a great smart phone for blog photos and some site photos, I would highly recommend using professional headshots for the "About Us" Page.

Start Building

Start learning the in’s & out’s of your website template. Trial and error (without major deletions) is your friend to get the visual look you want to represent your brand. It is tedious, get used to that. When you have all the content ready and photos, it should be a much quicker process. One that you can get your site together quickly and professionally for your company. If and WHEN you get stuck, Google it. It is an incredible tool to use when you need help figuring out how to get the result you want. Once you have exhausted all your skills, I would recommend hiring a professional. Get as far as you can, then create a clear list of the changes you need, and a description of your desired end product. You will be able to save time without a tonne of back and forth and indecisiveness.

Launch It

Ask a few coworkers, friends, or business partners to review your site. I can guarantee some link won’t work, you have spelling errors, or there is a blank page floating around. This is ok! Have at least 3 people click through it, read through it, and spend time to ensure that it is as good as you can get it before presenting it to the world and your sphere of influence. Then, go for it! Realize that nothing will ever be perfect and you can always make edits as you go.

Congratulations!

Celebrate! It’s live.

Hate to tell you this now, but that won’t do much for your business. It is incredibly important nowadays to have an online presence (website, social media, etc.), but services and products don’t magically sell themselves. You are still going to need to drive your company, network with people who would use your product or service, and move your company forward. So, get out there and get to it!


Some of our fav platforms for websites:

Kajabi: Super user friendly, amazing workflows built in. Wix: Very easy and quick to setup. Wordpress: Amazing features, a bit less user-friendly, but amazing websites.

Comments


Want to become a VA?
Want to hire a VA?
bottom of page