7 Steps to help you build & launch your own website!
I often find that people put off building their own website because they don’t really know where to start. Let’s say you’re a HR consultant; it’s your area of expertise, your business and passion. Do you think that just anyone could simply become an HR consultant overnight?! No! So it’s not surprising that business owners who dabble in web design get lost - it isn’t their area of expertise.
I also know that start ups or small businesses don’t always have the budget to hire a web designer, so I’ve put together these 7 steps steps to help get you started, build your website and launch….
1. Secure your domain
If you’re considering a website then you probably already have a business name (if not then this really should be step 1!). Think about the domain you will want to use, usually this will be your company name e.g. www.hollymurphy.co.uk.
Check whether that domain name is available, this can be easily done on a website such as GoDaddy. Sometimes the domain you want won’t be available, either because someone else is using it, or because a third party has purchased it cheap in the hope to resell it to you for a higher price. If the latter happens to you, you’ll just want to consider how much the domain means to you and your business as you may need to employ a broker (which can be fairly costly).
Ideally you would purchase the global domain (.com) as well as the country domain (e.g. .co.uk) but sometimes this isn’t too possible due to the price, don’t worry too much about this but do try to consider the following when choosing your domain:
be memorable - www.hollymurphy.design may look quirky and cool but the reality is that most people will type in .com or .co.uk so don’t try to be too clever!
avoid long urls - it isn’t great for search engine optimisation (SEO) or for memorability. www.hollymurphyintelligentwebdesign.co.uk is just too much!
competition - is there a chance that a dot in the wrong place will take a potential customer to a competitors website? If so go back to the drawing board. For example, if www.hollymurphy.com was owned by a competitor in web design and I was using www.hollymurphy.co.uk, I could loose a lot of potential clients (let alone trademark issues), so I may look at www.intelligentwebdesign.co.uk instead.
avoid hyphens where possible - although this is a grey area. Historically hyphens were used by spam accounts so they performed badly. Recently, this has changed somewhat and some large brands (https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk) adopted the hyphen as it actually makes it easier to read. The only issue again is that most people won’t automatically put a hyphen in so it can affect memorability.
Top tip: secure your domain as soon as you can - they are usually only a few pounds per year but it stops someone else beating you to it!
2. Branding - professional branding where possible
Many people think branding is “just a logo” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Branding is a combination of aspects that make your business stand out from the crowd, connect with your audience and can help invoke feelings in your customers - drawing them in or turning them away.
A brand typically includes
a logo
sub mark
brand fonts
a colour pallet
tone of voice and more….
Consider some of your favourite brands. Can you instantly recognise them without a conscious thought? Probably! Why do some Instagram grids draw you in? Why do others turn you away? Some of this will be due to the other aspects of the design but some will be due to the colours and style of the brand as a whole.
As a web designer, a pre-requisite of working with me is for your business to have a brand. While some people DIY, others come to me with professional branding from a graphic designer and I can promise you that the difference is noticeable.
Colours, fonts and style have a huge impact on a website and if you don’t create the brand first, the website will be much harder to build. Not only that, if you take the leap and employ the help of a web designer, you may incur additional fess if brand items are missing.
Top tip: consider investing in a professional brand package - in the long run you won’t regret it and it will pay for itself. My recommendation is always the amazing hubble Design Agency.
3. Choose the right platform - Squarespace, Wordpress, Shopify, Kajabi…?
What do you want/need your website to do? Consider the things that are important to you:
is it a 5 page brochure website or a far larger undertaking?
how much time do you want to spend on your website? Both for the initial build and ongoing maintenance?
do you want an integrated mailing list? blog? pop-up/lead magnet?
do you need members areas?
are you looking to run online courses?
does your website need to be in multiple languages (this is easier than you’d think - contact me if you’d like more info).
are you happy paying someone else to manage your website or do you want to do it all yoursefl?
is your business e-commerce?
do you have a budget in mind?
There are so many options out there that you could spend an entire week simply lost in Google answers about which platform you should use. Kajabi is amazing for online courses but it is a very high price point, Squarespace is exceptional for self managed websites with a high end finish and impressive aesthetic, Shopify is king in the e-commerce world when you have a large amount of stock to move etc etc…
Top tip: want help deciding which platform is right for you? Take advantage of a free discovery call and I’ll be happy to help.
I predominantly work with Squarespace but believe me - it isn’t always the perfect fit for a business. The good news is that I can usually point you in the direction of a web designer or developer that works in the platform I would recommend - phew!
4. Know your target audience
A big trap people fall into is building a website that they like themselves - great if they happen to be their target audience but that isn’t always the case. Design your website to attract your ideal client.
Case study: A 45 year old Male is has a drone company, alongside his day job as a builder. He wants to branch out into drone photography/aerial footage at weddings and his research finds that 87% of bookings for his service comes from females aged 25-35.
Considering the target audience here is key - he will need to create a website that speaks to brides-to-be in that age group if he wants to maximise his chance on conversions (sales).
Top tip: If you are struggling to see outside of the designs that you like then it might be time to get help and talk to a web designer!
5. Use high quality images
Images can enhance the user experience, they can spark emotions, draw us into a story or draw our eye to parts of the page, making them incredibly powerful. Images also make content more easy to digest; minimising eye fatigue and breaking up text, whilst also adding to the storytelling process.
However, poor quality images have the opposite effect, making your audience lose trust in your brand. Use images wisely!
Connect
Happy, friendly faces help build trust with your audience and can lead to positive emotions. Use authentic images that are soft and facing the camera and consider body language (avoid folded arms if you would like to come across as approachable).
Draw the eye
Did you know that we subconsciously look where the image onscreen is looking? You can use this in website design to draw a viewer eye to something on the page.
Relationships
When two people look at each other, it draws the viewer into their relationship, powerful in storytelling or when you want your viewer to see your connection with others.
Think about the images you’d like to use on your website before starting the process and it will make the design far easier. You may want to use stock imagery. There is nothing wrong with this but remember to check the licensing for every image you use.
Finally, think about the colours you are using in the images, do the fit with your brand? If they clash then consider using filters or overlays.
Top tip: consider investing in a brand photoshoot with a professional but make sure you like their previous work and it is in-keeping with your brand. If you can’t stretch to that, set aside an afternoon with someone who is good with a camera and invest time in the process.
6. Good quality copy
Make the words on your website count. Make sure they are:
clear and concise
scannable
relatable
relevant
have purpose
focus on value - instead of saying “my product is amazing'“ tell the viewer why your product is amazing e.g. “my product is proven to reduce the appearance of dry skin, making you feel amazing”.
You also want to avoid duplication. If you use the same content on multiple pages then Google will give you a black mark. And, whatever you do, don’t use someone else’s words - Google will know!
Top tip: answer questions your customers will have. Think about how they will move through your website and what questions they will have where - then answer them.
7. Allocate time
When you’re ready with all the above it’s time to start building. For a basic 5 page brochure website, you’ll want to set aside anywhere between 20 and 50 hours to build the website. This sounds like a lot, and it is, it’s also the reason that hiring a web designers cost a fair bit!
You will need to do the following:
populate the pages on the website
add a favicon and social sharing image
add SEO descriptions so Google knows what your website is about
upload images that are optimised to make your website as fast as possible - for more help with this read my blog: 5 ways to a faster website.
connect your domain
consider a domain email to look professional and give you credibility
link social media accounts
test your website works - remembering to test it on mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop
connect your website to the Google Search Console and ask Google to crawl the new pages
launch!
Final top tip: If you need help at any stage of this process, or if you have already created your website but just aren’t happy with it - feel free to get in touch, I also offer support services to help with any little niggles you may be experiencing.
