Are you ready for a website? (and a freebie to help get you there)
How do you know if it’s time to take the website leap?
There’s a few important tasks to check off before you head into creating a website (whether it’s a DIY template or a custom design). I’ve made this fun quiz to help you see where you’re at (and a few tips to get you where you need to be).
Here’s a few tips to keep your website process moving!
Vision.
It might seem time consuming to sit and write out what your business does, who it serves and how you plan to do that. But this is the most important step to having a clear vision for your website. Building a website without a vision is MUCH harder than taking an extra hour to figure out the true core of your business (and helps your customers know why they need you)! The pages you need in your website, the content - it all builds on itself when you know what you are doing! Believe me - this is where the magic happens!
This is my process of taking a vision from head to paper (and the internet!):
Answer what your business purpose is, what it does and who it serves
Create your website navigation - what pages does your website naturally need to get across this information?
Create a wireframe (fancy website term for an outline) for each page - what sections of content or photos need to be there to get your point across?
Fill in with text! Here’s a big hint - you DON’T need to overwrite. People think you need so many words - you don’t need to write just to fill space. What a relief! You need to get your point across concisely and with your personality (trying to sound like everyone else is boring!). Length doesn’t matter!
Overwhelmed? Have no fear! I’ve put together an ultimate freebie for you: my Website Vision handout to help kick start the process for you!
Branding.
Having a set brand is crucial to having a great website. Think about when you look at a website that seems to be all over the place… you might not even realize it, but when there’s no branding or consistency on a website it gives off a “is this website even credible?” vibe. We don’t want that! Having a consistent logo, fonts and a color palette will bring your credibility + professionalism up to 100 and shows off your brand’s vibe and personality! You want people to see your branding and automatically associate it with your biz. You want to stand out!
If you’re thinking “girl, I just don’t have the money for this right now” - it’s okay!! You don’t need a super expensive brand to start out - there are so many beautiful logo “kits” on Etsy, or you can even create a logo right in Squarespace with their logo maker! Just picking and sticking to a “look” is the only rule you need to follow here. And as your business grows, your branding can grow with you.
Photos.
It’s no secret that beautiful photos lead to a beautiful website. Paired with your vision and awesome new branding - you are about to be a SUPERSTAR. If possible, getting a brand photoshoot for your website is the best way to go! It can be a large investment (in the past I’ve spent $300+ on a session), BUT the photos you get for your website and social media are invaluable. If it’s not in the budget right now, it’s okay - you’re not alone! Squarespace has a partnership with one of the best not-stocky stock photo companies - Unsplash and you can integrate the photos right in Squarespace. Or you can look around the website design and download them for yourself too.
Now of course, we still need to see your beautiful face integrated in the site at least on the About page (people feel a human connection to your business when you show your face - don’t be afraid to shine). Find a friend with a fancy iPhone and have them take a baller picture. We can absolutely make that work (while you’re saving up for your brand shoot)!
You’re ready!
If you’re ready to invest in a custom design built with a professional (like me???) I’d love to chat with you about how that process works! It’s really fun and not scary at all - I promise!
If you’re budget is dwindling down and you’re stressed because you think you need to spend $1,000,000 to have a beautiful website - I have just the solution for you! Take a look at my Squarespace Template designs that you can just drag and drop in your photos, content, branding and launch! How great is that? Wondering what the heck I mean by Squarespace Template - check out this post!
If you’re still in the gathering process or ready to jump in - your future self is about to give you the BIGGEST HUG for getting your awesome biz online. We all deserve a beautiful and mighty home on the internet, don’t you think?
