So you say you want a website …

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If you’re a small business owner or aspire to be, you have probably already said “I need a website”!

Yes, I imagine you do! Full disclosure here – a part of my business provides this service. However, I will earnestly attempt to offer a non-biased critique of what you should consider before you start, or before you decide to redesign your website.

I’m going to assume you are at least working with someone who has some experience in this area (or you do), and you have your domain registered and hosted. Note – I’m still seeing a few sites that don’t have their SSL purchased. This is definitely going to downgrade your ranking with search engines. Plus, people are getting used to seeing that little lock at the front of the browser and expect it.

I’m attaching a short document that has some additional information. Click here to download it. Here I’d like to address the strategy to your site.

Do you really need one? You may be wondering why you need to go through the pain in the ass to build a professional site when your Facebook business page is working just fine, thank you very much! Well, here’s why … Facebook owns your page. You should be using social media to drive your prospects to your website. That’s yours.

Another consideration is your e-commerce shop. If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s to always have a plan “B”. 

Think of your website as your online brochure. When someone is deciding to contact you to discuss any type of work they’ll be checking out your social media, your website, and any additional information they can find on google! If you pass the smell test, then they’ll reach out. After all, none of us like to start a conversation that we don’t want to finish because we know the fit isn’t right. People are mostly nice and don’t want to reject anyone. So, they’ll do their checking first.

What platform should you use to build your site? The three I see the most are: WordPress, Wix, Square. We use WP exclusively. A lot of people think that Wix is the most economical because of the way they set up their fees but it doesn’t always work out that way. Each one of these platforms ranges from free to a couple of hundred dollars per month. Don’t be afraid to dig into it and ask questions. A lot of questions.

How elaborate should your site be? That’s totally up to you and should be an appropriate representation of your business. No one needs to have a 20-page site if they’re a one-service business with no staff or team. However, if you’re a coach who offers multiple programs, training, personal development services, etc., you’ll probably need at least 6 – 10 pages. My consulting business has a one-page site. It’s plenty! I’m currently redesigning my coaching site to bring it down to about half the size.

If you sell services or products, you can add a shop or a sales/landing page. The two most popular platforms are wooCommerce and Shopify. I’ll link to a blog article going into more detail here.

So, whether your site is one page, ten, or more you should have: clear info about who you are, what you offer, testimonials, a contact page or module, and links to your social media. 

If you have examples of sites you like and don’t like, it’s helpful to include this information with your web designer. Think about what it is that causes you to feel this way. Copying someone else’s design isn’t cool (or legal!) but it can help with direction.

Landing pages can be added as you need them – they don’t need to be listed on your website menu.

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