THE BLOG |
follow along for tips and tricks for creative web gurus like yourself! |
1. Decide on a domain name
If you have read "Your Website, Your Purpose" linked here, then perhaps you are ready to get to work and get the website started. Your decisions outlined in that post have been written down on paper or typed up in a document. So now you wish to get the website up and running instead of being just an idea in your mind. I understand. You are ready so let's get proactive. Your domain name is your choice. It should be easy to remember, easy to "spell" for the sake of those trying to type it in a browser window, and easy to say out loud. It may be the name of your business, the product you provide, or a name you have derived that is catchy and happens to be available as a URL for purchase. With some ideas on paper, now it is time to see if indeed they are available for purchase. You can choose any of the domain purchase websites to do your search, from godaddy.com to Bluehost.com or possibly google domains. Run your list of names through that site of your choice and get prices available for each domain name, if they haven't already been purchased. You don't have to purchase from that site, you are simply wanting to know if your choice of a domain name - is even available to purchase. Make your final choice, and purchase your domain name or contact me and let me purchase it on your behalf and get it setup as a secure website account. 2. Choose an outline/layout leading to your final action step. With a domain name chosen or some options being considered, now it's time to map out what you wish to say on your website. Your homepage can be drawn out on paper to decide where items will be placed. These will include your purpose statement, the most important thing you need to convey, which should be prominent "above the fold" and then a means to push your viewers to an action. This action could be signing up for a newsletter or filling out a contact form to get more info on a service. But how are you going to lead them to this next step? How can you convince them they need to "sign up" for what you have to offer? Convince them you are the expert. Share your "story" your "brand" your "purpose" with confidence. Convey the fact they need "this" (whatever "this" is) with confidence. You are in control here. This is where you let your imagination and your passion lead you. Share what you have to say and keep it simple and easy to follow through with your action step. 3. Put together a list of content pages you would like to include. With your outline completed and the layout of your homepage "mapped" out in front of you, what other pages do you need to include as a part of this homepage network to keep the information clearly visible? Put yourself in the shoes of your readers. Consider the best way to navigate through the site so they can find the content they need quickly and easily. What questions will they be asking when they find your website? How will they be answered with your information/services you have to offer them? Are their answers easy to find? Answer these questions as you set up how the "Index" of your menu system for all the pages of your website. Start with a draft and continue to tweak it as you go. You can continue to make changes as you derive better ways for the design of your website to work. Show your readers where they need to go next. Is your website about a step-by-step process? Show the steps in easy to follow images and buttons or text leading them from step to the next. This "step-by-step" setup may be so important, that you have it highlighted on your homepage. You decide what is most important based on the action step you have chosen as the primary goal. 4. Go Live and Show the World what you know. You have your purpose in hand, the outline drawn, your content written for each page. Now it is time to look at it all together as one theme, one presentation. Double check all your work. Make sure you have used plenty of keywords in your content of those pages to beef up your SEO. This will help people to find you and your website. It all looks great! So it is now time to take the leap, go live and let the world see what you have to offer them. You have found a "Need" and it is your time to show them how you (the expert) can "Fill" it. Now that you have your website live on the world wide web, you can also promote your website on social media sites. Get out there and show it off!
0 Comments
Current Creative Content that’s Clear and Concise Content should be consistently current. Keep your customers, your readers, your followers regularly coming back for new and updated information. If they come to your site and they only find the same information that was available a month ago, they are not tempted to stay and browse. With nothing current going on and no new information to glean, they will get tired of making the effort to click on your homepage bookmark. They were impressed once and they set that bookmark, let us keep them coming back and keep them as intrigued as they were with their first visit to your website. Content should be creative. Don’t underestimate your imagination and your “fresh” ideas. We can all be our worst critics, at times. Allow the creative juices to flow as your create content for your website. Be CREATIVE. Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it is blah and boring. If it has been done too many times that is when something loses its enticement. You can go to the web to get inspired and to get some new ideas, but don’t rely on what has been done already a dozen times to be the “creative” thing you need to try on your site. Content should be clearly written. Keep it simple when you are writing for your overall audience. Your content and ideas, even blog posts should be written so they can be read on an 8th grade level. At least this is the rule of thumb to use when preparing for a generic audience. Depending on your audience that you currently have, you may be able to steer away from that concept and focus on a higher level of communication. But even if you are writing to a highly intelligent focus audience for your product or service, keeping it simple will still help with the shorter attention spans that adults of all walks of life seem to have in our present world. Content should be concise. While you are being creative and keeping it current and written with clarity, you should also consider keeping it concise in its length. Remember the short attention span noted earlier? You will want to keep that in mind and not lose their interest by having your content be too lengthy. Long-winded, wordy sentences are not exactly crisp and easy to read. Legible type (fonts) can also help your words to be crisp and easy to read. Keep that in mind when you are setting up your layout in the initial phase of developing your blog. Remember, keep your content current, creative, clear, and concise. These are basic steps to get your readers coming back to your website time after time for all the great tips you have to offer them. |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
|