The world is moving so fast and getting smaller as the internet weaves an invisible social and business web around us. More and more people are using their hobby, skill or expertise to find ways to earn a part time or full throttle living online.
Make the most of your web presence with these easy steps on how to create your own successful website.
1. Research and plan
Research, brainstorm and plan your site before you leap ahead into finding website providers.
- Setting short and long term goals and objectives for your site will steer you in the right direction.
- Brainstorm all possible avenues of research
2. Build your brand
You should create a recognisable and trusted 'brand' with style, layout and content.
- Decide your brand's colours, themes, fonts, styles, layouts and design.
- Keep it stylish and consistent across all pages, avoiding cheap clip art and flashy animation.
- Don't just have an online profile, punch above your weight and look the business.
- Create an impression with a clean, simple style and a spacious design. Avoid heavy and dark backgrounds and overuse of flashy objects. It jars and gets on most people's nerves. Even with fast speed broadband, they also take so long to download and often people give up before they find the solution you're offering.
3. Map your navigation
Create a navigation menu with different relevant tabs, aiming to have all your skills, products or services featured.
- First and foremost, only go for a CMS: Content Management System. A CMS is software or an 'admin' area for managing your website content. It's the engine that allows you to manage the site, add content and gives you control 24/7. It also makes life easier and is way, way cheaper than having to constantly ask a developer to add content for you. That is just not an option!
- Today, most websites are developed for you to log in and manage your 'front end' (what people see) by making changes to the 'back end' (your admin or CMS).
- If you are developing a site with a development company then insist on having your own bespoke admin section so you have complete control of your site.
- This admin should enable you to control page content, your banners, layout, navigation and page order.
- Learn about navigation and terms that will make you familiar with creating a simple to use menu for your visitors. Use the 3 click rule – three quick clicks to hunt down the relevant page.
4. Choose a website
Decide if you are going to start with a simple blog or possibly check out free websites and pay monthly sites as there as some fantastic resources available.
- There is an abundance of great solutions and even if you want an imaginative project you can get it for nearly nothing or completely free.
- Just as you would host guests at a party or event, there are numerous website providers who will 'host' your site for you and throw in a bundle of entertainment, party poppers and hampers of goodies.
- Discover the difference between website software, a hosted website and a pay monthly site or considerbuilding a bespoke website.
- If you go the bespoke route, ensure you know how to work with developers.
5. Get sticky
Start communicating with your visitors through good content and add value by uploading articles and snippets of your writing.
- Good quality content with regularly updated articles keeps your site fresh, alive and 'sticky'. It's the lifeblood of your site and entices your visitors to come back again and again. The term 'Sticky Content' refers to ensuring your visitors 'stick' when they land on your site pages, like a fly in a sticky fly trap.
- A constant trickle of updates also brings Google and the search engines back to crawl your site and builds traffic.
- Don't throw up a few pages and then forget about it.
- Always have topical, dynamic content. Content includes text, articles, forums, data, member or user profiles, reviews, feeds, jobs, news, products, merchandise tables, visual and creative graphics, images and animations as well as audio and video files.
- Get visitors recommending your site. If you are building a platform, this is all crucial to driving and maintaining traffic.
Finally...
If you are selling products, you'll need a secure e-commerce shopping cart, the all essential secure transaction protection and you may need ideas for earning an income. See my eCommerce and Revenue chapters in Create A Successful Website to find out how to set up an online shop in quick easy steps along with a variety of ways to earn revenue from your new site.
Watch Secret Millionaire Caroline Marsh telling you why you should get online www.youtube.com/user/paulawynne.
The more you work at your website to make it a success, the more excited and empowered you will become. A clear, intense vision makes you believe you will achieve a successful website. The best part is feeling the 'buzz' you can create when visitors keep coming back for more
Best wishes for your website!
Paula Wynne is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and author of Create A Successful Website
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