Introduction

You’ve probably heard about the importance of having a good-looking website. To many people, that sounds like something that would be nice to have—but isn’t realistic for their business (or budget, or timeframe) and even if it was, where would you start? The truth is that your website should represent the best version of your company. Even if you don’t have a lot of financial resources or time, there are some simple things you can do to get started on a site refresh now and build on it over time.

You have to start somewhere.

You have to start somewhere.

Don’t be afraid of that, and don’t wait for the perfect time or moment to begin. You will never get started if you keep waiting for the stars to align and everything else to fall into place before you begin working on completing your first website.

The point is: Taking the first step is all that matters when it comes to your first website. I have clients who have come to me for what we call a “first round” website (or brand). They know they need an online platform up and ready to send people to, but they aren’t very clear on what they want the full experience of their brand to be. In this case, we start somewhere. We build one high quality, simple website that they can use as a starting point. Some have found this first draft to be substantial, others have come back several years later when they are more clear on their audience, the language of their services, they have more experience, and are ready to dive deep into a full brand strategy to really be the backbone of a heavy-lifting website funnel machine.

No one has ever said, “I wish I had a really crappy website.”

You know that old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover”? Well, it’s true.

Because of this, your website is the first impression people get of your business and if you don’t have a good one it can be hard to convince them that the rest of what you do is worth looking at. In fact, according to research conducted by Hubspot, 60% of consumers say that they trust companies with good-looking websites over those with poor designs or content (1). That same study found that 82% of consumers said they would use an online store again if their experience was positive (2). These stats show us just how important it is for our sites to be both easy-to-use and visually appealing; otherwise we risk losing potential customers before they even get started browsing through our products or services!

Your website is an extension of your company and its brand.

Your website is an extension of your company and its brand. It should help customers find the information they need, and it should also be designed to help you grow your business.

• Your website should reflect who you are as a business. It’s important that the design, content and functionality all align with this identity so that visitors know exactly who they’re dealing with before they even make contact with anyone else in the company.
• The function of a website is to help visitors find what they’re looking for–and then do something about it (like buy something). If visitors can’t find what they need or don’t know how to navigate through the pages on offer, then there’s no point in having one at all!

You don’t need all the bells and whistles in order to be effective.

What do you need to get started?

• A website that looks professional, has a high quality design, and is easy to navigate.
• Some basic content, like your company’s name, location and contact information.
• An easy way for people to find out more about what you do and how they can work with you (including a clear call-to-action).
• I can help you with things like figuring out the best scheduling softwares, connecting email opt-ins, and other ways your visitors may want to engage with you.
• You *technically* don’t even need a fully original design to start with. Did you know template customizations are a great way to get your first draft website up and out there for your audience to use? I offer both template customizations, and fully custom website designs for whatever stage you feel that your business is in.

A good website will always be a work in progress.

A good website is never finished, but you can always make it better. The more you use your website and learn about what works and what doesn’t work for your audience, the easier it will be to keep improving it.

Keep in mind that this applies to every aspect of your site: design, content and functionality. A great example of this is how Facebook constantly updates their newsfeed algorithm–they’ve made over 100 changes since 2009!

It’s important to have a well-designed website, but it can seem overwhelming to start. It helps to change your mindset about it.

It’s important to have a well-designed website, but it can seem overwhelming to start. It helps to change your mindset about it.

It’s really not too much to get started! You can start with the basics: a simple design and some text on your homepage that explains what you do, who you serve and why they should care about working with you (or reading more). Your website is an extension of your company and its brand–it should reflect who you are as an organization and why people should choose to work with or buy from you over other options in their market area. You don’t need all the bells and whistles in order for this process to be effective; just communicate clearly so potential customers know what they’re getting into when they click on one of those links leading back over here…

Conclusion

The bottom line is that a good website can help you grow your business and make more money. You don’t need to spend a fortune on it right at the get-go, but you do need to consider getting a website up and off the ground so you have a place of your own on the internet that isn’t affected by random third-party algorithms (I’m looking at your Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy!)

If you know it’s time to just get this website crossed off your to do list, I can help!

Did you know I offer Website-In-A-Day services?

That’s really true – I know that when I’m ready to dive in and get something done, I need to just really get it done, without all of the loose threads of a project that could go on and on – if that is the way you like to get your projects finished too, let’s chat! I offer template customizations, like I mentioned above, where we start with just a premade website template and customize it for your business to give you a fresh, sophisticated first draft online platform that you can keep tweaking as you grow. I also offer fully custom 4 page Website-In-A-Day packages so your business can have the dream design it deserves. Either way, you’ll set up shop in the online space with a timeless, high-level experience for your visitors in just one day! Click here to learn more about the Website-In-A-Day services and click here to begin the process of working together!