introduction Build your own website toolkit. 1 introduction So you want to build your own website? 2 introduction We can help. When it comes to your business and the online world, a website is the center of your digital presence. All of the time and efforts you invest into building a digital footprint through social media, search engine optimization and search engine marketing will lead potential customers back to your website. Because of this, it makes sense to make a significant investment in building a custom website that is easy to use and represents your business in a professional and visually appealing way. Working with a professional website design partner is ideal, but if you’re a small-business owner or building a personal website, the investment of time and money required by a custom website build may not be feasible. If this is the case, you’re in luck. There are options for creating your own professional website that do not require custom coding. If you are considering building your own website, here are a few tools that you’ll need to get started. 3 introduction The toolkit. 1. Domain name and hosting 2. Content management system 3. Template 4. Keyword research tool 5. Images 6. Google Analytics 4 toolkit Let’s get started. 5 domain name and hosting What is a domain name, and why do I need one? 6 domain name and hosting Glad you asked. Domain names 101. A domain name is the digital address that customers will use to connect with your website. For example, the domain name for Ervin & Smith is www.ervinandsmith.com. This is often the first thing you’ll need when starting a website. Choosing a domain name can be tough, but try to stick to something that is short, simple, representative of your brand and easy to remember. You can approach this decision by brainstorming five to 10 ideas and writing them down. Once you have a list of potential domain names, start an availability search with a domain provider such as This search for www.ervinandsmith.com tells us that the domain is GoDaddy.com. A domain provider will allow you to search for multiple already purchased and in use online. However, users can purchase domain names and let you know if they are available for purchase. variations of the domain or purchase the domain with a different There are many domain extensions available today such as .com, .biz extension such as .live or .us. or .net, and your domain provider will offer multiple domains to you for purchase. 7 domain name and hosting You’ll also need hosting. Remember that domain names and websites are separate entities. Think of your domain name as your phone number and your website as There are three general types of website your phone. You swap out your phone fairly regularly for newer models, hosting: but your phone number stays the same. You can switch out either at any time because they are not dependent on each other. Because the two are 1. Shared hosting: Your website shares a server separate, you will need to purchase your domain name (the usual cost is with other websites. between $10 and $20 per year), and then you will need to pay for a place 2. VPS hosting: Your website is still sharing a server for your website to live online (this is called hosting). Hosting can be with other sites, but you have more bandwidth to purchased from various vendors online such as GoDaddy.com, handle visitors. FlyWheel.com or WPEngine.com. 3. Dedicated hosting: The entire server is yours. (Most websites will never need a dedicated server.) 8 content management system You’ll need a tool to manage your site. 9 content management system Building your site with a CMS. What is a content management system (CMS)? To build your site, you will need to use website building software or a content management system (CMS). Some of the most popular website builders that you may have heard of are WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and Weebly. Here at Ervin & Smith, we recommend using WordPress. You can learn more about the benefits and reasons why we love this content management system from our Director of Development, David Shreffler, in his blog, “Why WordPress.” Using a content management system is critical to building a site without the help of a developer because it makes accessing the content of your website and making changes to the visual settings and organization of your website very easy. Depending on your skill level and the types of features you need on your website, some content management systems will work better than others. 10 content management system What CMS is best for you? Here is a quick breakdown of some basic website builders/CMS: Weebly is the easiest to use for beginners. They have great tutorials to get started, and the website building tool is very straightforward and simple to understand. However, Weebly’s ease of use limits your flexibility in customizing your website and adding additional features. Squarespace is known for the best design-oriented templates. It is a great website building tool if you are interested in a design-focused and beautiful website experience. Similar to Wix and Weebly, Squarespace is template-based and provides limited options and access to customization. WordPress is the most customizable CMS option. You can start with a prebuilt WordPress template as your framework, and there are no limits to what you can edit, change and add to your website so that it suits your business needs. This is the best option for building a one-of-a-kind website on your own. It can be a challenge to learn this CMS if you’re a beginner, but there are hundreds of tutorials and instructional websites to assist business owners who are new to WordPress. 11 content management system Choosing a CMS. Whichever content management system you select, understanding how to use it is the first step to making your website building process stress free. Each CMS service provides easy-to-follow tutorials and instructions on how to get the most out of their tools so take your time and explore everything your CMS has to offer before you dive in. 12 templates Selecting a framework for your website. 13 templates What’s a website template? I mentioned the word “template” several times in the section above for content management systems. A website template is a file of predeveloped code that creates the framework, or shell, of a website. Think of a brand-new house: The frame, walls and roof are built, but the owners have yet to add any design, content or personality to it. By installing a template, or theme, on your website, you have a base to build off of. You can still determine what images you want to use, what your pages will be, the content that will live on your pages and other branding properties like font and color. 14 templates Where do you get one? For website building services like Wix, Weebly or Squarespace, you can only select from a smaller library of templates created and owned by that service. So if you are selecting a fully managed website builder, know that the differences between the top three are as follows: Wix: Large template library with over 500 templates, but there is no way to access and customize the website code. Squarespace: Some of the most beautifully designed templates but no access to the website code unless you pay for premium service. Weebly: Allows access to some of the code, which increases customization. WordPress: Is an open-source content management system, developers can build and sell unique themes and templates that you can purchase and install on your website. This opens up a wide range of opportunities to create a more custom website that fits what you need. WordPress also allows for higher levels of customization once the website is built. 15 templates Strategy first. It is important to always develop a detailed plan of what pages, information and functionalities you want to incorporate in your website before selecting a theme. Some templates include just simple blog functionality, while others include a website store or are specifically built for scheduling-type businesses such as a gym or tour company. You can shop a variety of WordPress themes at websites such as ThemeForest, WooCommerce or TemplateMonster. 16 keyword research SEO is still important. 17 keyword research Do your research. What is SEO? Developing a keyword strategy. Search engine optimization (SEO) is key to your website’s success. As you start your website plan and determine which pages you will It is the process of updating your website so that it is accessible to need to build and what type of information, images and functionality search engines such as Google and Bing. These search engines each page will need, you should also think about SEO. You can crawl your website and take an index of the content and information increase your chances of ranking for commonly used keywords and housed on your website. They then access this index whenever a phrases that are relevant to your website by doing a little keyword web user is searching for content related to your site and include research before you write your content. your website in their search results. Making sure your new website is Start by considering what keywords users will enter into search search engine friendly is a way to attract free, organic traffic. engines when they search for your website. Develop a quick seed list, and then use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to determine search volume, competition and similar keywords for your list.