1. Choose a website provider YOU like
There's tons of information out there on who's better at SEO, blogging, podcasting, retail, etc. But the biggest, most important factor is having a site you can maintain. Having a site you can maintain will:
Save you money because you won't have to hire to keep your site updated for you
Save you time because you won't have to wait on someone else to make your changes
Improve your SEO because you'll feel confident enough to post your own blogs and edit your own images
Remember: All platforms are very similar, and, over time, they are all adding competitive features that their competitors have.
Wix is my favorite website builder because:
It's truly a drag and drop builder. No confining sections or popups telling me I can't put something exactly where I want to put it.
No code needed. They have an excellent coding option with their Editor X builder and their Velo code, but if you're not ready for code, you don't have to use it
Closed app marketplace. This means that every app is tested before they allow their users to download it. This means your website will always work and no calling an expert to help you fix broken code (looking at you WordPress 👀 )
They have email and phone support, and an extensive Wix Support site with step by step instructions. Wix has robust resources because they have the most users on the internet.
2. Create a separate, business email
3 Benefits of having a business email
Having a business email separates the personal from the professional.
It also gives you some credibility when your email has your business' name in it. Extra points if you can afford the $4.90/month for a custom domain email! For example, my email is Taja@BrandlifeStudio.com.
If you use Gmail, it's super easy to access all your Google apps like Google Analytics and Google Adwords.
3. Set up Google Analytics.
Start collecting data as soon as possible so you have it for later. When you are ready for Google Analytics, you don't want to log in and have no data! Don't worry about trying to read the data or getting reports or any of the "scary" features you see. That will come in time! You just want to set it up so you have it. It's like buying a tape measure instead of a ruler. Sure, you may only need to measure a few inches now, but down the road, when you want to measure feet, you'll be glad you bought the tape measure!
Here's a link on how to setup Google Analytics, from Google themselves:
4. Use my 3-2-1 design rule:
Rules are made to be broken! But here are some starting guidelines if you're not the designer type.
Use 3 colors on your website.
Really be discriminate with the coloring in your images and font choices. A simple thing like color can help your site look more cohesive if you're not the design type.
Use 2 fonts.
Use one font for the Titles of each of your pages, and another, clean and legible font for the paragraph text of your website.
Use (at least) 1 visual.
Use one image, video, gif, or visual element on each of your pages. People get bored seeing all text (and all images unless it's a photo gallery). You'll want to break up your meaningful content with some engaging images or videos.
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