So, you’re excited to be getting started on a website! Yippee!! I was, too! And then my type-A personality came into full effect when I realized I didn’t have everything I really needed to get a website started and launched. Now, I’m all on board with the idea that it truly does only take a few minutes to get a blog or website set up and your first post launched in under 30 minutes – just like how you can run the dishwasher on the speedy cycle. Don’t worry about that nasty caked on leftovers still stuck to the plate! It went through a hot wash cycle :-) Um, yeah – I don’t think so. A website is kinda the same thing. Yes, you can launch it in a jiffy – and are you going to have to go through most of the steps again once you realize what you really want?
Prepare and take your time! Here’s the thing – you get your credit card out, you get ready to buy a domain name or create a blog and one of the first questions is: what would you like to name your site? What? Well, um, let’s try or how about? And many naming ideas may not be available. Even if they are, you may realize you’d like to create a Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest page to compliment your online exposure and the name is already used there (not essential, but nice to tie everything together and create consistency, both for your readers and yourself). Do your homework.
– What is the site name you would like? Check GoDaddy or another domain service to see the availability and pricing. Then do a couple quick searches for that name on your other preferred social media sites. Check out popular search results for that name and look at why those sites might be showing up – are the names almost identical. Could your jewelry business be confused with the organic cat food supplier?
– What is the image you will use for this site? Do you have it ready in a .jpg format? A square size is the most typical icon used these days, so make sure it is already created that way or that the image will still look good when cropped to a square dimension (this service is offered with most sites after uploading the image).
You can absolutely get started without an icon , but it is pretty standard to have an image as visually this provides readers a little something to identify you with. Therefore, it’s important that it is a clear, hi-res file and has been well thought-out. While we’re on the topic of getting to know you, some text, either a tagline or About Page to introduce yourself and what to expect on the site, would be a nice touch.
Think smart – like a search engine… You might just be creating this site for yourself – almost like an online diary. However, chances are, you’re going to want to share this someday. BEFORE you even think about writing an iota of content on your site, add the Yoast WordPress SEO plug-in. I didn’t even bother mentioning it, but I’m already making the intelligent educated guess that you will be using WordPress for your site. It is well-supported and there is a ton of free add-ons, like Yoast, that are easily compatible. Sure, you may have no idea about plug-ins. Another beauty of WordPress – it has an easy-to-use interface and lots of direction to get you started or feel free to write to me and we’ll walk through it together. If you skip this step, you’ll likely write your posts, realize you need this tool and will have to go back to all your posts, edit and add this data in later. It’s kinda like re-running the dishwasher again after you realized that first wash totally didn’t do the trick (dirty and annoying because you took the quick route)!
These are just a couple of suggestions to consider before you actually dive in. I am so excited that you’re ready to take the plunge – just make sure you’ve got fins and a snorkel ready to create a most enjoyable experience :-)
~ Health, Happiness and Prosperity ~