5 things you need to set up a website
Why you need a website
A website is your home on the internet. It’s the only platform where you’ll have 100% ownership and control over your content. It’s the storefront for your service or product-based business. And it’s where your community will go to find out if you’re a legitimate business.
You may have a huge following on social media, but that could all be gone in an instant. As once you share your content you no longer own it. Plus, it’s not reliable. Your account could be closed down or the whole platform could go offline. Imagine that happening in the middle of a launch.
If you’re relying on social media for your business, then you’re also at the mercy of the algorithms. Yes, the ones they keep changing. You’ve mastered your posting and then they prioritise reels, so you have to completely pivot your marketing strategy, again.
With your website, you’ll control your content, you control your email subscriber list and with the right content, you can also control your search engine optimisation (SEO for short).
And best of all you can share your authentic content. Yes, no more dancing around on Tik Tok (unless you enjoy dancing around on Tik Tok of course). Here are 5 things you need to set up a website.
Where to start
The first thing everyone asks me (apart from ‘is it cold in there’ when I’ve just got out of the sea) is how do I set up a website.
Now, if you have a big budget you can hire a designer and developer and leave it in their trustworthy hands. But let’s face it, times are tough and budgets are small.
So this is the answer I give my friends if they’re setting up a side hustle or new business and they have a small budget.
5 things you need to get online quickly
1. Content
Content is everything! Your website can have all the pretty pictures in the world, but without words, you have nothing to say or offer.
So before you start anything, think about what you’re offering and what you want to say. A good starting point is to create content for the following pages:
- home or landing
- about you
- product or service
- contact
- blog.
You’ll need to make sure your content is compelling, uses your brand tone and voice, and is accessible.
2. Assets
Unless you just want words on your website, which can be quite cool done in the right way, you’ll need assets.
Assets include things like:
- a header image
- photos of you or your products
- background images
- videos
- fonts.
Depending on how you’re designing your website you may need graphics for buttons or other interactions.
The next thing you’ll need is an address for your website, this is called a domain. My domain is my name – www.rachel-murray.co.uk. Yours can be anything you like (as long as it’s available). But it’s a good idea to keep it close to your business name or service. If you’re a coach or counsellor and rely on your personal brand, you may want to use your name.
Use my one.com link to get £5 off your first order.
4. Hosting
Hosting is where your website lives on the internet. It’s your space, your little plot on the web.
If you buy your domain separately you’ll need to buy hosting from a hosting provider and then link up your domain. You can host your website directly with Elementor or find a separate hosting provider. Some providers, like one.com or GoDaddy sell domain and hosting packages together.
One.com offers free domains on some packages and uses green energy.
5. A website builder
Once you’ve got your domain and hosting set up, you’ll need to design and build your website. You could hire a professional or if you’re on a budget you can use a free website builder.
There are lots of free website builder tools out there, like Wix.com and some providers that include website builders as part of the package.
My go-to is WordPress. I use Elementor Pro to design and build my site. This takes slightly longer than a free template, but it gives me full control over my brand and how my website functions.
If you’re feeling adventurous here’s a link to try out Elementor Pro.
This is a whistle-stop blog to help you get online quickly. If you want more where this came from stay in touch to get content and web design hints and tips.
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