Your Website Design is so much more than just design.
Did you know there are actually 4 stages of building a website? It's true my friend. Far too many dive straight into designing, not thinking about the other stages much, but this is where the struggle begins because there is so much more to a website than just the design.
I do not want you to struggle. I want you to be out there doing your thing and making your corner of the world a better place, so today I am not only going to share a little bit about the four stages of design, I am offering you free access to my brand new course library to help you get through each stage! Even if you are going to hire a website designer you are going to want to check out theses courses because they are going to make the process so much easier for you both! (Be sure to check out my post Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer for tips on finding the designer perfect for you!)
So let's take a look at these 4 stages...
Stage 1: Visual Branding of your website
The first stage is to develop your visual brand. This is choosing the color schemes/font combinations that you love and connect with your dream customers, as well as developing a logo that speaks for what you do. These visual details are not just for your website, but all of your online and print marketing materials.
This stage can be a little or a lot overwhelming for some, but it really doesn't have to be. And while getting creative and designing is something I love to do I know not everyone feels the same. Which is by I have broken the process of creating your visual brand down into some awesome bite size chunks that anyone can do!
If you haven't yet done this stage I invite you to sign up for my Branding Your Biz Masterclass, which is totally free! Just click the link below and receive instant access!
FREE Branding Your Biz Masterclass
Stage 2: Website Content Strategy
I cannot tell you how many people focus all of their time on design, and then have nothing to say on the pages of their website. Let me share a little secret with you... your dream customers aren't looking for a clever design. They are looking for you to help make their life better, and the only way for them to know how you can do that is for you to tell them!
Here's another little bonus many don't realize... By taking the time to plan out your website content, you are going to simplify the design process in some really big ways! Knowing what you have to say helps you identify what pages you actually need on your website. It also shows you how to structure those pages to quickly communicate what you have to offer.
If you haven't yet done this stage I invite you to sign up for my Website Content Strategy Masterclass, which is totally free! Just click the button below and receive instant access!
FREE Website Content Strategy Masterclass
Stage 3: Website Design
This is the phase that everyone focuses on and it can definitely be the most fun stage of all, but it can also be the most frustrating stage if you just dive in.
The key to making this stage fun and a lot more easier is to first know where you want to do the design work. There are a lot of website design platforms out there. Some really great ones, some good ones, and some that are are really limited. (Check out my post Finding the Best Web Design Platform For YOU! for more on that.)
There is also a lot of advice out there about which one you should use, and most people are pretty biased on this. The truth is that finding the best design platform should be 100% based on what you need your website to do for you and not at all on the suggestions from friends and facebook community advice.
Ready to start designing? Click the button below to seriously simplify the design process and discover the best place for you to start along with the tools and resources I use for designing gorgeous websites!
Simplify the Design Process!
Stage 4: Visibility
Once you have built your website, there is still more you need to do. Like making it easily visible to your online audience. And yes, I am talking about SEO, and no it doesn't have to be complicated. The trick is to make your content easy to find, and you do that by using the words and phrases your dream customers are searching for.
And yes, I know that SEO is very overwhelming to most, and there is a definite benefit in hiring an expert in this area, but when hiring an expert isn't an option there are some really simple things you can do to make your website visible. And I outline these steps along with tips on finding key words and phrases in my course Strengthen Your Website Visibility. Just click the button below and receive instant access!