Whether you are DIY-ing your website or hiring a professional designer, a website is a large investment in your time, energy and/or money. Either way you slice and dice it, you have an investment to make in your business - so why not do it right?
Here are 5 pillars you should be considering when you're trying to build a website for your business!
The Foundation
You can't build a house that will stand the test of time without a SOLID foundation, and the same goes for your website.
You should deeply understand your brand, your target audience, their pain points and the overall objectives of your website. Without an understanding of these things, it's nearly impossible to create a purposeful website that aligns to your goals, solves a problem for your audience and truly reflects your brand.
If you take anything away from this, it's that the foundation is the most CRUCIAL part and should not be skipped over.
Website Structure
When building a house you have to design and build the structure before you can pick out the wall colors - and you guessed it... the same goes for your website!
How your website is organized is vital to provide visitors with a clear path to find the information they are looking for OR a clear path to booking with you. This involves creating an integrated sitemap, optimizing your page layouts and your navigation for easy exploration.
A rock solid website structure can help you create an experience that delivers measurable results over and over again.
Copywriting
While I am not a wizard with words, I do highly value website copy and you should to. When it comes to crafting copy for your site, it's about capturing attention, stirring emotion and spurring action! If you don't have copy that supports your goals and objectives... you might as well not have any at all. *hot take*
You should keep your copy concise, benefit focused and conversational! So basically, cut the fluff, focus on why your visitors should care and talk to them as if you are having a real face to face conversation.
SEO
Now this is a pillar that will set you apart from all other businesses that choose to DIY their websites. If you don't already know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization - this is a process used to improve your website's organic search ranking and content relevance.
Your website content should be infused with researched keywords relevant to your industry, service, products, ideal audience pain points and solutions. This pillar is instrumental in the successful launch of your website - helping your page titles, URLS and page descriptions come up more often in search results.
The Design
Design being the final pillar to consider - because this is how your audience will recognize you across all touch points! Design is where you can visually capture their attention, build trust and drive visitors to take specific actions.
Ultimately the most important part of your DIY site is going to be staying consistent. One of the biggest differences between a professional website design and a DIY site; inconsistency. Our eyes immediately search for inconsistency, and establishing a uniform style will make your site look like it was designed by a professional!
Ensure the typography, color palette and images you choose all come together cohesively and you use them consistently across your website. ("mixing it up" will likely cause confusion, so if you are feeling like your brand isn't truly capturing your business the way you want - I suggest hiring a professional designer to help with Brand Design!)
I could seriously go on for hours and hours about website design and DIY tips, but I seriously hope these 5 pillars help you in creating something impactful for you and your business!
Looking for an in-depth guide to map out your own website, with strategy in mind? Check out our FREE Website Planner.
This workbook gives you an inside look at my website planning strategy and shows you the ropes to do it all yourself!
Lizzy Keller
CEO + Designer + Marketing Expert
Founder of Rocky Ridge Digital, Lizzy is a successful entrepreneur. With over 8 years of experience in the marketing field, she helps small businesses and entrepreneurs improve their online presence and grow their business through creative design.