Businesses are increasingly moving to the digital space. Around 71% of small businesses have reported they have a website. Which is up from 2018, where only 50% reported to have a website. If your business is part of the 28% that doesn’t have a website, listen up! Websites are an incredibly valuable resource for businesses because you can host your offers 24/7, capture leads, generate passive income, and so much more that positively affects your bottom line.
Not only do websites help your biz look professional and build credibility with your ideal clients, they also help you reach a wider audience through search engine optimization. I could go on and on about the benefits of having a website! But if you’re thinking you don't have the time as a busy entrepreneur or don’t feel like you’re tech-savvy enough to create a website, don’t worry!
Today’s blog post is covering everything that you need to know in creating, designing, and launching your website in under a week.
Yep, less than a week! And if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can actually launch yours as quick as a single day.
Ready to finally move “launch new website” to the top of your to-do list? Let’s dive in!
Market research.
Before you can start thinking about the design of your website, you need to conduct market research. This research is simply about understanding your ideal client, what they’re looking for, and how you can create an easy, tailored path to purchase for your customer.
To conduct market research, answer the following questions:
Who are my ideal clients? (i.e. age, income, location, occupation, education)
What are their interests?
What pain points are they struggling with? (i.e. productivity, financial, process and support)
What are their goals? (i.e. increase satisfaction, reduce costs, reduce wait time, increase quality, improve happiness, etc.)
Bonus points if you can conduct a competitor analysis and identify gaps you can fill in your industry!
Calls to action.
After you have conducted market research, compile your notes and define your website’s goals (what you want the user to do). By defining your site’s goals, you’ll create a clear plan that will best connect your audience to your offer. For example, a site goal could look like purchasing a template, or inquiring about your 1:1 service, or downloading a free workbook. Next, we’ll take these goals and rework them into calls to action (AKA buttons).
Create 3-5 different calls to action based on your end goals (and the actions your users need to take in order to get there). Try mixing up your copy throughout your site to keep it fresh, and be sure to use these calls-to-action frequently throughout the site to gently nudge your audience toward the desired outcome. Ultimately, you want to help guide the user through your site in a strategic path, encouraged by call- to-action.
Choose a domain name and website builder.
A domain name is the address where Internets can access your website. This is one of the main ways your website will present itself to the Internet.
Therefore, it’s important to choose the right domain name! Some best practices include avoiding complicated names, such as long names, names that are difficult to spell, and hyphenated domains.
Once you’ve come up with your domain name, you can purchase that URL at Google Domains and WIX.
After you’ve purchased your domain name, you’re ready to choose a website builder! A few website builders include: WIX, Showit, Squarespace, or Webflow. If you’re looking for a website builder that allows you full creative control without tech overwhelm, we’d recommend WIX. If you’re unsure whether WIX or Squarespace would be the best option for you, check out our blog post on the topic here.
Map out your site content.
This is the final step before the design phase! In this section, you’ll outline your website page structures, pre-plan your copy, gather keywords for SEO, and align your calls-to-action. Luckily, we already have your calls-to-action aligned from the previous section. Overall, this will help you brainstorm how you’ll lay out each page of your website according to individual content blocks.
If this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry! We have a handy guide to help you map this all out! Download our Website Content Planner to get started.
Design your site.
You’ve conducted market research to better understand your target market and how your business’s website will help solve their pain points. You’ve identified the goals of your website. You’ve purchased a domain name and chosen a website builder. You just mapped out your website’s content, and now, you’re ready for the design phase!
The four-step process of designing your website:
1. Gather website style inspiration on Pinterest.
Pinterest is a great source for gathering style inspiration! Create an account if you don’t already have one, and search keywords such as “web design”, “website design inspiration” and “beautiful web design.” Add pins that ignite your creative fire.
2. Purchase a template or use a free one.
Not only do templates save you money, but they also streamline the design process. So all you have to do is plug in your copy and images! You can purchase a template from our shop or select a free template to use from WIX. Unsure which website template will best fit your business? Take our quiz here!
3. Customize fonts and colors.
To ensure your DIY website looks like a professional designed it, we created the Website Style Guide Workbook. This workbook will help you organize your brand style so customizing your template’s fonts and colors will be a breeze! Download the Website Style Guide Workbook to get started.
4. Refine design.
On high-converting websites, white space is a strategic design feature. Run through your website to ensure there’s enough white space so your content isn’t overcrowded. Also, double check your call-to-action buttons are in a contrasting color so your visitors have a clear decision path.
Review and launch!
Your new website is ready to launch! Before you hit that “publish” button, let’s run through a quick audit to double check that your website is 100% ready to hit the scene.
To help you perfect all your pages, we created the Website Launch Checklist. You could call it your website safety net (do NOT skip this step)! One of the biggest differences between a professionally designed website and an amateur DIY is inconsistency. This checklist will ensure your site looks consistent; therefore, professional AF! Download the Website Launch Checklist, and run through the list to make sure your site is 100% ready for the world.
Want a professionally designed site without the expensive price tag? Check out our WIX website templates! Whether you’re a product-based business, service provider, agency, or content creator, launch your dream site in less than a week with our easy-to-use, customizable, high-converting templates. Each template comes with video tutorials so you can edit your template with ease. After updating your style preferences and swapping in your own content, you’re ready to publish! We designed our templates to be extremely user-friendly so you can spend less time stressing about the technicalities and more time enjoying your beautiful new website.
Shop our selection of website templates here.
