Before I launched my business, I remembered hearing about individuals who were launching businesses who had been working on a website for months or even a year. Some had been holding off on launching until their websites were ready, although otherwise, they were ready to start offering products or services through their businesses.
Before I launched my business, I knew that with my public relations background, that could be me, taking way too long to have the perfect website, and I wanted to avoid my website preventing me from starting my business sooner than later.
So do you know what I did? My last day of work was June 20, 2014. I registered my business, opened my business account, and created and launched my website on Monday, June 23, 2014, and I had over 20 consultations booked that same week. You too can avoid creating the perfect website being a hurdle in your business.
Here are a few tips that you can utilize to create a great website in a short period of time:
1) Know that your first website can be temporary until you're ready to upgrade
I think part of what delays people completing their websites is that they feel like their first website is their "forever" website. I tell my business coaching clients to think of their first website as a placeholder website as they explore what their clients really want, solidify their messaging, and have additional capital to invest in a more upgraded website. I remind my clients that I was able to make a substantial income utilizing my first website that wasn't fancy at all but had a clean and professional look.
2) Do your website yourself using website providers that already have great designs
Website providers like Wix and Squarespace provide templates that can be used to create a great initial website. Squarespace offers fewer choices to choose from for design and doesn't allow you the ability to change the structure of those templates very much, but their templates are beautiful. If you have an eye for design, using providers like Wix gives you the freedom to shift around your design. Depending on your industry and startup capital, you might even choose to utilize the free version of these tools where the word, "Wix" or "Squarespace" or the other website provider you're using is in the url of your company (so your website would be something like: www.wix.daphnevalcin14.com or something like that (which is not a real website--I'm using it for instructional purposes here).
3) Know the essential pages that your initial website should have
At minimum, even if you call the following pages names that differ from the ones I'm using below, your website should have:
A "Home" page
An "About [Your Name or Business]" page
A "Contact Us" page
A "Services [or Products]" page
Some additional pages that you should consider having as you expand are:
A "Terms and Conditions" page (*Doesn't need to be linked to your main menu)
A "Privacy Policy" page (*Doesn't need to be linked to your main menu)
A "Testimonials" page (I think this is almost essential)
An "FAQ" pageA "Media Attention" page
A "Book [Your name] to [Speak/Perform]" if you are a speaker or performer
4) Give yourself a firm deadline
Know when you want your website done, and create a schedule of you completing work or you completing work in conjunction with a website designer to get it done.
5) Only go with a vendor that has amazing reviews or who someone you know has worked with
I know a number of people that have chosen a vendor who works super slow on their website or does a horrible job. I'm thinking part of this is that creating a website requires a great understanding of what a client is looking for, and if it's not your own website, can require many steps in understanding what the client needs. So going with someone who has proven that they can work well on this intricate project is the way to go if you're not doing it yourself. There are also websites that I've shared with my clients, that have databases of vendors that have high ratings and firm deadlines associated with their work.
I'm hoping that the strategies above can support you as you push past the website hurdle to build the business of your dreams! As always, if you are looking for additional support, strategy, or accountability through coaching, send me an email at daphne@daphnevalcin.com back so we can schedule a quick chat to talk about your needs.
Also feel free to forward this post to anyone you think it could benefit, and definitely comment below if this was helpful for you!