Hey Reader,
My friend Crystal has been wanting to build her own website for a little while, but has felt overwhelmed with it all and has been putting it off.
CAN RELATE
When I started my first business, there was no way I was going to part with my hard earned cash to pay someone to do it for me, so I went on the journey of figuring it out. While my first website was kinda crap, I did end up building a few hundred more after than and I'm pretty good today (even if I say so myself).
And I still think paying someone to build you a website when you're starting out isn't the best move, but there is some advice I can share that I wish I'd had when I was starting out.
So Crystal (and anyone else in the same boat), I hope this looonnnngggggggg email helps!
The best platform to use
It can be super difficult to get a straight answer on this question, because everyone thinks what they use is the best. Or they're getting paid to recommend a platform.
But the real, honest answer, from a developer with 9+ years experience, is:
It doesn't matter!
Seriously. Just use whatever you feel comfortable with.
Like Wix? Use Wix. Like Squarespace? Use Squarespace. Hell I could build a basic webpage with Kit (my email marketing software). Sure I personally use WordPress, but that's because I know it, it's very popular, and I can do anything I want with it. We have totally different skill sets, so the platform I use probably won't be the best platform for you to use.
The platform you choose is only a problem if:
It counters the purpose behind your website
You have no idea how to build a website with it
So do yourself a favour and just pick whatever's going to be easy for you to use.
ps. People will compare how easy it is to do SEO (search engine optimisation) with different platforms, but seriously are you going to pay someone to do SEO for you? If you are, you probably shouldn't DIY a website because it probably won't convert leads very well. If you aren't, who cares what the SEO features are like - you're never going to beat out the people who invest in it anyway.
So wtf are we even doing
At it's core, the only actual NECESSITY with your website is that it tells people what you do. Of course if that's ALL you do with it, it'll probably suck. If you want it to not suck, you need to do a bit of thinking about why you're building this thing in the first place. Trying to land clients? A job? Look good? Learn web design? All totally valid reasons.
When you know why you're doing it, you can think about who it's for. This is the part that can be a bit of a wakeup call for people, but unless you're learning web design, your website isn't for you. It shouldn't even be about you, really. Websites are for the intended visitor, and if you want it to be effective, you need to make it about them.
If you make the site about what they care about, there's more chance of them actually paying attention. But if you make it all about how awesome you are, mehhhhhhhhhh. So if you're out there offering a service that can help people, then make your website focus on the problems, frustrations, and/or desires of the people you want as clients, and specifically how you help them solve those problems.
You also need to factor in what you what you want to happen from this site. Sometimes, it's nothing. It's just a check to make sure you're legit, but usually you'd like people to contact you. Maybe book a call or something. Whatever it is, we need to make sure that it's going to be easy for them to do it. The harder it is, the less likely people will do it.
When you're clear on this stuff, you can start thinking about how to structure the site.
Structure? I barely know her (okay I'm sorry that was so bad)
I don't think your site needs to be too complicated when you're starting out. For most people, a home page is enough. Keep it simple:
Hero banner - this lets people know they're in the right place
Don't say "welcome to
Do highlight the problem they're facing that you solve, or the outcome they want that you can deliver
Bonus points if you can cover both
Intro - explain a bit more about what you're doing and who it's for
Don't say "here's our history" or "here's why we exist"
Do expand on the problem they're facing, why it's happening, and what they need
Bonus points if it would make them say "YES that's exactly how I feel"
Services/Process - how you help
Don't say "here's our services" and list literally anything you could do (it shows a lack of focus and expertise)
Do list the stuff that is directly connected to the solution
Bonus points if you focus on doing one thing really well
Testimonials or case studies - proof you can do it
Don't lie or make these up
Do try to balance the length of any testimonials (eg. if one testimonial is stupidly long, just pull out a quote from it so it matches the others)
Bonus points if your testimonials or quotes reference the frustration they had and the transformation they went through
About - this why you can do it
Don't just make it about yourself
Do make it about how your story made you uniquely qualified to help
Bonus points if your story starts like theirs, and ends with where they'd want to be
Call to action - what you want them to do
Don't say "call for a quote" or have multiple options for them to take
Do make it easy for them to take action and set expectations for what will happen next
Bonus points if you don't make it sound like they're going to jump on a sales call
You don't have to copy this structure, but (in my opinion) this ticks all the main boxes so can be a good starting point.
Design Tips
I'm giving design tips first, cause when you're starting out it's a LOT easier to come up with content that fits the design rather than create a design that fits your copy.
Don't try to custom design something, it's really hard to do that well when you're inexperienced and it will most likely end up looking like garbage (sorry)
Just pick a simple and clean template that looks mostly right, and just make the minor tweaks to get the colours and fonts right -> you'll get the benefit of a professional design, without paying for a professional design
Keep things balanced, if you've got an image on one side of the screen, make sure the text on the other side takes up a similar amount of space
Contrast is important so either go with a light background and dark text (recommended), or dark background and light text (harder to make look good)
Make sure you have plenty of space between sections and elements, when it's all close together it feels cramped and gives this anxious vibe to people scrolling
Copywriting Tips
Your copy should be about the visitor, so make them the hero. Let them be Luke Skywalker, while you're their Yoda. Don't try to be Luke Skywalker!
If you can show them you understand and can articulate what they're feeling better than they can, you win a LOT of trust
the odds of people actually reading your content is low (not cause it's yours, but cause people are lazy af), so make sure your headlines alone will tell the story you want to tell -> if it does that well, there's more of a chance of people actually reading the main text
Too much text sucks, so make your content say the same thing in less words. This email is stupid cause it's so long and is trying to say too much, so the chance of a lot of people going "yeah no way" and closing the email is higher. Don't make that mistake on your website
Don't use AI to write (or edit). AI will make you sound like everyone else, and it's really obvious most of the time. You're trying to make people trust in you as an expert in your thing; showing them that you're not capable of coming up with your own words doesn't inspire much trust
TLDR
The platform doesn't matter
The site is for potential clients, not your ego
Make it easy to take action
Start with a template, don't change it too much
Don't be Luke Skywalker
Why use many words when few words do?
I've been sitting here writing for a while so I'm going to go and eat now, but hopefully this email helps you with your own site.
If you have questions about building your own website that this email doesn't answer, reply and ask! I read every email I get (I don't get many, didn't mean to make myself seem more popular than I am), so if you send me something I'll see it and I'll reply. Promise!
Cowabunga,Nick Gulic
