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Today we'll be discussing:
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Before I get into the nitty-gritty of how to build a website, I figured you may want to know a little more about me, and how I got started in building them.
I got out of college with big dreams and aspirations, but then life happened and I found myself stuck in a job I hated for 5 years. And the job never improved. Plus my old car was constantly in the shop because I used it for work, and I only made about $30,000 a year - which was NOT enough to cover all those expenses! On top of that, I was continuously exhausted and beat down by the thankless world of social work.
I realized that I had wasted too many years of my life on a job that was going nowhere, and if I was going to ever make it out of this cycle, I had to make a change. But I still didn't know how.
Soon after that, I got married, my husband and I both felt depressed by being stuck in this endless cycle of the 9-5's, and we realized we simply HAD to find a way out! When we were in that place - finally desperate and DONE - that's when things changed.
I was our ticket out; I was going to figure out a business that could give us the life we'd both been dreaming of. Then, with no experience or training, I set out on a journey that was overwhelming and over my head, but not impossible.
I honestly tried everything. And I learned a lot in the process. Two of the biggest hurdles for me were:
1. Figuring out how to build my own business website from scratch (without experience or $).
2. Starting up a profitable business without having almost any money to start with.
So I started learning the ins and outs of DIY web-design, researching business, and using every single free resource I could get my hands on.
I spent sooo much time trying to learn how to build a website on my own (because I certainly didn't have $10,000 to pay someone else to do it for me). And finally, after months of trial and error, I figured out how to start, build, list products, and make my site look good.
During this difficult learning phase, I promised myself that if I ever figured out how to build my own business website, I would help others who were also struggling in the same journey.
Finally, everything I'd been learning and practicing along the way started to come together and fall into place.
Now, only a year and a half later, I have an online business and (believe it or not) I'm traveling the world full-time, living my dream life.
So I decided that now it's time to keep that promise I had made to myself back then, and go ahead and start sharing what I've learned to help others also succeed and be able to pursue their dreams.
Listen, I'm just a regular girl who got sick and tired of her 9-5 job and got desperate enough to do something about it. I didn't know what I was doing when I started either, but I did it anyway, and so can you!
Actually, starting a business website is a lot easier than you may be thinking. You just need to get past the confusion of all the different options.
Here's what you need in order to actually get started in building your website:
Like I said earlier, you need to understand your options and what's best for you. Because if you choose the wrong option, you can seriously regret it later like many people do.
Here's what you need to know: websites come in two main forms. There are hosted websites and self-hosted websites.
Hosted Websites:
Hosted websites include some familiar names that you may know, including Shopify, WordPress.com (different from WordPress.org, I'll explain later), and Blogger.com, just to name a few of the many.
They essentially host your website on their own website, and give you what you need to get going. That's why many of these options are free to get started, but they come with some serious setbacks later on down the road.
Self-Hosted Websites:
A self-hosted website means that you own your own website and buy your own hosting. YOU FULLY OWN EVERYTHING INVOLVED.
Through trial-and-error, learning as a complete beginner, and lots of research, here is what I can tell you:
The only option that I will recommend is a self-hosted website. There are two main reasons why. Later I'll give step-by-step instructions to help you start your own self-hosted website.
Hosted sites advertise as "free" to start, but they come with serious limitations on your site. You will need more options at some point, and they will charge you an arm and a leg for it.
Once you realize you need the upgrades, it's already too late and you've already invested too much time to switch (or so it feels). Many of these "free" sites will end up charging you much more PER MONTH at that point than the one-time fee that is needed to start a self-hosted site. Many people end up giving up at this point, or at least having serious regrets.
On the other hand, building a self-hosted site yourself will only require a small fee to set up, and everything else can be done for free if you want to.
This is so much more affordable in the long-run! Plus, you have unlimited upgrade and customization options (there are free options for all of them if you do your research).
A "self-hosted website" is a website that YOU fully own. IMPORTANT: This is the only way for you to own full rights to all of your website's content, revenue, etc.
I recommend paying the small fee to start a self-hosted site because if you try to go with a free site, you will not truly own your own content, and will have limitations on the ways you can make money on your own website, and on how you can use your OWN conent!
Many people find this out too late and quit altogether. I do not want that to happen to you.
Putting out that $50 for self-hosting at the beginning felt scary to me since it was a lot of money to me and I felt like I would fail.
But I haven't failed; instead this has become my full time job. Now I not only don't regret that $50, but I wish I had gotten started years sooner (I delayed my success out of fear.)
I know you won't fail either! To help you succeed, I MADE SOMETHING FOR YOU:
I created a FREE 5-Day email course to teach you step-by-step how to build a professional business website from scratch (on a budget). It'll seriously kick-off your business website success.
So, if you want to start your business website right now, go ahead and follow along with this post. But, if you want to do it later, like tomorrow or over the weekend, the email course will help. Plus it has tons more helpful information.
Here's what the FREE email course covers:
Day 1: Starting a business website from scratch as a beginner (+ how to get a free domain).
Day 2: How to make your website look ready for customers & clients.
Day 3: How to add business plugins + allow clients to book appointments with you on your site.
Day 4: How to add a shop and sell your products on your website.
Day 5: How to stay on track with your website and business goals.
DIY self-hosted sites are so much more affordable in the long-run than "free" fully-hosted sites, plus they protect your content so you fully own it. That's why it's the only option I recommend to other business owners.
To start a self-hosted website, you need to choose a hosting company where you will do your own self-hosting, and you also need to choose a website builder that you'll be able to manage and build from as a beginner.
The Host:
I have honestly had some very frustrating experiences with other hosts and have even felt scared I was going to lose all my precious work on several occasions due to issues that came up on those hosts with security and not having 24/7 customer service.
But with Bluehost, I have always been taken care of and received great support. That being said, I'm very loyal to Bluehost now and will only recommend them. (Not sponsored. lol)
The Website Builder:
I also recommend using the WordPress option to build your site, after you get your hosting set up, because it's so user-friendly. But I'll show you how to do that in the next section.
Here are my top tips to help you choose the best domain name for your website!
(Side note: It's a little-known secret that you don't actually have to choose your domain name right away. You can actually start your website today, and then you can choose your domain name later. I know because I've done exactly that before.) I'll show you how later.
1. Use a ".com" domain. It feels more credible to visitors, so they're more likely to trust you, and also more likely to find your site. It may feel tempting to use a different type of site, but I don't recommend it.
2. Use your own name. If you want to start a small business such as a blog, photography, coaching, etc., then you will be the central focus of your brand, and it makes sense to simply use your own name for your domain. This will make it simple and easy for people to find you. If your exact name is already taken, you can modify it.
(And yes, if you're uncomfortable using your real name, you can always choose an alias; it's perfectly fine.)
Here are some examples:
> janedoecounseling.com
> janedoeblog.com
> byjanedoe.com
> coachingbyjane.com
3. If you already have a business, you can choose a domain that directly describes that, such as: deliciouspretzels.com.
4. Keep it as short and memorable as possible so that your business will be easy for people to remember and find later if they want to look you up. And try to use correct spellings.
5. Use qualifiers if needed. For example, you can add a descriptive word if you find that the domain you want is not available, such as "pretzels.com". Examples with added qualifiers are:
- "azpretzels.com"
- "deliciouspretzels.com"
Or, you can even mix and match if needed, like: "deliciouspretzelsaz.com".
If you're still struggling with making this choice, remember that you can wait until later (I'll show you exactly how in the next step), and feel free to reach out to me for ideas and help!
Let's jump into the step-by-step instructions on how to start a business website.
This is my exact method for how I keep the cost of business websites as low as possible and maintain the freedom to grow.
1
Keep this post open still separately, so I can show you what to do throughout the process.
2
Scroll down until you see the various Worpress Hosting packages that look like the photo below. In my opinion, you only need to start with the Basic Package (see image below). This is all I needed in order to start each of my business websites.
You'll notice you can get it for 73% off right now, and it comes with a free domain for the first year and free SSL.
After you select the package you want, you have 3 options for your domain. You can either 1) choose your domain, 2) enter one you already own, or 3) choose to wait and pick one later. (see below)
Just pick the one that fits your situation best. Remember, you don't even need to pick a domain right now if you're not ready. Just choose the "I'll create my domain later" option if that's the case.
3
Next all you have to do is fill in your personal account information.
Then confirm which Package you want, and select any add-ons you'd like. The add-ons part can be confusing, so I wanted to give you my recommendations (see photo below).
These add-ons are not 100% necessary, so if you need to just start with the hosting only it's ok. But if you're wondering what the best options are, I always add on these two for extra security:
- Domain Pricacy + Protection
- SiteLock Security - Essential
4
From here you should be able to pay.
Once you click Submit you're all set and can get started on building your website!
You should receive a confirmation that your purchase went through, and now you can create your account to log onto your new website! When you're taken to a screen like the one below, go ahead and create a password and save it somewhere so you can log into Bluehost in the future.
Now it's time to do the fun part: getting it set up.
Now you will be taken to a login page, so you can go ahead and login with the account you just created. When prompted, click Create Your Website (see image below).
Now you will start to configure and setup your new website.
First choose how much help you want from Bluehost while creating your website. I recommend choosing "a little help", because that will walk you through some basics while not costing any extra money.
Next go ahead and choose the correct type of business for you: Blog, Store, Business, or Portfolio/Resume.
You will then be prompted to select which editor to use. You need to choose WordPress (on the left). I will go into detail on using WordPress in this tutorial series. Click on Get started.
You should then see a form to choose what type of site and who it is for. This part doesn't really matter, so just choose whichever you think is best.
After that, you can add your business's name and a tagline. If you've already decided, go ahead and fill them in here. If you're not sure yet, just click Skip this Step, because you can easily change it later.
If you've already chosen your domain, you should go ahead and put that same name in for the name here, but write it out into separate words, and leave off the .com. For example, mine would be: Steward and Thrive, for stewardandthrive.com.
Choose your theme. This is basically a built-in style for your business that helps take a lot of the building work off your hands. I'd recommend looking around and choosing one that really suits you.
But don't stress too much because you can always change this later too. You'll be fine starting out with a free one, and I'm going to teach you more about the theme and design tomorrow.
Some of my top picks for a free theme are:
- For E-commerce & Subscription Sites: Astra
- For Blogs: Ona
- For Coaching & Everything Else: Hello
If you started your website with my help today, I'm pumped to help you succeed!
Just click the "Free Coaching" button below to go to the sign-up page. What you'll get (for FREE) is:
- One 30 minute coaching session on the phone, PLUS
- One full month of unlimited coaching via text personally with me.
That way, you'll have me for any additional questions that come up as you get started building your website.
All you need to do is fill out the sign-up form using the button below, and then I'll take a look at your new business website to make sure you did use this guide to get started. After that, I'll send over the link to schedule your free coaching session, plus my personal phone number so that you'll be able to contact me for anything you need in the next 30 days.
Can't wait to hear from you and help you with your success!!
This is very exciting!!
You took the hugest first step and now you have a business website! Now you're ready to start building it and generating income.
You should see your account in Bluehost at this point. You'll have to click the blue "Log into WordPress" button in the top right corner to see your new site and start designing it!
Thank you so much for joining me in this super long and detailed post. I know it's a lot of info, but I'm so passionate to be sharing it with you since it changed my life so much.
Especially knowing that it's over 70% off to start a professional website right now.
I also want to help you get started designing and customizing your site, and adding the functions to it that you need for your business. Join my FREE course here: