From 0 to website in 10 easy steps
Update May 2023 - My process has changed since I wrote this blog post. I create new websites only on Squarespace now, my favorite DIY platform. I’ll update this blog post soon.
My clients want to be involved with how their websites are designed, but know they need some help in pulling the pieces together and in navigating the many choices they need to make along the way. Potential clients often ask me what the steps are for working with me to create a website. If you have never had a website or have only created a website on your own without help, this blog post will explain the steps my clients and I take to go from our first talk to a finished website that helps their businesses shine online.
Step 1: Free consultation
I call you for your free 30-minute consultation.
Step 2: Questionnaire
If you decide to work with me, you email me answers to a questionnaire I’ve sent you. Your answers help me understand your business goals, the features you may need for a website, and the type of people you want to appeal to with your website.
Step 3: Work call
We start our work together with a phone call to talk about the planning process.
Step 4: Questionnaires
I email you writing prompt questionnaires to help you gather the content for the website text I’ll create.
Step 5: Text for your website
I write a first draft of the text that will go on the website based on the questionnaires you have filled out.
Step 6: Trial Website
I create a trial website on Squarespace.
Step 7: Website first draft
I create a first draft of the website. I gather or create images. I edit text that you've written. I design how the images and text go together on the website.
Step 8: Website review
You review the first draft of the website, letting me know through email or phone calls what you like and what you want changed, and we collaborate in that way until you’re happy with the design.
Step 9: Website is connected to a domain
I set up a new domain on Squarespace or connect one you already have to your new website. This action makes your website public.
These blog posts cover some of the things you need to know about domains:
How to choose a domain name for your website
Your domain and your website are best friends, but they’re not inseparable
Step 10: Website final steps
I finish other administrative and SEO setup tasks both on your website and on Google to help it to be found in search results.
Does this 10-step list make the process seem less intimidating? I work with you through email and phone calls for the most part. We can also arrange a video screen-sharing call if you want a demonstration of how to make updates on your website. The reason I chose to specialize in Squarespace and Weebly is because they are the two easiest website builders. I help with the heavy lifting getting a site launched, but the goal is that you can make simple updates later on your own (or you can always get in touch with me again for more complicated updates). If you’re ready to find out more, schedule your free consultation. I’ll look forward to learning more about what you have in mind.
Adding links to your website gives people a convenient way to learn more about a subject that interests them. Links can be built into text, buttons, or images. Learn more about the guidelines I go by when deciding which type of link to use.
Whether your website is new or has been around a while, decluttering the content to encourage visitors to browse is always a good idea.
Whether you design your website on Squarespace or some other platform, you’ll be making color choices that are unified and compatible across your website, from the text to the buttons to the colors in the images. Designers call these color choices a color palette. Here’s how I simplify color selections for my clients.
Like the receptionist and reception area in an office, the Home page is the greeting area that needs to contain enough cues to reassure visitors that they're in the right place and give them guidance about how to find what they need and what to do now that they're there.
Squarespace assigns every new website a built-in domain, a Site ID, that ends with “squarespace.com.” I recommend changing the random ID Squarespace assigns to be something you’ll remember.
Understanding in advance how your website will support your business will inform your website's design and content.
The aspect ratio of an image is its width relative to its height. Understanding aspect ratio helps you design your pages with images that look attractive and well-matched. Aspect ratio choices can also help with planning and choosing images you’d like to use on your website.
As a Squarespace Circle Member, I bring lots of benefits to my clients’ projects through the supportive professional community I belong to. As my client, you also get direct benefits I pass on to you, like an extended 6-month trial period and 20% off your first annual purchase.
Being able to preview your website live without logging out of Squarespace is a convenience for testing and proofreading before you launch.
Squarespace and Square are two different companies. They both support online stores, so it can be confusing when you are doing research about getting your business online. Squarespace is my favorite website builder, so this blog post will explain how it’s different from the company called Square.
A footer is the last section of information at the bottom of a website page. Use this valuable area to show contact information, add links to website pages, and ask visitors to take action on their way to becoming loyal customers.
Here are my 10 favorite text tips to help you create a modern and professional-looking website on Squarespace or any other website platform.
One of the first decisions you'll make with a new website is the choice of typefaces, especially those used as display accents throughout your site, such as the Site Title and Headings. Your website probably includes typefaces that suit the design template you chose, but if you would prefer another typeface, there are many to choose from.
Spacers are invisible design elements that add blank space to any part of a website page. I call them a website super power because they are incredibly useful for adding space around elements on a page.
Two kinds of forms are common on websites: a Contact form and an Email signup form. Each form has its own purpose. To plan which forms will go on your website, it’s helpful to understand how each form is used as an interactive tool for collecting information from your website visitors.
Before you can choose individual topics to write about in your blog, first define the strategy for your blog as a whole. Knowing who your audience is and what they want to know will be the foundation for the content. It will also help you choose topics that fit the goals of your blog.
Understanding how text blocks work in Squarespace and how they interact with design blocks will help you shape your pages the way you want with indents, margins, columns, and more.
Kerry A. Thompson
You don’t need a big agency to get your website done. You just need the one right person. I offer Squarespace website design and content development services for creatives, coaches, and healers. Learn more in a free 30-minute consultation.