58. Branding Series Part 3 of 4: Tips for Building an Effective Website

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Get ready for Part 3 of the Branding Series. Hopefully, you’ve found the content from the past two weeks helpful, and this week we’re going to talk about web presence. The Internet is such a powerful tool in branding your business. It helps you solicit customers, connects you with your customers, and, most importantly, serves as your introduction to your customer base.

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This week, I welcomed Jess Freeman, a graphic and web designer and the creator and owner of JessCreatives. With her business, Jess helps business owners create and/or define their brands through aesthetically appealing graphics or by establishing a functional website. Jess also helps her clients use a range of web and business tools to broaden their reach and diversify their online presence.

In the episode, Jess discusses how to build a website if you opt to do it yourself, and what to look for if you choose to hire a designer. We also discuss the essentials of web content, the best content management systems, and some you should probably avoid.

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Show Notes

• Know that your website and brand will continue to evolve as you grow
• To start off, you need a minimum viable product: a website with 4 to 5 pages
• Top three content management systems (CMS) to use:
  • Squarespace: Perfect for a business that does not need any customizable elements on the website; it’s easy to set up
  • WordPress: Great for membership sites, tripwire pages (opt-ins), webinars, podcast analytics, and any other specialized areas; steep learning curve technically; you can pay someone to create it; have to find a host, and searching for themes can be daunting because they’re endless
  • Shopify: If products are the main driver of your business or if you have a storefront, this is the best CMS; makes it easy to sell products on social media platforms
• CMS’s you should NOT use: Wix and Weebly; they are not fully responsive and are not reputable systems used by major companies
• Responsive design: a website that reformats and works correctly when viewed on a mobile and desktop device
• Don’t get caught up in the bells and whistles of a platform; choose one that’s right for you and your budget
• Website pages to consider:
  • Homepage: Your welcome mat, the front door of your business; should lead people on a path
  • About: Where people can learn about you and your business
  • Service: Highlight the things you do; may need separate pages depending on services
  • Contact: Doesn’t have to be a page; you could have one that’s a popup or that leads to a form like Typeform
  • Blog: Every business owner should be blogging
  • Testimonials: Show off all of your client love
  • Portfolio: If you are a designer, artist, maker, or just have any type of work to show off
• Tips for organizing your content:
  • Use Google Drive and Dropbox to organize text and images
  • Think about what you want people to do on each page
  • What is the number-one or main goal of your website (to solicit clients, to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter, or to ask people to join a Facebook group, etc.)?
• Do not get too caught up on choosing a theme for your website; choose a premium theme because they usually come with support and more flexibility
• If you’re looking to hire a designer:
  • Make sure the person has the aesthetic you’re looking for (more than just using your favorite colors; you’re looking for style)
  • If you’re looking for something specialized, like an e-commerce site, make sure they have experience with building what you’re looking for
  • Make sure you have most of your content together
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): know that it’s more about content versus the platform you choose
• We discuss the importance of incorporating video into your brand now:
  • Remember your video doesn’t have to be perfect
  • Don’t get caught up in equipment
  • Focus on content, story, and value
  • Not sure what to talk about? Try turning your blog content into a video
  • “How To” videos are the best to start with because YouTube is a search engine and that’s what people are normally starting their questions with
  • SEO: videos can help you show up in searches more because people are staying on your site longer; Google likes websites with dynamic content

LINK LOVE

• Themeforest [Premium WordPress themes]
• Easy Peasy Studio [Jess’s video editing services]
• Unsane [shot on an iPhone 7]
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• iMovie

Jess Freeman

Website: jesscreatives.com
Instagram: @jesscreatives
Facebook Group: The Digital Lounge: Design and Video Mastermind for Creatives
Podcast: The Digital Lounge: Design and Video Tips for Entrepreneurs
Twitter: @jesscreatives
Pinterest: @jesscreatives
YouTube: Jess Creatives 

WHERE’S NACHE’

Website: nachesnow.com
Facebook: studio78podcast
Instagram: @nachesnow
YouTube: Nache Snow
Twitter: @nachesnow
LinkedIn: nachesnow
Podcast: Studio 78
Pinterest: Tallook