The Good Stuff

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Creating your Website Course

You must go through step by step for each item – rather than skipping – in order to full understand the exact same process that I follow with all of our clients.

Let's get started!

You’ve made it – and you won’t regret the amazing tips and advice on what to do. We’re going to challenge you to question what you want to achieve, and what you must consider regarding your domain, hosting and the look of your website. Let’s do it!

 

The world is awash with Page Builders, Content Management Systems, and Website Builders to the point that it can become difficult to keep track of them all.

I recall when HTML was the only thing you needed to know inside out if you dared to consider page building. Of course, the skillset to handle javascript and C+ programming wasn’t far behind. For anyone not comfortable with too much technical coding, you’d be struggling to join the ride.

Wordpress’ evolution from a blogging site occurred around the time that I was taking a bigger interest in website building, and although the early days were filled with malware or things going seriously wrong, it allowed an entry-point for non-techie people. And along with that came the experts who could either support your build, future your knowledge, or provide Themes and Templates to help turn your Wordpress Site from a minty-blank page to something awesome.

You should know by now that we champion Elementor with Wordpress for many reasons, but most of all because it gives freedom to experiment and be unique rather than using an off-the-shelf solution.

The number of Wordpress designers/developers/gurus/masters is massive. The chances of finding an expert online is simple. 

Can the same be said for the other solutions like Wix, Squarespace, Plesk, Shopify, etc; well, in all honesty, yes, there are experts to handle those systems too, however you’ll come to realise that the number is greatly reduced.

The limitations that come with non-Wordpress sites will also hurt your creativity later, especially when the cost of extra services or facilities start to mount up.

Understanding your Business

Understand what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how you will help others. Don’t assume that people will find and flock to you from Google or because you suspect there is an interest in your services. Once the visitors arrive, you have to keep them there, and restore their faith that they made the right choice.

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Pinpoint your Perfect Customer

Planning your Website

How do we stress this without over-stressing? Open your mind and pour out the key components of your website before you go anywhere near starting it. The layout can make or break the difference between longevity or a blip on the screen.

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Research Websites

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Content and Narration

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Sitemap

Logos and Image Resources

Colour schemes are important, as well as what will become the recognisable brand for your business. Logos shouldn’t be complicated; neither should they be Word Document ClipArt. Let’s start designing and collecting images for Free to use on your website.

There are lots of tools, software/applications out there, though we always use Canva for our logos (especially as you can use it for Free): https://www.canva.com/

If you have the Premium version of Canva, then this can be done as and when you require, but if not, then just create a new appropriately sized template, and then copy your image over to resize.

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Sourcing your Images

We recommend using TinyPNG or CompressJPEG to optimise images before uploading onto Wordpress, or anywhere else for that matter.

Domains

The domain will become your brand. Don’t leave it too late to check on what’s available and what you can use as it will impact on your logo, wording, and ultimately your business.

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Domain

Hosting

This part is assumed to be included with the Domain or as part of a Website Design. Take note of what you need before jumping towards the cheapest deal. Consider how many visitors you’re likely to expect, how much content you’ll be adding, and most of all – don’t overlook the SSL – Security Certificate!

See below or download from: WS One Page – Hosting

We recommend that you use SiteGround Hosting for Hosting, or 123-Reg for the cheaper option. There are many host providers, however always take into account what they offer and if there is the option to upgrade/downgrade depending on requirements.

Wordpress Hosting is the better option than using other CMS /Systems as you can move your website from one provider to another. With Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, etc you will find your hosting is locked in with their company, and you’ll have to pay their asking prices.

Try to take your site elsewhere and it will stop functioning.

Hosting a Wordpress site allows freedom to move by migrating the site. This is achieved by modifying the name server for the domain. We cover that in a video below.

Getting Started with Wordpress

It’s easier than you think to install Wordpress. Just as important are the settings, the theme and the plugins. There are many alternate themes that you can use, however the Hello or the Astra Theme are fine enough because you’ll be using Elementor to build your site, so don’t waste money on a pre-built theme that restricts your creativity.

Elementor Page Builder

Finally we’re ready to use Elementor, and after we’ve covered the installation and settings – we’ll get cracking. We’re going to show you an amazing product to unleash creative freedom in designing your pages.

You need to install the Free Version of Elementor regardless of using Pro or not.

STOP – don’t forget that you get the use of our Agency License for Free for 1 year! Once the Free version is installed, get in touch so that we can install the Pro license.

Header and Footers

Let’s design the part at the top that may contain your logo and menu, and the footer (at the bottom) that often contains contact and other important information. Note that it’s completely intentional for us to create the initial templates, and then to add the Home Page to the Menu.

The Hero Banner and Call to Action

Probably the most important part of your website where you must highlight what you offer, what the viewer will gain, or what you can solve with a Call to Action such as a Button.

Adding to the Home Page

We’ll add further content, icons, and Shape Dividers to the Home Page. We’ll also show how to use Inner Sections and Sticky Headers. One area no site should be without are Testimonials.

Additional Pages

Let’s make use of one of our plugins, and create an About, Gallery and Contact Page.

You've Done It !!

Punch the air! You’ve created your site. Sure, it may not be perfect or cover everything that you need – but you now have the foundation to build upon.

Read below or download from here: WS One Page – Add GA to your Site

RankMath is a Free Plugin to Install from Wordpress. Follow the Set-Up Wizard and modify the Keywords/Descriptions accordingly. When you’re on a page, a new tab will appear within Elementor called SEO. This is where you decide on the 5 Keywords/Phrases to be accounted for by Google/Site Engines.

Read below or download from: WS One Page – RankMath for SEO

Download the Templates for the Header, Footer, Home Page, About Page, Gallery, and the Contact Form that have been created during this course.

Click here: Elementor Templates

To add templates to your Pages, please follow these steps:

For Headers and Footers

  1. Go to Templates
  2. Click Add New (do this separately for Headers and Footers)
  3. Open a blank page
  4. Click the grey folder for a new section, and then click the folder to import templates
  5. Locate the Header or Footer template from the Templates above and import, and then insert

For Other Pages

  1. Open a blank page
  2. Click the grey folder for a new section, and then click the folder to import templates
  3. Locate the page template that you require from the Templates above and import, and then insert