Demystifying the different moving parts of having a website/online presence.
Let’s get right back to the very basics of having a website and an online presence. I’m going to break this one right down because there are a lot of moving parts and even though it is obvious when you know, it can be super confusing when you don’t.
Social Media presence
Social media presence - this is your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and we could even include Pinterest (though that’s more a visual search engine). Quite often, when new in business, people start by gaining a following on social media way before they even think about having a website. It’s a great and very cost effective way to start to get known.
The downside is that you are always at the mercy of whether Facebook chooses to show your posts or not. On a basic level there isn’t a charge for this but all platforms are supported by adverts which can be expensive if you don’t get your targeting right.
Your own personalised home on the web
Website - otherwise known as your own personalised home on the web! To start with you could have a single page explaining who you are and what services you provide, along with ways to capture your visitors details (for example, subscribe to your newsletter) as well as ensuring your contact details are on there too.
Your website can and should grow with you as you grow. The website per se shouldn’t cost much if you DIY it, however, a professionally put together website which is mobile responsive and search engine friendly will incur designers fees or template fees which are variable.
You will also need to pay for hosting (see below).
I use and recommend Wix
Website Platform or Website Host - there are hosts that simply host (hold) a website you have built say in WordPress. Or there are “all-in-one’s” that host and provide a website builder all in one. For example, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, Shopify.
I use and recommend Wix as it is easy to use and includes a free domain name for a year plus 50% off email hosting for your first year too.
If you use a stand alone website builder such as WordPress you will probably end up paying for hosting plus security certificate and often a security certificate (SSL) - I have used and recommend SiteGround for this sort of hosting - which can start off at £3.99 per month (with discounts applied) through to about £12 a month for their base package (without discount).
The advantage of using the likes of Wix
Wix often run 50% off their hosting and are approx £11 per month for a basic site (or £4.50 per month with at 50% off). The advantage of using the likes of Wix, Shopify or Squarespace is that they include the security certificates and also any updates to the software automatically take place behind the scenes and there isn’t any ongoing charges to a third party to keep the software updated.
Your website name
Domain name - this is your website name. For example www.yourcompanyname.co.uk If you are in the UK it is better to use a .co.uk name if you can as people tend to search for local people (even if you are servicing worldwide) and it also helps with search engine optimisation. If you are in Australia for example .com.au and so on.
You can buy the domain name completely separate from your website hosting and website platform if you want using services such as Go Daddy or 123-reg. Then when you are ready for a website all you do is “point” the name towards where your website is hosted. It’s not a hard process but can be a bit fiddly.
A local domain name .co.uk starts at approx £10 per annum but there are often deals to tempt you in to a provider and they can start at as little as £0.99 for a .co.uk depending on the deal of the day so to speak.
Email - You will probably need to pay for hosting of emails separately. You can normally order this through whoever you bought your domain name from. Again there will be a charge for this - you can expect to pay in the region of about £30 a year for it but it really does depend on the provider.
It's easy when you know how
It's easy when you know how but when you don't know, when you are new to it or have come from an environment where all this was handled by someone else, it can be a mind-blowing, frustrating experience. It is one of the reasons I offer my business bestie / clarity coaching sessions which are 1:1 sessions where I help unravel and demystify the whole process and I can assist you in getting your vision out of your brain and into an actionable plan.
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