If you need to get a website launched fast, this one-day process is something you will absolutely love.
If you have a business, a website is a necessity. Even if you’re not selling things online, having a place for people who are searching for what you have to find you and learn more about what you do is essential!
Just think about it, whenever you’re looking for a new product or service, one of the first things you do is search for it on Google. Without a website, no one will find you!
On the flip side, I totally get that when you’re running a business, a website or at least a website that you’re proud of can get pushed to the back burner. You’re busy managing the day-to-day, and hello! You’re not a web designer, so doing this can take much longer and be so much more frustrating than it needs to be.
But, what if I told you that you could get a gorgeous, custom-looking website designed in just a day? It might sound impossible, but it’s absolutely not, and it’s something I help my clients with on a regular basis. Let’s talk through what you’ll need to get your website up and running in just a day.
How to Get a Professional, Custom-Looking Website in a Day
Nail Down Your Niche
Figuring out exactly who your audience is, is key to growing your business faster. When you know who you’re talking to, everything gets easier. Writing copy, selecting imagery and brand inspiration, marketing and so much more!
If going niche feels scary, I promise, it’s worth it. When you’re marketing to everyone, you’re not doing a good job of marketing to anyone in particular, so figure out your niche and own it!
Fine Tune your Offers
It can be easy to get caught up in all the different things you can offer your clients. But, what I’ve found is that too many offers just create overwhelm for your audience. Think about it like going to a restaurant that has a menu with 5 pages vs. a 1 page menu. It might seem nice at first that there are so many things to pick from, but making a decision is harder.
Stick to 2-4 offers so that you have a variety, but not so many that people get overwhelmed. I like to tier these offers into different price points so that there’s something for every budget. As a web designer that looks like:
- Custom Web Design (most expensive offer, but most involved)
- Website in a Day (in between price with less work required from me)
- Templates (lowest price, passive income)
In your own business this can look totally different, but I wanted to share an example of how this could play out.
Once you have your offers, make sure they are clearly defined. Decide what’s included in each one, the timeline, price and any other relevant details. Having these defined offers will also make it easier to talk about them.
Write your Copy
Next up is your website copy! Before you get started on your project, you’ll want to write all of you copy down in a Google document or word document. This will not only make the design process so much smoother, but helps you to get you messaging right, as well as decide which services are most important and should appear higher on your homepage.
As a good reminder, most pages with less than 500 words will not rank, so boost your SEO power and spend a little extra time on that copy to make it easier for people to find you. If you need some help getting started, grab my SEO Made Simple guide to get you started.
Compile Imagery
What is a website without beautiful imagery?! One of the best things you can do to grab people’s attention as soon as they land on your website is to have beautiful imagery.
But plenty of people I work with get stuck here because they don’t have fancy imagery and don’t have the time or budget to hire someone to take photos. In that case, here’s what I recommend—use stock photography. There are so many places to get beautiful stock photos that are both free or paid.
Free:
Paid:
When using photos from these websites, you won’t have to give attribution to the photographer. The downside to free photos is that they’ll be more commonly used and you might seem them on other people’s websites.
With paid photos, other people can also purchase them, but you won’t seem them as often, maybe never! It’s an affordable way to get really unique, stand-out images in a hurry.
Tips for Photography
Look for a theme: Whatever your vibe is, aim to pull photos that all have a similar aesthetic. For example if you love bright, airy and minimalist images, don’t mix in a moody, faded image. You want the overall look of all you images to be cohesive.
Don’t Use iPhone Images: They may look okay on a small device, but when enlarged for desktop, they usually look grainy. Avoid these at all costs!
Purchase a Domain
If you don’t already have a domain, make sure to buy on. I always recommend Google Domains to anyone who doesn’t already have a domain yet simply because it’s much easier on the backend than platforms like GoDaddy.
If you already have one, that’s great! Just make sure you’ve got your login so when it comes time to launch, making the switch to go live is easy.
Pull your Brand and Website Inspiration
Okay, this part is essential for a smooth and easy web design process. The easiest way to do this is to make a Pinterest board and save different things you like—anything from color palettes, fonts, logos, actual websites, and images that match the look and feel of what you want your website to look like.
This process should be fun and exciting and pinning plenty of items makes it so much easier to understand your brand aesthetic and vibe.
Book a Website in a Day
Now that you have all the pieces, it’s time to get it scheduled. Book your own Website in a Day, and get your website designed and launched ASAP.
You’ll start with a template of your choice, and don’t get hung up on the exact template, because just about everything is customizable.
We’ll then create a wordmark logo, pick a color palette, make font selections and start designing your website. By the end of the day, you’ll have a totally customized website design ready to go.
You’ll have the evening to review and the next morning, we’ll push it live so you can share with the world!
You can absolutely go ahead and book before you do the above steps, we’ll just leave time for your to compile all those goodies! Sometimes I like having a deadline set on the calendar for when I need to have things completed by, so if that’s you, book now and compile all your material before we get started.
Finally, you’ll be able to check “website launched” off your list and grow your business!
I hope this makes you realize that designing and launching a custom-looking website. In just a day is totally possible. If you want to chat more about the different options for your own business, book a consult here!
BTW, why I ALWAYS recommend Showit to coaches and service-based entrepreneurs, and high-vibe web design for plant-based nutritionist Kayli Anderson.
