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HEY THERE! I’M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!Planning your website is an exciting and important step.

But there are so many things to think about. From what platform you should be using, to what pages you need, to how to make it look amazing; it can all be overwhelming.

There is LOADS of information out there, but who has the time to evaluate it all, to find the best route to success?

Over the last decade, I’ve build hundreds of websites. I’ve made every mistake in the book, and I know just how frustrating the whole thing can be.

That’s why I created DIY Your Website.

This mini course takes away that overwhelm and tells you exactly what you need to think about when you start planning your website.

There are 10 short steps to work through, at your own pace:

PAGE

3 STEP 1 - GET FOCUSSED

8 STEP 2 - STYLE YOUR BRAND

10 STEP 3 - CRAFT THE CONTENT

11 STEP 4 - TACKLE THE TECH

12 STEP 5 - DECIDE THE DESIGN

13 STEP 6 - EASY BLOGGING

14 STEP 7 - BUILD THE BASE

15 STEP 8 - GROW YOUR LIST

16 STEP 9 - GET SEEN WITH SEO

17 STEP 10 - SIMPLE SOCIAL

And make sure your look out for the emails full of extra tips and advice in your inbox over the coming weeks!

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IDEAL CLIENT 1. Who is your idea client(s)?

Include basic demographics such as age, gender, domestic situation, employment, business type, housing type, location.

2. What is your ideal client(s) currently feeling? Provide a summary considering questions such as: What are they happy with in their life? What isn’t going so well? What are they frustrated with? What goals have they yet to achieve? Why haven’t they achieved them? How do they compare themselves to others? How do they judge themselves and others? What sort of words do they use? What do they want most in their lives? Who and what are they jealous of? Are they generally positive or negative? Do they have a victim mentality or are they action takers? What’s the ‘script’ they hear or tell themselves? Would they be classed as over-achievers? Or not fulfilling their potential? Are they confident, action taking and go-getting or risk averse and nervous? What do their achievements mean to them? How do they talk to themselves about them? What are the

excuses they tell themselves for the things they aren’t satisfied with in their life?

3. Who does your ideal client(s) want to be? Why do they need your product/service and what transformation would you provide?

4. What’s holding your ideal client(s) back from making this transformation on their own? What thoughts, feelings and practical reasons are there?

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5. Why is your ideal client ready to seek help with this transformation now? What has triggered them to seek out a product/service to help them?

6. What consequences will there be for your ideal client if they don’t seek help now? What will happen if they don’t start using your product/service?

7. Which social media platforms does your ideal customer use?

8. Name 5-10 Facebook groups that your ideal customer is a member of.

9. Name 5-10 blogs/websites that your ideal client(s) regularly visits.

10. Name 5-10 alternative products/services that your ideal clients may already have tried.

11. Who else will be involved in your business/brand now, or potentially in the future? Include suppliers, local authorities, event organisers, official bodies etc.

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BUSINESS BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. What are your core values?

2. What is your overall vison/mission?

3. Who are your main competitors?

4. How do you differ from your competitors?

5. Why should people work with you, rather than your competitors?

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WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS 1. What is the main purpose of the website?

2. What do you like about your competitors’ websites?

3. Name 3-5 websites with designs that you really like.

4. Name 3-5 websites with functions/features that you really like.

5. What types of things on other websites do you really like?

6. What types of things on other websites do you really hate?

7. What are the three most important things in the design of your website?

8. How will your ideal clients most frequently access your website (desktop/tablet/mobile)?

9. What is your domain name? (for help setting up your domain, wait till STEP 4)

10. Who is your web host? (for help setting up your domain, wait till STEP 4)

11. What pages are vital for your website? (for help with your content, wait till STEP 3)

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12. What features/functions are vital for your website?

13. What features/functions are desirable, but not essential?

14. Which of the following do you require on your website? Ecommerce (shop) Subscriptions Paid membership site

Password protected area Learning platform/courses Paid Directory

Events calendar Paid for advertising Downloadable content

15. Will you require video or audio to be included on the website?

16. Do you require any special features such as online chat or opt in pop-ups?

17. Will you require any PDFs or other files on your website?

18. Will you be linking an email provider (eg Mailchimp, ConvertKit) to your website?

19. Do you require multi-language support?

20. Do you need any forms on your website? What forms do you need?

21. What is your ideal publish date for your website?

22. Do you require any other design elements or specific functionalities that have not been addressed?

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CREATING YOUR STYLE GUIDEYour style guide will help you to pull together all the visual branding elements of your website, so you have the look and feel of your site decided on, before you start to build it.

A word of caution; it’s easy to become caught up in this process and to overthink your decisions. Although branding is extremely important, spending weeks deciding on your colours will not get you any closer to creating your website. Be brave, follow your instincts; things can be changed at a later date.

To make this easier, I’ve created a Style Guide template in Canva, that you can use.

LOOK AND FEELBefore you even get to the style guide, you need to think about what you want people to feel when they visit your website. Yesterday’s task should have given you the foundations of who your ideal customer is and what the core of your business is, so use your answers to inform your choices.

A fantastic way to draw together your ideas is to make a Pinterest mood board with anything that ‘feels’ right. After a few dozen pins, you’ll start to see some trends and this will help you to progress in the right direction.

Click the Pinterest logo for my board from when I rebranded in 2017. I still add pins when I feel like I’m loosing touch with my brand identity.

LOGOIf you already have a full brand identity, then you should already have a style guide (or brand board). If you just have a main logo, place it at the top of the board. You will need to take your current logo into consideration when completing the rest of the board - colours, fonts and images will need to compliment and enhance what you already have.

If you don’t yet have a logo, you may choose to commission a professional at this stage, or you may choose to design one for yourself. It’s possible to do this in Canva but, unless you have great design skills, I would recommend sticking to a text only logo until you’re able to commission a professional, as this is easier to execute.

IMAGES AND PATTERNSThis area is for either images and patterns that inspire the look and feel of your site, or for images and patterns that you will actually be using on the site. Images may include lifestyle or product photography, patterns may include backgrounds and textures.

If you are intending on using them on your site, make sure you have the appropriate licenses. If you are simply using them to inspire, then any images can be used.

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COLOUR PALETTEChoose 2/3 main colours and 2/3 accent colours. You’ll need the ‘hex’ codes for website use. The Coolors website is an incredible resource that will generate colour palettes for you to save and export, complete with Hex codes. It’s also possible to pull colours from images via this website this can be an image of your logo, if required: https://coolors.co/

FONTSYou’ll need a font for the body text of your website, one for headers and possibly an accent font. The best place to look at fonts is at Google fonts, as these are universally used on most browsers and will be available to use when you choose your website design.

Remember that readability is the main thing to consider. If you can’t choose, just stick with one, clear and readable font. You can use colour and weight (boldness) in your headers instead of a separate font.

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C R A F T T H E C O N T E N T

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CREATE THE FOLLOWING CONTENT

Watch my expert interview with copywriter Michelle Sanchez.

PAGESThink about the pages you will need on your website, plus the images and copy.

You will need content for these pages: Home About Blog Contact Privacy Policy

Plus the following pages, if service business: Services page (or Work with Me) Individual Services pages Testimonials Price List (if required)

And if you will have any online sales: Shop Page Terms and Conditions Delivery and Returns

These pages may also be required: Sales Landing Page Freebie Landing Page

BLOGGINGAt least one blog post written (or drafted). Don’t worry about the formatting.

ECOMMERCESales copy for at least one product per category in your shop.

MEDIALicensed, royalty free images are essential. You will need product images, stock images and your own personal brand images.

LEGALYou will need to place a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions policy on your website (alongside any other policies required by your particular industry or business).

WATCH THE EXPERT INTERVIEW

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DOMAIN AND HOSTING

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DOMAIN OR HOSTING

1. Install WordPress as per the video tutorial

IF YOU HAVE A DOMAIN BUT NO HOSTING:

1. Install WordPress as per the video tutorial 2. Contact your NEW host and ask them for their DNS

settings so you can redirect your domain.3. Contact your OLD webhost and tell them you would like

to change the DNS settings on your domain. Follow their instructions to carry this out.

4. You may consider transferring your domain to your new host - contact them about this.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A DOMAIN, YOUR SITE IS HOSTED VIA A PLATFORM SUCH AS WIX, WEEBLY OR SHOPIFY, AND YOU WANT YOUR CURRENT SITE TO REMAIN ACTIVE WHILST THE NEW SITE IS DESIGNED:

1. Install WordPress as per the video tutorial 2. Contact your new webhost and tell them you would like to to set up a temporary domain on

which to build your WordPress site.3. Once the site is complete, you will need to ask them to change your domain to your permanent

one.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A DOMAIN AND HOSTING AND ARE HAPPY FOR YOUR SITE TO BE OFFLINE WHILST IT IS BEING BUILT:

1. If you already have WordPress installed, you’re ready to go.2. If you don’t have WordPress installed, contact your web host and request for it to be installed. If

the option to have a ‘managed’ WordPress account is available, I would recommend this option.3. If you’re unhappy with your webhost, follow the steps below.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A DOMAIN AND HOSTING AND WANT YOUR CURRENT SITE TO REMAIN ACTIVE WHILST THE NEW SITE IS DESIGNED:

1. Contact your webhost and tell them you would like to to set up a temporary domain on which to build your WordPress site.

2. Once the site is complete, you will need to ask them to change over to your permanent domain.

SECURITY (SSL)You need an active SSL (security certificate) on your website. Siteground provide this automatically, but not all hosts do. If you are not with Siteground, please check with your web host to see if you have an active SSL and request one to be activated (the cheapest version will usually be adequate).

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL SET UP WITH SITEGROUND (AFFILIATE LINK)

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CHOOSING YOUR WEBSITE PLATFORMAlthough I always recommend WordPress for websites, you should understand the different platforms that are available, and why WordPress makes up over a third of all existing websites. To help you to do so, watch this video tutorial.

Which Website Platform Should I Use?

WORDPRESS THEMESIf you do decide to use WordPress to create your website, your next job is to decide which theme you’d like to use. The theme determines the overall styling and layout of the website and there are thousands to choose from, including free and premium options. This pre-recorded video explains more:

Which WordPress theme is best and how do I install my WordPress theme?

EXPLORE WORDPRESS THEMESAs there are thousands of available themes, it can be very tricky to decide on which one to use. My recommendation is Divi, by Elegant Themes as it uses a visual builder which is user friendly, extremely adaptable, gorgeous to look at, and reliable.

If you’d like further information on Divi, you can watch my video tutorial replay here:

PURCHASE DIVIIf you’d like to purchase Divi, you can click the button to use my affiliate link, which means I earn some commission, while you don’t pay any extra.

If you’re keen to investigate other WordPress themes, you can do so in the Appearance >Themes menu on your website, or by simply using a search engine.

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WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL

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WHY BLOG?I’m the first to espouse the importance of using blogging (and content marketing in general) for a few reasons:

1. It helps to establish you as an expert in your field.2. It is fantastic for SEO for your website (more on this particular subject in STEP 9).3. It makes it easy to share your knowledge when networking online; ‘I have a blog post for that...’.

QUICK BLOG IDEAS

When you’re setting up your website, I get that there seems SOOOO much to do, but having at least 3 posts to begin with is a great place to start.

We’re told to make blog posts at least 300 words, and that might seem a lot. It’s also easy to overthink the final article, before you press publish.

The trick is to draw on information that you already store in your head, or use things you’ve already written; that way there’s no need to research (which is when blog posts become time consuming!).

Take a look through these ideas, pick three and you’ll have your posts written up in no time:

1. Write a ‘Welcome’ post (feel free to adapt some content from your About page!).2. Look through your Facebook page and find a post that was popular; expand on the subject.3. Answer one of your customer’s most frequently asked questions.4. If you make live Facebook videos, have one transcribed and turn it into a blog post (a great job

for a VA or use website www.rev.com).5. Review a product or service that you already use and tell your readers why you love it.6. Write ‘10 top tips’ on your chosen subject (something you already know well!)7. Create a ‘resource’ post with links to websites you already use, that your readers will love.8. Write about one aspect of your business, focussing on one element; who, what, why, when, how.9. Create a checklist that is relevant to one of your products or services.10. Write a post explaining a few terms of jargon that are used in your industry.11. Reveal some more about yourself with a Q&A post.12. Write a list! Choose a subject relevant to your ideal customer and expand on each point.13. Write about your most popular product or service, telling readers how they can use it too.14. Share a funny video or image (make sure you write about why you think it’s funny!).15. Tell your readers why you decided to start your business.

BLOG POST IDEA 1

BLOG POST IDEA 2

BLOG POST IDEA 3

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INSTALLING WORDPRESSBefore you do anything else, you need to make sure that you have the WordPress software installed on your hosting account. This is easy! Just ask. If you’re not sure, just check with your webhost. If it isn’t installed, then they will help you to do it.

ACCESSING WORDPRESSOnce you’ve got WordPress installed on your hosting account, you can access it by visiting:

www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin [replace ‘yourdomain.com’ with your actual domain]

There, you will see a login page. Using the login and password that you used when you set up the account, login.

WORDPRESS SETTINGSWhen you first login to your WordPress admin area, you’ll need to make some changes to the settings. If you’ve got an establised site, you’ll still want to make these changes, but be aware that changing your link structure can effect your Google search engine results, so proceed with caution. Watch the following video to see exactly what changes you need to make.

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WHY BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST?

Social media is amazing for networking and building relationships, but it doesn’t allow you to be in control of your own contact information. Facebook routinely close down business pages for breaking terms and there’s no way to directly communicate with all of your fans and followers because of those pesky algorithms.

By capturing email addresses, and more, you can speak to people directly in their inboxes. Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to communicate with your ideal customer. It is truly worth the effort.

HOW TO CAPTURE THE INFORMATION

There are several ways to capture information; manually, through a stand alone sign up page and through a form on your website. As we’re here to build your website, that’s the one I’m interested in!

Before you can do that, you will need to sign up to an email marketing provider. There are MANY and there are lots of factors to consider when you make your decision. As a starting point, MailChimp is highly recommended as it offers a free service and is very user friendly. This comparison list can help you to decide.

Once you have signed up to your email marketing provider, you will need to create your sign up form and embed it on your website. The exact method you need to do this will depend on which email provider you’re using, so consult their tutorials for further info.

HOW TO ENCOURAGE SIGN UPS

Gone are the days when you can just ask people to sign up to your newsletter. With people’s attention being demanded from every angle, and with the introduction of harsher data retention laws (the dreaded GDPR), email addresses are now commodities that you have to earn the right to use. Increasingly, people are expecting something immediate, and valuable, in return for handing over their email addresses. This is where the ‘lead magnet’, otherwise known as your opt-in or freebie, comes in.

The idea is that you create something that will be emailed out immediately, something extremely useful or entertaining, something that is irresitable to you ideal customer. This requires a very, very good understanding of who your ideal customer is, and what is going to make handing over that all important email address an impossibly easy decision.

OPT IN FREEBIE IDEAS

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WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION?The Wikipedia definition goes like this: “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results.”

So there we have it! That doesn’t help you improve your SEO much though, so lets take a look at some things that can...

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR SEOIMPROVE YOUR SITE’S LOAD SPEED

Google is all about the user experience when it comes to who it shows on their search engine results pages (SERPS), and load speed is one of their top concerns. The slower your site, the lower your ranking. Check out my blog post on 4 easy ways you can increase your page speed: https://katelitt.com/make-wordpress-website-faster/

MAKE YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE RESPONSIVE

Another of Google’s main criteria; they will give priority to content that displays well on mobile screens. It’s hugely important, so make sure your site’s themeautomatically looks good on all devices.

ADD FRESH CONTENT REGULARY (AND CONSISTENTLY)

If you want Google to show your content to people, you need to make it a regular part of your mrketing efforts. And consistency is also important. Five posts in one week then nothing for four weeks is worse for your results than a post every Monday for five week.

LINK TO OLD CONTENT WHEN YOU WRITE NEW CONTENT

Google bots ‘crawl’ through your site. If you give them a clear path which takes them on a journey through your juciest content, they’ll love it and push you up the rankings.

RESEARCH YOUR KEYWORDS

This all starts with knowing your ideal customer! You need to understand what they want to read about, create posts that address those wants, and then find out how they might search for that content. This guide includes lots of great information to help with your research: https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/keyword-research

USE ‘ON-PAGE’ SEO TACTICS

Installing a plugin like Yoast SEO will give you the space (and the incentive) to make sure that you’re utilising all of the opportunities to use your keywords when writing new posts and pages.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: WRITE GOOD CONTENT

You can be doing all of the above, but if your content is terrible, Google won’t show you in SERPS. It’s not about tricking Google, it’s about providing what your ideal customer wants to read. So understanding them is key!

Watch my expert interview with copywriter Michelle Sanchez for more copywriting SEO tips:

WATCH THE EXPERT INTERVIEW

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LINKING YOUR WEBSITE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

You’ve built your website, you’re blogging regularly and starting to improve your SERP results, but if you aren’t sharing your website content on your social media profiles, you’re missing a trick.

Your website and your social media channels should work hand in hand to reinforce your message and help your brand to make an impact.

Thankfully, there are some easy ways to leverage the power of social media without too much faffing about.

Use this list to make sure you’re taking advantage of this fantastic, free marketing opportunity:

1. Add your website URL to the bio or about page on all your social media accounts.2. Reference your website as appropriate when networking on social media (but don’t spam or

break group rules!).3. Add a page button on Facebook that links to your website (or, even better, your freebie).4. Install a plugin that will automatically share your new blog posts across your social media (I

recommened Jetpack for this).5. Add sharing buttons on your site to allow readers to share to their own social media - again, the

Jetpack plugin has this capability.6. Use a plugin that allows people to login and comment via thier social media accounts (you can

use the wonderful Jetpack for this, again!).7. Create memes and social posts from your blog posts and share these across your social media,

linking back to the full post.8. Using the Yoast plugin, add your logo, social profiles and other options in the ‘Social’ menu.9. Again using the Yoast SEO plugin, create Facebook specific meta data for each post, making

your links more attractive to view.10. If using Pinterest, verify your website.11. Add your social feeds to your website, using plugins such as Instagram Feed.12. Use a plugin like Easy Social Icons on your site, with links to your social feeds.13. Link to your Facebook group in your blog posts, inviting people to start conversations.14. Add a Facebook shop to your page, that links back to your website.15. Create gorgoeus social media graphics which are the correct size for Pinterest.16. Use a website like ITTT.com or Zapier.com to crete automatic actions, such a sending out

newsletters or creating new pins.17. Keep up to date with social media changes by following pages like Social Media Examiner.18. Reshare old blog posts where appropriate, making sure they are still up to date.

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