Building a site can be daunting. There are a ton of options out there for every skill-level. If you have little to no experience and want a clean and easy to build option here are a few recommendations.
Simple All-in-One Options (include simple drag and drop editor):
All of these platforms have the ability of hosting and the option for a; Online Store, Blog, and Portfolio. They all offer built-in customizable templates.
Domain – The name of your website (ex: NoahUniversity.com): Your domain is a very important part of your brand. You want your domain name to match as closely as possible to your brand or name. To search and purchase a domain I recommend Google Domains. But you can use other popular registrars like GoDaddy or Domain.com.
Hosting – The server where your website lives: If you want to go with a WordPress site like Noah U there are two options. 1) WordPress can host your site for you (I don’t recommend this option as it limits your site functions and customizations). 2) Or you can go for the self-hosted route like we do. You can buy hosting online and manage your own website. As of now we are using Eleven2 for our Hosting. Their support team is always quick and helpful. There are a ton of other options out there. Here’s just a few to check out; InMotion Hosting, Eleven2, WP Engine, Bluehost. Another option if you have no prior experience is to use an all-in-one service like Squarespace, Shopify & Wix as mentioned above.
Theme/Template – The style and appearance of your website: This is the fun part. There are many theme companies out there to choose from. There are many awesome FREE options out there. For premium WordPress themes we use ThemeForest.com. When we are looking for a theme, we first look for the functionality we need. An example of this would be if you want your logo in the center, make sure the theme offers that feature.
Email Marketing – The platform you use to capture and send emails to your email list: This is your largest asset. EVER. If you’re not using email marketing you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity for new customers, clients, subscribers or sales. We use Infusionsoft.com for our email client. But there are other more cost effective options out there like; Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Constant Contact.
Email Capture – A form used to capture emails for marketing: This is the most important tool you will have on your website. If you are not capturing email addresses from visitors, then you run the risk of never seeing or hearing from visitors again. Remember: Engagement is the key. Conversation and keeping in touch engages your audience. Your email marketing platform will have email capture forms built-in. If you want a more custom option we use bucket.io. Once you have your email capture setup, the first thing I recommend is a pop-up email form on your website. I suggest to have the pop-up appear within 5-10 seconds after the page loads. A great use for your email pop-up is contests and giveaways. These are an awesome incentive to get more email sign ups.
Online Store: There are many solutions for this. I have used Yahoo stores, BigCommerce, etc. We are now using WooCommerce. StoreEnvy is also a great free solution. Another options are Shopify and Squarespace. These platforms allow you to have your blog, website and store ALL IN ONE! There are downsides to these: Less control, you pay a monthly fee. Again, less control.
If you don’t want to deal with any of the website building yourself, and you have the budget. You can always hire a web designer to manage this. I use QuadPixels.com for all of my Web Design. But you can also check out the Noah U Facebook Group for help. As we have members who work in this field.
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