Website Resources
to get your business running.
Hosting Your Website
The most important website resources include hosting providers. When creating a website, you’ll need to host your website with a hosting company. When choosing a hosting company, look for one that offers: nightly backups, security, and awesome customer support. Websites can get tricky really fast which is why it’s important to use a company that isn’t going to waste your time or money, and continue to ask you to upgrade your service.
Flywheel
We recommend using Flywheel (or their parent company WP Engine) because they offer incredible customer support. They usually can solve your problem in 20 minutes or less because their team specializes in WordPress.
Creating Your Website
Content Management Systems
A Content Management System (or CMS) is the place you store all your information, media, and content. It makes it simple to create a website that can be easily updated without too much fuss. There are many CMSs out there but just a few power the majority of the internet. They are tried and true, and I use the below to build all my websites.
WordPress.org
Your website is the face of your business and WordPress will grow with with you. Investing into a platform that is going to grow with your business is important, as well as it saving you money in the long run.
Building Your Website
Page Builders
There are many “themes” that you can use to create your website via WordPress. Although some themes don’t provide a lot of technical support so when you are looking to download one, keep this in mind. The more documentation or videos that company provides for their themes, the better. I recommend Elementor or Divi as great website resources for building your site with no knowledge of code.
If You Like Flexibility:
Elementor
Using the Elementor plugin with the free Hello Elementor child theme is a great way to gain complete control over the look and feel of your website. Create custom templates for any pages on your site, including the header and footer, using Elementor Pro.
If You Like Templates:
Divi
Divi is both a theme and a plug-in by Elegant Themes that comes with many templates and lots of how-tos. Pay per year or splurge on lifetime access; this is an unlimited websites license.
The Legal Stuff
Do you have a form on your website? Have Google Analytics installed? Sell products? Do users opt in to your newsletter? Then you need a privacy policy! If you own a website that collects any kind of information from visitors is legally required to have a privacy policy. This will help cover your business, so take the time to properly create one and put it one your website!
Termageddon
Termageddon makes the process of creating a privacy policy quick, easy, and even a little bit fun. They also provide options for Terms of Services and Disclaimers which may be legally necessary for your type of business.
Email Marketing Resources
For the Beginner ( < 500 contacts ):
Mailchimp
If you are just starting to collect email addresses, Mailchimp is for you. You get the basics for free up to 500 contacts, and can upgrade to the paid version when your business is ready for growth.
For the Pro:
Active Campaign
Or start your business running with ActiveCampaign which has everything for email marketing and sales teams to manage customers and engagement.
Are you a DIY'er?
Some people just love getting hands on with their websites and we support it! If you’re not totally sure where to start, we offer strategy sessions to help you plan out and gather your content. Check it out!