This is Day 4 of the 10 day Build Your Website Challenge, on how to collect content for your website. If you missed Day 3, on Connecting Everything, you can find it here.
The goal is that, by the end of 10 days, you’ll have your DIY website up and running!
Do you want to konw how to collect content for your website?
What is content? Does collecting it make you a content creator? Are you viral now?
Content is all your text, images, video, etc. that are on your site. If your website were a Word Doc, this is the stuff that would be there.
Whenever you start panicking putting together your content, I want you to remember: it doesn’t have to be perfect. You can add things, edit, whatever later on. It’s super easy, especially if you have Divi. And you can always hire a marketing manager or copywriter in the future to help you clean up and improve your content. But you have to have something online first, or none of that can happen.
You can 100% start building your website with NO CONTENT at all. Use the same picture as a placeholder for where the images will go (I use a puppy picture.), and use Lorem Ipsum dummy text to fill in where the content will go. For some people (me.), it’s a lot easier to fill in the content later on, once they see where the spaces are.
Here’s some content you might want to collect for your website:
>your bio, headshots, and pics:
Your customers or clients are definitely going to want to know about you! Find a headshot that shows off the side of you that you want them to see (professional, more fun, creative, etc.). You can have more than one picture if you’d like, but I’d try to limit it to no more than 3-4.
You’ll also need to write a short bio of yourself. If you’re not sure where to start, choose a website that has an about section that you like and use it as a model for your own section. If that doesn’t work for you, you can also ask your partner or a friend to write a short bio for you.
>bios & pics for anyone on your staff or team
Just as your potential clients or customers want to know more about you, they’ll also want to know about your team. This is especially important if people will be interacting with your staff, as they would with with a dog walking service or real estate agency, for example. Usually, the team members each have a picture, a title, a shorter bio, and a way to contact them. But, you can include whatever information works for your business.
>testimonials and feedback from clients
A lot of business owners forget this part, but it’s uber important!! Your potential clients or customers want to see what other people think of your products and services. This is a key indicator called ‘social proof.’ That means that people want to see what other people are doing or thinking before committing to something. So, show them that other people love working with your or love the products you’ve created, and they’ll be more willing to show you the money.
>contact information
This one is kind of obvious, but a lot of people forget about it! Make sure you include all of the correct contact information, and that you double and triple check that the messages will go through. You don’t want to do all of this work building your website and then have people not be able to actually hire you!
>clear descriptions of your services, with pricing if applicable
This is most likely the information your clients came to your site to find! Make sure to use very clear and simple language so there’s no confusion. Try to think of things from an outsider’s perspective and explain things in basic terms. If you can, include information on your pricing, because your website visitors are likely looking for that information.
>FAQs that customers might have
This one is optional, but helpful. Again, try to think about your business from the perspective of a potential client or customer. What questions might they have? What are the questions you get over and over? Write out the answers to those and save your future self some time and energy!
>reasons why people should work with you
This one is something people don’t often think to include, but it’s super helpful for potential clients and customers. People may be considering whether to work with or purchase from you or from someone with similar services or products. You’ll want to convince them why you’re the best at what you do. What makes you better than your competitors? What makes you different? This is not the time to be humble! Make a list of what separates you from other similar businesses.
>if it’s a portfolio, photos/ videos, case studies, etc.
This one is very Captain Obvious. If you’re selling your services, make sure to include examples of your work. If you’re just getting started, you can use practice examples or work that you did for free.
>if it’s a store, photos, descriptions, and prices for your items
Again, obvious, but just adding it to the list so you don’t forget! You’ll need to include photos, descriptions, and prices for anything you want to sell in your store, so start gathering that information now. The more you can keep all of that organized, the easier your job will be later!
PRO TIP: If you need images, check out Canva! You can get a lot of images, graphics, photos, etc. with their free account, or upgrade to get access to everything.
OTHER PRO TIP: If you’re really stuck, consider using AI to help you create your content!
Okay, that’s it for Day 4 of the DIY Website Challenge, on how to collect content for your website. If you don’t have everything, it’s okay! You can keep adding in content as you go, and honestly, this is the kind of task that is never really ‘finished.’ Plus, tomorrow, we’ll be organizing our content, so you can add more in during that process as well. Good work!!
