Establishing an online presence through a website is crucial for entrepreneurs. By building it yourself, you can avoid ongoing management costs associated with hiring professionals. Thankfully, creating a website is more manageable than you may assume.

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To establish a website, you must first acquire a domain name, similar to obtaining an address for a home. Once you have the address, you can begin building your online presence.

There are three essential domain names you should consider purchasing:

1. Your business name
2. Your book title
3. Your superhero name

For example, if my business is Jon Friedl, LLC, I would secure domains like JonFriedl.com, JonFriedl.net, and JonFriedl.org. The COM version and the .NET and .ORG variations are particularly important to prevent others from misusing them. It is advisable to avoid buying domains that include dashes.

Next, purchasing a .COM domain for your book title is beneficial, although this can include dashes. This domain will often redirect to your main website, making it easier for people to access your content.

Your superhero name is your primary website, and all other domains redirect to it. For instance, my main site is YourAuthorPlatform.com, and I also own the .NET and .ORG domains. It’s crucial to select a descriptive domain that fans will easily remember.

Alternatively, you could use a domain based on your name, such as JonFriedl.com. However, this can limit your brand potential. A descriptive domain can simplify the initial stages of launching your business, while successful ventures often benefit from name recognition with a personal brand.

You can acquire these domains from various registrars, but I prefer GoDaddy.com for its user-friendly service. It’s best to avoid domains that are already registered. While some registrars may facilitate negotiations for taken domains, securing a name that someone else holds can become problematic.

Consider purchasing the domains for your children’s names as a thoughtful gift idea. When they grow older, these can become meaningful birthday presents that will bring delight.

Now that you have a URL, you can set up your website. Several approaches exist, but the cookie-cutter method is often the simplest and most efficient. This method allows you to avoid future upgrades or recurring fees with a webmaster.

To get started, consider purchasing a framework such as Astra or Genesis. Next, you’ll need to select a theme. If possible, opt for a premium theme to ensure better quality and support.

Numerous themes are available, so take the time to review your options and find one that resonates with your vision. Focus on the style rather than the specific colors, which can be determined later.

Your chosen theme will come with various features, many of which may not be utilized immediately. At the very least, ensure that it supports a blog for posting your articles, as everything else can be customized.

Once you’ve installed your framework and theme, you can explore your website’s design. The first step is to select a color scheme. Carefully consider your primary color; it may be helpful to consult an artistic friend or look online for inspiration.

Remember to choose a secondary color as well. Typically, this color is found on the opposite side of the color wheel from your primary color. You should also consider preferences like font styles and button types, which will enhance your site’s overall look and feel.

To proceed with your project, you must create three essential pages, which differ slightly from standard posts. These pages include:

• Homepage
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• About

On your homepage, please arrange the following sections in order:

• Channel name
• Value proposition
• Purpose statement
• What you offer
• Podcast episodes
• Latest website articles

Note that all sections, except for the podcast and article segments, are static and will remain unchanged unless you decide to modify them. On the other hand, the podcast and article sections will update automatically, a feature commonly available with most website themes.

The privacy policy and terms of service are important legal documents. While you can generate them using a free online service, consulting an internet lawyer to tailor them specifically to your business needs is advisable.

The About page should provide a brief description of your business. Although adding a photo of yourself is optional, it can help create a personal connection with your audience.

You’ll find a consistent footer at the bottom of every webpage across all pages and posts except for landing pages. This footer should include the following essential elements:

• Contact Information: Ensure you provide your business address, email address, and phone number, including voice and text options. Ideally, your business address should not be your home address; consider using a P.O. Box or a similar option. Until your official website launches, you can use a Gmail address, which should be updated to your business email immediately.
• Social Media Links: Include links to your active social media profiles to encourage engagement and connection with your audience.
• Copyright Notice: The copyright should state “Copyright” followed by the year your business was established, a dash, and the current year. For example, “Copyright 2024-2025” would be appropriate if your business started in 2024. It’s important to add your official business entity name after the copyright statement.

For legal compliance, consider including a statement such as, “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases,” placed before or after the copyright notice.

Incorporating these elements into your footer will enhance your website’s professionalism and ensure that essential information is easily accessible to your visitors.

Your website is an essential asset for your business, and email addresses are another crucial asset that can be valued at approximately $100 each when collected effectively. To successfully gather emails from your audience, you need three key components:

1. A lead magnet
2. An email subscription service
3. A subscription page

A lead magnet is an incentive offered in exchange for your followers’ email addresses. Typically, creating an email magnet can take around 30 minutes. Start by identifying three to ten topics that your audience would find useful. Compile this information into a list and generate a PDF version. This list can include relevant information, even if it isn’t originally yours. Over time, you can significantly improve your lead magnet.

Popular email subscription providers include MailChimp, AWeber, Drip, and Kit (formerly ConvertKit). Since transitioning between providers can be challenging, I recommend opting for Kit immediately for a seamless experience.

Your chosen subscription service can help you create landing page templates for your website’s subscription page. There’s no need to design everything from scratch; these landing pages are typically streamlined without menus or footers, allowing viewers to focus solely on the highlighted offer.

Create a template for your posts that will remain unpublished while serving as a valuable tool for organizing your website articles. This template will save you time and ensure you include all essential elements in your articles, which are as follows:

• Title
• Introduction
• Embedded video
• Embedded podcast
• Article sections (4 or 5)
• Summary
• Related articles
• Previous and Next articles

After completing each article, you will produce a long-form video and a podcast episode. The placeholders in this template will assist you until you become proficient in creating both formats. Detailed instructions on this process can be found in other articles.

It’s advisable to structure your paragraphs with three sentences each, aiming for four to five paragraphs per section. However, as illustrated in this article with seven sections, there may be instances where exceptions are necessary.

Every third paragraph should incorporate a button directing readers to your email sign-up subscription page. Positioning these buttons regularly ensures that at least one is always accessible as readers navigate through your content.

Initially, you may not have related articles to reference, but over time, you will build a library of them. For example, the current piece may not feature related content, but you will soon add articles about crafting long-form videos and podcast episodes. Ultimately, you aim to provide a comprehensive list of related content with detailed descriptions for each section.

The final section of your article should offer links to the previous and next articles, a crucial component for optimizing search engine visibility. As search engines index your site, ensuring that every article is easily discoverable is key to your success. Therefore, ensure each article connects to its successor, forming a continuous link as you publish additional articles.

I spent three days creating and launching a website. Prior to that, I secured all the necessary legal documents from my internet lawyer, which took about a week to finalize. The three days I spent on the website also included important tasks like logo design, which are not detailed in this article.

Once you’ve published each page and article on your website, reviewing every element thoroughly is crucial. Look for and correct any errors you may encounter. Ensure you view the website on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you don’t have access to a tablet or smartphone, you can adjust your computer’s browser window size to mimic the tablet format, then resize it further to resemble a phone format.

It’s important to note that approximately half of your audience will visit your site using a computer, while the other half will access it via mobile devices. While this article does not cover setting up a Google Analytics page, incorporating this tool will give you valuable insights into the number of viewers using each device and a range of other pertinent data.

Please note that several minor aspects have not been discussed here. Initially, your website will feature three main menu items:

1. An “About” page for your website
2. The name of your primary category
3. A “Contact” page

Additionally, two significant topics have not been covered: your online shop and plug-ins. Once you have products to sell, you will address the online shop. Plug-ins relate to your website’s framework and theme.

Congratulations on the successful launch of your website! You’re making great progress!

Congratulations on successfully creating your own website. Now, it’s time to begin writing articles to populate your site and engage your audience. Consider focusing on topics that interest you and provide value to your readers.

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