Help to make a website

It's been almost a week since we got zoned together, and it's probably time to return to the business of website creation. By now, you've come up with some terrific ideas for your site content. So, you know why you're going to make a website and who'll be looking at it. Great. As they say, content is king, and you've got to know your audience.

I'm sure you'd agree, right?

You've also had time to think about your website design, and to choose a website color scheme. Even better. But the devil is in the details, and before your dive in and create a website, it's essential to remember what it's for: it needs to be visited, to be read, seen, heard … and for that, it needs to be found. Which just so happens to be the object of today's sermon from the mount: getting found by thinking ahead (or SEO: Search Engine Optimization).

Yeah, I know, by the time you've finished reading you'll have figured out that there are actually 7 steps, but I was hoping the first – subscribing to our e-commerce solution – was a given.

I was secretly hoping to invite Nicolas to write this article (mostly out of sheer laziness, but also because since he's taken to wearing a hat, I have so much more respect for him). But then he called in sick, so it's “6 steps to attaining e-commerce nirvana for your business website” ... by me.

I know, right? It's practically a miracle that, in spite of your overwhelming urge to create a website, you've been able to hold back this long. Yeah, OK, I first discussed waiting to choose colors before starting to make a website like … 3 weeks ago.

At least.

So if you just couldn't wait, that's understandable – maybe you applied one of our latest ready-made themes (there are now 66 to choose from, which is a lot for a free website builder). If not, then what follows is just for you ...

OK, so this is not really about speaking, nor even precisely about writing prose. Rather, it's about being selective with words and thinking first before putting … finger to keyboard** when you're getting busy with making your own website (or anyone else's for that matter).

Following on from last week's overhaul of our online ad system, it seems timely to devote a few lines to talking about getting the most out of your ad campaign by writing appealing text.

The bottom line is: if you want someone to click your ads and visit your website, you've gotta think about the text you use. You'll need a catchy title, and 120 characters of killer text that makes people want to know more (and that they'll just have to click because it's too effective not to ...).

The focus of today's post is all about what to do before you even begin to make a website - we'll call that the thinking stuff. But it's also about what not to do (aka the doing stuff) when you make your own website: free or not, and no matter how many (or how few) people you think may see it.

But I'm preaching to the converted, right?

You already know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. When you go ahead and create a website, you'll never make the kind of errors showcased on one of my favorite sites ... or will you? Then again, can you imagine any webmaster - whose work will later feature prominently as an example of what not to do when building a website - thinking "hey, I know, I'll make a website that sucks!" when they start out?

So where did they go wrong, and how do you avoid making the same kind of mistakes?