This message is especially for beginners, so if you already have a website that is awesome, ignore me this time and I'll be back with something good for you next time!
So you want a fancy website, but there is just no budget at the moment to have a pro create it for you. You don't know HTML, you're useless in a web graphics program, but you are willing to roll your sleeves up and do your best. What to do? Where to start?
We discussed when the best time to hire a designer is. If now is not the time, this is the advice we give to people who ask:
Do you need people to be able to shop online?
You have lots of options here. I'm listing our favorites below, starting with the easiest setup (and least features) up to the most feature-rich programs:
Etsy: this is a great way to get started if your products are handmade. You can't customize how the shop looks or works, and you have a lot of competition, but it's a great way to test the waters with a new product.
Big Cartel: This one is not a marketplace, like Etsy, so you aren't lumped in with everyone else, and you have your own unique checkout. They are intended for designers, but allow products that aren't handmade. You can choose from and adjust the offered design themes, or try Googling "big cartel theme" to purchase a designer theme.
Shopify: This is our top recommendation for ecommerce sites. It has most everything our clients want, and you can purchase and adjust beautiful design themes, as well as add apps on to your site to extend the functionality. Sync with Stitch Labs, use their POS in your brick and mortar shop or at trunk shows/ craft fairs, integrate your mailing list - so many options!
Just need an informational or blog site?
WordPress! For sure. You have two options here. One is easier and one is better.
Easier: WordPress.com - they host and manage the site for you. You can choose from design themes, and direct your URL/domain name to your Wordpress.com site.
Better: WordPress.org - this you need web hosting for, and will need to install yourself. However, many web hosts will have an easy "one click" WordPress install, to save you the trouble of using FTP to upload the files and go through the install method. You have many more options if you use self-hosted WordPress, and the site will be more flexible and customizable.
Using self-hosted WordPress?
You'll need a web host. WP Engine is our top recommendation, as they keep your site secure and upgraded, and you never need to worry about what's going on under the hood. If the pricing is too rich for your blood, our runner-up web host is Liquid Web.
If you don't go with WP Engine, please sign up with Sucuri, because having your site hacked without a reliable web geek on your side to fix it is a nightmare.
Need a professional design theme? We've been referring people to WooThemes and Themeforest to hunt around for a good starting point.
A little more info
With all of the above recommendations, you can set the shop up yourself, add your content yourself, and choose a pre-made design theme to add your logo to. Adjusting a design theme with restraint will usually give you a website that will look trustworthy to your customers.
No matter which option you choose, be sure to purchase a domain name (such as yourshop.com) and set that up to take people directly to your website. NameCheap has worked well for us. This way, if you ever end up moving in the future, you won't lose all of the customers who have bookmarked you, or any links from blog posts, etc.
P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, but all programs listed are ones that we happily use and recommend. Whenever service gets sloppy with a provider we recommend, we ditch 'em!
