If don’t have the budget for a website or you just like to do things yourself, here is a guide to help you along the way. This system is a select group of online tools that work well together to easily create great looking, highly functioning websites.
The core of the system is WordPress, an online software used by over 60 million people to create beautiful websites and blogs. Combined with thousands of plugins and themes you can create almost anything you can imagine very easily, quickly and for almost no cost.
To get started you’ll need:
- a Registered Domain Name
- a Hosting Plan; and,
- a WordPress Installation
For more details read my guide:
Prerequisites to Building a Great Site.
Options & Features
Create content with an easy-to-use interface
Fresh content keeps users coming back for more. Staying current and up-to-date is easy with WordPress. If you can use MS Word or can write emails you’ll be able to use WordPress.
To learn more about creating content in WordPress watch some of the video tutorials from the good folks at WP101.com.
Get the design you're looking for
Themes control how a site looks and functions. Whether you’re in retail, own a restaurant, are a non-profit, play in a band, or provide a service, there’s a theme that will suit your needs.
I recommend searching Theme Forest’s library of WordPress themes because they’re categorized by industry which makes finding a theme to suit your needs easy.
Market your site
The Small Time Creative system is built to make marketing seamless and fun. Most all themes have built-in features and additional ones can be added easily with Plug-ins.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) with built in options for customization
- Social integration for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and more.
- Contact form for helping your customers reach you outside business hours.
- Email newsletter to help promote your business
- Local business options, including the ability to insert interactive Google Maps, collect/display customer reviews, and place an hcard with your contact information.
- And, you can always update content or easily blog – great ways to drive more traffic to your site.
Track user activity
Create unlimited users
- Give employees access to create blog posts, or help administer the site
- Create internal pages, accessible only to logged-in employees
- Create hidden pages for customers, allowing access by login or through password protection
Update your site on the go
