Your web site is your storefront for your complete world. Whereas many companies have chosen to stay to social media to advertise their providers, they could possibly be doing a lot extra with their very own web site.
This collection will present how straightforward it’s to create your personal web site tailor-made to what you are promoting, whether or not you’re a hairdresser, a restaurant, a consulting agency, a photographer, or something. With our suggestions, you possibly can have your personal web site up and working shortly, simply, and able to get clients in.
Right this moment, we’re specializing in crafters and makers — individuals who make great issues and wish to promote them and present them on-line.
Getting Began
Earlier than you begin to construct your web site, take into consideration what you wish to placed on it. Do you wish to promote your objects on-line? Or perhaps patterns or tutorials? Do you wish to weblog about your progress? Or do you simply need a good place to point out off your work?
Your web site may be all of these items, and as soon as you understand precisely the way you need your web site to work, it’s straightforward to set it up and get it working.
As a result of that is for a single website, we advocate shopping for a great primary bundle, both our Important internet hosting bundle or our Fundamental Managed WordPress bundle. Each of which gives you the area and efficiency you want with out costing an excessive amount of. For those who select Important, you’ll want to put in WordPress in your bundle, and when you select Fundamental, WordPress can be put in mechanically.
Promote your work
For those who’ve bought your work on-line by way of Etsy or one other platform, you’ll be amazed at how straightforward it’s to arrange your personal e-commerce website. Whereas there are charges for cost processors, website hosting, and different add-ons, it typically works out less expensive per product than going by way of a third-party vendor.
WooCommerce
The preferred and best-known e-commerce plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce has so many choices that you just’ll be capable of discover the proper mixture to work for what you are promoting. Promote your merchandise, patterns, e-books, and extra with this powerhouse of a platform. The preliminary plugin is free, however extensions, corresponding to cost integration, may have extra pricing.
Simple Digital Downloads
For those who’re solely promoting digital objects, corresponding to photographs, patterns, e-books, or artwork collections, Simple Digital Downloads is perhaps the proper choice for you. It makes it straightforward to promote and launch on-line content material, with all kinds of extensions for much more customisation. The principle plugin is free, however extensions have extra pricing, and there are additionally tiered cost choices for including extra options to the principle plugin.
Masteriyo
If, alternatively, you’re extra targeted on promoting tutorials and programs displaying folks learn how to make issues, a studying administration system (or LMS) is perhaps a greater answer. Masteriyo offers you the power to create detailed programs inside a drag-and-drop interface, together with limitless college students, limitless classes, and quizzes. The essential model is free and comes with PayPal integration, however when you improve to their starter model, it’s also possible to get Stripe integration and the power to your college students to obtain supplies immediately from the platform.
Exhibit your expertise
You wish to showcase your work in your web site. And huge lovely photographs in a gallery are a good way for folks to see your merchandise earlier than they buy them. These plugins are constructed to create nice galleries.
Envira Gallery
Envira not solely offers you a beautiful gallery in your web site, however is straightforward to arrange, straightforward to make use of, and offers you search engine optimisation, social media linking buttons, video embeds, and the power to watermark. The essential model is $26 yearly, providing you with a handy gallery at a low value.
Album
Album is a free plugin that provides you the power to have a number of galleries in a single handy block on your property web page, nice for anybody who needs to point out off a number of sorts of merchandise. The free model hundreds shortly and is straightforward to work with, with 4 set types, and for $24.99, you possibly can improve to the Professional model, which has eight extra types in addition to a customized tag filter.
WordPress Carousel Professional
This plugin offers you great-looking carousels for galleries in addition to textual content blocks, nice for particular provides, necessary weblog posts, and extra. It’s additionally straightforward to customize, together with how briskly it rotates and the way it appears to be like. You possibly can pay $39 yearly, or $139 for a lifetime buy, which incorporates all updates and assist.
Integrating Social Media
Together with promoting your merchandise, you have to get the phrase out concerning the work you do. Integrating your social media feeds makes it straightforward for present and potential clients to share your work with all their connections.
Smash Balloon Plugins
Smash Balloon has particular person plugins for Fb, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, providing you with a straightforward method to combine your particular social media accounts into your website. Every plugin prices $49 yearly and offers you a easy integration out of your web site to your private feed.
Highlight
Instagram is a implausible method to showcase your abilities, nevertheless it’s additionally a locked-in system, making it tough for anybody with out an Instagram account to see your work. Highlight helps you to put your Instagram feed in your WordPress website, providing you with a straightforward method to showcase your work in addition to achieve new followers. The important model is $39 yearly, and offers you limitless Instagram accounts and feeds.
Feed Them Social
For those who don’t thoughts doing a bit of labor and wish to showcase all of your social feeds throughout your website, Feed Them Social not solely helps you to put in your Fb, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube feeds, however it’s also possible to buy the Mixed Streams model and be a part of all of them collectively. The premium model is $50 yearly, however there’s a free model with loads of options.
Including the Ending Touches
After you have your web site all arrange, you wish to make it look good. theme can actually make a distinction to a web site, and choosing the proper one is necessary. Listed below are just a few themes that’ll showcase your work and experience.
Artful Weblog
Constructed for anybody who needs to incorporate running a blog of their craft web site, Artful Weblog is daring and exquisite, with loads of beautiful options within the free model, together with enticing fonts, social media hyperlinks, and much more. The Professional model comes with much more options, corresponding to a built-in Instagram slider, a gallery block, and featured posts. The Professional model is $57 yearly and consists of entry to a inventory photograph database in addition to a featured picture builder.
Startup Store
For those who simply need your guests to go straight to your merchandise, Startup Store is constructed to combine WooCommerce easily in a quick and responsive theme. With a shiny color scheme, easy-to-use grids, and handy format choices, Startup Store is out there free of charge from WordPress Themes, or, for $30, you should buy the Professional model, which supplies you much more choices.
VW Furnishings
For those who focus extra on customized work, VW Furnishings is a superb alternative, because it comes with a spread of blocks targeted on making contact, all of the whereas with a heat and chic wooden fashion. Exhibit your work with a responsive design that’s WooCommerce suitable, and have your potential clients get in contact with you straight away. The premium model is $59 and comes with extra font selections, the power so as to add in your personal CSS or JavaScript, and buyer assist to your theme.
So there are just a few choices to your web site. Whether or not you’re a knitter, clothes designer, woodworker, potter, or digital artist, having a well-built web site is a good way to promote to your present clients, discover new clients, and showcase your skills.
