5 Things to Keep in Mind As You Customize Your Website Template
Can I be honest for a second? A pretty website just isn’t enough to move the needle in your business. (Said the website designer. 👋🏽 )
Design matters - but only when paired with intentional strategy.
Think of design as what secures the “first date” and intentional strategy is what leads to relational commitment. From interested to repeat client and raving fan!
When stunning website design meets high-quality business strategy your website will become the single most important tool in your business.
That’s why I created the Site Café! A website template shop where stunning design meets strategy so you can energize your business and put those God-given goals into motion.
No more chasing “likes” and views. No more trying to please the algorithm and placing yourself in a spot of constant comparison - instead, we can choose to do business differently!
In doing so we free ourselves to pursue our God-given goals with both intentionality and surrender. It will allow you, and me, to spend more time present with our families and serving our clients to the best of our ability.
It’s a game 👏🏾 changer! 👏🏾
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t implement a social media strategy, but it will make you less reliant on your social media alone. In my case, it’s been such a gift.
Here’s the truth - your website is much more than just “your corner of the internet”; it’s your new career set into motion.
It’s your quiet dreams of a self-made career suddenly loud enough for everyone to hear.
It’s hours and hours of unseen work made VISIBLE to those whom you wish to serve.
Your website is a vital tool to energize your business, serve your people, and pursue your God-given goals with intentionality and surrender.
That’s pretty powerful!
Over the next few weeks, I will be publishing a series that I’m calling “How to Build Your Website Brew Kit: What you Need to Know, Create, and Gather to Brew a Website that Engergizes Your Business.” You can click the category tag at the top of this post to see all the posts currently live in this series.
One day I could see this developing this into a full-blown course (truly I am packing so much value into this series!) but for now, I want to bless you with free, high-value content so you can start implementing this goodness ASAP!
1. Everything doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective.
Honestly, I feel a bit silly even sharing this piece of advice because I am the absolute worst at this. Truly. I created this whole series about THREE YEARS ago and I’ve not done much with it because I couldn’t get it just *perfect* - ridiculous.
God met me in that over-thinking state and reminded me that when I get so stuck on perfectionism I am only allowing pride to win. Geez. That’s a tough one to swallow, right?
Perfectionism is more concerned with the way I am perceived and my idealistic version of myself, my work, and my version of obedience to God. (Which is laughable, really.)
Instead, I am actively working towards choosing to allow God to work through any unmet expectations, imperfections, and/or insecurities that may come up. This is a very practical example of what faithful obedience looks like. I still have so, so (so!) much more to grow in this area.
Please hear me when I say, that wanting to do good work is bad! I believe it’s very biblical and a small reflection of God’s glory and desire for restored humanity. I love that you care about your work and the impact it creates! That’s a wonderful quality! One I believe God appreciates also.
The issue becomes when we are no longer walking in obedience to the Lord and seeking to glorify God through our work. Instead, we isolate the message God has given us under the guise of “I want to do a good job” when if we are honest with ourselves what we are experiencing is a deep misunderstanding of what success looks like.
Success is obedience to God.
Even when it doesn’t make sense.
The outcome of your obedience is not your responsibility - it’s God’s. Walk in faithful obedience, seek Him, and rest in the comfort that the outcome of your faithful obedience is not up to you, it’s up to the ONLY one who is perfectly suited for the task.
2. You can tweak, refine, and improve as you go!
Your business will not be the same today as it will be a few years from now. You’ll have new products, offerings, systems, and maybe even refreshed branding. You’ll grow as a business owner and gain more clarity surrounding your client base your website will need to grow and change right along with you!
Think about your website as a living virtual document rather than a static webpage.
That’s why all of the website templates in the Site Café are built on Squarespace 7.1 Squarespace is so user-friendly, simple, and intuitive. It makes managing your website a breeze. Even more so when you start from a strong, strategic base!
3. Give yourself the time and space.
Website design pulls together ALL aspects of your business into one beautiful and easy-to-interact-with (and understand) place. It’s a big job! It’s SO much more than just beautiful design. That being said it’s also a clarifying process. One that will help you to evaluate your business as a whole with fresh eyes and give you a deeper understanding of your mission, clients, and offerings. That’s why I love website design so very much!
With that in mind, I wouldn’t suggest cramming all the work of building designing, or customizing your website into one hurried 30-minute work session. Give yourself time and create an environment where you can do the deep work you need to do to set your business up for success.
4. Have fun with it!
Business should be fun! If you aren’t enjoying the process, or if you feel overwhelmed, take a break. It’s easy to get so hyper-fixated on getting your website up or ignore the process altogether and neither are very good options.
Instead, be intentional about adding some fun to the process! Can you schedule a work date at your favorite coffee shop or bar? Can you buy a special candle that you only light while you’re working on tasks you’ve been putting off?
Typically we feel overwhelmed when we don’t have a clear plan, or when the to-do list starts to pile up and it can be hard to see a straight path forward. That’s why I offer Strategy Sessions!
A Strategy Session is a two-hour, solution-focused consulting call where I’ll audit your business and help you create a streamlined and strategic plan to move forward.
My goal is to help you gain clarity in your business, gleaning insights from my 8+ years in online marketing and online business so you can move forward with less risk and more reward!
5. Create a Strategic Plan
A strategic plan is essential in designing your website! Without a strategic plan in place, your website may be pretty enough but won’t convert.
We don’t want that!
Instead, I highly recommend taking some time to create a strategic plan to help you have a clear idea of what your website needs to do for you.
Creating a strategic plan from scratch can be overwhelming! That’s why I created a template for you.
It’s part workbook, part educational guide, and part template all in the most beautiful Google document template you’ve ever seen.
Your website is the hub of your business - it’s your goals and dreams set into motion.
Here at Caffeinated Sites, my goal is to help you take the drama (and price tag) out of getting your website launched so you can energize your business and glorify God in all you do.
