Building Your Website
Now you know what your site is going to look like and what your topic is, it’s time to build your website!
The easiest way to do this is with a tool called WordPress. This is a free site builder and “CMS” (content management system) that is provided by most hosting platforms.
That means you can log into your hosting account and often install the tool with a single click!
WordPress is highly flexible, completely free, and extremely powerful. It actually powers over one quarter of the internet and is used by many of the biggest and best-known brands in the world!
WordPress has many videos that can help you set up your site and choose what plug-ins you might want to add. Youtube can also be a source of helpful videos.
Designing for Your Niche
When designing your website there are many practical considerations to consider, from the ease of navigation to the layout to how effective it is at getting people to click ads or buy products.
At the same time though you also need to think about the subject of the site and how to create a style and design that tie in with that. This means making sure that when someone looks at your website, they almost intuitively recognize the niche it’s focussed on so they can decide right away if they want to stay or leave.
You don’t necessarily want to keep everyone that visits your site. Assuming you are selling something, you want to attract and keep people who are interested in buying what you have to offer. Focus on them and don’t worry about the others.
At the same time, you will also be able to ensure that your website appeals to the same kind of people who enjoy the niche it’s based around and that you also make sure your site creates the right kinds of emotions and associations that you want.
Do your research by searching for and visiting sites in your niche. Generally speaking, the ones that come at the top of the search results (not the paid ads) are the most popular. Take notes on the overall layout, the placement of ads, any inducements to get your email, and anything else that catches your eye and keeps your attention.
Using these notes, you can design your site so that it incorporates the features you, as a consumer in that niche, found most useful.
