I think we can all agree that unless something completely unprecedented happens, websites are here for the long game. They have come a very long way since I created my first one in 2008 for my business Casa Bella Designs. I did not need to know coding (thank goodness) as it was simply a web building site, rather clunky, but got the job done. All I really needed my website for was an online version of my old-school classic black leather art portfolio that had photos of my interior design work. So I built a home page (business name, tag line and a photo of Swedish style bedroom I had designed), a portfolio page (my design projects grouped by style), a bio/services page (a headshot of me and a few lines about my philosophy and approach as a designer) and a contact page.
Then in 2010 I wanted to start a blog, I wanted something a bit fancier then my portfolio website as it had more moving parts. After much deliberation I hired a tech company to design my dream blog and chose the name bella visione (websites and blogs were often two different entities at that time). I spent a hefty (at the time) $1750 for it and after two years the programmer that designed it quit the company (leaving no information on how to access the inner workings of my blog) which left me unable to alter anything, in turn leading to me invest in a new site all over again. Sad face.
All that to say, that was kind of the wild west in terms of what was available then and happily the website landscape has vastly changed and gotten more refined. Just as over time our work changes, our offerings change, we up level, we gain more insight and in the end we want something that represents the culmination of everything our work embodies currently.
Whilst websites are far more appealing visually now and have broadened in scope, the basic constructs of them are much as they were. Here is a quick overview.
Logo / Company Name – Usually top of the first page
Home Page – Overall synopsis of what you and your work are all about.
About Page – More in-depth explanations of your philosophy, outlook and experience.
Service Page – A collection of your offerings/products/services.
There are often ‘opt-ins’ as well that capture email addresses.
– Newsletter – A means to connect to your audience via email.
-Downloads – An offering or service that you believe adds value to others.
There may be other pages depending on the complexities of what your offer is.
Experience Page – Expands on how you approach doing your work.
Portfolio Page – A showcase of work you have completed that exemplifies your best.
Shop Page – A grouping of all items available for purchase.
Resource Page – Links to products you find useful that you want to share with others.
Blog Page – A curated collection of writings that support and clarify your outlook and work.
Let me delve into why you may or may not want to add a blog to your website. First of all adding a blog means you would need to have at least a few fairly compelling posts relating to certain subjects you find of value to your reader. A blog adds another dimension to a website, a place you can expand on ideas and keep topics orderly. If you don’t particularly enjoy writing or don’t feel the need to expound on more then is already expressed on your website, then there is no need for a blog and it can always be added later.
Once you know what pages you will need and whether or not you would like the addition of a blog, looking for a compatible web design is next on the list. Having researched options for years with versions encompassing custom design $$$$ to premade templates $, I would highly encourage a template. However, not all templates are created equal.
To round out my story, I have had a number of templates over the years. First was the neccessity to replace my bella visione custom blog, which lasted a few years. Later I wanted to up-level the overall look and simplify my two sites by integrating them together. I moved all my interior design work under Casa Bella Designs onto my bella visione website back in 2016 and found a template design that was compatible. I upgraded again in 2020 and have just done so again. So, six different sites/templates, with a myriad of alterations, over the past 17 years.
There are an abundance of options and platforms for templates such Wix, GoDaddy, Suarespace and Weebly to name a few with a growing number being added. I am a researcher at heart and always want to know I have covered all my bases to the best of my ability. Also always wanting to be able to redo/update my own website as the whim hits, and needing my WordPress blog to integrate, I had a few quantifiers to meet. I am abundantly happy with my most recent switch to Showit. It is a seamless drag and drop platform with much to offer.
And whilst there are hundreds of Showit templates available; I can confirm, having experienced the beauty, versatility and robustness of strategy, that templates designed by Tonic bring a level of expertise truly above and beyond. What I love about Tonic website templates is their stunning designs and how they are backed by the same strategy they put into a 30k custom design. The care and thought that is put into each page and the intention of the prompts helps enormously when working on copy and messaging.
As I continue to impart; simplicity adds to saving time, enjoying the process and actualizing what you really want. I would highly encourage you to let others shortcut your learning curve and save your spending budget. So once you find a beautiful and compatible website template, it’s time to cohesively marry all the branding variables together, to sing in one accord. To represent the best you have to offer and share it with those that can not wait to partake of it. Whoop whoop!
