With much blood, sweat and tears – well, maybe it wasn’t that bad – I finally published my new DIY website! What a relief to finally go live. It is still a major work-in-progress, so as a perfectionist, I am really throwing myself out there in public with a site that has some major flaws. What I am thrilled about is that it is so easy to edit on my own. Major kudos go to Bill for his patience in coaching me through the process, and even doing the majority of the image editing.
Geek Day
I guess I probably have more than my share of geek days. Actually if the truth be told I am a geek at heart on any number of topics. Today I was truly being a geek in terms of being completely focused on executing some of my long term web marketing strategies. I always have a lot of marketing ideas, and I have often purchased domain names that I planned to use at some future date. Today when I reviewed just how many domain names I had that were just sitting idle, I decided that now was the time to act on these investments. Most of the domains I had purchased still represent marketing ideas I am still passionate about. So I decided to go for it and set up all the domains as new websites. Since I plan to do something with each of them anyway, they might as well be hosted and start doing something for me rather that just sitting idle, right?
My actions for today included setting up a total of 16 domains on my hosting account and installing WordPress. I highly recommend the companies I use as they make the process of setting up a website so much easier. For domain registration, I prefer NameCheap, for hosting, I think Hostgator is great, and I love WordPress Direct because they make it so easy to install a WordPress website on your hosting account with a whole batch of great plugins already included and lots of great themes to choose from.
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Love the New Features on WordPress 3.0
I just upgraded to WordPress 3.0 and so far I love it! There are so many easy to use features for the blogger who, like me is unskilled in code editing and wants to be able to do some customization on their blog. The new default theme Twenty Ten gives you the opportunity to take full advantage of these features, so I switched my theme immediately. I’m sure many theme developers are already upgrading their themes to work with this great new version of WordPress. You can find out all about WordPress 3.0 on the WordPress blog.
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DIY Website – Configuring Layouts
This was a pretty crazy making exercise. I tried out various layouts with various widgets and elements. Tried inserting some photos to see how that would work. I am totally in a state of indecision on how I want it to end up looking, but I can say I learned a lot by experimenting with many things today!
I worked with colors and tried making adjustments to the style editor in the Builder Theme. The Style editor is still in Beta and didn’t do much for me. I also tried changing the hexidecimal color numbers in the style sheet CSS code. Changing anything in the code is sort of a nerve wracking process for the novice – I am always thinking I will totally mess things up for all time. Bill taught me this little trick of “commenting out” bits of code so you don’t erase them and lose them forever if you try something. That has really helped except I am not always clear when I am in php and when I am in css and when to use the different “commenting out” codes. (If anyone who really knows what they are doing reads this, they are probably rolling on the floor laughing about now!)
In the whole process I find that some of my standby blogging/newsletter tools for adding photos helped me out immensely. I love Picnik which is a super easy photo editing and resizing tool (and free!). I also love Istockphoto for finding very cheap royalty-free, quality images to use for website photographs.
So, here is where I am at the end of the day on Sunday. I have made my color scheme match my logo (at least pretty close) I have tried various elements and photo placements on various types of pages, so once I decide on a final layout, I have some experience in how to execute them within this platform, and I am further ahead than I was yesterday! 
DIY Website – Installing a Theme
Next step included choosing my WordPress theme. I chose a Builder Theme from IThemes.com. Once I had the Builder Themes loaded into my directory (Bill did that part), I checked out the various theme styles within the Builder Themes and selected the Child Theme called Vintage. The colors are not what I wanted but I liked the style and options overall.
I started editing the theme and layouts after viewing the tutorials from IThemes.com. The tutorials are a bit random, and some are better than others, but I learned a lot about configuring my theme to my preferences. I have to say there is a lot of trial and error to this process for the fledgling web designer! Bottom line – you just need to keep trying stuff until you get it the way you want it!
I did a lot of trying out options with sidebar widgets and managed to add my email newsletter sign up and a few other things. Bill made me a quick header image in PhotoShop with my logo in it as a placeholder until I get a real header image. I think I will contact my graphic designer Jenny Carlsson, who created my logo, on Monday to have her create a custom header image.
By the end of the day, this is where I was in the process:
DIY Website – Getting Started
Of course, starting out on a new project, there is often a lot a wheel spinning -at least it seems that way for me. First my home office computer decided to be cranky and slow, just when I was eager to get going. Solved that problem, but then had to figure out the next steps technically, including looking up passwords into my various domain accounts, etc.
Since one of the things I want to do is move my hosting, I decided to set up a new hosting account with a company I like called Hostgator. I have a hosting account there already for some other sites and blogs I have, including this one. For my “main” business site, Advisors On Target, I decided to get a new Hostgator business package hosting account with a dedicated SSL and a free 1-800 number since I will have a shopping cart.
I had some unused domains names that I had purchased in the past, so I moved one of those over to my new hosting account to use as a platform to build my new site. Once it is done I will move my real domain name over to the new hosting and install the brand new site files on it. That’s the plan.
I have decided to build my new site in WordPress, since it is easy (relatively) for me to use, and I will be able to update my website anytime I want. I already have a WordPress blog on my existing site, so we (I mean Bill) copied my current blog files into my new site directory on my new hosting account.
Once we determined that the transfer of the blog files had worked – mostly – all the posts came over, but I will need redo the sidebars, now I am ready to install a new WordPress Theme.
DIY Website – Current Website Before Re-Vamp
Advisors On Target website prior to revamp
My friend and colleague in the coaching world, Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business created my current website, and I loved it at the time, but like all marketing pieces, it needs a refresh now several years later. Plus I want the capability to update the site myself now any time I want without having to wait for a for my web guy or a virtual assistant to do it for me. Besides that, if you are a small business owner like me, you often want to execute a great idea right now before your newsletter goes out.
Learning to be a Web Geek
Ok, so I am pretty much a geek anyway, but the last couple of years I have been learning a lot about using the internet – websites, search engine optimization, social media, review sites etc. – as effective, low cost ways for small business owners to reach their target markets and communicate with existing clients and referral sources.
I would say that I have been dabbling in internet marketing for the most part, in spite of my enthusiasm, because like most small business owners, I am busy doing the work of my business – helping small business owners achieve results through profitable growth and effective leadership.
I have tried my hand at various little websites and blogs over the last couple of years, but now I am on a one month quest to revamp my primary business website for Advisors On Target – and to do it myself! (With a little help and advice from my life partner and online strategy mentor, Bill, of course.)
I thought it would be fun to chronicle my adventures as a small business owner as I work on this project. I have given myself until July 1, 2010 to go live with the new site.
Why the short deadline? I want to move my hosting which is costing me way too much. It renews in July, so I want to have the new site fully functioning on the new hosting account by then. The deadline will also help me focus on achieving this goal instead of dragging it out over 6 months like I did last time I overhauled my website – and that time I didn’t even do the technical work!
Posted in My DIY Website Adventure
Tagged Internet Marketing, small business, website design
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A Step in the Journey
I am jazzed today – my Living in Appreciation class met today for our monthly session. I was energized to even get up and drive 60 miles on CA freeways to get to it! The sharing and personal introspection today feel like another big leap forward for me with more “aha” realizations about how I create both good and bad situations for myself. It’s amazing to me how much we all hold ourselves back from greatness with negative thinking or self-talk and we don’t even always realize when we are engaging in self-defeating mindsets or behaviors. Or sometimes we do and refuse to unstick ourselves. It’s certainly not a new thought, but I was struck today that this personal growth thing will always be a journey of becoming more and more highly evolved. We are never done! But in the process we get to go many more exciting places!
Posted in Personal Growth
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