How to Start a Website You Love in 10 Minutes or Less
Creating a website is a great way to showcase your work, get new clients or share your latest content on a blog! However, the thought of starting a website may be intimidating to some and that is completely understandable.
But no worries - we’ve got you covered with everything you need to start a website you love in 10 minutes tops.
Which Platform Should You Use?
There are multiple options out there when it comes to your website platform. We’ve spent time on both Wordpress and Squarespace and we have to say that Squarespace is a favorite of ours. This platform is really user friendly and extremely easy to customize. Throughout the rest of this blog post, we will be utilizing Squarespace, but take time to research which option is best for you and your business. To help with your research, we recommend checking out all of our Squarespace blog posts on our site.
Setting Up Your Squarespace Account
If you haven’t already, create a Squarespace account to begin creating your new site. It is a pretty simple and straight forward process. You can create an account, get your plan selected and begin looking at the templates available through Squarespace.
Selecting a Design
When you get started with Squarespace, you’ll be asked to select a design. Unlike other platforms like WordPress, or even previous versions of Squarespace like 7.0, Squarespace 7.1 doesn’t use “templates.” Instead, all site designs are built on a universal platform, but are simply a starting point of how your site can look.
The positive of this is that all of these designs can be created on the SAME SITE—no need for template switching, all features are built in to every site.
With that in mind, simply select the one that matches your vision the closest to get started. You can customize every feature of the site as you go along, so don’t feel like the decision you make now is permanent!
Want something a bit more unique? There are also a number of premium, customized designs available from independent designers. This is a great way to get a more customized design without the price tag of hiring a designer for a custom site.
We offer a full range of Squarespace templates that you can easily DIY and apply to your site, to set yourself out from the crowd. Check out our collection of Squarespace templates here!
Using a premium Squarespace template is probably one of the best investments you can make when starting off with a new website.
Inserting the Content
Now, it’s time to build out your site with your content! From headshot images to product listings, this is the time to get all of your stuff imported to your website. We recommend at a bare minimum getting your home page up and running, and then a contact page so people can connect with you. And don’t forget a newsletter signup form to build that suuuper-valuable email list!
This step is mostly a matter of copying and pasting your own content into the site, replacing any demo content with your own. Don’t be afraid to add your own flourishes along the way to inject a bit of your brands unique personality.
Upgrade to a Paid Plan
Once you have all of your content ready and you are about to launch your site, be sure to upgrade to a paid plan. Your site will become public and available on search engines. Also through a paid plan, you will have access to additional features and integrations. Discover more about Squarespace’s paid plans here.
Don’t forget to click here and use coupon code STATION10 for 10% off your first year!
Time to Launch
Ok, now you can pop those confetti cannons! You’ve got the Squarespace account, selected your theme, gotten your Squarespace template and uploaded your content - it’s time to share your new site with the world!
Include a link to your website in the comments below or share it with us on Instagram @stnsvn - we can’t wait to see your brand spanking new site! :)