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Hey there! Welcome to the first part of our series to designing your home service website. We’re glad to have you here.
You might be thinking to yourself, how can I design a website if my normal day-to-day is running my home service business? Do you remember the first day you set up your business? There was probably some self-doubt, some apprehension and some ‘oh my goodness, what am I doing?’ moments. But you did it. You gave it a go. As a business owner with a long list of things to do, thinking about designing a website can seem like an overwhelming task — but it doesn’t have to be. With the right tools and the motivation to give it a try, you’ll be well on your way to designing your own home service website. And if you need us, we’re right here to help. So, why don’t we get this thing going?
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”. - Walt Disney
Where do you start?
When running your home service business, what inspires you to go to work each day? What motivates you to perform the best job for your customers? What inspires you to keep growing, learning, and creating the best experience for them? Inspiration is a great starting point for anything we do. Website design is no different. When it comes to getting creative, inspiration is your friend.
Photo by Cristian Escobar on Unsplash
What are your website goals?
First things first. What would you like to achieve from your home service website? Would you like to drive more traffic to your website? Generate leads which turn into new customers? Once you have a clear idea of what you would like to achieve, this will make it easier to navigate which design direction you would like to go in.
Understand your website visitors
You know what you want to achieve, but who is going to help you achieve this? This is what gives you a real advantage. Who better to know their customer base, than you? Having an understanding of your customers will influence your design decisions. After all, you are designing your website for them.
Get to know your web design tools
If you are designing and building your website, hopefully, you have a program in mind which you are going to use (don’t worry if not! We’ll list a few below for your consideration). Take a good look around in the program. Use help documents and videos. For inspiration, see what others have created within it. This will allow you to understand what you can do and you can familiarize yourself with its tools. There are lots of website builder tools out there but it’s important to choose one that aligns with your design goals. A few examples are:
Whichever program you choose to use, remember: have fun, experiment, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Looking for website design inspiration
You know your audience, you’ve got some clear goals in mind, and you know which program you’re designing your website in. Now, you’re itching to get your design cap on! So, where do you go for inspiration? To get you started, let’s look at some of the tools at your disposal.
Use design inspiration websites. There are tons of helpful websites out there to give you ideas for layouts, style ideas, and more. Some of these design inspiration websites include:
Take a look at other websites within your industry. Take note of common themes (and think about how your website can be set apart from the rest).
Think of websites you like. These don’t have to be industry specific. Ask yourself, would your audience find them easy to use?
Have a read of some design blogs. Get an understanding of current trends and read advice from experienced designers (after all, we’re all in this together!). Some examples of design blogs are:
Try to get away from your desk. While there is lots of inspiration online, it’s amazing how inspired you can feel getting away from it too. Go on a walk, grab a coffee, chat to a friend. Inspiration is everywhere. We can find it when we least expect to!
Love your branding (and use it!)
Your new website is another way to establish your brand. When planning your design and searching for inspiration, don’t forget to look to your own brand. It can help you make more informed design decisions and ensure that your website vision aligns with your brand purpose and values.
Credit to dizain/Shutterstock.com
If you have brand guidelines, please use them and refer to them. From font choices, colors to layout styles — your brand guidelines will come in handy throughout your website design process to help keep your branding consistent.
Keep an open mind and have fun!
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity”. - Amelia Earhart
We know that it can seem like a daunting task, but the key is to just get started. If you have any questions along the way, please feel free to reach out to our team — we are here to help! Or, if this is starting to feel like a task you want to leave to a professional web designer or you simply don’t have the time to design your own website, we can help with that too!
And hey! While we've got you here, why not check out some of our other articles in our Designing the Perfect Home Service Website series:
