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hi,
I'm meaghan 👋
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I'm a neurospicy mom of two, chronic oversharer, creative polymath and problem solver. My superpower is looking at your biz holistically, spotting the gaps, and helping you fill them.
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I’ve been meaning to put together a little glossary-of-terms style explanation of ✨the Internet✨ for those looking for a web designer, because I feel like I’m constantly seeing people taken advantage of by codebros or hosting fees that just are not *it* in 2024.
I’ve had the pleasure of creating several websites (creep one here, or this one too) this summer and on multiple occasions have been met with the “I’m not a computer person” or “I’m an idiot about this stuff” when it comes to setting up domains, hosting etc etc and:
- It hurts my heart a bit, you’re not an idiot, because;
- I don’t expect my clients to know all of the terminology in my industry, because;
This is my JOB. This is not YOUR job. Knowing what a domain is and is used for is like expecting me to understand what all that glue on Steve’s Carhartt’s is actually used for…… (Also worth noting, in web design projects I’ll take care of this part).
BUT THAT SAID, when you’re looking for web designers or developers, I feel like often these things are made to be so much more complicated than they actually are, just so that those service providers can keep their rates up.
Don’t get me wrong, hiring the right web designer for is important. You need someone you jive with, that is skilled both in the tech space and how customers consume and navigate your website (aka user experience)… But a common practise that is dated IMO, is paying your designer/developer monthly hosting fees and having to call them every time you need the teeniest, tiniest changes.
I get if you want to be totally hands-off and you’d rather just call someone to do it for you, but that also feels like one of your biggest marketing assets is at the mercy of someone else’s availability.
ANYWAY. A few of the main components of your website to help decode all the jargon:
Your Domain 📍
This is your address on the web and is used for your website and your email. You buy this from a host like Bluehost, Godaddy etc (they will try to also sell you hosting via their shitty website development platforms, say no at checkout and then call me).
Think of your domain as your physical street address – you pay whoever (Bluehost) property taxes (your monthly/annual fee) to keep you on the grid (Internet), receive your mail, etc.
Hosting 🔌
This is a subscription you pay, typically to a website building platform like ShowIt or Squarespace to actually show your website on the Internet. These usually also have their own website builder, but not all are created equal. I mention these two because they’re my top picks (for service based, if you need ecommerce go to Shopify), GoDaddy and Bluehost also have their own builders but I don’t recommend.
To keep the house metaphor going, this could be like your utilities, what keeps the lights on.
Website Builders 🏡
Again, these are your Showit, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, etc. This is where all the guts and glamour of your website live. Your website builder is like… the mortgage? Or perhaps the contractor… But your designer, assuming you hire one, is also kind of like the contractor… Ultimately this is where your website is actually created.
(Sidenote Wix is terrible, please don’t, though I will not judge you if you bring me a Wix website – I GET IT. It’s cheap, but that’s for a reason. You will pay more in the long run when you go to redo everything elsewhere.)
These are the three what I would call main components to know when you’re like ‘oKaY, I’M READY, LET’S BUILD A WEBSITE!’. They’re most common areas I get asked. It can get a little convoluted when you add in things like digital products, booking platforms, etc as some builders are better for this than others and even have their own systems, too. I actually did a Brainstorm Session on this and the best client relationship management system for someone who was just starting their journey to ball on a budget.
If you’re not ready to outsource, I’m still happy to help you sort through the best platforms and solutions to streamline your business and your budget, you can book a Brainstorm Session here.
a moment for some community wins 🎉
- a dog walking client replied to last weeks musings about her biz and current struggles with direction and ended up booking a Brainstorming Session where we went through her offerings, current roadblocks, pricing, and ways to reverse engineer getting to her dream of securing an acreage and running a doggy daycare.
She also booked two new clients between us emailing Monday morning and our call Wednesday afternoon🤯 - a photographer and I fleshed out her entire client experience from DM inquiries to following up for client testimonials. We mapped out all the places she could template the process to free-up time – less admin, more work she loves – while still ensuring her clients feel well cared for
Did you have a win this week?
Comment below or slide into my DMs so I can celebrate w you 🎉
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