I’m giving you some insider tips and telling you 5 things you need to do before you launch a virtual assistant website
If nobody has told you yet, having your website up and running is actually the easy part. Yes, there’s the harder part about creating content people are actually searching for, taking photos, editing said photos and then all the maintenance that goes along with running a website, but it’s easy compared to the task of getting a website live.
There are two camps of people – the first camp says get everything absolutely perfect before anyone lays eyes on it. The second one says just get something out there. I’m in between those two camps.
Having a website in a completely different niche than this that I’ve watched steadily grow over the years, I’ve learned what’s helpful and what’s not when it comes to launching a website or starting a business.
5 Things To Do Before You Launch A Website of Your Own
1. Make sure your URL and social handles will be available
I know this sounds simple, but think about this. You’ve researched and you’ve come up with the perfect name for your business. You’ve already dreamed up a logo and can imagine what screen printed shirts or products will look like.
Then you go to buy your domain and the URL isn’t available. Or in my case, the URL is available so you buy it, only to realize the username on Instagram is taken. Talk about heartbreak!
2. Set up a “coming soon” page
My site is obviously live now, but the picture above is the screenshot of what mine looked like. I loved it and it was set up with one single click. (Bonus tip: Under promise and over deliver. I had every intention of having my site live by January 1, but anyone who stumbled across it had to squirm with anticipation thinking we wouldn’t be live until spring!)
Depending on where you have your site (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, etc) there are plugins for this kind of thing that will provide you with a pretty “coming soon” page. I knew I needed this one because once I decided on my domain name, I wanted to purchase right away to make sure nobody else grabbed it from me!
But I knew I wanted to take a good solid 2 months to set everything up the right way and make sure we were cookin’ with gas over here before my website was live to the public.
3. Have at least 1-2 printables or opt-ins ready
One mistake I made in the past in launching a website was not being prepared to capture people that were actually coming to our site. I had zero strategy. If it was possible to have negative strategy, I actually had that. It wasn’t stupidity, it was ignorance and lack of research on my end.
Once I created some really fun freebies on our home renovation/DIY website (think things like free printable artwork or free hilarious bathroom signs) things started to change. I started not only seeing traffic to my site, but returning traffic to my site because my printables were adding value! That’s the key – don’t just have a freebie for the sake of having one. Make it unique, branded to your site, but something valuable.
What information do you have that someone else may not be thinking of? What skills can you help someone do?
4. Use an editorial calendar
One of the most important things when you decide to launch a new website or business is consistency. People online are selfish. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but they’re typically searching for something for them. They don’t need to hear how “you” did this or how “you” did that. They want to know what’s in it for them. I know I do.
If you’re new and trying to establish authority, it’s important to be consistent. Be consistent with your information, but also be consistent in the amount of value you bring. Be consistent in your timing.
Look at your month ahead and decide which days you want to post. It could be twice a week. It could be 5 times a month. Whatever it is, just be consistent, especially in your early days.
Need help planning your posts? I’ve created a content calendar you can have FOR FREE that has a list of questions to help prompt some ideas as well as mark your days you will post. I use a planner myself to plan my posts and it is so helpful staying on top of things.
Aim to plan for a month in advance if possible! I know things change and come up, but it’s good to at least have an idea of what you’re aiming for.
The reason people refer to their websites or their businesses as their “baby” is because much like a baby, it will grow and change over time. You will need to be constantly involved and working on it behind the scenes so spoiler alert: it will never be perfect! And it shouldn’t be! Perfect websites and blogs and Instagram feeds sketch me out.
It’s just not real life and I’m here to help you with the real life side of things and give you a glimpse into mine! Regardless, get started!
Do you have a site you want an extra set of eyes on? Drop a comment below and I’ll be happy to take a look and cheer you on!
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