So you want to get your product/service/thoughts in front of an audience, and you need a website. Time to buckle down and create a massive, beautiful site, right?

Wrong.

When you’re launching anything, the most important goal is to get data. Without data, you can’t possibly make something as good as it can be — and that applies to your website, too.

You need data on what it takes to build & run the site of your dreams. You need data on who actually visits your site and what they do. You need data to decide what to do next.

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when launching a website is starting too big and too well-designed (especially eCommerce sites).

You don’t need pages and pages of content or a fancy design. What you do need is a minimally viable website.

Here’s how to build one…

[Read more…] about How to Build a Minimally Viable Website

So you need to build a trucking website and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

In a world where your digital presence is crucial for growing your brand, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building a trucking website with a trucking website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your home search based on an existing paint job.

Sure, a good existing paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, building, lease terms, and expansion options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right trucking website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a trucking template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display information for shippers and carriers? Do you need to accept quote requests? Do you want to create portals for freight brokers? How should job applicants learn about open positions and submit their information?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

What is a new, repeat customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made trucking templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have content already written for your about page, services, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you have social profiles and reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most trucking websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes, it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes, those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a trucking website (ie, marketing, integrations, ease of publishing, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made trucking website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation… and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small websites to have very advanced functionality. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site, meaning your site can have any functionality you can dream up — from portals to job boards to interactive quote tools.

3. Choose & Setup Your Trucking Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom trucking website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Trucking Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made trucking template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind.

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Trucking Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Trucking Website

Ahh, now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build an elderly / home care website, and you have a certain look and specific functionality in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

In a world where your digital presence is just as important to your credibility as your physical one, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building your website with a elderly / home care website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your home search based on an existing paint job.

Sure, a good existing paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and lease or mortgage terms don’t make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right elderly & home care website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into an elderly / home care template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site”, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your care services (i.e. PDF or HTML)? Do you need to take contact requests? If you’re creating a website for an elderly home, do you want visitors to be able to book tours / informational visits through your website? Do you want to frequently publish educational content about elderly care?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

What is a successful project worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made elderly / home care templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, services, location (if applicable), etc? Do you have partnerships with other local businesses or elderly care organizations? Do you have educational content written? Do you have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most elderly / home care websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes, it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much.

If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”,  that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Sure, those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building an elderly / home care website (ie, ownership, accessibility, publishing, marketing, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made elderly / home care website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

The thing to remember about templates, however, is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small elderly / home care websites to have very advanced functionality on their websites.

3. Choose & Setup Your Elderly / Home Care Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom elderly / home care website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Elderly / Home Care Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made elderly / home care template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing all creative assets with your own.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above, you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Elderly / Home Care Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Elderly / Home Care Website

Ahh, now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a grocery store website, and you have a certain “look” and functionality in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online. It allows professional designers to think more about brand voice rather than counting pixels.

But starting the process of building a website with a grocery store website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your grocery store building search based on existing checkout area layouts.

Sure – a good existing checkout area is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, building, lease terms, and expansion options don’t make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

… any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right grocery website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a grocery template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your location and store information (i.e. PDF or HTML)? Do you want to offer coupons that customers can download and redeem in store? Do you need to add weekly specials?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new, repeat customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made grocery store templates can go a long way…but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most grocery store websites.

Here’s the thing —WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes, it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast” – that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes, those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a grocery store website (ie, ownership, accessibility, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made grocery store website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation – and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small grocery store websites to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site, meaning you can get almost any functionality you want, from digital coupons to event listings to e-commerce functionality.

3. Choose & Setup Your Grocery Store Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom grocery store website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Grocery Store Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made grocery store template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your grocery store building based on existing checkout lane layouts. Better to find a building and location that fits your needs and spend money renovating the checkout area.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Grocery Store Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for grocery stores that want to sell goods or specials directly online.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For grocery stores, your location page is the top priority. Your visitors are likely on mobile devices – that means scannable content and minimal navigation.

Marketing Your Grocery Store Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing… you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a property management website, and you have a certain “look” and functionality in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online. It allows professional designers to think more about brand voice rather than counting pixels.

In the high-churn, cutthroat, rapidly digitizing real estate industry, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building your website with a property management website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your office building search based on existing office layouts.

Sure, a good existing office layout is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, building, lease terms, and expansion options don’t make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s brief a 6 step guide to choosing the right property management website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a property management template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you need to include a resident portal and owner portal? Do you want to have interactive renter applications that can be filled out and submitted online? Do you want owners to be able to submit maintenance requests? Do you want to display available properties?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new client worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made property management templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have content already written (i.e. about page information, services for owners and renters, etc)?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most property management websites.

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes,  it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Sure, those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a property management website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made property management website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation… and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small property management websites to have very advanced functionality. In fact, many property management software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Property Management Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure -I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom property management website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Property Management Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made property management template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind.

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your office building based on existing office spaces. Better to choose the right building and location and spend money renovating the offices.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Real Estate Themes – self-explanatory :)
• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Property Management Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – property management functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Property Management Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration. Do a Google Search!

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Property Management Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing… you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you want to build an astrology website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their content online relatively easily.

For content publishers / individuals hoping to DIY their websites, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building an astrology website with an astrology website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your home search based on existing paint jobs.

Sure – a good existing paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, number of bedrooms, lease terms, etc do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right astrology website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into an astrology template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you want to include interactive quizzes on the website? Should there be a forum or social network functionality? How many people need to be able to edit the site or add content? How often do you want to publish new content?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your personal budget. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a successful project worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made astrology templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? What content have you written? What brand assets do you have (logos, fonts, colors, etc)?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most astrology websites.

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast” – that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a astrology website– especially its “plugin” functionality.

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made astrology website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small astrology websites to have very advanced functionality on their websites.  You can build everything from interactive quizzes to social networks to anything you can dream up.

3. Choose & Setup Your Astrology Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here – “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure -I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom astrology website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Astrology Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made astrology template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your home based on an existing paint job. Better to find the right home and spend money repainting.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Astrology Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for astrology websites that want to sell products like readings or tarot cards.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Astrology Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing… you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best visitors and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to generating content ideas and my guide to Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Blog & Make Money
• How To Run A Fashion Blog
• How To Run a Beauty Blog

So you need to build a fire department website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their site up and running relatively easily.

In the modern digital world, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building a fire department website with a fire department website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like buying a house based on the paint job.

Sure – a good existing paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, mortgage terms, number of bedrooms, etc. do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers – web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right fire department website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a fire department template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” to share information, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your information, location, community services, etc.? Do you need applicants to be able to apply for jobs directly online?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

What are your goals for the website? Can you quantify them? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

While the primary goal of the website may be to share information with residents, it’s still important to think about how much you’re willing to spend to make the site what you want it before shopping for a design/designer/template. You might be excited about the project now, but price usually determines whether you keep your site for a month or 10 years.

Assets

Pre-made fire department templates can go a long way…but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your station, location, community services, etc? Do you have partnerships with local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most fire department websites.

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast” – that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a fire department website (ie, ownership, accessibility, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made fire department website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation – and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small websites to have very advanced functionality on their websites, from event calendars to donation pages to job application portals.

3. Choose & Setup Your Fire Department Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here – “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom fire department website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Fire Department Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need – you can dive in finding the right pre-made fire department template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Fire Department Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins with lots of specialized functionality that can come in handy for fire departments (like job applications, donations, etc). Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of specialized functionality that can work for fire departments – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Fire Department Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best visitors and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

Build a Car Dealer Website: Templates, Design & DIY Setup Guide

So you need to build a car dealer website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

In the competitive and rapidly digitizing car dealer industry, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building your website with a car dealer website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your dealership lot search based on existing building layouts.

Sure – a good existing building layout is great; you need someplace for buyers to discuss pricing, fill out paperwork, etc. But that building doesn’t really matter if your location, lot size, lease terms, and expansion options don’t make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right car dealer website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a car dealer template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your available vehicles, pricing, & location? Do you need to take appointment reservations?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made car dealer templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’re going to be seeing mock-up photography, fonts, colors, etc. that you’ll be replacing with your own assets. So what do you have and what do you need?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, available cars, financing information, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

Knowing what you’re bringing to the table will help you not get swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options, but for our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most car dealer websites, especially smaller dealers looking for cost effective competition with big dealerships (more on that in a bit).

Think of WordPress as the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a car dealer website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

There is a whole universe of pre-made car dealer website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about templates is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation — not on functionality.

Functionality should be left primarily to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small car dealerships to have very advanced functionality on their websites and compete with larger dealerships affordably. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Car Dealer Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom car dealer website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Car Dealer Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made car dealer template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing these assets with your own.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your car dealership lot location based on pre-built building layout. It’s better to choose your lot or location and spend money renovating the building.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Car Dealer Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for car dealers.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For car dealerships, your cars, pricing, and location pages are the top priority. Your visitors are likely on mobile devices, so keep content scannable and navigation minimal.

Marketing Your Car Dealer Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a car wash website, and you have a certain look or style in mind. Maybe you’re even looking for a car wash website template to get started with.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

In a world where your online presence is just as important as (if not more than) your physical presence, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building a car wash website with a car wash website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your car wash location search based solely on existing lot layout.

Sure – a good existing lot layout is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, lease terms, and expansion options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s my brief 6 step guide to choosing the right car wash website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a car wash template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site”, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your services, pricing, & location (ie, PDF or HTML)? Do you need to take appointments for more in-depth cleaning services and detailing? Do you need customers to be able to pre-pay for a car wash package online?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new, repeat customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made car wash templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re looking at templates, you’ll be seeing mock-up photography, icons, colors, fonts, etc. You’ll be replacing all of this with your own assets so, what do you have?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, services and pricing, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most car wash websites.

Think of WordPress as the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast” – that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a car wash website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made car wash website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

There is one item to remember about templates, however. Website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation – and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small car washes to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Car Wash Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here – “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom car wash website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Car Wash Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made car wash template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’re going to be replacing this with your own.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your car wash location based solely on the lot layout. It’s better to choose a location that fits all of your needs and spend money renovating if needed.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Car Wash Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for a car wash business.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For car washes, your service menu and location pages are the top priority. Your visitors are likely on mobile devices – that means scannable content and minimal navigation.

Marketing Your Car Wash Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a civil engineering website, and you have a certain look or style in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

In a world where your digital presence is almost more important to your credibility than your physical one, this shift has been amazing.

But starting the process of building a civil engineering website with a civil engineering website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your office building search based on existing conference room layouts.

Sure – a good existing conference room layout is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, building, lease terms, and expansion options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

There’s really no such thing as a “Squarespace” template or “Wix” template or [insert brand name here] template — they can exist anywhere.

With that in mind, here’s my brief 6 step guide to choosing the right civil engineering website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a civil engineering template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive?  How should it display your services and portfolio of work? Do you need to allow applicants to apply for jobs? Do you need to accept contact requests from potential clients?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made civil engineering templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be seeing mock-up photography, colors, fonts, etc.  You’re going to be replacing all of that with your own creative assets so… what do you have?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, services, portfolio of work, certifications, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about what you’re bringing to the table before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most civil engineering websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not.

As we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a civil engineering website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made civil engineering website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about templates though, is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation… and not on functionality.

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small civil engineering firms to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Civil Engineering Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom civil engineering website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Civil Engineering Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made civil engineering template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing all of this with your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your office building or location based on a pre-built conference room layout. It’s better to choose your building or location and spend money renovating the conference rooms.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Civil Engineering Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for galleries and portfolios like Envira Gallery and JetPack.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For civil engineering firms, remember that your services and portfolio pages are the top priority.

Marketing Your Civil Engineering Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go, but a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a website for your farm, and you have a certain look or stye in mind. Perhaps you’re even looking for a farm website template to get started with.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years!

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

Given your digital presence as a brand is crucial for credibility, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building your website with a farm website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your farm search bases solely on existing barns.

Sure, a good existing barn layout is great. But it doesn’t really matter if the land, lease/mortgage terms, and expansion options don’t make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you see a farm website template you like on Wix, you’re not tied to using Wix as your website platform because that template can be recreated anywhere. The goal is to choose the website platform AND template that fit your needs, then go from there.

With that in mind, here’s my brief 6 step guide to choosing the right farm website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a farm template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a “brochure site” or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your history & location (ie, PDF or HTML)? Do you need to sell tickets for events? Take contact requests? Sell branded merchandise?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new, repeat visitor worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth, and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth, and how can a good website help them?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made farm templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be looking at mock-up photography, logos, colors, etc. You’ll be replacing all of this with your own assets, so… what do you have?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, activities, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups that you’ll be replacing anyways!

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most farm websites.

Think of WordPress as the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Sure – those criticisms are true… but not.

As we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a farm website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made farm website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services.

The thing to remember about templates, though, is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small, local farms to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Farm Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom farm website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Farm Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made farm template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind.

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with all of your own creative assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your farm location based on a pre-built barn layout. It’s better to choose your location and spend money renovating the barn.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Farm Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for farms who want to sell tickets, merchandise, and other goods directly online.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need. Once you do that, check out these sources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of specialized functionality that works well for farms – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For farms, your events and location pages are the top priority. Your visitors are likely on mobile devices – that means scannable content and minimal navigation.

Marketing Your Farm Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a DJ website, and you have a certain look or style in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website online. You can own your space on the Internet instead of just shacking up on social media’s digital land.

In the modern digital world, this shift is huge. Even if you don’t plan on selling mixes online, your digital presence is key to building your credibility as a DJ. It makes sense to control & own it.

But starting the process of building a DJ website with a DJ website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your home search based solely on existing paint jobs.

Sure, a good existing paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, home size, lease or mortgage terms, and living options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

In other words – you aren’t limited to “Squarespace templates” or “Wix templates” or “BrandYourself Templates.”

With that in mind, here’s brief 6 step guide to choosing the right DJ website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your site needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a DJ template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what functionality your site needs, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Do you need to stream music? Embed videos from your shows? Provide information about upcoming shows and sell tickets? Connect to your social media & Spotify profile?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

How does this website contribute to you getting booked? How many more shows can you handle? Will your site bring in music sales? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made DJ templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours (that’s the whole point!). When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be seeing mock-up photography, fonts, colors, etc. You’ll have to replace all of this with your own assets… so what do you have?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have an artist profile? Sample songs? Videos of your most recent shows? Do you already have established social profiles?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to know what you’re bringing to the table before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website:

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most DJ websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast” – that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true..but not. Plus – as we’ll see – there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a DJ website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made DJ website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember when looking at these templates is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left primarily to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small websites to have very advanced functionality. In fact, many music and event software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your DJ Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom DJ website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your DJ Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made DJ template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing all of these assets with your own
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your home based on an existing paint job. It’s better to choose your home based on your needs and spend money repainting.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your DJ Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for DJs who want to sell tickets or music directly on their site.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – specialized functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Music / Event Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration. Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of DJ functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For DJs, your events and music pages are the top priority. Keep in mind your visitors are likely on mobile devices, so keep content scannable and navigation simple.

Marketing Your DJ Website

Ahh, now the real fun. There are no right answers here!

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a baseball website — perhaps for a camp, local youth league, academy, etc. Chances are you landed here because you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

However, starting the process of building your website with a baseball website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Why? Because using a website template tends to pigeonhole people into choosing a certain website platform just because they like the template that platform offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you were to find a baseball template you like on, say, Squarespace, you’re not actually tied to using Squarespace. In fact, you should only choose Squarespace if it supports all of your needs, such as integrating with software to give you the functionality you need, meeting your price point, etc.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right baseball website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a baseball template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Is it simply a “brochure site”, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you need to be able to display stats and schedules? Accept camp registrations? Showcase series highlights?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. What do you need to spend money on, and where can you cut back?

How can your baseball website contribute monetarily to your club/camp/ league/etc.? Can you quantify its impact? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made baseball templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your club/camp/league, location, event schedule, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses, baseball clubs, or sports organizations? Do you already have established social profiles?

Knowing what you bring to the table with help keep you from getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays:

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most baseball websites, especially due to its integration capabilities (more on that in a minute).

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a baseball website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made baseball website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember is that website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small baseball organizations to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many sports software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site (like Hudl).

3. Choose & Setup Your Baseball Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom baseball website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress, and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Baseball Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made baseball template for your website. When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with all of your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Baseball Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for baseball organizations that want to sell tickets, memberships, merchandise, camp registrations, etc. directly on their website.

Specialized Functionality

Now what you’ve been waiting for: sports-specific functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these excellent resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Sports Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration (again, see Hudl). Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of sports functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel, it might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Baseball Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a family website — and you want to be able to provide your clan with something truly special.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their own website online. You can own your space on the Internet instead of just creating a group or community on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn’s digital “land.”

In the modern digital world, this shift is huge.

But starting the process of building a family website with a family website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like choosing a house search based on solely on the existing paint job.

Sure, a move-in ready paint job is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, building, lease terms, and living options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers: all web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

In other words – you aren’t limited to “Squarespace templates” or “Wix templates” or “BrandYourself Templates.”

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right family website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that you need for your family’s site.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a family website template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what “assets” (ie, content, photos, PDFs, etc) you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a place to publish information about the latest family reunion – or does it need to be more complex? Do you want to break down genealogy? Do you want to create a community where your family can interact with one another?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading the sales page of [brand name website builder].

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your personal budget. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

Now, a family site is something that’s personal. You’re most likely creating a site like this for more emotional reasons (i.e. to connect with family, have a place to showcase memories, etc.). But it’s still important to think about how much you’re willing to spend to make the site what you want it before shopping for a design/designer/template. You might be excited about the project now, but price usually determines whether you keep your site for a month or 10 years.

Assets

Pre-made family templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. I mean, thats’ the whole point, right? It’s about YOUR family!

What photography do you have? Do you have a pre-written content? Do you have documents, PDFs, or video that you want online? Do you have typography and colors that represents your family (maybe you’ve even traced your genealogy back to a crest)?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by beautiful mock-up templates.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience. This is your [yourname.com].

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most family websites (yes, and that includes the non-stop Squarespace advertising).

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that is like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not.

Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate / eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a family website (ie, ownership, accessible, expandable, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made family website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about templates, however, is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation – and not on functionality or pre-made photography.

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even one-man created family websites to have very advanced functionality on them, from family trees that trace genealogy back generations, to chat forums where your family can interact and stay connected.

3. Choose & Setup Your Family Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress**. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

**if you want to know exactly why – I wrote an extensive comparison between Squarespace and WordPress based on my experience.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Option #1 Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own house. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good shared hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For family websites, I use & recommend Bluehost for a few reasons. I wrote a length comparison of Bluehost here.

1. Bluehost is extremely affordable to get started.
2. Bluehost has a clean, fast “onboarding” process built for family websites.
3. Bluehost is the go to name-brand for starter self-hosted WordPress website.
4. Bluehost has plans to grow with and they run servers on cPanel…so it’s simple to transfer if/when you ever want to leave.

See Bluehost’s current promotional discount here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – Bluehost provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

Option #2 WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own house, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built condominium. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Personal Plans are accessible AND predictable.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows a ton of functionality…and it’s future-proof if you ever need to leave – which is huge for a custom family website.

See WordPress.com’s Plans here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for Bluehost’s Plan w/ WordPress auto-install – see my step by step setup guide.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Family Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made family template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with your own.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design. Again, that would be like choosing your house based on pre-done paint job. It’s better to choose your house or location and spend money repainting.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Personal Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Family Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for galleries like Envira Gallery and JetPack.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – unique functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.

Note that with WordPress.com Personal Plans also have lots of interesting functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is just a simple family blog or place to post information about the reunion – or an interactive & constantly updated site for years to come – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your readers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a hosting plan with WordPress auto-install here – see my step by step setup guide.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• How To Blog & Make Money
• How To Run A Fashion Blog
• How To Run a Beauty Blog

So you need to build a camping website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Whether you’re looking to showcase popular trails and campsites, sell or review gear, or just create a community website for camping enthusiasts, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their site online.

But starting the process of building your website with a camping website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Why? Because starting a website with a template tends to pigeonhole people into choosing a specific website platform just because they like the template it offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you see a camping template you like on Wix, you’re not tied to using Wix. In fact, you should only choose that website platform if it fits your needs (i.e. functionality, support, price, etc).

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right camping website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that fits your needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a camping template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What does your website need to be able to do? Is it simply a “brochure site” – or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you want to display maps of certain trails? Sell gear directly online? Allow visitors to download information about certain campsites?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

What is a new, repeat website visitor worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made camping templates can go a long way…but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your site’s purpose? Do you have an idea of your goals and what information you want to display? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting  and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files – and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most camping websites.

Here’s the thing. WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a camping website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made camping website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about these templates is they should focus on design, layout, and content presentation… not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small websites to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many camping / outdoors software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Camping Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure -I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom camping website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Camping Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made camping template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind.

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Camping Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great – but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for camping websites that want to sell gear directly on their site.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – camping functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these sources

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Camping / Outdoors Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration. Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of camping / outdoors functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup – the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel, it might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Camping Website

Ahh – now the real fun. There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best visitors and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a sports website — perhaps for a sports camp, local athletic club, academy, or even a fan site. Chances are you landed here because you have a certain “look” in mind. Perhaps you’re even searching for sports website templates.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

However, starting the process of building your website with a sports website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices. Why?

Because starting the process of building a website with a website template tends to pigeonhole people into choosing a certain website platform just because they like the template that platform offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you were to find a sports template you like on, say, Squarespace, you’re not actually tied to using Squarespace. In fact, you should only choose that website platform if it supports all of your needs, such as integrating with software to give you the functionality you need, meeting your price point, having adequate support options, etc.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right sports website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that fits your needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Any generic template can transform into a sports template with a little editing, which makes website templates very easy to market… and easy to mislead. It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Is it simply a “brochure site”, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you need to be able to display stats and schedules? Embed highlight films? Have a community chat forum? Sell tickets or merchandise?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. What do you need to spend money on, and where can you cut back?

Is your sports website generating revenue? How long do you expect the site to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? If you’re working with a club, how much is your staff’s time worth, and how can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made sports templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be seeing mock-up photography, fonts, colors, etc., which you’ll be replacing with your own assets. So what do you have and what do you need?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? If you’re a fan site, do you have descriptions of how the site is supposed to function (i.e. is it a community forum? A merch site?). For sports clubs, do you have information on your location, membership options, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or sports organizations? Do you already have established social profiles?

Knowing what you bring to the table with help keep you from getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays:

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most sports websites, especially due to its integration capabilities (more on that in a minute).

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a sports website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made sports website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember is that website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small sports websites to have very advanced functionality on their sites. In fact, many sport software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site (like Hudl).

3. Choose & Setup Your Sports Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefiting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom sports website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress, and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Sports Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made sports template for your website. When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with all of your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Sports Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for sports websites that want to sell memberships, merchandise, camp registrations, lessons, event tickets, etc. directly on their website.

Specialized Functionality

Now what you’ve been waiting for: sports-specific functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these excellent resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Sports / Athletic Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration (again, see Hudl). Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of sports functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel, it might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Sports Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best visitors and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a golf website — perhaps for a camp, local club, etc. Chances are you landed here because you have a certain “look” in mind. Perhaps you’re even searching for golf website templates.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

However, starting the process of building your website with a golf website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices. Why?

Because starting the process of building a website with a website template tends to pigeonhole people into choosing a certain website platform just because they like the template that platform offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you were to find a golf template you like on, say, Wix, you’re not actually tied to using Wix. In fact, you should only choose that website platform if it supports all of your needs, such as integrating with software to give you the functionality you need, meeting your price point, having adequate support options, etc.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right golf website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Any generic template can transform into a golf template with a little editing, which makes website templates very easy to market… and easy to mislead. It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Is it simply a “brochure site”, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you need to be able to display stats, schedules, membership options, etc.? Accept camp registrations? Book lessons?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. What do you need to spend money on, and where can you cut back?

How can your golf website contribute monetarily to your club/camp/etc.? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made golf templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be seeing mock-up photography, fonts, colors, etc., which you’ll be replacing with your own assets. So what do you have and what do you need?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your club/camp, location, membership options, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or sports organizations? Do you already have established social profiles?

Knowing what you bring to the table with help keep you from getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays:

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most golf websites, especially due to its integration capabilities (more on that in a minute).

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a golf website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made golf website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember is that website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small golf clubs to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many sport software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site (like Hudl).

3. Choose & Setup Your Golf Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefiting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom golf website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress, and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Golf Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made golf template for your website. When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with all of your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Golf Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for golf clubs that want to sell memberships, merchandise, camp registrations, lessons, etc. directly on their website.

Specialized Functionality

Now what you’ve been waiting for: sports-specific functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these excellent resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Sports / Athletic Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration (again, see Hudl). Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of sports functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel, it might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Golf Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing: you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a football website — perhaps for a camp, local youth team, academy, etc. Chances are you landed here because you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their website up and running relatively easily.

However, starting the process of building your website with a football website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Why? Because using a website template tends to pigeonhole people into choosing a certain website platform just because they like the template that platform offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

So if you were to find a football template you like on, say, Wix, you’re not actually tied to using Wix. In fact, you should only choose Wix if it supports all of your needs, such as integrating with software to give you the functionality you need, meeting your price point, etc.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right football website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a football template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own before you start shopping.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Is it simply a “brochure site” – or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? Do you need to be able to display stats? Show the game schedule? Accept camp registrations? Showcase highlight reels?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. What do you need to spend money on, and where do you need to cut back?

How does this football website contribute monetarily to your club, camp, team, etc.? Can you quantify its impact? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made football templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your team(s), event schedule, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or sports organizations? Do you already have established social profiles?

Knowing what you bring to the table with help keep you from getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options.

For our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most football websites, especially due to its integration capabilities (more on that in a minute).

Here’s the thing: WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus – as we’ll see – there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a football website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction,  templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made football website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember is that website templates should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small football organizations to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many sports software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site (like Hudl).

3. Choose & Setup Your Football Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want… but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom football website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress, and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Football Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made football template for your website. When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with all of your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Football Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for football organizations that want to sell tickets, memberships, merchandise, etc. directly on their website.

Specialized Functionality

Now what you’ve been waiting for – sports-specific functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you do that, check out these excellent resources:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Sports Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration (again, see Hudl). Do a Google Search!

Note that with WordPress.com Business Plans also have lots of sports functionality – see this example.

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel, it might be frustrating for visitors.

Marketing Your Football Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a flower shop website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

But starting the process of building a flower shop website with a flower shop website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Starting with a template or pre-made design is like starting your flower shop building search based on existing building layouts.

Sure – a good existing building layout is great. But it doesn’t really matter if your location, lease terms, greenhouse space, and expansion options do not make any sense.

Here’s the open secret among professional web designers – web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right flower shop website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a flower shop template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What functionality does your website need? Is it simply a brochure site, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your floral arrangements & location (ie, PDF or HTML)? Do you need to  integrate it with ordering apps? Do you need to offer deliveries?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters. Think about your physical business location. What do you spend money on and where do you cut back?

What is a new, repeat customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

Again, there are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made flower shop templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. When you’re shopping for templates, you’ll be looking at mock-up photography, colors, fonts, logos, etc. that you’ll be replacing with your own assets. So what do you have and what do you need?

What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, flowers, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

It’s important to know what you’re bringing to the table before getting swayed by nice mock-ups that you’ll be replacing anyways.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website nowadays:

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options, but for our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most flower shop websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true..but not. Plus, as we’ll see, there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a flower shop website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made flower shop website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about these templates is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation — and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small flower shops to have very advanced functionality on their websites.

3. Choose & Setup Your Flower Shop Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom flower shop website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Flower Shop Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made flower shop template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing all of this with your own assets.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Flower Shop Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for flower shop.

Specialized Functionality

If you need specialized functionality beyond what WordPress offers, there are a few great resources to browse for plugins. However, be sure to write down your needs first. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

Once you’ve done that, check out these sources for specific functionality:

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Flower Shop / Florist Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration. Do a Google Search!

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For flower shops, your floral menu and location pages are the top priority. Your visitors are likely on mobile devices, so keep content scannable and navigation simple.

Marketing Your Flower Shop Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing — you can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively

So you need to build a vacation rental website, and you have a certain “look” in mind.

Fortunately, website design has come a long way in the last few years.

Free templates, ready-made designs, and website builders allow anybody to get their business online.

In the competitive, rapidly digitizing travel industry, this shift has been incredible.

But starting the process of building a vacation rental website with a vacation rental website template can be a shortcut to some bad website choices.

Why? Because starting with a template or pre-made design tends to pigeonhole business owners into choosing a certain website platform just because they like the template that platform offers.

But here’s the open secret among professional web designers: web pages are made of HTML & CSS with a few scripts thrown in. This means that…

…any website template can exist on any good web platform.

Which means if you find a template you love on, say, Wix, you’re actually not tied to using Wix. In fact, you should only choose that website platform if it meets your business needs, because that template can be created anywhere!

With that in mind, here’s a brief 6 step guide to choosing the right vacation rental website template on the right web platform so that you can build the design & functionality that your business needs.

1. Define Your Needs, Budget & Assets

Since any generic template can transform into a vacation rental template with a little editing, they are very easy to market (and easy to mislead). It’s important to take stock of what you truly need, what your budget is, and what website assets you already own.

Needs

What does your website actually need to be able to do? Is it simply a brochure site, or does it need to be interactive? Do you need it to be easily edited? How should it display your rentals, location, pricing, available, etc. (ie, PDF or HTML)? Do you need to take reservations?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before reading template sales features.

Budget

Price is powerful, but it’s important to not only pay for value but to also pay for what matters.

What is a new, repeat customer worth? How much do you want to grow? How long do you expect this website to last? How much is your time worth – and how much will getting your website right save time? How much is your staff’s time worth – can a good website help them?

Again, there are no right answers here, but it’s important to at least think about budget before shopping for a design/designer/template.

Assets

Pre-made vacation rental templates can go a long way… but the site still needs to be yours. What photography do you have? Do you have a digitized logo? Do you know your fonts and exact colors? Do you have descriptions of your history, location, rentals, etc? Do you have marketing partnerships with other local businesses or organizations? Do you already have established social profiles & reviews?

There are no right answers, but it’s important to at least think about them before getting swayed by nice mock-ups.

2. Understand Terminology & Options

Website terminology can be daunting – and frustrating with so many companies mixing, matching, & misusing jargon to sell their product. Here are the 5 core things you need to have a website on the Internet nowadays.

Domain Name

A domain is your “address” on the Internet. You lease it for a certain amount of time from ICANN via accredited “domain registrars”. You can buy one now and “point” it to your website later. Many website hosting companies also resell domain names to provide convenience.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of computer files. And those files have to “live” somewhere. Website hosting companies rent space on specialized servers that store & serve your website files whenever someone goes to your website.

Website Software

A modern website usually consists of a lot of different files. While not 100% necessary, websites usually need software (ie, a “content management system”) to manage all the files and make it easy for a human to edit & maintain.

There are hundreds of thousands of website software options, but for our purposes, we’ll be looking at WordPress.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the Internet. It has its critics and its evangelists. But it’s still the go-to solution for most vacation rental websites.

Why? Because WordPress is kind of like the 4 door sedan or light SUV of website software.

Yes – it is popular. But it’s popular because it fits most people’s needs. It’s versatile, manageable and suitable for so much. If you hear people saying that “WordPress gets hacked” or “WordPress is not fast”, that’s like someone saying that “sedans get broken into more often than semi-trucks” or “well, your Honda Accord can’t beat my Ferrari off the line.”

Yes – those criticisms are true… but not. Plus – as we’ll see – there are ways to mitigate/eliminate WordPress’ disadvantages while keeping its advantages for building a vacation rental website (ie, ownership, marketing, integrations, etc).

*WordPress is for most, but not everyone. It does have a learning curve. Here’s how WordPress compares to Wix, how WordPress compares to Squarespace, and how WordPress compares to Weebly. Your end goal should be a website that is best for *you* and your goals. The general strategies below work regardless of platform.

Website Templates

As we saw in the introduction, templates are simply pre-made HTML & CSS (the computer languages that browsers use to yield a webpage). While not 100% necessary, mobile devices and different browsers make good design nearly impossible to do well from scratch. All good web designers use some sort of template/framework to start.

And there is a whole universe of pre-made vacation rental website templates that range from free templates to paid to bundled with custom design services. The thing to remember about these templates is that they should focus on design, layout & content presentation and not on functionality.

Functionality should be left to software, which, brings us to…

Website Plugins / Extensions

Plugins / extensions / apps are specific pieces of software that work with your website software to add functions or features to your website.

Possibly the biggest advantage of WordPress is how “extensible” it is. WordPress has a whole universe of free & premium plugins. These allow even small vacation rental companies to have very advanced functionality on their websites. In fact, many vacation rental software providers make WordPress plugins & compatible scripts that can drop right into a WordPress-powered site.

3. Choose & Setup Your Vacation Rental Website Platform

There are a lot of excellent website platforms. There are infinite ways to combine, mix & match the 5 different pieces you need for a modern website.

But this guide would be worthless if it did not actually help you find a template & build a website that works.

We’ve already narrowed the website software down to WordPress. Now we need to pick where your WordPress software will live & how it will work with your templates & plugins.

There are two main options here: “self-hosted” WordPress and WordPress.com.

Disclosure – I receive customer referral fees from companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my professional experience as a paying customer or consultant to paying customers.

Self-hosted WordPress

WordPress is free, open-source, community supported software. You can download it, install it anywhere, and use it however you like.

When you self-host WordPress, you get complete freedom but also have complete responsibility. It’s like owning your own building. You can do whatever you want…but you’re also the one to call the plumber.

That said, installing WordPress with a good business hosting company makes all the difference. A good hosting company can provide the support, security & services that can minimize the risks of maintaining your own self-hosted WordPress.

For businesses, I use & recommend InMotion Hosting for a few reasons. I wrote a full review of InMotion here.

1. InMotion provides excellent support services via phone, chat, email & knowledgebase.
2. InMotion operates at a slightly higher price point to focus on businesses (not hobby bloggers).
3. InMotion provides WordPress auto-install at checkout in addition to an (optional) free, drag & drop design tool called BoldGrid.
4. InMotion can provide custom web design services to minimize the search for a random freelancer.

See InMotion Hosting’s current Business Hosting Plans here.

Upside: If you self-host your WordPress software, you can download & use basically any theme or plugin that you want. Developers & consultants are used to the setup. It is future-proof, and it saves a good bit of money compared to other options.

Downside: You are in charge of technical aspects. Sure – InMotion provides support and consultants can provide expertise, but you are ultimately in charge of everything. For anyone who doesn’t want to deal with technical issues at all – self-hosting WordPress is not ideal.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a “hosted service” run by the originator of WordPress software. It’s an all-in-one service that bundles a limited version of WordPress software with hosting, software, support, and services all into one monthly plan.

If self-hosting WordPress is like owning your own building, then using WordPress.com is like leasing a pre-built storefront. You can do all the customizations that you want “inside” your building, but the maintenance and boring bits are not your responsibility.

For businesses, I use & recommend WordPress.com for a few reasons.

1. WordPress.com takes care of *all* speed, security & technical concerns while still benefitting from the advantages of WordPress software.
2. WordPress.com’s Business Plan is expensive, but it is predictable. There will never be a big consultant’s fee for maintenance.
3. WordPress.com provides a full directory of premium design templates with simple installation.
4. WordPress.com still allows you to install vetted 3rd party plugins – which is huge for a custom vacation rental website.

See WordPress.com’s Business Plan here.

Upside: If you use WordPress.com, then you get most of the upside of WordPress software without any potential technical headaches.

Downside: You have a limited version of WordPress – and will inevitably miss out on some functionality and design options.

Your Next Steps

Remember that there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your goals and needs.

Sign up for InMotion Hosting’s Business Plan w/ WordPress auto-install.

Sign up for WordPress.com’s Business Plan.

4. Choose & Setup Your Vacation Website Template

Now that you know what you have and you know what you need, you can dive in finding the right pre-made vacation rental template for your website.

When you are shopping, keep a few things in mind:

1. Ignore the mock-up photography and logo designs. Often, a template will only look a certain way due to the mock-up photography, and you’ll be replacing this with your own anyways.
2. Focus on the layout of a given template.
3. Look beyond the homepage. Look at how the subpages and unique pages are presented.
4. Remember that any template can be reproduced as a WordPress Theme or template. If you see a Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, Drupal, etc template, it is better to convert that template to WordPress than to lock into that platform simply for the design.

Self-hosted WordPress Templates

With a self-hosted WordPress install, you have a basically unlimited choice of templates. Here are a few places to look for high-quality options.

• My round-up of WordPress Theme Frameworks – basically amazing foundational templates that can produce great websites with good photos & colors.
• ThemeForest – a huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• MOJO Themes – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• TemplateMonster – another huge marketplace for premium themes & templates. You purchase, download and install.
• WordPress.org Repository – the official marketplace for WordPress themes & templates. All templates are free to download & install directly into your WordPress website.

If you used InMotion Hosting, then you’ll also have access to their BoldGrid templates that have drag & drop functionality. You can also use their design services to convert a template you love to WordPress + your brand.

WordPress.com Templates

With a WordPress.com Business Plan, you can not only upload template choices from sites listed above – you also get unlimited access to WordPress.com’s premium templates. These all have advanced customization options so that you can edit them.

You can browse them here.

5. Choose & Setup Your Vacation Rental Website Functionality

Many template & theme makers bundle functionality with design. That can be great, but it can also have downsides.

If your theme has too much functionality built-in, then you are locked into that template. But if you separate out design & functionality, you can easily edit both.

Either way, WordPress allows additional functionality via plugins.

Everyday Functionality

WordPress works out of the box – and needs very little installed on top. In fact, generally the fewer plugins you have, the better.

If you are using a self-hosted site, then I’d recommend installing the JetPack plugin to provide security & backups (along with other fun things like sharing buttons, contact forms, etc).

I’ve also written a round-up of “must have” WordPress plugins here – that includes things like Google Analytics & Redirects.

There are also options for eCommerce like WooCommerce that work well for vacation rental companies.

Specialized Functionality

Now – what you’ve been waiting for – vacation rental functionality.

Here it is important to emphasize writing down your needs. It’s easy to just randomly add things to WordPress that neither you nor your visitors need.

There are a few excellent sources.

• WordPress.org Repository – the official source for plugins. Do a search for specific functionality. Be sure to note the number of installs, rating, and other notes of quality.
• ThemeForest – also an excellent source for premium plugins in every industry.
• Vacation Rental Software Providers – since WordPress is such a popular CMS, your favorite software providers probably have an integration. Do a Google Search!

6. Refine Your Design & Content

Now that you have your design & functionality setup, the fun begins.

The important point here is that whether your website is a brochure or informational site – or an interactive & constantly updated site – maintaining, revising and editing is never done.

It does not have to be time-consuming, but a good website is one that has regular updates and edits.

Editing Your Design

Using WordPress + a good template should make this process straightforward. InMotion’s BoldGrid tool brings drag and drop functionality to WordPress and WordPress.com’s Customizer tool allows for simple click & edit customization.

Here’s a guide to how WordPress Themes work – along with a tour of the WordPress Dashboard.

When planning & editing your site, be sure to keep the features that your customers want in mind. Even if you like a certain look or feel – that might be frustrating for visitors.

For vacation rental companies, your available rentals, location, and booking pages are the top priority. Make sure you keep mobile visitors in mind when deciding on functionality (AKA no annoying pop-ups or slow loading pages).

Marketing Your Vacation Rental Website

Ahh, now the real fun! There are no right answers here.

But here’s the thing. You can’t do real, long-term brand building without a website. Social networks come and go. But a good website is something that *you* own.

If you lock onto your best customers and identify how they find you, you’ll be able to position your site for whatever comes.

I cover this topic in my guide to planning a local marketing strategy.

Next Steps

Walk through your budget & needs.

If self-hosted WordPress fits your needs, purchase a Business Hosting Plan with WordPress auto-install here.

If bundled WordPress services fit your needs, purchase a WordPress.com Business Plan here.

Keep Exploring & Learning!

• How To Setup a WordPress Website from Scratch
• Beginner’s Guide To Using WordPress
• How To Map Your Keywords for SEO
• Planning a Local Marketing Strategy
• Must Have Features for a Local Business Website
• How To Advertise Online Effectively