Читать книгу The Freelance Mum: A flexible career guide for better work-life balance - Annie Ridout - Страница 14

Now you’ll need to decide where to host your website. I chose to buy my domain through Tsohost – they have great tech support, and were recommended for me. But I’ve also used GoDaddy, and while they’re more salesy, they’ve been helpful whenever I’ve had an issue. After buying your domain through one of these websites, you can build it from scratch or use a popular platform like WordPress or Squarespace, that allows you to choose a template and slot in all your information without having to know coding. Also, you’ll have full control of your content going forward, which might not be the case if you hire someone to build you a custom-designed website.

The Early Hour is built on WordPress. I had a website whizz friend, Mike Parks, design it, using one of the templates WordPress offer, and a graphic designer friend, Matt Bucknall, design the logo. The two of them worked together to create something I’d like: Matthew did the logo design and the general look of the website – the fonts, features, spacing – and Mike made it happen. They had ideas for little features to add in and make it more original, like the sun that rises as you scroll down when you’re looking at theearlyhour.com on desktop computers.

When choosing between WordPress or Squarespace, each has its advantages. I chose WordPress because it’s been around longer so there are more web developers who know it inside out, and also there are loads of plugins available. Plugins are used to add new features to your website, like social media icons so people can click straight through to your Instagram account, or sharing buttons. Also, pop-up boxes asking people to sign up to your mailing lists. But some people find Squarespace more user-friendly. Creatives often like Wix, as it’s simple to import images and move them around. But if you’re selling products, Shopify might be the one for you.