Let’s face it, résumés are blah. At this point, the goal of a résumé submission is simply to not land in the bottom of the trash bin. They also make it difficult to stand out among a crowd. Today we live in a world that is very much “online” and creating a personal website can have a much more lasting impact on a potential employer or just that someone on whom you would like to make a positive, professional impression.
The best part of all of this is that it’s extremely EASY to create your website! Follow me as I take you through ten easy steps to creating your site…No coding required!
It is recommended that you through this entire article once before actually starting anything. Many of the concepts are intertwined, and you’ll want to know where you’re going before you start.
Step 1: Purpose/Goals
Before starting, the goals of your site need to be established. What do you want the site to accomplish? Should the site simply be a front page to you, the golf professional? Are you trying to land a new position or draw new clients? Do you want to host a blog component? These questions and their answers can pull your site in many different directions.
Carefully establish the overall purpose of the site and any goals that the site will help you to accomplish. The goals step must be done FIRST.
Step 2: Audience
Who is the audience for the site? In marketing terms, this would be referred to as the “target market.” This will relate directly back to the purpose and goals of the site. The answer to this question will also heavily influence how the site is designed and developed.
For example, if the site is intended to be a résumé replacement, the target audience will be potential employers. The layout will be simple and will tell your story in terms of your value. Many examples of résumé replacement sites also have a link near the top where a traditional résumé can be downloaded easily.
Step 3: Navigation
A complicated navigation setup is one of the quickest ways to bounce someone off your site. People have incredibly short attention spans, and if they can’t find the information they’re looking for within seconds, they’re gone.
If your site is a résumé replacement, the navigation may be as simple as it gets. One page might be enough to accomplish your goals.
On my website (which is just one of 5 that I currently own), I have set it up as a simple landing page with button links to each of my various projects and also to my résumé with a “contact me” form included. Relating it to step 1, I wanted my site to serve as a portal to my professional world.
Step 4: Front Page
Also known as the “landing page,” this is what your target audience will see when they navigate to your page. This page needs to be appealing and needs to tell your story as quickly as possible. Graphics will be more important than text, which the best sites keep to a bare minimum.
The real key with the front page is layout. Make sure it is not only appealing but also looks good on a mobile device. Some 90% or more of web traffic is by mobile devices now. The easiest way to tell if your site is mobile friendly is to let Google do it for you. They offer an online mobile-friendly test where you simply input your domain, and the system checks it for you.
Step 5: Content
If you use any one of the most popular site builders to start building your site, you will quickly discover that content creation is the hard part. Content includes text, graphics, photos, videos, etc.
If you do the planning necessary before setting up and launching your site, you will find it’s easy to track down content to add. This is preferable over trying to shoehorn content into an existing layout. Collect all content you would like to add, especially to your landing page, ahead of time and then build your site around it.
Have anything you’re wanting to include in your site all in one folder on your computer so that you can find it quickly and easily as you’re pulling your site together.
Things to include in your folder:
- Your résumé file (PDF)
- Photos of you
- Photos that showcase your work
- Reference letters/client testimonials
- Links to youtube videos/other sites that showcase you
- Anything else you can think of
Step 6: Links
Are you utterly terrified of the idea of letting go of something like the traditional résumé and cover letter formats? Well, I have great news for you. Links are a great way to simply attach your documents directly to your site so they can be easily downloaded by your prospective viewer! Done.
And inserting links into your copy is as easy as doing a “copy/paste” in any word processor. Most web hosts/providers (discussed in step 8) have tools built into their system to allow for the linking of files that are uploaded directly to your site. Just don’t commit the deadly sin of uploading anything but a PDF!
Step 7: Images
The first thing to be aware of when selecting images for your site is to be sure you have the right to use those images. Copyright infringement is no small thing, and using a photo or copy without the license to do so is a recipe for disaster.
The easiest way to know for sure that you hold the copyright to the images you use is to take them yourself. However, there is one caveat to this. If your images were taken on private property or contain recognizable people in them, it might be wise to obtain property/image releases to cover yourself.
Shutter Stock, a popular image sourcing firm, published this article as a basic guideline for image and property releases. Additionally, you may find the images available on Shutter Stock to be useful. Another source I like to use is a site called Story Blocks. Story Blocks has a far smaller collection but also considerably lower prices.
Once you have the images you would like to use; the next step is having a plan for where to put them in your site. Make sure the site tells your story. Sometimes the best approach in telling your story is just to get started and then step back and contemplate how it can be improved.
Step 8: Host/Provider and Template Selection
There are incredible numbers of options available to the builders of websites. Also, within this step, there are several things to consider. First is hosting. A web host will be required. Next is the publishing platform (content management system), in which you will design your website and add content. These platforms will often provide templates that can be followed to serve as a guide.
The easy, all-in-one approach
I’ll start with the easiest approach. Wix.com is a favorite of mine. It’s very intuitive and easy to use with great templates. You can be up and running in no time flat. The best part is that they incorporate hosting, templates, design, and domain name access all in one place. Couldn’t get easier.
Another option along the same lines is Squarespace. Either way works equally well, and both options even offer support and the ability to hire a designer if you’re not up to the task yourself, but where is the fun in that?
If Wix and Squarespace sound a little too easy for your taste or if the goal is to get up and running with as little financial investment as possible, read-on. Either way, make sure you read through the section ahead on domain names!
Hosting
Think of a host like a computer, or more specifically a group of computers that are connected to the internet, store your website and make it available to the world 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Theoretically, you could host your site yourself with a server-style computer that has non-stop access to the internet. I do not recommend this approach especially if you are just starting.
I have several sites that I run that are hosted by a company called Bluehost. Bluehost can provide you with beginning to end coverage on what you need, but there is an unlimited amount of customization available to you by going this route. The site you’re on right now is hosted on Bluehost.
Another company that works similarly to Bluehost is GoDaddy. You’ve probably heard of GoDaddy and I’m sure their product is adequate. However, I cannot offer my own opinion as I have never used them.
Content Management System/Publishing Platform
Hosting through either of these providers (or any of the countless others) will toss you head-first into the world of WordPress. WordPress is the world’s most popular publishing platform, by far. The WordPress I’m talking about is a free, open-source platform and is not to be confused with wordpress.com, which I would avoid.
The only downside to an approach utilizing WordPress is that with the endless customization comes a substantial learning curve. However, the internet is full of resources to help you figure this out.
If you’re diving into the world of WordPress, I highly recommend following the tutorials at Tyler.com. This is an excellent, step by step resource that will help you tremendously!
The Golf Industry Collective utilizes WordPress content management and is hosted by Bluehost.
Templates
Any of the above approaches will give you access to templates to help you get started. These will be made abundantly apparent upon signing up for the service of your choice. Often referred to as “themes,” these templates serve as a general guide that will generally look great!
Take some time in selecting a theme that represents you and your brand. If choosing is difficult, pick one and move on. The theme can always be changed at a later time.
Make sure the template you land on supports steps 1-7!
Domain Name Selection
I considered adding this in as one of the early steps in this process. A conscious decision was made to include it here because it is often made available through the host of your choice. Using your host to purchase a domain name is the most straightforward approach because the host will take care of all of the critical settings for you ensuring that the visitors of “yoursite.com” find themselves in the right place.
If it isn’t already apparent, the domain name is what should be typed into a web browser to visit a particular site. Also referred to as the URL, it’s the “yoursite.com,” and it is critical. A good host (the ones referenced earlier in this post) typically provide one free domain purchase for the first year. Don’t skimp and go with the free Wix alternative that does not support a custom domain name. A custom domain is FAR more professional.
Selection of a domain name takes a fair amount of patience. First of all, time and care must be taken to select the name. I suggest using the “.com” variety if at all possible. The most frustrating part of this is the fact that many times, the “.com” domain names all seem to be taken. If you’re using your name as the domain, it may or may not be available depending on how unique your name is. A domain name should run about $12/yr but may vary depending on a variety of factors.
I manage all of my domains through Google Domains though you will likely find it simpler to acquire and manage them through your host. Either way, you can still use Google Domains to search for different options. Just make sure your host makes domain privacy available to you.
Step 9: Engagement and Analytics
If a website is published to the internet and nobody sees it, is it does it make an impact? Of course not. Traffic must be driven to the site.
There are a lot of ways in which this can be facilitated, but for a personal website, the main driver of traffic is direct personal promotion. How much traffic defines success for you depends on the goals and purpose for your site set at the beginning of this process.
You may or may not be interested in knowing a lot about who visits your site. If your interest level is high, there is the option of adding Google Analytics to your website. Analytics will supply you with a wealth of knowledge about your visitors. Getting analytics up and running is fairly straightforward and entirely optional. The exact process varies depending on your Content Management System but the basic process is to acquire a tracking code through your analytics account and attaching it to your website to start tracking.
Pay close attention to the privacy laws in your region and make sure you follow those laws with regards to analytics tracking.
Step 10: Update
Honestly, this is where most people go wrong. Websites tend to sit and get stale. How often updating should be done will depend entirely on the purpose and goals of your website. If the purpose is to stand in for your résumé, simply update on the same timeline you would update that document. If you’re hosting a blog and expect the same people to come back over and over, make sure you give them fresh content for each visit.
If the site just needs a bit of rejuvenation, slap a fresh theme on and see how it looks. It might just be that simple. The point is not to let your site just sit and collect dust.
Conclusions
Hopefully, you’ve found this to be informative and helpful. By creating your website, you’re opening the door to be able to tell your story better than any résumé can. It’s an opportunity to showcase the best side of you in a way that is still surprisingly unique and might just give you the edge on that next job prospect!
Links to service providers mentioned above:
Easy to use all-in-one providers:
Web Hosts (where you’ll host a WordPress site):
Content Providers (for stock images):