Congratulations! You've reached the finish line of Web Design! If you've been following this series from start to finish, then you know it's been a long process- but like everything else in life, it takes time. Your website is now designed to the look that suits you and your followers, plus you should be proud of yourself to dedicating the time to create your site. I'll be honest with you, I'm by no means a professional web designer, but I've at least given you the tools I learned to help you get started in creating effective websites.
Personally, I'm a self-learner and a lot of things I have to teach myself in order to make it understandable for others. When I created my online portfolio in 2012 and The Creative Cabana in August of 2013, I utilized a lot of great FREE materials in order to achieve these goals. If you find yourself working on a limited budget and wanting to create a good site, then I recommend doing some good research. I've checked out many books from my local library and also found some great tips online. Use the tools you have access to in order to build your foundation for a good digital presence.
As part of the series finale, the final step in your process is clicking on a button that you'll mostly like see in your editor (depending on which host format you use). It probably looks something like this:
Don't let this little button scare you. This is the function you'll initiate once you are absolutely certain that your site and everything on it is ready to go. Once you click that button, that's it, you will be officially live and a member of the World Wide Web. You can always go back to your web editor and make changes if you need to, but just remember your site is live.
Some web hosts will also offer you some form of tracking tool where you can view analytics for your site. This gives you an idea of how much traffic your site is attracting which can be very helpful especially if your site is for a business or service. For example, with The Creative Cabana, Blogger gives me "Stats" updates where I can see the number of visits to my site, where they're located, and from what site they are finding my blog. It's really interesting to see what information you can find from the people who are looking for you. So if you're reading this right now, Thank You. You are not just a visitor number to me. You are someone who shares in the mutual interest of creative projects and it's a true pleasure having the chance to share my ideas with you.
One final note, and read carefully because this is a BIG tip! Simply publishing your site is not enough. You've got to get your name and/or brand out there, so get ready to do a little marketing! The best way to promote your new site is to share it through Social Media. This gives people easy access to your site, plus it will give the internet gurus a chance to log your address and become familiar with it, so you'll show up in search engines a lot faster. Don't be afraid to use your personal social media accounts to get your first few visits. People and Services are often promoted through "word of mouth" so sharing it with friends leads to co-workers and eventually leads to business opportunities. Don't expect to get 10,000 views over night but using Social Media to get the ball rolling is a great way to drive and promote your new site. Eventually you'll want to professionally connect it with other social media networks, but that's a whole different perspective.
Well there you have it everyone! You are officially a Creative Cabana Basic Web Design Graduate! I hope you've enjoyed this series and that you've learned a lot from my experiences in creating a successful starter website. I'm still working on getting my site for my online portfolio updated, and when I get that finished I'll be posting that on here for you all to see. If you'd like to share your designs and success with me, please comment on this post and include a link to your newly developed website. Don't forget to follow The Creative Cabana on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I wish you all a terrific Friday and have a wonderful Easter Weekend!
*Images used in this post were gathered from a selection of results using Google Images. I do not own these images, and I give full credit to their respective owners and creators. No Copyright Infringement Intended.
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