Creating a DIY website isn’t the same gargantuan task it used to be!

You’ve got OPTIONS.

Back in the day, you had to learn about a million things before you could make a website for your own business or project – and I know that all too well. In fact, that’s actually how I started doing what I do, many, many years back. I couldn’t afford a web designer, but I was a photographer very early in my career, and I knew that if I wanted to attain anything vaguely resembling success, I was going to have to have a website. So I learned how to build one. From scratch, hard-coded. It was bonkers.

And now, many, many years later, I deploy websites for clients that are FAR easier to use than what I had to work with back then. But with the tools available now, you have way less of a learning curve to contend with for your own DIY endeavors, if you’re not in a position to hire someone like me yet!

There are DIY platforms specifically designed for creating content yourself

Even if you’re in the anti-Art*ficial-Intel*gence team like I am, there are a top of options you can use to DIY your website without wasting a ton of water to cool data centres around the world. There are professionals like me who offer templates for platforms like WordPress and ShowIt, Squarespace offers great tools if you’re just starting out (and are okay with compromising on customisation in favour of ease) – and they’re not the only ones, either. Hosts like my favourite, Hostinger, also have their own web builders, and across the market you’ll see them at different levels of ease/complexity, and you can absolutely match one to your skill level.

You can also work with a pro like me on a hybrid project, where I do the heavy lifting, and you do the “fill in the blank” part! But basically what I’m trying to get across here, is you have a ton of options, and you are ABSOLUTELY capable of building your own website in 2025 (without massively expanding your carbon footprint via AI).

What matters most about my homepage?

What a lot of this “sea of options” actually means, is that the problem with the DIY process isn’t finding somewhere to build your website that doesn’t require technical skills – it’s knowing what to put on your pages when you have picked where you’re going to build it. Having a website is one thing. And it’s great, and important, and helpful. But if the website you build doesn’t convert, and doesn’t draw in your ideal clients, then to put it bluntly, you’ve wasted a bunch of time.

Which sounds harsh, I know. But not all websites are created equal. Now, some of this will have to do with the speeds of the site you’ve built, and how much your host aligns with the needs of your website from a traffic perspective, and Google’s expectations for load speeds, largest contentful paint, etc. But if you work with a host/platform who comes highly recommended by a designer like me (my personal choice being Hostinger + WordPress) – you’re unlikely to have THOSE problems, because the hosting services you opt into have been fully vetted by a designer and/or developer who knows what they’re doing.

So if you’ve followed that step… what’s left to ensure your website is converting, is your branding being targeted to your ideal clients, and your content being optimised to convert. Today, we’re going to talk about the second part – and more specifically, what’s on your HOMEPAGE to ensure it converts. Your branding and whether it’s targeted is a topic for another day!!

What does my DIY homepage need to convert?

Again, it’s important to note that aligning your branding to your ideal clients needs to be the baseline for the design of your webpages – and that looks different for every business. But what doesn’t look different, is the sections you should have on your homepage, and the journey they should take your clients through when they land there.

1 – What You Do/Sell

The first thing that should be obvious when people land on your homepage, is pretty straightforward. It’s all about what you do! So… what do you do? Are you a family photographer? An artist? A dog trainer? Make sure this is super clear from the moment your clients land on your website.

2 – Who You Help/Who your Product Helps

Next up, is who your work is for. Again, this will be different for every business – but what’s NOT different, is it should be clear. You can straight up make a statement about it – or if it’s clear from your mission statement, put your mission statement on your homepage. How is working with you or buying your cool stuff going to help the people who engage with it? What problem does it solve?

Some of this is going to be communicated through your branding – for example, if you work with clients who are looking for a fun approach to family photography, it’s a good idea to have a vibrant, fun, engaging brand. The visuals will go a long way to communicate that aspect of who you work with! But stating it in words… that’s important too.

3 – How to Hire You

When we’re talking about conversion, we’ve got to address ease. So… how do your clients hire you? What does the process look like? If there are steps, consider literally putting the steps themselves there, in a little blurb that explains how easy it is to get on your calendar. If you’re a product seller, you can note things like free shipping, or shipping speeds, or how easy it is to set up the product/products you sell.

There’s a little bit of crossover between this section and the next one, because the next covers your products/services themselves!

4 – Featured Products/Services

Somewhere on your homepage (I recommend higher up for those who are selling products, by the way) – you want to make sure you highlight some of your products/services! If you offer a bunch of things… pick a few (ideally no more than three, to avoid overwhelm) that are high selling priorities for you. Do you want to bring in more clients to a specific program you’re offering? Do you have a set of mini sessions available, if you’re a photographer?

This can rotate throughout the year, and stay relevant to what’s on your product or service list at any given time.

5 – Social Proof/Reviews/Testimonials

And of course, intermingled with all of these other sections, you want to ensure that your homepage establishes some authority. One of the best ways to do this, is highlighting reviews from existing clients or customers! If you want to be a little extra, and you’re using something like WordPress to build your website, you can even integrate widgets from review sites you already use, like Google reviews, or Trustpilot reviews. Yelp is also an option there! Bringing in external reviews is a bonus, because your web visitors will know that you can’t adjust them at your end – they’re posted on the platform they’re shared on… and then go straight to the feed on your site.

For WordPress, there are plugins that make highlighting these testimonials as easy as putting in your business details, and it’ll sync across.

The goal is guiding your clients through a journey, from the second they land on your homepage

It’s important to note that I’ve not listed these sections in a strict order – it’s going to look different for every business, because your overall goal with your website, is to take your customers/clients through a journey optimised for their unique experience with your business.

And over time, it’ll involve tweaking, adjusting, and even sometimes a little trial and error (if you’re in the DIY boat) to get the content working for you the way it needs to. Some audiences need authority established early. If you’re going for volume over larger contracts, you might want to highlight less expensive, quicker win products higher on your homepage.

But what is always consistent, is that having these details on your homepage absolutely helps with conversion. And not only that, but it gives Google a ton of information about who you are and what you do, which is powerful and important for SEO, too. Many birds, one stone!

Looking for a host for your DIY website?

If you’re looking for a host for your DIY website, I’d love to recommend my favourite – Hostinger. I’ve talked all about how much I love working with them, and why I made the switch from another host back in 2020. So take a look at what they offer, and if you have questions… I’m just an email away!

But if you’re reading all this and thinking to yourself “hmm, maybe I need a little help, this is all a bit overwhelming”… I’m ALSO just an email away for support with THAT. Whether you need a little support in your DIY journey, or you’re looking for someone to take over the whole process, we can create a package that works for you, your business, and your budget. Just reach out, and we can start the conversation!