In the age of Pinterest and YouTube University it’s become a lot easier to do things we used to hire people for ourselves. Want to try a new hairstyle? There’s a video for that. Looking to get out of your recipe rut, Pinterest has loads to choose from! Still trying to master your eyebrow game? You know your favorite influencer has some top tips! And information is just as accessible for business.
What I personally love about this fact is that money is not as much of a barrier as it used to be when it comes to wanting to build a professional brand relatively quickly. If you’re looking to establish an online presence and have decided on a website as a great place to begin, I want to provide you with a checklist for what you’ll need to begin.
First things first you’ll need a domain name. Think of this as like your business’ online address. It’s what people will type in when they want to give your online home a visit. You can purchase domain names from places like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Namecheap certainly lives up to their name as many other domain sites have additional fees.
Next, you’ll need a hosting provider. This is where your website is gong to live. A hosting provider basically houses all of your website’s information. Hosting providers I recommend include Dreamhost, Bluehost and Siteground. I personally love Siteground‘s speed and Bluehost‘s customer service.
Lastly, you’ll need a content management system. Your content includes everything from your website text to images to product links. Think about it as the physical building all of your personal items are stored in. I use WordPress for all my websites and Install Divi’s Drag and Drop Builder so I don’t have to code anything! Other crowd favorites are Squarespace and Wix and the perks of going with these two are that they’re a three in one and can also manage your domain name and hosting.
*Some links included on this page are to our affiliates for Brands by Brie. While we may receive a commission, it won’t increase your fee! Some of the links come with a special price you can’t get by signing up directly through our company!
