Building DIY Websites For Dummies

Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
   About This Book
   Conventions Used in This Book
   Foolish Assumptions
   How This Book Is Organized
   Icons Used in This Book
   Beyond the Book
   Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with DIY Websites
   Chapter 1: From Groundbreaking to Grand Opening: Constructing Your Website Step by Step
      Setting Up Your Site for Success: Foundation, Messaging, and Search Engines
      A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
      Developing a Look and Feel that Works
      Getting and Analyzing Results
   Chapter 2: Laying Your Website’s Foundation
      Choosing a Domain Name Registrar
      Registering Your Domain Name
      Understanding How Authoritative Nameservers Work
      Choosing a Platform and a Host
      Deciding Where to Build Your Website
      Going Live with Your Staging Site
      Setting Up Your Business Email
Part 2: Creating a Site That People Will Visit
   Chapter 3: Resonating with Visitors
      Defining Buyer Personas
      Triggering Emotional Responses
      Incorporating Modern Design Techniques
      Selling the Why
   Chapter 4: Nailing SEO Basics: Search Engine Optimization 101
      Grasping Search Engine Basics
      Unraveling the Essentials of Search Engine Optimization
      Eating the Acronym Soup: HCU, YMYL, and E-E-A-T
      Wearing the Right Hat: Black Hat versus White Hat SEO
      Realizing the Importance of Backlinks
      Recognizing Structured Data Opportunities
      Setting Up a Primary Google Account for SEO
   Chapter 5: Killing It with Keywords
      Understanding Keyword Types
      Choosing Keywords Based on Metrics
      Researching Keywords
Part 3: Architecting Plans for Your Website
   Chapter 6: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
      Organizing Your Sitemap
      Writing Your Sitemap
   Chapter 7: Content Scaffold: Supporting Your Website’s Information
      Setting Up Your Service Pages
      Building Support Pages for Nonprofits
      Creating Pages that Every Website Needs
      Populating Your Showcase Pages
      Adding Blog Posts
      Building Your Homepage Last
   Chapter 8: Preparing Your Site’s Content
      Generating and Preparing Excellent Copy
      Creating and Sourcing Your Images
      Understanding Image Formats and Naming Conventions
      Producing Video for Your Website
Part 4: Designing and Laying Out Your Website
   Chapter 9: Deconstructing the Anatomy of Web Pages
      Determining Your Website Theme
      Using WordPress Page Builders
      Organizing Your Web Page Structure: Rows, Columns, and Modules
      Laying Out Your Header Row
      Creating Hero Rows for Home and Interior Pages
      Building a Helpful Footer
   Chapter 10: Unfurling the Canvas of Design Options
      Designing Your Logo
      How I Approach Design
      Determining the General Settings
      Choosing Fonts for a Cohesive Feel
      Choosing Colors Effectively
      Styling Rows, Columns, and Modules
      Using Whitespace
   Chapter 11: Generating Leads from Your Website
      Understanding and Using Forms
      Combatting Submission Spam
      Integrating Forms with Other Platforms
      Setting Up Calls to Action (CTAs)
      Writing Stellar Landing Pages
      Putting It All Together: Sales and Marketing Funnels
Part 5: Going Live and Measuring Results
   Chapter 12: Optimizing Each Page for Search (On-Page Optimization)
      The Goal of SEO
      Getting as Many Clicks as Possible
      Conversions: The Grand Finale of a Visitor’s Journey and Your SEO Efforts
   Chapter 13: Ribbon-Cutting in Cyberspace: Your Website's Grand Opening
      Overview of the Process
      Creating Redirects and Preserving Current URLs
      Going Live from a Temporary URL
      Going Live from a Staging Site
      Going Live When You've Been Building Live
      Setting Up Your SSL Certificate
      Testing Your Design, Links, Forms, and More
      Finally, Your Website Is Live!
   Chapter 14: Securing Your Website
      Protecting Your Site with Backups
      Protecting Your Website from Hackers
      Dealing with a Hacked Website
   Chapter 15: Keeping Up with the Joneses: Measuring What You Built and Making It Better
      Setting Up Google Analytics
      Using Google Analytics
      Setting Up Google Search Console
      Using Google Search Console
      Using Heatmaps to See How People Behave on Your Website
      Getting Reviews
Part 6: The Part of Tens
   Chapter 16: The Ten Commandments of Building a Successful Website
      Plan for Success
      Understand Your Audience
      Crystalize Your Message (Show Don’t Tell)
      Implement SEO Best Practices
      Create Amazing and Unique Content
      Optimize Your Assets
      Simplify, Simplify, Simplify (or Write a Short Letter)
      Follow the Big Guys
      Energize Lead Generation
      Iterate and Improve
   Chapter 17: Ten Rookie Mistakes to Avoid
      Choosing Cheap Hosting
      Not Installing Protection
      Not Including a Powerful Hero Message
      Uploading Huge Images and Unoptimized Assets
      Forgetting about Title and Meta Descriptions
      Using Unhelpful Content
      Hosting Videos from Your Own Website
      Cramming Everything Together
      Using Headings Improperly
      Choosing Fonts Improperly
Index
About the Author
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End User License Agreement