How We Built Our Website from the Ground Up Using WIX.com and How You Can Do It Too with Some Simple Know-How

Aioli everyone, we hope you have been well, in this week's blog we are going to share with you all how we created our website using WIX.com and how you can recreate the process with some simple know-how and some creative design flair.
If you are new to our page, we created this website on the recommendations of our teaching staff when we were studying for our Bachelor of Communications. They recommended we create a page, in particular a blog where we can document our studies and travels, and that is exactly what we have done here, and while we are now graduated, we wanted to keep our site going as it has become a great online portfolio of our work and has helped us build on our skills.
But before we venture any further, in our true style we have to include our preface, and then we can get going on an exciting journey ahead.
Preface
As with any of our blogs, we like to include a preface straight from the start, so you know exactly where we are coming from and the direction the blog is headed. As per our usual preface, we can only write these blogs from our own experience and perspectives, but any choices you make in the process are entirely your own to make, read on at your own discretion.
Tip #1 - Choosing a platform
Probably the most important decision after creating a name for your website is which platform are you going to choose to host your website, back in the day we used to use Blogger as our blogging platform of choice, but we have since migrated to WIX.com which has allowed us more creative freedom design-wise, but with so many options on the market these days, how do you do know you're picking the right option for what you need?
What we decided to do, to make sure we were making the right decision for us, was to create a clear list of all the things we wanted in a website, so clarifying all our needs and wants, once we had this list established, we used it as a checklist to see if any of the platforms we came across to see if they offered what we needed, and in going through this process, WIX came out on top for us, but if you find another platform suits your needs better, the we encourage you please select that option, but best to go with a platform that can best deliver on all your non-negotiables than your wants.
In settling on a platform, please also keep in mind, do you have a plan on how you want to style your site, so have you decided on a specific layout, colours or fonts that you want to use, as well as the types of pages you want to feature on your page, we hope you can find a platform that meets all your needs and requirements, but there are just somethings to keep in mind when you make your decision.
Tip #2 - Super Styling
Leading on from the first tip, once you have settled on a platform, it is now time to get styling and designing on your site. Our best advice before you begin modifying any pages though is to create a style guide.
A style guide is a document that records of all the stylized decisions you have made when it comes to creating your communications materials, so this should include all the types of colours, fonts, font sizes, and layouts you intend to use on your website. Your style guide should also include your logo, but is not only limited to your website, it also should inclusive of emails and letters.
Once you have a style guide created, you will defiantly notice how it makes styling your new website more cohesive and efficient. Compared to trying to do it all from scratch, a style guide will defiantly help you keep on track and making things look and feel more continuous and sleeker.
When it came to creating this website, having a select style laid out in our style guide so helpful, if you remember our previous site, before we refreshed to this one, our style on the site became so lost with us trying to include so much in the name of SEO and trying to add to many elements to the site, but thanks to the refresh, and a continuous uniform style, the site is much easier to readers to view and navigate around.
Tip #3 - Make it personal
When creating your style guide, please be sure to make it reflect your personal style so much so that when visitors come to your site, they know exactly where they are and the content they are consuming.
Feel free to include personal details and examples. The more relatable you or your website is, the more you connect with your readers.
For our brand, walkwithwilz, we like to greet our visitors using 'Aioli' and we like to use the same ending to all our blogs, we like to think it give them our own unique touch to stand out, we are curious to know how do you plan to stand out on your site?
Tip #4 - Mix it up
A blog can get pretty boring if it is the same style of content, day in day out, it is a good idea to try lots of different blog formats. One month, post a day in the life, then try a How-To or a Q&A. There are many templates to help you get started.
If you are new to our site, earlier on in the year, we tried creating blogs using the blog templates that WIX.com had on offer and so far we think they have helped greatly in helping to create content that is catchy and easy to follow. But as the tip suggests, we have been switching up the content, before graduation we had study content but now after the fact we have been trying more lifestyle content.
Tip #5 - Finish strong
What we mean by this tip is leave a strong lasting impression, so when your visitors leave, they will remember your site, and your content, you want to encourage them to really want to come back to your site, time and time again.
The most common way we have found to do this is appeal to a problem your visitor might have or be versed in a topic they are interested in, if you can create content that appeals to this, they will be inclined to see and want more of your work.
Don’t Forget to Add a Closing Statement
This is how we have created our website; it is now time for you to create your own, and be sure to link us so we can see how you have done, we look forward to seeing all your hard work and content,
That is Wilz for now, take care, travel safely and let's keep walking on this journey called life, peace out.
Personal webpage of walkwithwilz, freelance writer, blogger, content creator, writer
Our current posting schedule is:
 'article' posts Monday
 'blog' posts Friday

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