Starting Off
Starting out is never easy. If you're new to building a website for your business—or if you’ve just launched your business—it can feel like everything is unfamiliar and that you have to learn it all at once in order to succeed. I know I’ve struggled with figuring out how to build my website, what I want it to say, and how to set it up for success.
The truth is, there’s no single right answer to any of these questions. Personally, I’ve found the uncertainty that comes with creating a website to be incredibly overwhelming. But a successful website doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent effort, attention, and dedication to build something you’re truly proud of.
Don’t expect to have all the answers today. Take it one step at a time, day by day—and don’t be afraid to seek support from others along the way.
I’ve found that the best way to learn how to create and manage a website is simply to build one and start experimenting. Try different strategies, test things out, and see what works for your site. What really matters is keeping a close eye on your site’s performance and defining what success looks like to you.
It can be hard to know if the changes you’re making are truly helping or hurting your site over the long run. That’s where Google’s free tools—like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Lighthouse—make a big difference. They give you insight into things like new users, engagement, and overall performance, and I highly recommend setting them up right away.
Another thing I’ve learned is to track progress month to month, not day to day (and not even week to week). Website metrics can swing a lot in the short term, but when you look at trends over longer periods, you get a much clearer picture of how your site is actually doing.
Remember, SEO is a long-term commitment. When you’re just starting out, it can be frustrating to put in so much effort and see little to no results. I like to think of it as building a relationship with both Google and your users, not just a single encounter. Relationships take time, consistency, and trust.
SEO isn’t simply about telling Google you have something meaningful to offer. It’s about proving that you not only have something unique and valuable, but that you can be trusted. Over time, as you demonstrate that your site is authoritative and reliable, Google begins to see your content as something it can confidently recommend.
