Congratulations on joining me for the DIY Website in a Week course!

Welcome! Congratulations on taking the first step to ending your website shame and empowering yourself to take control of your own website updates. This is a “do at your own pace” course, so all the modules are available right away.   Click here to find all the web pages with the different aspects of setting up and designing your own user-friendly WordPress website.

Since this page is a Google Doc, any time I add more content or update links, they will be automatically updated when you access this file, so I recommend you bookmark this doc instead of downloading it. Also, module 8 is a bit of a catch-all, where I add any new videos, worksheets or guides.   There are also some YouTube playlists which include dozens of individual tutorial videos for you to bookmark and “add to” your watch later list.

You can post questions in the Facebook group or shoot me an email if you get stuck – but please scan through each of the modules first and the tutorial videos in the playlist to see if your question is already addressed.

You get 30 days of email/Facebook support – so be sure to work through the videos right away to get your questions answered.

If you don’t see any videos on your topic and it’s something that everyone might learn from, I’ll create a new video and add it to the playlist and module 8 web page.

If you’ve already started your own website, you can explore the topics you need most. If you’re a WordPress newbie, then you can follow the modules right from the beginning to chose a good web host and domain name, install WordPress, and then begin building your website.

Enjoy your website creation journey!

PS. Before you begin…

There are a few things you’ll need if you want to follow along with the modules using the theme I most recommend – Divi, by Elegant Themes. 

• Purchase the Elegant Themes theme package (affiliate link) $69 for 80+ themes – we’ll be using the super easy, flexible, mobile-optimized DIVI theme. If you decide to use one of the other themes in the pack, it’s easy to switch, and all of the WordPress module and the Elegant Themes ePanel will apply to their other themes too.  Just remember to write down your login and password. You’ll need those to install your theme in this course and to access Elegant Theme’s own tutorial videos, tech support, and theme updates. {Note: the Elegant Themes links are affiliate links which means that if you use that link I will receive a referral commission when you sign up. You do not pay extra to sign up and I only recommend products that I use and trust myself and that I think my clients would find valuable. Divi by Elegant Themes is by far the easiest, most flexible WordPress theme I found…in fact, this WIAW course, the sale page and the sales page are all build using Divi.}

• Find some images for your website (stock or your own photos) – we’ll cover this in the course, but if you have some already, even better.

• Have some copy (text) for your web pages, or hire a copywriter to write it for you (you can always do this after and just use placeholder text for now). If you don’t have it ready, no sweat. There will be additional resources with worksheets in the course to help you write some compelling text for your website.

• View the sample website examples so you have an idea of layout and can start thinking about the pages you might want to include on your website. What elements do you like? The big header (top) photo? The optin form? The image gallery/portfolio? The navigation menu at top or along side? The icons? You’ll find a few screenshots on the Website in a Week sales page (That sales page is also something you can create – you’ll get the ready-made, editable layout template too). Here are a few of the live websites:
  • http://hangoutsonairstrategy.com/
  • http://kelownafootdoctor.com/
  • http://WhisperingEnergetic.ca
  • Plus you can view all the DIVI theme options, features, modules and more. Just click the graphic below.

Click on the Divi theme log to view samples of the websites you will be able to create. You can also register for your Elegant Themes account.

• If you want to add an opt-in form to collect emails, you’ll also need to set up your account. I use Mailchimp myself (there’s a free version that I used until I set up my automatic response email series – now I pay $10/month) and I’ll refer to Mailchimp when I cover the setup of an opt-in form.

 A few details…

  You get 30 days of support to get your questions answered, so be sure to work through the worksheets and view tutorials within that timeframe. You can post questions in the Facebook group or shoot me an email (BrightSparkSocialMedia@gmail.com) if you get stuck – but please scan through each of the modules first and the tutorial videos in the YouTube playlist to see if your question is already addressed.

As I add more tutorial videos to the library, I will add them to the WIAW playlist on YouTube (it’s a private video series only for WIAW clients). Every module has video tutorials to give you instructions in manageable chunks, and a worksheet or checklist to help you take action.

This course is not just about designing a website, it’s about developing a strategy that helps you to get found in a Google search, and turn visitors into customers. THAT is what real web design is all about. If it’s pretty, but not functional, there’s no point, right?

You can choose to do the course at a pace that suits your schedule and commitment level each day… though I encourage you to submit your questions and completed assignments in the Facebook group daily to get the most value out of our time together.   Plus you’ll get lifetime access to any updates and material added to the course in the future versions.

Now – take your first action steps!

1. Sign up for your Elegant Themes account to gain access to your website theme package. (We’ll use this in Module 1).
2. Sign up for Mailchimp if you don’t already have an email service provider.
3. If you wish, you can head over to the Facebook group and introduce yourself. You can also email me any questions if you get stuck within the first 30 days of purchasing the WIAW course.

  I can’t wait to take this journey with you, and show you how fun and easy it can be to create and update your own website when you’ve got the right tools to do the job.

I’m looking forward to seeing the amazing creations you come up with!

Here is the link again, where you can access all the modules and worksheets.

Enjoy your website journey! cheers, Angelique