(mis)Adventures in Building a Website
Let me tell you, I don’t usually have a big ego. But apparently when it comes to building a website, it’s ego GALORE.
I’m mostly joking, but when I met up with someone recently to help them with some market research on building your own website, when they asked me what things held me back, one of the biggest factors was me.
I was absolutely dying to be able to say that I had a Wordpress website that I built ALL.BY.MY.SELF. I wanted that so bad that I couldn’t even see that it was impacting not only my business, but me.
At one point I avoided Wordpress for so long, that by the time I worked myself back up to come back to the build, I hated everything I had put no less than 30 hours into. It took another 10+ to finally admit that there was no shame in using something easier, which in my case was Squarespace.
I spent over 6 months agonising about my website, only to build something in Squarespace in a month that in my opinion, turned out worlds better than what I had been working with in Wordpress.
Now, let me just say before I break things down a bit more, I have used Wordpress before, and have created multiple functional websites in there. One was even e-commerce! Design wise, they didn’t live up to my standards, but it didn’t matter then. This time around, it mattered.
What held me back from using Squarespace from the start?
Wordpress has done the job before
If I have used Wordpress before and managed to create passable, functional websites, surely if I spent a bit more time looking into themes this time around, why wouldn’t I be able to make a WP site that looks great?
Someone please pat past-me on the head and call me a sweet summer child.
Squarespace is expensive.
Have you seen the cost of living? Ew. I didn’t want an ongoing (quite high) bill every month or year.
My husband told me to.
It’s not that I don’t trust his judgement, it’s that my PDA determined that because he said that, I simply could not.
There’s nothing wrong with Wordpress
And I stand by this. Wordpress has been around for so long for a reason. Web Designers use it for a reason. BUT. Unless you already have the technical skills OR the the time up your sleeve to learn them, Wordpress might not be the best option for you. Especially if you’re obsessed with the idea of your website being ‘perfect’ and aren’t willing to ask for help. (I’m looking at you, me)
What have I learnt?
I could get sentimental and say “I’ve learnt to ask for help and that it’s okay for things to not be perfect”. But I’ll make these mistakes again, and I can own that. What I did learn though, is that I need to set limits with myself. 40 hours of my life I’ll never get back, on a website no one will ever see? As important as I’m sure not giving up probably is, I need to set limits on when to admit that something just isn’t working.
So, anyway, welcome to my new website.
If you’ve read this far, um, thank you?! I’m really glad it’s finally out in the world, I’ve learnt some fun new stuff, and I can finally stop stressing about it.