If you are, you’re not alone. There are plenty of people out there — highly educated people with lots of degrees and other super impressive qualifications — who are just terrified of screwing something up if they get so close as a log-in screen.
I totally get it.
I’m not scared of websites (that would be a pretty big problem in my profession), but I am completely intimidated by mostly everything in my kitchen except for the coffee maker and the cork screw. Heck, I made a batch of egg salad for the first time in my entire life just two days ago, and that only involved boiling some water and chopping up a stalk of celery. But I’ve mangled enough dinners in my day to know my limitations, and believe me when I tell you that this mayo-and-hard-boiled-egg bit was a stretch for me.
My husband was panic-stricken the first time he changed our son’s diaper as the NICU nurse watched closely over him (and rightfully so; he put it on backwards at least twice before getting it right). And he was nervous when I left him with nothing but two kids and a very sophisticated folded-up double-stroller.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
I graduated from college practically with a 4.0, and I also have my master’s, but show me a recipe with words like double-boiler, meringue or reconstitute, and I freeze up like a popsicle. My husband is one of the smartest people I know most of the time, but hand him an Ergo carrier and your baby, and you better hope he’s standing on a soft place for your little one to land. So I really understand your hesitation diving into the deep end of the HTML pool so to speak, especially if you’ve never even dipped your toe into this really daunting water.
Don’t worry, I’m NOT suggesting that you do a running jump into the aforementioned deep end; instead, start out by taking a slow step or two into the three-feet area. With your swimmies on.
It’s your website, so act like it!
Okay, let’s stop talking pools; it’s making me sad that summer is over. I’m talking about using a content management system (CMS) to manage your website. There are a ton of options out there, but I have two that I use all the time: WordPress and Perch. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the main thing is that they both allow for my clients to manage their websites on their own.
Using one of these platforms, you never have to worry about messing with the design or template of the site; all of that is set and untouchable through the CMS. All you deal with is the meat and potatoes, or the content on each page of the site.
Need to add a photo? Delete a staff member? Update your bio? Edit your services list? No problem. It’s as easy as typing in a Microsoft Word document. And if that sounds too tech-savvy for you, then by all means, pay someone to update your site. But if that sounds easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, then let’s get started on building you a site using a CMS. It’ll be like the first summer you took swimming lessons, and I promise I won’t let you drown. Or ruin your website.
