Building a website...sucks.
Posted on April 12, 2024
I was on a roll with my new direction in life. My proofreading and editing business filled me with a newfound sense of confidence and belonging. Yet, I realized that having a website was crucial for my business to make a professional impression. No worries, right? I try not to take myself too seriously, so stick around for a few laughs at my mistakes, meltdowns, and moments of stupidity.
The internet says, “Build your own website. It’s easy-peasy.” We all believe everything the internet says, right? What a sucker. I went for it… hook, line, and sinker. (cue laughing duck voice in the background)
If you’re new here, let me fill you in—I took an online proofreading and editing course that not only taught me the necessary skills to start my new business but also offered me detailed instructions on how to build a website for it using WordPress. I spent months hustling, researching, gathering colors, artwork and layout ideas, writing content, and tweaking everything. I agonized over every detail until I was happy and ready to hit that “publish” button to let my beautiful website out into the world. Not so hard after all!
But I still had to learn SEO (search engine optimization), web hosting, location management, domain names, links, and keywords. It was like a foreign language. What’s with all this technical stuff? Why do I have to learn all that?
This website wasn’t going to ruffle my feathers, so I put my big-girl panties on and dug in. I would build my website and get it working, even if it killed me. Well, it almost did.
Weeks and months at the computer, coffee by the gallon, the beginning of an ulcer, and the messy, bleary-eyed tears and sobbing of a near nervous breakdown when I accidentally deleted the ENTIRE website. Can you believe it? (Even now, I feel weepy as I think about it.) Little did I know, as I was lying on the floor contemplating the stupidest idea to date and made a sobbing phone call to my son for sympathy that he would matter-of-factly say, “Restore back to before you deleted.”
“Umm…what?” Did I mention I am technologically challenged?
As I pulled Kleenex after Kleenex from the box, I decided it would be me or the website… one of us would not make it out alive. I did what any tough chick would do… I surrendered and turned it over to the professionals. I even got to click the “publish” button when it was time to send my baby out into the world.
But seriously, your website is a fantastic way to showcase your professionalism and attract clients seeking editing and proofreading services. If a website is on your to-do list, and you struggle with technology like I do, let an expert help you build it! Your sanity, your health, and your family will thank you. Plus, you’re supporting their livelihood too.
See you in a couple of weeks!
Susan
Susan will be the first to admit… she’s a nerd.
Whether tending her garden, fearlessly experimenting with flavors in the kitchen, or putting the first brush to a blank canvas, she’s constantly immersed in creative/nerdy pursuits.
When an opportunity to leave her 9 to 5 arrived, she didn’t hesitate to pursue her love for language. Her goal was to become an editor and motivate writers to share their stories with the world. Ironically, it was in the world of words and children’s literature where her creative spirit truly blossomed. Drawing from memories of the barn she grew up in, her stories for young readers beautifully capture the essence of farm life and family values, along with kindness, caring, friendship, and acceptance.
She and her hubby live on a small farm in Princeton, Illinois. As her kids grew up and left home, she became caretaker to a flock of escape-artist chickens, her daughter’s lovely Saddlebred horse, and a cantankerous goose who became a beloved character in her children’s stories.
Find more about her and her books at www.finelineproofs.com
