Dear EEM Colleagues,

For anyone who is not sure where to start in terms of setting up their website as an EEM Practitioner, here are a few tips.

(If you already have a website, feel free to share it in the comments below!)

So, if you would like to have a website, here are several possible options to consider:

Option 1:

Choose an All-in-One Platform to Build Your Website

This might be the most straightforward option, yet with stunning results. You choose an ‘all-in-one’ platform such as Squarespace that offers everything – a domain, hosting, and beautiful, easy-to-custom templates.

First, you choose from the library of templates to find a template that resonates with your vision of your future website, then you can customize it with colors, fonts, images, and content. 

The pricing at Squarespace is about £12 – £17 a month, which means it will probably be a bit more expensive option than the other options listed here.

However, if you have absolutely zero experience with building websites and would like to have a top-class website up and running soon, it is an investment worth considering. Squarespace has made the process of building a website very easy, using a ‘drag-and-drop’ technique – something you will not get with free WordPress templates.

You also have the option of a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, so there is nothing to lose. If after those 2 weeks you are not convinced, you might consider the other options listed on this page.

PROS:

• Great for total beginners – it should be quite easy to build a beautiful website within a short time

CONS:

• Probably more costly than the other options mentioned in this post (saying that, I recommend comparing price plans and making your own calculations)

SUMMARY:

This might be your option if you are willing to invest in a great-looking, professional website and want the process to be as straightforward as possible. I would recommend it especially to people who are not experienced with building websites and want as little technical hassle as possible. My opinion is that it’s well worth the 14 days free trial, while checking out the cheaper options and comparing what would suit you best.

Another example of an all-in-one platform, but offering a lot more tools than Squarespace, is Zenler. Within this advanced platform, not only will you be able to build a beautiful website, but you will also get an exciting opportunity to create your own courses/interactive lessons, use powerful marketing tools, email automation, host live webinars, and much more. This is what Mark Timberlake, an online entrepreneur  for over 20 years says about Zenler:

“The Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread for Online Course Creators, leaves Teachable in dust. Imagine a fully functional platform that does everything an online instructor needs..”

Option 2:

Choose a Hosting Platform with Free WordPress Templates

This is another common way to set up a website: You will choose a hosting platform and a domain name. 

I’ve written a blog post about several reliable hosting platforms. You can compare their price plans, and once you have decided on your preferred hosting platform, you’ll register your domain name with them. (Or if you already have a domain name, their customer services will help you transfer it onto their platform.)

All of the platforms listed in my post offer free WordPress templates, that you can customise to your needs.

If you are not experienced in customising a WordPress template, you can reach out to customer services for guidance.

You can choose from seven web hosting platforms in the following post:

PROS:

• Priceplans usually more affordable than Squarespace (Option 1)

CONS:

• Customising a standard (free) WordPress theme may be more time-consuming than the easy drag-and-drop website builders in Option 1 (Squarespace) or Option 3 (The DIVI theme), so if you are a total beginner, you may need some help from someone familar with WordPress, or spend a considerable getting guidance from customer service.

SUMMARY:

This is the ‘middle-of-the-road’ option. Most of the hosting plans in my blog post are cheaper than the Squarespace subscription cost, and you can always reach out to customer support for help with customising your WordPress template.

I, personally, have found most of the templates a bit inflexible, but you can always give it a go and see if you like it, because most of these hosting platforms should offer you a free trial.

Option 3:

Choose a Hosting Platform and Buy a Premium WordPress Theme

This is almost the same procedure as in Option 2, with the exception that after purchasing your hosting plan and a domain, you also purchase a premium WordPress theme. (Premium themes are paid. Standard themes are free.)

You may be wondering why bother paying for a theme when WordPress offers hundreds of free templates?

Because the free WordPress templates are not always easy to customise. Often they have quite ‘busy’, complicated designs and that can be a bit daunting when you try to adjust that.

I am not a professional web designer nor a WordPress expert, so I was struggling with customising the free templates.

Eventually, I learned about a paid theme called The DIVI Theme, tried it, and found it so user-friendly that I invested in it, and have built several websites with this theme.

I am currently building my EEM practitioner’s website called Equilibrium Energies. I’ve also used the DIVI theme for it, because it’s made some things easier, such as uploading a video on the Home page.

You can have a look here (it’s still a work in progress):

Here is my review of the DIVI theme including a discount:

PROS:

• The DIVI Theme is easy to use, contains drag-and-drop web builder elements (like Squarespace, and unlike standard WordPress themes)

CONS:

• The DIVI Theme costs $89 per year, or $249 one-off payment.
• You also have to pay for hosting and domain from a separate hosting platform of your choice. (See my article on the best-rated web hosting platforms)

SUMMARY:

This has been my personal option. I invested $249 in one-off payment to purchase the DIVI theme (because I wasn’t too good at customising the free WordPress themes), but now I own this easily customisable theme for life and haven’t regretted this investment once. I’ve always preferred paying a one-off sum rather than a long-term subscription.

So, if you are like me and like things as simple as possible, I would either go for the DIVI Theme, or Squarespace (in Option 1).

Just remember that with DIVI Theme you’ll have to pay for a separate web hosting platform and a domain name. If you chose Squarespace, the web hosting fee will be included in their overall price.

Option 4:

Free Website with Free Hosting

This is the fastest, easiest, and cheapest option – i.e. everything is free.

If you’d like to create a website with completely free hosting and domain name, you may want to try platforms such as Wix.com, or SiteRubix which I can recommend based on my own experience.

You will get hundreds of free WordPress themes to choose from and don’t have to pay for either hosting or a domain name.

However, as with all free options, there is one thing to consider:

Similarly to wix.com, if you are hosting on a completely free account, your website name will have its name in it – for example aromatherapy.wix.com, or aromatherapy.siterubix.com. 

If you would like to remove the company name, you would have to upgrade to a paid option.

In my opinion, it is still a good way to get started with your website. You can create a simple ‘mock’ website, and during this process, it will become clearer to you how you would like your website to look eventually.

I started this very website through SiteRubix, tried a number of free WordPress themes that they provided, and only a few months later I upgraded my hosting membership and purchased a paid theme (DIVI) because I wanted to have more freedom in designing multiple websites.

You can try building your free website within the following article:

PROS:

• You can have your free website ready almost instantly, and host it for free – indefinitely – as well!

CONS:

• You’ll have to keep the word Siterubix in the name of your website, unless you upgrade to a paid Premium membership.

SUMMARY:

Creating your website (or even just one page) with the free platform Siterubix (or Wix) could be a great starting point for total beginners. You can have a go at building your website, either mock or real, instantly.

If you don’t mind the word Siterubix (or Wix) within your website name, then, I think, it’s a no-brainer, because you’ll be saving substantial amounts of money that you’d normally have to spend for hosting your website, the domain name, and, if that’s your choice, a paid easy-to-use builder (like the DIVI theme, or Squarespace all-in-one platform.)

Final Tip:

If you are a complete beginner with no web-building (or WordPress) experience whatsoever, my advice would be to go either for Option 1 or Option 4. 

If you have some experience with web building or WordPress, or if you have someone who could help you, then I would suggest following Option 2 or Option 3.

Share Your Website Here!

As already suggested at the beginning of this post, if (or once) you have a website, please share it in the comments below. (Google says that sharing your websites on other websites will improve its SEO (‘Search Engine Optimisation’) – i.e. how quickly your website comes up in search results. So be my guest! 🙂

I hope you have found these tips useful. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them in those comments as well.

Wishing you a lot of creative inspiration and an enjoyable, playful process of building your website!

RECOMMENDED:

Transformational education to awaken your full potential

Soulful and sustainable clothing from natural fabrics 

Highly comfortable clothing made of natural bamboo fibres.