Phew! Worry-free websites for businesses on a budget

How does this whole shebang work, then?

I aim to make the whole process as easy as possible. I set everything up for you – hosting, domain, site, content – so your site's all ready to go – and then hand over the reins to you, so you can manage it yourself from then on.

Here's how it happens:

I ask you some questions

Before I can get started creating your site, I'll need some info from you. So the first thing that happens is we have a little chat, to work out the following things:

1. Hosting and domain stuff

I'll need some info from you so that I can set up your domain name and hosting account. I'll be asking:

• Your preferred domain name
• Your preferred email name
• Whether you'd rather pay for your hosting monthly, or in advance

You can choose to pay monthly ($8.95 a month), or buy a year (or two, or three) in advance, which works out cheaper in the long run. (More about hosting and domain name).

I set your account up in your name, so it belongs to you, and you will have full access to it and control over it at all times.

2. Design stuff

Then we'll talk about design stuff.

If you're getting Phew! Original:

• We'll talk about the custom colour scheme for your site (yum, colour – this is my favourite bit). The design of your site will be just like the demo site, but with custom colour scheme, header image, and your own logo. So I'll be asking for a copy of your logo (if you have one), and any thoughts you have about colour scheme and header image.
• If you have a logo, then of course we'll want to choose a colour scheme and header image that go with your logo colours.
• If you don't have a logo, I'll create a simple text-based logo for your site (to see an example of the kind of thing I'm talking about, look at Your Nisaba.) In this case we have more freedom with choosing colours.
• You may have a particular colour scheme in mind, or you may have only very vague ideas. Either is fine. Sometimes it's hard to talk about colours, so the email will contain some suggestions for ways you can get your ideas across to me.
• Also, we'll want to find a header image for your site. You may already have something you want to use, in which case you can email it to me. Or you may not, in which case if you tell me what you have in mind I can look for a photo for you.
• So, I take your logo and your thoughts about colour and header image, and I go away and play with some ideas. I'll then send you three design proofs (a proof is a picture of what your site will look like). You may be happy with one of them straight away. If so, great! I can go ahead and build the site. Or it may be that you'd like to make some changes. If so, then you can tell me what you'd like me to change, and I'll create another proof. I want to make sure you have a colour scheme you love, so you can have up to three of these revisions.

If you're getting Phew! Photography:

• You choose whether you want a white or black background for your site.
• You choose a font for your site name.
• We look through your photos, and choose which ones to put on the homepage slideshow, which one to use for the header image, and how to categorise your galleries.

3. Pages and content

Next we'll talk about the pages you want your site to have, and the content for those pages.

Are you feeling nervous now? I find that few things scare people as much as writing copy for their website. Lord knows it scares the pants off me. Even professional copywriters get the wobblies when they have to write their own site content.

So if you're freaking out, first of all, have a hug. And then, remember that whatever we put up now, you can easily change later. That's the beauty of using WordPress. You're not going to be 'stuck' with the stuff you write now – you'll be able to tweak and polish it to your heart's content.

I won't start entering content till I have all of it, so it's best to send it to me all in one go, if you can. Ideally, it's a big help to me if you can send it all in one email so I don't end up playing hide-and-seek in my inbox!

4. Sidebars

If you're having sidebars, we'll talk about what to put in them.

Your site has two sidebars: one which appears on all the pages of the site proper (the non blog pages), and another which will appears on all the blog pages. If you prefer not to have a sidebar on the pages of the site proper (the non-blog pages), then that's fine. And if you like you can have the sidebar show on some of those pages but not others.

If you don't want a blog, that's also no problem – just let me know and I'll switch it off. (You can always switch it back on later.)

With the sidebars, too, whatever we add now, you can easily change later, so don't worry too much about getting it just so.

Then I build the site

I set up the whole site, with your chosen colour scheme and header image, add your content, set up all the plugins etc, and create your email account. I also create a google account for you (if you already have one we can use that) and set it up with Analytics and Webmaster Tools.

Then I send you an email containing all the account and login information for your site, hosting, email, and google account. Put this in a safe place!

And I send you a login for my members' site, where you'll find all the video tutorials showing you how to use WordPress to edit and manage your site.

Where next?

• Tell me more about what I get!
• Let me see the demo site!
• I want one! Where do I order?