Back in the day, Myspace had us all learning coding to customize our pages so when Wordpress came around, we moved those skills over there. But, websites do need to be updated regularly and there are some common pitfalls that entrepreneurs come across.

• Avoid custom coding! I don’t recommend buying a custom coded website because you probably won’t have the skills to update the code yourself. I usually recommend that you buy a template, but be aware that there may still be custom code involved, and that’s why they offer ongoing maintenance packages so you don’t mess with the code yourself. Even if all you want to do is move a button to a different place on the same page, messing with the custom code in the wrong way can break your whole website. 
• Get some professional brand photos done. There’s a time and place for a selfie, but your website ain’t it. Professional photos help you boost the credibility of your website.
• Make sure your site really represents you and your brand if you want to build trust. Don't be a shell of yourself you want your site to build trust and credibility with your audience.

At Fierceified Agency we use the Elementor Pro plugin to build our websites and it’s easy for you to take over yourself if you decide not to use us for maintenance.

It’s better to start over than to keep a website that doesn’t represent you.

Connect on IG @fierceified.agency

For more tips, connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fierceified-creative-consulting/

Learn more about Fierceified Creative and Consulting at https://fierceified.agency/

Music credit: Trust The Vibes by Vincent Tone

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to episode

four of More Than a Brand Y'all.

I am excited about this episode because, you know, I like to tell you when you

look in a hot ghetto mess, and sometimes you just got trash on your website, but

I'm gonna let you know what looks like trash and how you got there and when

did just throw the whole thing away.

Okay?

So this topic.

. It is cool to me because I sat down and in a previous episode I spoke about having

a brain date with an entrepreneur who, when she started her business, and I wanna

say she's a lawyer, I can't remember at this point in time, but when she started

her business, she got a WordPress website because WordPress can do everything.

Now, back in the day, WordPress was a pain.

We thought we was doing something on MySpace, , and I'm probably dating

myself, but on MySpace, we were coding, we were putting diamonds.

And I remember my MySpace page had Trina, who's bad playing?

I'm the baddest when you get on it.

And they had the diamonds falling from the sky.

It was a black background.

And that was custom coding to make my MySpace page look like that.

Now, when WordPress came along, we had a little bit of coding skills

by the time we moved to WordPress, but MySpace was something fun.

And if you don't know what MySpace is, it was the precursor to Facebook

on all these social media giants.

Hey Tom, for MySpace anyway.

. this entrepreneur that I was talking to, she created her

WordPress site and she did.

What I always encourage people to do instead of investing in a custom design

website is to purchase a template.

Now, one thing about purchasing these templates is a lot of these

template shops, they create you a template and is all custom coded.

And when you wanna do something simple, like move a button from one

place to another on the same page, you don't know how to do it cuz you

have to code it to make it move.

And that's not something that they usually advertise is that

it's a bunch of custom coding.

But what they do, it's all custom coded, they offer you.

The service of updating or creating your website for you.

So boom, you're like, all right, I got this template and because I'm using

a template, if I use this company to put my colors on there, put my fonts

on there, put my copy on there, I don't really have to worry about it.

My website is up.

Bam.

Couple years go by and you're like, all right, so this website ain't exciting

like it needs to be, I need some help.

You start digging into your website and you like, I don't know how to do none

of this, and this shit is falling apart.

And it's falling apart because I haven't been updating my plugins, and

even if I haven't updating my plugins.

WordPress has 50 11 versions now from the one that I started with.

And custom code, the way the code language has changed.

I don't know how many times since I've had my website created by this template

shop and I don't know what to do.

So when you get a template, Or if you hire somebody to create your website,

ensure that they're not using a bunch of custom code to the point where you

need a PhD in development to be able to make a simple change, like adding

a picture to the top of your page.

Or you can't make a simple change like changing the color of the button.

On a page like that doesn't even make sense.

So that custom coding, as much as I love custom coding, cuz it is

needed in some instances, but we are in the year of 2023, everything

does not have to be custom coded.

There are drag and drop WordPress plugins to make your life just a

little bit easier so you can make those updates when you need to, and you don't

have to have a whole PhD in design.

To make it happen.

Okay.

Another thing, when we talk about these websites that's looking like

trash and it's looking like trash because a lot of times you don't

have those professional photos.

Now there's a time and a place for a selfie.

Instagram is a good example.

Put your little selfie on Facebook, but your website needs to have

those photos that are profess.

and that don't mean you gotta be looking stiff and you

smiling with your coffee cup.

Find a photographer to take photos that align with you, your brand, your messaging

that brings out the best light in you, and that brings out that personality

that you want to show up on your website.

Nalo.

94% of people say that web design is a reason they mistrust the website.

So if you have one, a bunch of stuff that's custom coded, that's all over

the place because you working with 1950s code and we in 2023, or if you have.

Visuals, I e photos that look a hot mess and they're don't show your personality.

You looking all buttoned up, but you really a wow child.

You really taking over for the nine, nine and 2000.

You need to look at that because people start to mistrust you

and mistrust your website.

94% of the people.

Now because of the way your website is designed, and not only does your

visuals have to be on and poppin.

I know you get tired of hearing me talk about your brand and your colors

and your fonts, but this, all these things are dependent on one another.

So if your brand and your colors and your fonts and your photos and

your coding is looking a hot ghetto mess, throw that whole thing away.

Start over my friend.

It's okay.

We play mess up.

Sometimes you learn, you grow and you evolve.

But I'm here to tell you that if you do not have.

Your brand together that compliments who you are as a business owner.

If you do not have copy that's speaking to your ideal client, you might as

well throw the whole site away because all those things go hand in hand.

See, there's a lot of people that I see, especially on social media,

who talk about their website.

And a lot of times they say, I'm not sending you to my website.

I don't, I haven't updated it since, I don't know when they have website

shame, they don't wanna show it to you cuz they know it's just a hot mess

because they have not been able to update it because of custom coding.

They haven't taken pictures because they've gained weight since Covid.

It's okay.

We all gained, girl.

I gained a bunch of weight since Covid and it's okay.

You still have to put your face out there if you are the face of your company.

If you want people to get to trust you.

Those are some of the things that you need to encompass in your website,

so that you build a trust in your visitors and you're able to convert

those visitors into customers.

Now, because of custom coding, we choose to use Elemental Pro.

There are several.

Drag and drop WordPress plugins that you can use.

We use Elementor Pro because it is easy for us.

We have an agency packet and we put it on all, we like Frank's Red Hot,

we put that shit on everything.

So every website that we design, we use.

Elementor Pro because it gives you that capability.

So when we part ways and if you choose not to use Fifi for maintenance.

If you choose not to use us for updates, you are at least equipped with some

tools that you're able to update that button and change the color.

You don't have to keep that times rum and front boo on your website.

You can change it because I've given you the tools and I created your website in a

way that you ain't dependent on somebody.

If you like me, you grew up with all the independent songs, Webby,

you grew up with Destiny Child, all these independent songs.

Neo speaking about how independent we are as women, but you dependent on

somebody for your website to be updated.

All because you chose to go with someone who custom coded everything

cuz you grew up in the MySpace era and you wanted all the diamonds falling.

And Trina, who's bad playing when you roll up on your website?

We're past that.

We've grown up, if you are struggling with custom code, if you are struggling

with having your website convert.

visitors to customers, there is a chance that you need to just

throw the whole thing away, scrap it, throw it away, start over.

It is better to start over than to keep having something that's misrepresenting

you, calling people to mistrust you as a business owner because it's

poorly designed, causing, and most importantly is causing you to lose money.

And another thing is causing, is causing you to not be able to get those seats

at the table to shatter these glass ceilings so people can stop running

around being uninclusive and creating workplaces where people don't feel safe.

We need you in those spaces.

Stop allowing your website to misrepresent you and closing doors.

In your face without you even knowing because your website is a hot mess.

Throw the whole side oasis.

It's okay.

I got you.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and I am loving season two y'all.

So please send a review.

send me a dm.

Let me know how you feel about it, and I look forward to chatting

with you in episode five, y'all.

I'm excited.