Why Hire a Web Designer?

Web Design and Content Creation Case Study

Eventful Ventures is my personal website, and my first adventure in building an online business. Although my "real" job at the time was a corporate meeting planner, from the moment the internet exploded I was always intrigued with the concept of making "passive" money online (I put quotes around "passive" because, as I found out, there's nothing passive about building an online business!).

I have always loved writing, have had a great interest in marketing (in college I majored in Advertising in the School of Journalism), and a deep appreciation of good design. So from the moment I learned about creating online businesses through websites, I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

My job as an international corporate meeting & event planner seemed very glamorous to many people, and I was constantly asked how to break into such an exciting field.  At the time, there were very few resources on the internet for people who wanted to learn event planning; and there were almost no schools or universities with event planning classes or programs. I saw an opportunity to create a side business teaching people how to learn about event planning, a topic I knew extremely well. So, this was a perfect example of finding an untapped niche at just the right time. 

And so, I set out to learn everything I could about building websites, online marketing, and making money online. It took a LOT longer than I ever imagined, and has been a constant learning curve. But, I soon discovered that you CAN succeed from building an online business; and now I want to help others find their success too!

Since I was building this business from the ground up, this project is a perfect example of what I have to offer in regards to:

WEB DESIGN:

After having a disastrous experience with a hired web designer (which has shaped my ethics and philosophy as a web designer today), I decided I need to learn how to create a website on my own. I have tried many builders and themes, and my site went through many revisions over the years as I learned from each mistake. I also learned how to optimize every element of a website to increase your chances of getting ranked well by Google.

CONTENT MARKETING:

But through it all, I kept with one constant: creating fantastic optimized content designed to truly help my readers. I built between 45-65 optimized pages (some pages got deleted over time once the topic becomes obsolete). This helped my site rank well in Google, which meant that my readers found ME, without any marketing. I estimate that I made around $100,000 from my site over a period of several years (not bad for a "side hustle"); and I never spent a single penny on advertising. Unfortunately, Google has changed its way of ranking sites over the years, and ranking requires more than just SEO these days. But, it was a good lesson and created invaluable experience. 

Once a visitor landed on my site, they encountered a ton of really helpful, free content. Content is so vital to the success of a website because it does three things: 

Keep in mind that results are never, ever guaranteed. There are just too many factors that come into play; demand and supply for your topic, the amount of time you dedicate to your business, the use of keywords and SEO, the style of writing in your content, the competition, and your strategy for how you'll position yourself in the market.....just to name a few. Plus, it's imperative to remember that Google is an ever-changing, mysterious beast. 

However, due to my dedication to my site, I was able to achieve the following (keep in mind this was based on part-time work, as I was also working as a planner):

Yes, I figured all of this out on my own. And if you're a real "go-getter" and really disciplined at teaching yourself new concepts, you can too. But it took me years...I've been working on learning online marketing for nearly thirteen years now. Why not save yourself a LOT of time, a ton of frustration, many late nights working while everyone else relaxes or goes out with family or friends....and learn from someone who's been there?

If you need web design, I can get a basic site set up for you in less than a week (it took me seven years to find a system I liked). If you need content, I can guide you on SEO fundamentals or write optimized content for you. If you just need general guidance, I would have done anything for a mentor to show me a few shortcuts; and would have saved immeasurable time and money along the way. 

So fill out the contact form below and we'll see how I can help. I look forward to helping you start your exciting journey!