YOUR PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE FOR $100

Your website is the heart of your online brand, but it's not the only piece. I've put together these free guides and articles to help you navigate the digital world, connect with your audience, and grow your creative career

Free Guides

For Businesses

Your business is your passion, but in today's digital world, your website is your 24/7 salesperson and your direct line to customers. It’s your virtual storefront, your digital handshake, and your online headquarters all rolled into one. A professional, well-structured website isn't a luxury; it's the cornerstone of your business's credibility.

So, where do you begin? Here are the five essential pages every new business website must have.

1. The Home Page (Your Digital Storefront) This is the first impression. It needs to immediately tell visitors who you are, what you do, and the problem you solve. The goal is to build instant trust and guide them to take action.

Must-Haves: A clear, powerful headline (your value proposition), a compelling hero image or video, and a prominent Call-to-Action (CTA) button like "Get a Quote" or "Shop Now." Including testimonials or logos of clients you've worked with adds immediate social proof.

2. The "Services" or "Products" Page (Your Digital Catalog) This is where interested visitors go for details. They were hooked by the homepage, and now they want to understand exactly what you offer. Make it easy for them to see the value you provide.

Must-Haves: A dedicated section for each service or product with high-quality photos or graphics. Use clear, benefit-focused descriptions—explain how your offering helps the customer, don't just list its features. Providing pricing or a clear path to request a quote is crucial.

3. The "About Us" Page (Your Story & Mission) Customers don’t just buy what you do; they buy why you do it. This page is your chance to build a human connection and foster trust. Don't just list facts—tell your story.

Must-Haves: Your company's origin story, mission, and values. Introduce the founder or key team members with professional, approachable photos. This is where you transform from a faceless company into a group of real people that customers can relate to and trust.

4. The "Portfolio" or "Blog" Page (Your Proof of Expertise) A static website feels dated. This page demonstrates your expertise, shows proof of your quality work, and establishes you as an authority in your field, giving customers a reason to trust you and come back.

Must-Haves: For service businesses, a portfolio or case studies with images and testimonials from past projects. For all businesses, a blog or resource section with helpful articles that answer common customer questions is fantastic for SEO and builds credibility.

5. The "Contact" Page (Your Open Door) Make it incredibly easy for a potential customer to take the next step. Any friction on this page can lead to a lost sale.

Must-Haves: A simple contact form, your business phone number, email address, and physical location with an embedded map (if applicable). Listing your hours of operation and linking to your business's social media profiles is also essential.

Building a website with these five pages is the foundation of a powerful online presence. It gives you a professional home base to control your narrative and grow your business.

For Authors

Your books are your legacy, but in today's digital world, your website is your 24/7 marketing engine and your direct line to readers. It’s your virtual bookshelf, your press agent, and your personal welcome mat all rolled into one. A professional, well-structured website isn't a luxury; it's the cornerstone of your author platform.

So, where do you begin? Here are the five essential pages every author website must have.

1. The Home Page (Your Digital Welcome Mat) This is the first impression. It needs to immediately tell visitors who you are and what you write. There’s no room for confusion. The goal is to capture their attention and guide them to where they want to go.

Must-Haves: A professional headshot, the cover of your latest book displayed prominently with a short, tantalizing blurb, and clear "Buy Now" buttons. Your name and a tagline (e.g., "Author of Historical Mysteries") should be front and center.

2. The "Books" Page (Your Digital Bookshelf) This is often the second page a visitor clicks. They liked your latest book on the homepage, and now they want to see what else you've written. Make it easy and appealing for them to browse your entire catalog.

Must-Haves: A dedicated section for each book with a high-quality cover image, a compelling synopsis, and universal "Buy Now" links to major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, etc.). If you write a series, make the reading order crystal clear to avoid reader frustration.

3. The "About the Author" Page (Your Connection Point) Readers don’t just fall in love with books; they fall in love with the authors who write them. This page is your chance to build a personal connection. Don't just list your awards and publications—tell your story.

Must-Haves: A warm, professional bio written in the first or third person. Share a few fun facts, mention your pet, or talk about why you love your genre. Include a different photo from your homepage—perhaps a more casual one. This is where you become a real person, not just a name on a cover.

4. The "Events & News" Page (Your Hub of Activity) A static website feels abandoned. This page shows that you are an active, engaged author and gives fans a reason to keep coming back. It can be a simple news feed, a blog, or an events calendar.

Must-Haves: List any upcoming book signings, virtual talks, or conference appearances with dates, times, and links. You can also use this space to share writing updates, behind-the-scenes content, or articles you’ve written. An active blog is also fantastic for SEO, helping new readers discover you through Google.

5. The "Contact" Page (Your Open Door) Make it easy for the right people to get in touch. Readers, agents, media, and booksellers all need a clear, professional way to reach you.

Must-Haves: A simple contact form for general inquiries from readers. Crucially, you should also provide specific contact information for your literary agent, publicist, or for any media/rights inquiries. This funnels requests to the right place and makes you look professional. Don't forget to add links to your social media profiles here, too!

Building a website with these five pages is the foundation of a powerful author platform. It gives you a professional home base to control your narrative and build a career.

For Artists

Your artwork is a masterpiece of texture, color, and emotion. But your online portfolio is only as good as the photographs you take of it. Translating a physical piece of art to a digital screen is a common challenge, but you don't need a high-end photography studio to get professional results.

With a little planning and the right technique, you can create images that do your work justice. Here’s how.

Step 1: Lighting is Everything This is the most critical step. Bad lighting will create glare, harsh shadows, and inaccurate colors.

Best Option: Diffused Natural Light. Set up your artwork near a large window on an overcast day. The clouds act as a giant, natural diffuser, providing soft, even light. Avoid direct, bright sunlight at all costs.
Alternative: Two Artificial Lights. If you must use lamps, use two identical ones. Place one on each side of your artwork at a 45-degree angle. This cancels out shadows and illuminates the piece evenly. Never, ever use your camera’s built-in flash.

Step 2: Choose a Simple, Neutral Background The focus should be on your art, not what’s behind it. A busy or distracting background will cheapen the look of your work.

What to use: A solid, neutral background in white, grey, or black is best. You can use a clean, unmarked wall, a large sheet of butcher paper, or a fabric backdrop.

Step 3: Position Your Camera Correctly You don’t need a fancy camera; a modern smartphone can work wonders if you use it correctly.

Use a Tripod: This is non-negotiable for sharpness and consistency. It eliminates camera shake and allows you to perfectly align your shot.
Stay Parallel: The camera lens must be perfectly parallel to the surface of your artwork. This prevents "keystoning," where the artwork appears distorted and trapezoidal. Position your tripod so the center of the lens lines up with the center of your piece.

Step 4: Capture the Details Your online visitors can't see the art in person, so bring the details to them.

The Full Shot: First, capture the entire piece, leaving a little bit of the background visible around the edges for cropping.
The Detail Shots: Now, get closer. Take photos of interesting details: the texture of a brushstroke, the intricate lines of a drawing, the glaze on a piece of pottery. These shots make your portfolio feel dynamic and showcase your craftsmanship.
For 3D Work: If you’re a sculptor or ceramicist, shoot your piece from multiple angles—front, back, sides, and a three-quarter view.

Step 5: Make Simple Edits A few small tweaks on a computer or phone can make a huge difference.

Crop & Straighten: Crop out the background and ensure the edges of your artwork are perfectly horizontal and vertical.
Adjust White Balance: Make sure your colors are true to life. Your white background should look pure white, not yellow or blue.
Check Exposure: Lighten or darken the image slightly so it perfectly matches the real-life piece.
Resize for Web: Save your final images at a web-friendly resolution (e.g., 2000 pixels on the longest side) to ensure they look sharp but don't slow down your website.

Conclusion Great photos are the key to a great online portfolio. By controlling your light, background, and camera position, you can create images that truly honor your work.

Once you have these beautiful photos, you'll need a stunning digital gallery to display them. I specialize in building portfolio websites for artists. Let's connect and showcase your work.

E-commerce Tips

Congratulations—you're ready to sell your art online! This is a huge step. But before you can make your first sale, you have to make a big decision: which platform should you use?

Two of the best and most popular choices for creatives are Shopify and Squarespace Commerce. They are both excellent platforms, but they are built with very different philosophies. Choosing the right one depends entirely on your goals. Let's break it down.

Meet the Contenders

Squarespace Commerce: Think of this as a beautiful portfolio that also has a shop. It's an all-in-one website builder where e-commerce is a powerful, seamlessly integrated feature. Its strength is aesthetics and simplicity.
Shopify: Think of this as a powerful online store that you can also add content pages to. It is an e-commerce machine first and foremost. Its strength is sales power and scalability.

The Breakdown: Key Differences

1. Design & Aesthetics

Squarespace: Wins for out-of-the-box beauty. It’s famous for its award-winning templates that make it easy to create a polished, visually-led website where your art is the star.
Shopify: Is highly customizable but often requires a premium theme or custom coding to achieve the same aesthetic elegance as Squarespace. The design focus is less on portfolio beauty and more on converting visitors into buyers.

2. E-commerce Power

Shopify: This is where Shopify shines. It was built from the ground up to sell. It offers superior inventory management, advanced shipping and tax options, and a massive App Store to add any function you can dream of (e.g., advanced print-on-demand integrations, customer loyalty programs). It’s built to grow with a serious business.
Squarespace: Perfect for simpler needs. It handles product sales, digital goods, and even subscriptions very well. However, it has fewer advanced features and a much smaller library of extensions. It’s ideal for artists with a more manageable number of products.

3. Ease of Use

Squarespace: Generally considered more intuitive for the average user. Its all-in-one, drag-and-drop interface makes managing your portfolio, blog, and shop pages a seamless experience.
Shopify: The interface for adding products and managing orders is incredibly straightforward. However, customizing the non-shop pages of your site can feel less intuitive than Squarespace.

The Verdict: How to Choose

Choose Squarespace Commerce if:

Your primary need is a stunning portfolio website, and selling art is an important but secondary feature.
You have a smaller, more curated collection of products to sell.
You value all-in-one simplicity and want your site to look amazing without a lot of fuss.

Choose Shopify if:

Your primary goal is to run a serious, scalable online store.
You need powerful e-commerce features or plan to integrate with multiple third-party apps (like various print-on-demand suppliers).
You anticipate a high volume of orders and need robust tools to manage them.

Conclusion There is no "best" platform—only the platform that is best for your business. The choice comes down to this: do you need a portfolio that sells, or a store that has a portfolio?