Selecting a website builder
Once you taken the preliminary steps in building a website and discovered how easy is it to structure a website, you're now in a position to begin the actual build.
We've listed out the elements to tick off as you design and build. Using the Rocketspark website builder's initial set up process, you'll have a test website up in no time.
- Template
- Logo
- Colour scheme
- Top header area
- Body content
- Calls to Action
We love Rocketspark's website builder because you don't have to be a techy whizz to get around. If you're needing amazing visuals, then designer expertise may be needed but if you're looking to add copy, visuals, forms, video, social media links and blogs etc. no web development team is needed. You can do it in minutes.
Template selection
Let's assume you've done your research and are keen to use the Rocketspark platform. You've signed up for the 30 day Free Trial and are logged in and good to go.
You'll be prompted to select a template and our advice is to take some time looking at them. There isn't a huge number to choose from and for one simple reason: it's not necessary. Some templates suit a particular industry or lifestyle. Some suit restaurants; others are obviously for ecommerce whilst the remainder are a mix of visual layouts and structure. Your choice of template will be down to your personal preference.
Don't feel too precious about your selection, these templates are purely a guide and the degree of customisation is so impressive, you can pretty much guarantee that by the time you've finished, your website will look nothing like the template you originally selected!
What if I want to change my website template halfway through the project?
That's an easy question to answer. The Rocketspark website builder allows you to switch templates at any point without losing any of the content. Be mindful of some changes that will occur (you are changing a template after all) but it may be a simple case of changing the position of the navigation if you don't feel comfortable with its current layout. If it doesn't work for you, it's possible the layout won't work for a user so make the decision early - get the views of friends and family, then make the switch.
Upload your logo
A good quality, hi resolution logo (png is preferable) is key. Also note that a logo on a transparent background gives you so many more options as you build your site in terms of colour backgrounds and professional-looking buttons. As you increase or decrease the logo's size, ensure it doesn't overpower the page and similarly, don't make it so small that it's lost.
Choose a colour scheme
Match the colours of your navigation, headings, paragraphs and buttons with your logo. The Rocketspark builder will suggest a colour palette but if you want to use your own, it's very easy to apply hex values to each element as you work through the build process.
If you want to keep things simple, you can apply a site-wide palette but as you progress, you will see that every section of the site (referred to as 'stacks') can have its own unique colour palette - a useful feature if you want to highlight specific content.
Top header area
This top section is so important and we advise that you spend a considerable amount of time getting this right. Select the right images, decide the position of your taglines and decide whether a CTA button is necessary within the area. Choose a sympathetic font to your logo (if you're not happy with the template's big heading) and play around with the size and alignment. Also toggle between the desktop and mobile view early on so you're not being challenged with a clunky mobile view just as you're about to go live!
Body content
Depending on how comfortable you feel adding content straight to the Rocketspark platform, there are 2 routes to upload:
- Add a stack and choose the number of columns needed. Then add a text block and immediately type in a heading followed by your copy. Remember to then review for SEO-friendliness. Or
- Write all of your content in a document, apply the SEO protocols and then upload the final content.
There's no right answer - whichever you find easier.
When you're writing web copy, it pays to follow some guidelines (we like this one from Hubspot, How to Write Compelling Copy but there is heaps more advice out there). We don't advocate you 'dumbing down' but do consider your writing style - who are you trying to attract? Are you writing a technical piece? How much jargon will be understood by your audience and the profiles you defined initially?
Calls to Action
Used sparingly, Calls to Action (referred to as CTAs) are incredibly effective and encourage users to move around your site and find information. Enticing your visitors to perform specific tasks may include:
- Hyperlinks within your content. These are subtle CTAs linked to other pages (both internal and external) which encourage visitors to follow.
- Fully customised buttons. You can adapt button styling or create your own unique button with clever mouseover effects quickly and track button performance in Google Analytics.
- Forms added in margins, footers or standalone. You can add any number of forms to a Rocketspark website and customise the layout. From the basic to more advanced (Rocketspark offers some great integrations), from newsletter signups to surveys, you can tailor each one to suit.
- Clever signage. Consider splitting content with different column layouts and apply block colours, powerful visuals and a link to perhaps a Contact Us page. These give website visitors a break from the copy and can underline the message within that copy. Convince them to navigate to a product or specific service and ensure that if they do, you've not added key - and now missed - information below that CTA.
Test and test again
When you're happy that you've uploaded all of your content. Look at each page on both a desktop and mobile device. Try to be as impartial as possible and look at the site from a user's perspective. Make sure you consider:
- Are your forms submitted to the right email address?
- Have you got text wrapping causing issues on the mobile view?
- Are stack backgrounds disabled for mobile?
- Have you adapted text sizes for mobile?
- How does the feature area look on desktop compared with mobile?
- Have you applied alt-text to all of your images?
This list is not exhaustive but gives you an idea of what you should be testing when you're good to go live.
Want to know more about building a Rocketspark website?
If you've read all 3 blogs and want to either try building your own Rocketspark website or would like some help from us, please contact sarah@digital-doctor.co.uk. We can offer tips, guidance or quote you to build a website from a starting price of £650 + VAT for a brochure site.
Good luck!