Build a Virtual Assistant Website in 1 Hour with Carrd

The first step in the process is defining the unique personality of your brand. This goes for all businesses, but when you’re a freelancer, guess who’s personality you get to use? That’s right, it’s one of those rare occasions when your business can be unabashedly all about YOU.

In this lecture, we'll do a fun and quick activity to help you find the essence of your brand.

Picking a name for your business and website is often the easiest place to get "stuck." So let's quickly discuss the pro's of why you might consider naming your business after yourself.

Picking a name for your business and website is often the easiest place to get "stuck." So let's quickly discuss the pro's of why you might consider creating an entirely new name for your business.

How can you choose a business name that explains what you do? And how can you differentiate yourself from competitors?

People say first impressions count. This is especially true when it comes to your brand since your brand color is likely to be the first thing clients see. Colors elicit emotions and feelings, plus they convey certain information. Put simply, brand colors are powerful in helping customers decide whether or not they want to engage.

Don't forget to read Canva's color theory resource before moving onto the next lecture.

People want to know who you are...and that includes seeing you!

When people can put a face to you, they will like and trust you more. Let's cover the do's and don'ts of your headshot on websites.

A great place to showcase your personality and photo is on your about page. No matter what industry you’re in, the about page is one of the most visited pages on your site.

Now if you're like me, writing your bio is actually one of the hardest blurbs to write. It's feel scary to share pieces of you, especially since clients will be judging you heavily based on what you choose to share. Fortunately, there is a free service called Copy.Ai that helps you generate great copy in seconds.

What's your special sauce? What makes you uniquely equipped to help your clients?

Clients are busy people and absolutely will not spend 5-10 minutes searching for your contact details on your website or social media. Make it easy for people to get in touch with you.

Testimonials, or blurbs about you/your work, add to your legitimacy. They don’t have to be long-form essays, 2-3 sentences can do the trick.

Testimonials can come from previous employers or clients. Really, anyone who can speak to your skills. Don't forget to download your testimonial script!

Let’s face it - using a .wix, .carrd or .wordpress as part of your URL looks really unprofessional. Spend the extra ten dollars a year to just get the .com extension and custom domain. A domain, by the way, is an easy-to-remember address used to access websites.

Carrd are really good low-cost, drag-and-drop options for people who can’t code and don’t care about custom coding the design. It’s affordable and great for people just getting started.

We need to start with a holistic overview of what makes Carrd tick.

As the first thing people see when they visit your website, a hero section is the area that immediately shows up on the screen under your logo and menu. You’ll also want to use this section to make your brand stand out from the competition.

Which business would you choose at first glance?

Sign-up forms are an integral part of any website. They can be used for generating leads, collecting emails for your newsletter, and acquiring new clients.

Learn some basics of how to change colors on Carrd, add boarders and drop shadows to make your elements pop.

Containers are everything in Carrd. Containers are the main building blocks of our site, let's learn how to work with them.

Have I mentioned enough times how much I love Copy.ai? Let's use this free service to help us create amazing content that sells services.

A remarkable About page is genuine and approachable. It should give your client a glimpse into what working with you and your business might be like. You can include personal interests, stories, and photos that convey the unique story of your business.

Testimonials provide something you alone cannot: PROOF of your awesomeness! Let's add a testimonial section and make it pop.

Take a quick look at how I used Canva to make my Gallery testimonial section shine!

I am on Team "add your rates to your website." If you skip this step, the likelihood of clients going out of their way to email you about your prices is slim.

If you have a newsletter, or want to start one, you'll learn how to connect Carrd websites to your email marketing platform (like Mailchimp or MailerLite).

? Even the pros make mistakes! I'm leaving this crucial mistake up as a lesson in Carrd's quirky formatting.

Your website is done! It's time to publish!

Learn how to ensure your website looks good on a mobile phone.

Feeling stuck? Carrd has an entire library of resources to help you.

Learn some simple SEO tactics to help drive traffic to your new website.

Most people follow popular choices. Show your clients that their peers or friends are jumping on your services, and they'll crave it too.

People are influenced more by how the information is worded than by the information itself.

Thank you for spending your precious time with me!