How the website session accomplishes so much (in one-day)
A lean and affordable way to build a business website
The one-day website session sets out to help accomplish your business goals
Updated: July 12, 2023
A business website can be costly and a time consuming process especially since a custom website can take months to construct and ultimately cost thousands of dollars to build. For anyone with a small budget to start a business or wants a business online ASAP this option could be a limiting, maybe preventing ever getting started. The one-day website session offers an opportunity for startup business owners, entrepreneurs, sole proprietors and freelancers to build an affordable web site that doesn’t take a lot of time (or money) to build. There are discounts to help the business online, which makes the one-day session even better.
This article isn’t suggesting a business owner should not spend money on a custom website. Rather, this article is suggesting if your budget doesn’t allow the affordance to invest in building the bigger price tag website right now you can build something lean and affordable instead.
Either way the goal of the one-day website session is to help make building a website affordable and also helps define a plan for marketing the business. The one-day website session is designed intentionally to reduce both the time and costs for entrepreneurs to start investing in their business idea.
Go get ‘em
The best and most obvious accomplishment from the one-day session is that the website will be ready in a day. To maximize the session time, Actually will work to complete finishing touches the next day if needed. Actually’s goal is to help local businesses get their business online as soon as possible.
With that said, the finishing touches left to complete will likely be the web page title and descriptions built the day before. Waiting to add the page titles and descriptions for SEO at the end of the session makes a lot of sense because it will:
Maximize the session time to work on adding essential content and functionality
Allows a bit of time to edit or add changes to the final page descriptions
You get so much out of it
Here’s a list of the discounts received when you sign up for the one-day session:
20% off the first year cost of Squarespace
Free domain (if it’s a .com) for one year with Squarespace for one year
Free professional email Google Workspace (GSuite) for one year
A guide to help you plan and get organized before the session to get the most out of it
Marketing plan integrated into the design and build of the website
Advertising strategy to generate traffic to the website
Don’t forget that you will also have a website completed by the end of the session with a plan for how to market the business after the session. This article outlines additional details about the immediate benefits of the one-day session including what exactly will be accomplished.
How the session website accomplishes so much
Entrepreneurs and small businesses Will get a lot accomplished during the session
The one-day website session helps business owners accomplish a lot in the one-day session by:
Reducing the cost and time it takes to build a website to make it more affordable to start
Get the business online quickly (i.e. in one-day)
Define a plan for marketing the business (i.e. morning part of the session)
Implementing the plan in the design and functionality of the website build (i.e. afternoon part of the session)
Reducing time and cost
Reducing the time it takes to build a website reduces the initial cost of startup a business idea and speeds up the process of getting the website online to share the website to generate traffic or website visitors. The sooner the website is online, the sooner the business owner can start working on generating visitors to generate sales.
The session will help define:
Website traffic goals that align with the financial goals of the business
Strategy to generate traffic to the website with organic evergreen content strategies
Social media strategy to share the content and connect with customers online
You can also combine the website with traditional business strategies such as networking and sales strategies too. As well, it is possible to invest in paid advertising opportunities like Google ads, banner ads, and print or digital advertising to boost traffic outside of your organic strategy.
Get the business online quickly
By the end of the day, the goal is to have completed a 2-5 page website with a contact form and a blog, with at least three blog articles. Advance preparation for the one-day session is essential to get the most out of the session. Actually will help prepare and get organized with a preparation guide to help business owners get the most from the one-day session.
Create a marketing plan
A marketing plan is essential for driving traffic or visitors to your website after the website is built. When investing in a business idea with a website it is essential to consider writing content or adding new pages to the website in part of your plans to advertise the business.
E-commerce Websites
An e-commerce site will not be complete in one day. This means that the one-day session is best suited for content-type websites. Although, if an e-commerce site is absolutely required, consider booking two sessions or the alternative options below:
Prepare 1-3 pages of content for products prior to the one-day session
Purchase custom training videos
There are differences in the type of content preparation requirements between content websites and e-commerce websites. To learn the differences between a content and an e-commerce website read the article on how to get the most from the one-day website session.
Prepare product content in advance
Three content pages can be swapped to add 1-3 products to sell with an e-commerce website although preparing product information in advance will be required. Prepare all product (or service) images, product descriptions, pricing, size information, or shipping details in advance to get the most from the one-day session.
E-commerce content is not a direct swap for content pages during the one-day session because the business owner will still require a home page and contact page in addition to the 1-3 product pages.
purchase custom training videos
Consider ordering training videos before or after the one-day website session to provide personalized instructions specific to your website on how to update the website independently. Each video is timestamped for very specific tasks (e.g. how do I upload a new product image? Or how do I change the product description?) with instructions unique to know how to use your website.
Timestamped videos help fast-track through the learning process to get the information they need quickly without having to watch long training videos for an answer.
Alternatively, it is possible to attend the one-day website session for the benefits of working collaboration only, integrating the organic marketing plan strategy, while maximizing the time to build a website. Actually’s full-services offer help to load the remaining products or services to the ecommerce website.
How the session can accomplish so much in a day
Since the one-day website session is not a training session there is not a dedicated time devoted to learning how to use the website. The one-day session aims to maximize the collaboration time between the business owner and the designer, where the designer executes building the website and the business owner provides direction. This helps to accomplish so much in a day.
As a result, the business owner can leverage the designer’s knowledge about Squarespace, web design, business and organic ways to generate website traffic, and start building the website functionality right away without taking time to train the business owner (or session attendee).
Since the session is a collaborative work session, the designer can simultaneously design the website and offer training as the website is being created in Squarespace. This helps maximize the session time by doubling as a training session and a work session.
Think teamwork
A lot can be achieved during the one-day website session because of teamwork through collaboration. Collaboration fosters teamwork. As a result of a teamwork approach, the session will accomplish a lot because the designer and business owner can work together and collaborate to research, design and build the website.
Your role (attendee):
Provide direction and give feedback (e.g. say yes or no, describe why or why not you like or do not like something regarding the website)
Complete research (e.g. competitive research, sector research, advertising research)
Write generalized sentences of copy for the website (e.g. write copy about your business for the home page, about page, products, services, contact, etc.)
Create social media accounts and grant permission to connect them to the website
Create a Google Analytics account
Take notes (e.g. for training purposes)
Ask questions
Actually’s role (designer):
Design and build the website with Squarespace
Ask questions about the required functionality to add to the website
Help create a marketing plan to generate website traffic
Integrate the marketing plan into the website design and functionality
Design a custom graphic for a social share image
Design a browser icon (favicon)
Add page titles and descriptions for SEO
Set up the settings for the website (e.g. add contributors, add the Google Analytics tracking code, connect social media accounts, etc.)
Doubling up time in One-day
Attending the session is like having two people working on the project at the same time. This approach to maximizing the concentrated time in a work session has a positive impact on the website's progress because it increases the amount of work completed in a day with teamwork and collaboration.
The session also helps to eliminate time delays normally caused while waiting for feedback regarding amendments or changes, either from the business owner or the time required for the designer to execute the changes. For example, waiting for phone calls or email replies to discuss website design and development details. Sometimes the wait time for feedback can take up to a few days, even a week or two, depending on how busy the business owner’s schedule is.
The one-day website session eliminates the time delays to wait for feedback allowing an opportunity to discuss the direction and execute the feedback at the session
Final thoughts
On How the one-day session accomplishes so much
The session maximizes the resources of planning, collaboration and teamwork to accomplish as much as possible in a one-day website session.
One-day website session