The Journey to Creating My Website: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

Building a website is no small feat, and I’ve learned a lot along the way! Here are a few things I’d love to share with you about the process: 

Starting with the Why

It all began with the desire to bring everything about my art and products into one cohesive space. I wanted a place that truly represented my values, creative journey, and the products I offer, while also making it easy for you to shop and connect.

Choosing the Right Platform

After doing some research, I decided to use Shopify as my platform. It was important for me to find a platform that offered the flexibility I needed for design, e-commerce, and functionality. 

The Design Process

This part was a dream come true for me! I wanted the website to reflect my artistic style—clean, vibrant, and playful, but also showcase my products well. I worked on every detail, from the images, colors, and the product layout, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. 

Overcoming Challenges

Like any creative project, there were challenges along the way—learning how to optimize my site for mobile, deciding how best to showcase my products, and making sure everything flowed smoothly. But with every challenge came growth, and I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished! 

Time & Patience: A Big Lesson Learned

When I first set out to build my website, I thought, “How hard can this be?” I figured I’d pick a template, drop in some photos, and be done. But very quickly, I realized that it wasn’t that simple. I didn’t have a clear plan, and the site just wasn’t coming together the way I imagined. After a lot of frustrating late nights and a few moments of wanting to give up, I decided to take a step back. I asked myself: What do I really want for my customers? How do I want my products to be showcased? That’s when things started to click. I came up with a creative plan for my photos, the layout, and how I wanted the site to flow for visitors. I designed the product photos, the menus (headers and footers) with intention, making sure everything was easy to access and flowed well. Yes, I wasted hours in the beginning, but sometimes we have to fail and learn from it before we can truly move forward. My advice to anyone thinking of building their own website: Make a plan! Think about the photos, the menus, and the overall flow of the site before diving in. It’ll make the process smoother and the final product so much better!

Photography Struggles & Lessons

One of the biggest lessons I learned during this process is just how important product photography is. Now I can see why companies hire professional photographers! 😅 As a small business, I didn’t have the budget for that, so I went it alone. I spent countless nights editing and re-taking photos because the lighting just wasn’t right. In this process, I learned that trying to use a white background was especially tricky—wrong lighting would cast yellow or blue shadows, which took a lot of trial and error to fix. But in the end, I’m happy with the results!

The Power of SEO

SEO, keywords, and tags were another huge lesson for me. I had no idea how much they could make or break a website. It’s a whole new language, and I had to dig deep to understand how these elements fit into my brand and business. But I’ve learned that when it’s done right, it really helps my site reach the right audience. 

Shipping Woes

Ugh, Shipping!! Lol. Now, here’s something I didn’t expect to be such a challenge: shipping. I learned just how much Amazon has set the bar when it comes to shipping expectations. I mean, who can compete with free shipping, right? Don’t get me wrong, I love Amazon and couldn’t survive without them (Thanks, Amazon!😜 ), but trying to compete as a small business is tough. Offering free shipping just isn’t feasible without raising prices, and that can make products seem too expensive for customers, which is a tough balance to strike. It really made me appreciate how complicated logistics can be for small businesses like mine. 

But there’s more to it than just offering free shipping or setting prices. When building a website, you have to know the exact measurements of your product's shipping containers and the weight of each product before you posting it for sale. You need to have your boxes, envelopes, and shipping tubes ready ahead of time. It’s a lot of preparation! Thankfully, my experience with Etsy gave me some insight, but only for a handful of items. Figuring out shipping takes a lot of time but it is best to go slow here as you want to get it right; otherwise, it can cost you more money in the end.  It’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re planning to ship your own products. 

Every small detail matters to me and I want to make sure my customers have a smooth experience when they order from me.  My website is a reflection of everything I’ve worked hard to build, and I can’t wait for you to explore it!  

I hope this blog was helpful, especially if you are starting your own website or even in the planning stages of building one.  If you have any questions or just want to send feedback about this blog post, I would love to hear from you-send me an email at artislifestudioshop@gmail.com