Building My Website: A Journey of Patience, Persistence, and Plenty of Iterations

It feels like a lifetime ago when I embarked on the journey of creating my website. Well, maybe not quite a lifetime, but when I think back, the path that led me here actually started about four years ago. Four years might not seem like much, but in the world of startups and website development, it’s enough time to learn, stumble, grow, and ultimately create something you’re proud of. My journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic — a period when life stood still for most, but ideas in my head were spinning non-stop. The initial plan was to develop an app, but that story is for another day.

Today, I want to talk about how surprisingly accessible building and maintaining a website can be, and how anyone with time, dedication, and a little patience can turn an idea into a digital reality. It’s not about being a tech guru or a design expert; it’s about showing up, putting in the hours, and letting the process guide you.

When I started working on my website in November 2023, I was filled with self-doubt. Thoughts like “Oh nooo, I can’t design!” or “How am I ever going to manage a website?” were running through my mind. After about ten minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I took a deep breath, wiped my metaphorical tears, and made the first step — I subscribed to Squarespace.

Let me be completely honest: my first designs were atrocious. I mean, they were worse than an unseasoned chicken breast — just bland, boring, and completely uninspiring! I’m talking neon colors plastered all over the content pages, so much yellow, pink, and green that even a unicorn would’ve been overwhelmed. But hey, no one starts out as a professional, right? You’ve got to start somewhere to develop an eye for what works and what doesn’t. It took countless iterations, adjustments, and a lot of cringing at my own creations to get to a place where I could say, “Okay, this actually looks decent.”

What kept me going through those early stages of designing my website wasn’t just sheer determination; it was the wealth of resources available online. For anyone looking to build a website, the internet is a goldmine of tools and guides. Whether it’s HTML tutorials on W3Schools, SEO tips from Ahrefs and SEO Journal, or coding support from ChatGPT, you’ll never feel alone in your digital adventure. I remember using ChatGPT to help me with some tricky code for my AI weekend planner page — it was like having a little genius on standby whenever I needed a nudge in the right direction.

One of the most challenging parts of building the website was getting my Things to Do in London for Couples page to rank in the top five on Google. It took me a good ten months to achieve that milestone. Ten months of trial, error, and persistence. But if I can do it, anyone can. The secret is patience, consistency, and the willingness to keep learning from your mistakes ( also some on page and off page SEO of course ). SEO isn’t something you master overnight — it’s a slow and steady climb. And even if the path seems endless, remember that every small step forward is progress.

Creating the website wasn’t just about putting information online; it was about creating a user-friendly experience. I spent hours experimenting with buttons and features to make navigation easier for my visitors. One of my favorite experiments was designing buttons that would call a phone API to functions like opening Google Maps ( again that was chat GPT who helped so if you have a start up idae but no coding experience, remeber you can always build a site and use chat GPT for help with coding and functionality ). I was so excited to add this feature, only to find out no one was actually using them. How did I know? I had set up button tracking using Google Tags and GA4, and that was a reality check! But these little failures were as important as the successes because they helped me refine the user experience on my site.

One thing I was always proud of from the beginning was my blog section. Blogging was where I found my groove. The blogs not only brought structure to my website but also helped drive organic traffic to it. The best-performing blog? My article on drive in cinema. Over the past three months, it has brought in over 700 clicks! Okay, now I know, 200–250 clicks a month might not seem like a lot, but it’s honest work. (Yes, that was a meme reference, and I’m not sorry!)

Looking back, I realize that building my website wasn’t just about creating a digital space — it was about the journey of becoming more confident in my abilities, taking risks, making mistakes, and constantly improving. I wouldn’t trade those garish pink and green content pages or the failed button features for anything, because they were all part of the learning curve. And more importantly, they taught me that building a website is not a one-time task; it’s a continuous process of growth and adaptation.

To anyone out there who’s thinking about starting their own website, my biggest piece of advice is this: You don’t have to be an expert to begin. With platforms like Squarespace and Shopify, there are countless templates that can give you a head start ( seriously no designer knowledge needed ). And whenever you hit a roadblock, remember you have ChatGPT to guide you through code issues or even to summarize complex SEO strategies for you. The world of website creation is full of tools and resources that are ready to turn your vision into reality.

So, if you’ve ever doubted yourself, take it from someone who’s been there: You’ve got this. If I, a total beginner, managed to get my “Things to Do in London for Couples” page to rank on Google, so can you. And hey, if you ever need a hand or a little advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. After all, we’re all on this journey together, learning, growing, and building something amazing, one step at a time.

Remember, the digital world has room for all of us, and the journey itself is just as rewarding as the destination.