2ND EDITION | ISSUE #168

There isn’t much in this room (yet). Just our furniture, Curtains. and the green and white gingham duvet cover that stretches across our king size bed. It still doesn’t have doors, or a bathroom or closets - or trim… or paint. And I bought a new rug that has been needed to be picked up for like a month now…

Depending on how long you’ve been reading this newsletter, you’ve been around since there was a 15ft hole in the middle of my house.

(I did however realize I still haven’t told you about the day that a bowling ball fell out of the ceiling. So stay posted to future editions for that one.)

Rebuilding this house from the inside out - has been one of my greatest lessons in not just life but business, which is why home-related stories take on many a metaphor around here.

And today my friends is no different - because as I write my first newsletter from the upstairs bedroom (at least the first one not on my scaffold desk) i’m reminded of allll the behind the scenes work that goes on to bring your vision to life, to get you to that imaginary “Finish Line” in your head.

Since my own signature site is just around the corner - today’s newsletter is going to be a little different.

I Monday’s email I broke down the design process behind my signature site builds. And today is part two of that (but this time inside my newsletter format) all about how to get your website from design to publish.

Pretend you are me. Maybe you are me. The design for your website is done.But now there are three things you need to do before you can hit publish.

1. Connect all your buttons to the correct links and pages. If someone is leaving your website, make sure the link opens a new page. If they are staying on your site, it doesn’t have to. Test these. Test them again. Have someone else test them too. It is so easy to miss one.
2. SEO. A subject all its own. Long story short, if you are going through the effort of building a website, you are not making the most of that investment without a basic understanding of SEO. If you are 100% new to SEO, know that every page on your site needs one, and only one, H1 heading. Every page needs an SEO-optimized title, metadata, and URL slug. To learn more about SEO, even if you aren’t a beginner, I recommend checking out my friend and past client, Mariah Magazine’s YouTube channel and workshops.

Okay, so your buttons work. And Google knows who you are, so people can find you. For all intents and purposes, you have a website. But something is missing…

Does it feel flat? Boring?

Unfortunately, social media has classically trained all of our little brains to have the attention span of a hamster.

And that change in how we consume media has had a huge impact on web design.

Which brings us to #3. Animations.

When I first started building websites, animations were just starting to become a thing, and I thought I was really cool for using video on my website.

Fast forward four years, and now animations are a big part of how users experience your site.

Now let me just stop you right there and remind you that:

1. You do not, I repeat, do not need to go learn how to code in order to add animations to your website. Here are some examples of code-free animations.

Most website builders have more and more micro-animations built into their design platforms. Showit, one of my preferred platforms, actually has the fewest built-in capabilities with this.

Movement = more engaging = someone stays on your website longer and keeps scrolling = Google likes that = they are more likely to consume your content and convert.

Movement helps to regain our tiny little hamster attention spans.

There are four different ways to add movement to your website

Hover Effects:

A hover effect is a small visual change that happens when someone moves their cursor over an element on a website, like a button, link, or image, to signal it is interactive. Examples include a color swap, an underline appearing, the button lifting slightly, or an image changing.

Scroll Effects:

A scroll effect is an animation or visual change that triggers as someone scrolls a page, making elements move, fade, zoom, or shift at a different speed than the rest of the content (like parallax) to add depth, guide attention, and keep the page feeling dynamic.

Micro Animations:

A micro-animation is a subtle, usually short motion applied to a small element (like an icon, illustration, button, or line of text) that adds feedback and personality without distracting from the content. Think: a heading that slides in, an illustration that shifts with the cursor, or small elements that fade, bounce, or “drop” into place.

Video

A video is a short clip (often looping) embedded on your website to quickly show your product, process, personality, or vibe in a way a static image cannot. It can be professional brand footage or simple DIY iPhone clips, and it works especially well in hero sections or as subtle background motion to help visitors understand what you do faster and stay engaged longer.

A quick rule of thumb

If you are DIY-ing this, aim for one “wow” moment per canvas.

• A hover moment that makes someone want to click
• One scroll moment that makes a section feel alive
• A micro-animation that adds polish
• Or a short video that helps them re-engage.

The goal is not fancy. The goal is felt.

Because the “publish” button is not the finish line. It is the starting line.

When the foundation is solid, and the experience is engaging, your site stops being a digital business card and starts doing what you built it for: helping the right people trust you, stay awhile, and take the next step.

If you want help with the 80%

If you are staring at a beautiful design (or template) and feeling stuck at the final stretch, hit reply and tell me:

• What platform you are on
• What pages you are publishing first
• And what you want your website to do for your business this year

I will point you to the next best step.

P.S. If you want someone to handle the strategy + build so you can just show up and run your business, my Signature Site spots are open. Click here for the details.​