I’m a dietitian who finally took the plunge and started my own business to take on clients 1:1 and launch some digital products and courses. I was thinking at first I’d build my site through something like Wix or Squarespace, but after doing more research, I’m sold on the idea of making sure I have more control over the content, security etc. I do learn fairly easily so I am ready to take this on, but feeling a little decision fatigue regarding getting all my stuff aligned to actually begin building the site, and I want to make sure I don’t miss any crucial steps in getting started.
I have my domain name already, and I’m working on a basic site map.
My question is, what are the best (speaking on functionality and affordability) options for a possibly content heavy site in the future that may have multiple digital courses, etc?
Seeking any guidance that can be given to a total newbie regarding hosting, security, SEO, payment, booking, and digital course plug ins.
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Congrats! Please search the sub. We cover this a lot.
Congrats on starting your own business! How I wish I know more of WordPress when I started back then.. hahah..
First, a good hosting really save you lots of headaches down the road. There are many cheap hosting out there that eventually will charge you a malware cleaning fee once your site got hacked on and off. The best hosting so far in my experience is Cloudways (not as easy to use as compared to most Cpanel-based hosting). Or you can consider SiteGround too. These are the only two I can recommend based on my limited experience with a few hosting companies.
Second, having the site loads fast is very important nowadays. Once you get a good hosting (Cloudways etc), you already won half of the battle. The next thing to consider is to use lightweigh page builders. Avoid heavy weights like Divi and Elementor page builders as they will become more and more slower when your site gets bigger (unless you have the budget to keep scaling up your server to cater for these page builders).
I suggest sticking with the WordPress default Gutenberg page editor if you can. Best scenario, you can even just use the default 2024 theme for your business site. I use the default 2023 theme for my Chinese medicine site and it is serving me well (although it is not the prettiest).
Third, install Updraftplus (for automated website backups saved to your dropbox) and WordFence (to detect logins and hacking attempts) at the minmial. This will start your site in a good place.
Finally, use a few as plugins as you can. The more plugins you use, the higher chance when you upgrade something i nthe future, something else will break. Then you will need to spend time figuring out what’s wrong.
I usnerstand that you might want to use plugins to sell your digital products but what I do is that I use Payhip to sell digital products. They only charge a minmum transaction fee when there is sales, no monthly or yearly fees. And most importantly, I do not need to install plugins in my wordpress site. I just need to link to the payhip sales page for customers to buy. This is just my preference, feel free to consider this as an alterntive too.
Hope this helps!
I have more than 15 years of experience building sites with WordPress (I absolutely love it). I also have courses. I do ecomm. Have health and beauty products and print on demand sites. I do content at scale. I build backlinks at scale. I sell on amazon, etsy. I have a ton of small business experience in virtually every aspect you can imagine…finance, accounting, tax, regulatory, logisitics, marketing, branding and graphic design.
I invite you to AMA. I will help you for free. in fact, I would very much enjoy teaching you for free. I already teach students for free on Tuesdays at 10am EST.
If you wish to join me then please by all means I welcome you. I don’t want any money and have nothing to sell you.
> I’m sold on the idea of making sureI have more control over the content, security etc.
> total newbie regarding hosting, security, SEO, payment, booking, and digital course plug ins.
You are the brave one.
**These two statements/facts does not fit together.**
My advice: go to some WP agency and ask an offer. Just to have some idea what it can cost, in time and money. And then ask yourself why those numbers are so high.
I do not do e-comm and LMS for clients, for various reasons. First, there are third party services/platforms dedicated to this. Second, there are too many moving parts to control, and if one change can ruin the whole system. And, third, most important: I do not dare to put the client’s job at any risk. I do not deliver what I can not control, fully and absolutely.
But, if I have to build it for myself, I would probably use LearnDash, MemeberShipsPro, GravityForms, SureCart and EventCalendar or Amelia; these are for functionality, and the list is not complete. Does any of these ring any bell to you? Shall we now talk about payment gateways? Security? Backups? Fine art of SEO? Even finer art of caching? ETC.
It’s huge, man. Huge and expensive.
I admire your attempt to take control (more control = more responsibility), but I am sure Dunning-Kruger effect will hit you sooner than you can imagine.
Wish you success with your business. And advice: stick with your business and let some pro build site for you. Consider that as business initial cost.
Congratulations on your decision! 👏
That’s a very important (and huge) first step you’ve taken, and now you just need to proceed step by step and master the topics one by one. I suggest you try it on your own, as you wrote, and it might be a good investment for your future – we all started one day from “ground zero.” 😉
To make a more informed decision, you can take a look at the [free basic WordPress trainings](https://www.reddit.com/r/WordPress_org/comments/147qits/wordpressfriendly_trainings_for_beginners/) I collected from WPBeginner and WP.org sites. I hope it can help you on your “WordPress journey”, and although it is a great endeavour – you can start and see if you need additional help and ask for it, but by then you will have a much better understanding of the whole WP ecosystem, and you will be able to negotiate much better. Good luck!
You’re right to want more control over your site’s content and security, especially if you’re planning to offer digital products and courses in the future. Wix and Squarespace are great for beginners, but if you’re aiming for more functionality and flexibility, consider WordPress.
WordPress powers a huge chunk of the internet for a reason. It’s super versatile and customizable, making it perfect for content-heavy sites with multiple digital courses. Plus, there are tons of affordable hosting options out there that support WordPress, like Bluehost or SiteGround.
In terms of security, make sure to choose a reputable hosting provider that offers SSL certificates and regular backups. For SEO, WordPress has plenty of plugins like Yoast SEO to help optimize your site for search engines.
As for payment and booking, there are plugins like WooCommerce and Bookly that integrate seamlessly with WordPress, allowing you to accept payments and manage appointments hassle-free.
And when it comes to digital courses, plugins like LearnDash or Teachable can help you set up and manage your courses with ease.
So, to sum it up: WordPress + reliable hosting + essential plugins = a solid foundation for your future content-heavy site. You got this!