Finally, my new website has a name: Homestead Woodworks. It's really my husband's business, but I'm the one putting together the website and designing everything. He'll do all the work creating the products. As I contemplated the learning modules in class this week, I think there were a few things that stood out to me when it comes to web design.

As our lives have become busier, websites have become simpler. It's an interesting phenomenon that what holds our attention today is something that doesn't clutter our vision. I started my website with a template that I felt would translate easily into the type of site I wanted. Many of the best practices I ran across were elements I had already implemented into my site design.

I have high resolution photos of the products I'm selling. Each description is basic and concise. I have a few catch phrases that hook the viewer into reading more about what we create. I haven't written it yet, but the bio for my husband (because he's the one creating the product) will be heartfelt and introduce the buyer to what is important about the product from our point of view.

I have signed up with Paypal and opened a business account so my buyers can use either their Paypal account or their credit cards to purchase. This saves me from needing a merchant account through my bank. I also have a Square credit card reader for onsite purchasing, but that's not how we plan to market our product. And with a Paypal business account, chances are we can obtain a scanner from Paypal if that became necessary.

As I put the finishing touches on the website this weekend, I am grateful for the advice from the lesson materials that remind me what is important for the internet surfer of 2020. It's gratifying when I have already implemented some of the best practices and helpful to learn more.

This week, we go live!