Website foundations for stories in action

Your website is your home base on the internet. So give it the best chance of doing its job.

It's not about jumping straight into the techy stuff. You need to know what you want the site to do for you first. And you build that from the inside out. 

Even sites that are counted successful can get it wrong and miss out on connection with visitors. But you can dodge the traps!

This course is an easy introduction to the things I look at when I give feedback on websites.

What you’ll learn

• The difference between foreground and background messages, and how to discover the latter and put their power to work.
  
• The importance of thinking like your audience, and how to overcome pitfalls of being stuck in your own perspective.
  
• What people really do when they visit web pages, and how to avoid alarm signals that will drive them away.
  
• Tips on writing for the web, and how to hone your writing style and voice.
  
• How visual design – colour, layout and fonts – can boost your message … or sabotage it.
  

What you’ll get

It’s a set of PDFs for you to work through in your own time. Each part is about 12 pages long, with info, exercises and suggestions for further resources.

• Part 1 – Showing up with your message. (12 pages)
  
• Part 2 – Thinking like your audience. (13 pages)
  
• Part 3 – Putting writing and design to work. (11 pages)
  

There are also a couple of extras.

• Background message finder – a simple exercise helping you find the authentic impressions to weave into all your communication materials. (3 pages)
  
• Introduction to WordPress – although the course doesn’t cover setting up a site, this short tipsheet will point you in the right direction. (5 pages)