Why Testing Is Crucial
One of the things that can make it much harder to get started is to focus on getting your site exactly right before you actually get the site built.
There is a tendency to waste a lot of time at first, especially if you have never built a site before. There is a learning curve, so you have to find the resources that will get you the information you need.
Once you have a few ideas and some knowledge, the best thing you can do is to make sure you get a hosting account that will allow you to have unlimited domains. The next step is to register a few domains.
You probably already have an idea of the domain that you want, and you may even have it already. You still should get a few more.
Once you have the hosting and domain names, you can set up each site and domain name. For purposes of this article, I’ll cover using WordPress for your sites.
The idea is to have several sites ready to go. And then the fun begins.
You are going to use the additional blog sites as test beds where you can use what you learned about creating sites. If you’ve never created and published a post before, do it in a test site. Format the text, add images, add links, then save and publish.
Learn how to download and install themes and plugins. Try different things on each site. Once you have a new skill mastered, go to your money site and apply it there.
Trying to do this with one site can be confusing and frustrating. A good example is choosing a theme. Sure, you can keep changing the theme and seeing how it looks. But you can’t compare how 2 themes will look side by side.
When you have several test sites, you can load your top theme picks and activate one on each of your sites. Then, you can open each one in a new tab and get a better look at which one will work best for your business.
Another good reason for having test sites is to test out theme builder plugins before you buy them. There are some that have a free option and a paid option. Start with the free option and work with it and see if it makes your site building easier and better.
Some of the theme builder plugins have a free trial. Try them on a test site first.
The bottom line is that if you don’t use test sites, you may end up with a site with several themes installed, and a ton of plugins that you may not even end up using.
The only way to get good at creating a site and getting good at adding content is to learn. And the best way to learn is to do it in an environment where you don’t have to be concerned on whether or not you end up making a change that you didn’t want, and that takes time to reset to where it was before.