How to create a mini-website in 10 minutes
Keeping a mini-site up to date is easier than updating a more elaborate site, just as an apartment is easier to care for than a house.
[Source illustration: filborg/Getty Images]
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
You need a presence online. If you don’t yet have one, consider starting with a “link-in-bio” page—a mini-website that lists your most important links.
You can include a brief bio and social links. Later you can build a fuller site with multiple sub-pages, if necessary. Read on for why a mini-site is useful, what to use it for, and recommendations for good free services.
BENEFITS OF A MINI-SITE
- Present your best self: Without your own presence online you’re at the mercy of whatever Google shows people. On your mini-site you choose the images and links, and the site’s existence helps crowd out search results that aren’t as relevant or favorable.
- Save time and money: It takes about 10 minutes to set up a mini-site, five minutes to gather your links and brief bio, and five minutes to sign up for one of the free services below and add your links.
- Easy to update: Keeping a mini-site up to date is easier than updating a more elaborate site, just as an apartment is easier to care for than a house.
- Quick Tip: If you have reports, presentations, or other files that showcase your strengths, upload them as PDFs or images to Dropbox or Google Drive and share a link to the file or folder on your mini-site.
RECOMMENDED SERVICES
- Carrd is what I recommend for many of my colleagues and students. It has the best variety of templates of the quick-create services. It’s easy to edit your creation. With a paid account you can build a full site. Check out nice sites made with Carrd.
- LinkPop by Shopify is best for showcasing things you’re selling online, or videos you’ve made. You can also use it for other links, and it looks clean on mobile devices. Take a look at examples of what people have made with LinkPop.
- LinkTree is the most popular link-in-bio service among Instagrammers. It works well if you have a long list of links and don’t need much text on your site. These examples show stars and brands using LinkTree.
- Bitly is known for its link-shortening service, and offers a straightforward way to gather your most important links and share them in a single spot. I created a link-in-bio site in five minutes to try it out: https://bit.ly/m/jeremy. The result is super plain, no frills, no cost. As a bonus, free analytics show what has been clicked, how often, and in which countries.
HOW TO USE YOUR MINI-SITE
- In your social media bio: Linking to your mini-site can nudge people who land on one of your social accounts to your chosen material, rather than the random stuff they might find by Googling you.
- In your email signature: People receiving a message from you for the first time may want to know more about you. A microsite gives them a quick view and can humanize you. It can also distinguish you from umpteen other correspondents.
- In presentations, documents and online meetings: When sharing materials in professional gatherings, include a link to your microsite to provide a quick reminder about who you are.
- If you already have a full site: Some people may want to feast on your life story and all your content—full site; others may just need a taste—mini-site. Share the site of the right size for the context.
- Tip: If you need more than a mini-site: Consider Tilda.cc. Here’s my post on why I chose Tilda to build my own site (which is overdue for an update). You can create a free microsite with Tilda to test it out. It costs $10 a month for one site or $20 for up to five.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
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