Goodness me... Seriously this building your own web site lark is no simple feat!
I've been building my website off and on now for a year and I'm often hitting a brick wall every time I attempt to do something with it. Also don't get me started on the wifi we have living in the country - makes almost everything take double the time it should!
For those who don't know me, I'm married to a wonderful and loving husband, Ali (Ali Bear). I'm a mum to 3 beautiful (very demanding) children, I'm a female founded business, trying to sell my artwork across 3 platforms. Crazy you say? Yes I would completely agree with you! And sometimes I really wonder if it's worth so much effort! But I love it all deep down, and when I make that sale, to someone who's really fallen in love with what I've created, I then fall deeper in love with my creative soul.
So to fill you in (going back to the tech bit), my online stores are with Etsy, Notonthehighstreet.com and my own website (still in much need of time and effort) www.lillypea.co.uk. If only one online shop could be enough to reach every audience! Apparently not, so 3 online shops it is!!! Yippee!! So that's 3x the uploading of ONE product, 3x learning the back end systems of each online retailer (just like learning a new program, for instance, Illustrator or Photoshop)! It feels pretty hideous when you realize it's taken you half the day to upload one product, when all you want to be doing is painting or mulling over your next creative adventure!
I guess no one said things would be easy, to be honest I didn't really expect it to be, I'm a full on grafter. But seriously!!! This is just one pain staking activity among 1000's when you run your own business! You literally are everything and anything associated to it and all of it, is a full on flipping time vacuum! But that's completely ok when your painting! ;-)
Good luck to anyone starting to build their own website! I recommend Gin!
I feel your pain Louise, I'm in the same boat! Throw in some accounting and tax return plus the constant battle with algorithm of various platforms not mentioning the SEO! It can be all very exhausting but by the end of the day, when somebody sends you a snap of your artwork proudly displayed in their home, you realise it is all so worth it! Hang in there girlfriend, I'm coming over and I have a bottle of gin! 😅