You're starting a new project or business (yay!) and need a website. You don't have a lot of money and it just so happens that your friend creates websites. They've offered to create one for you for free or cheap. Great news, right? Not so fast. Nothing can complicate a friendship more than bringing business into the relationship. Here are four ways to make sure your project goes well AND your friendship survives.

You're working with a developer for the first time to set up a new website for your business. (Yay!) Beyond design and copy, you have some decisions to make. Here's my take on the ideal setup for your domain name, hosting and email along with reasons for each.

If you've ever worked with a developer or agency, they may have tried to sell you an ongoing maintenance package once your website was complete. Maintenance packages can range from $30/month to $199/month (or more) and can include a variety of services. If you're not flush with cash or would rather try to avoid ongoing fees for your WordPress website, you can DIY these services with some time and elbow grease. Let's look at the fees you can get around and those that you won't be able to avoid.

You've heard of WordPress themes before, but you're not 100% sure what they are. What do they do? Why do you need one? What's the difference between free, paid and custom themes? Why do people design from scratch? Let's dive in and talk about different theme options and when you'd want to use each one.

Meta descriptions. You've heard of them and heard you need them, but you're not sure what they are, how to write them or where to put them. It turns out, it's not super complicated, and you absolutely can have great meta descriptions for your website. Read on, friends.

Do you know what your next blog post will be about? Thinking of ideas doesn't have to be complicated! Here are five fun and easy ways to find a topic for your next post. (And not just any topic — one that will be enjoyable to write AND just right for your audience.)

Today I want you to do something for me. I want you to go to your website and take a look around. Your potential and existing customers visit, but when is the last time you did? While you're looking around, I want you to find one thing to change — something that will make your site better. It also should be something you can act on today, and it doesn't matter how small.

Responsive web design. RWD. You know, when your site looks great on your desktop, tablet AND mobile device. It's important, for sure. Your viewers are using a variety of devices to view your site (check out your sessions by device in Google Analytics). And Google's algorithm gives priority to websites that display well on smartphones and other mobile devices. So how do you know what your site actually looks like on all those devices?

One question I'm asked frequently is, "How long does it take to build a website?" To which I respond, "Well, it depends." Read more about what it depends on and see how quickly we can get your site up and running today.