Your Website Essentials: A Simple Guide to Building a Beautiful, Welcoming Online Home
I know the feeling. You've poured your heart into your creative work—whether that's handcrafted jewellery, stunning watercolours, bespoke wedding stationery, or thoughtful interior styling services. Your hands are skilled, your eye is trained, and your work speaks for itself.
But building a website? That feels like learning a completely different language.
Here's the truth: your website doesn't need to be complicated to be beautiful and effective. It simply needs to welcome visitors, show them who you are, and make it easy for them to connect with you or buy your work.
Think of your website as your digital studio, gallery or shop front—a warm, inviting space where people can browse, get to know you, and feel confident in working with you or purchasing your creations.
Let’s walk you through exactly what you need, your essential website pages, page by page, without any confusing jargon or overwhelming tech speak.
The Seven Essential Pages Every Creative Website Needs
1. Home Page: Your Warm Welcome
Your home page is like opening the door to your studio and inviting someone in with a smile. Within seconds, visitors should understand who you are and what you create.
What to include:
A clear headline that tells visitors exactly what you do (e.g., "Handcrafted Ceramic Homeware for Soulful Living" or "Bespoke Calligraphy for Your Special Moments")
Beautiful hero image showcasing your work—this should be your very best piece or a lifestyle shot that captures the feeling of your brand
A brief welcome message (2-3 sentences) that speaks directly to your ideal customer - this is a good place to include some of your keywords that people might be searching for, for example stating your location ‘... based in Devon’.
Clear navigation to your other pages—keep the menu simple and easy to spot try to limited to 6 or less menu tabs. The simpler the better!
Call-to-action buttons like "Shop Now," "View Portfolio," or "Book a Consultation"—make these stand out
A glimpse of what's inside: perhaps your three bestselling products, a mini gallery, or testimonials from happy customers
💫 Simple tip: Imagine you're explaining what you do to a friend at a coffee shop. That natural, warm way you'd speak? That's exactly how your home page should feel.
2. About Page: Your Story Matters
This is where people fall in love with you and your work. Your about page isn't just a list of your achievements or your biography — it's your chance to create connection. Remember, people buy from people they connect with and trust.
What to include:
A photo of you—this doesn't need to be professional; it just needs to be warm and genuine. In your studio, you working on a piece, or holding your work, or simply smiling at the camera works beautifully. Great photos are the backbone of your website - the more practice you can get at taking images the better. Remember the beauty of a website is you can change images as and when so don’t be put off by not having exactly the one you want just yet.
Your story: How did you start? What inspires you? Why do you love what you do? Share your journey, including if you came to this later in life or as a second chapter.
Your process or philosophy: What makes your work special? Do you use sustainable materials? Do you use a particular process or a specially sourced material?
What drives you: Help visitors understand the "why" behind your work - what makes you do what do.
A personal touch: Maybe you work from a sun-filled studio, you're inspired by coastal walks, or you started this business so you could spend more time with your family—these details make you real and relatable.
💫 Simple tip: Write as if you're chatting with a potential customer who's just asked, "So, tell me about yourself!" Be warm, be real, be you!
3. Portfolio/Gallery Page: Let Your Work Shine
This is your visual showcase—where your creations take center stage and speak for themselves.
What to include:
High-quality images of your work—natural light photographs work beautifully; no fancy equipment needed, just good window light and a simple background, linked to individual pages showing more details.
Variety: Show different pieces or projects you've worked on, make your gallery or portfolio page visually appealing to visitors
Organized sections: If you create different types of work, group them into categories (e.g., "Necklaces," "Earrings," "Bracelets" or "Landscapes," "Portraits," "Still Life")
Individual collection or project pages: Each project or collection in your portfolio can then link through to an individual page giving more details and images of the collection or project. A brief description, and perhaps the story or inspiration behind it.
💫 Simple tip: Your portfolio should feel like walking through a gallery of your best work. Quality over quantity—10 stunning images are better than 50 mediocre ones.
4. Shop Page: Making Buying Easy
If you sell products, this page needs to be straightforward and trustworthy. Remove any friction between "I love this" and "I'm buying this."
What to include:
Clear product photos from multiple angles
Detailed descriptions: Information about the piece, dimensions, materials, colors, care instructions
Pricing and delivery time: Along with the price include if the piece is made to order and if so what the shipping time is i.e. 3-4 weeks
Easy-to-use shopping cart—platforms like Squarespace and Shopify (these are my recommendations) , and many others include checkout facilities just make sure there is a clear call to action such as ‘buy now’ or ‘add to basket’ button.
Availability: if items are one-of-a-kind, say so; if you're open to commissions, mention it
Trust signals: Be sure to include your, delivery details and packaging, return/exchange policy as well as your terms and conditions and privacy policy. These can be at the footer section or your website. These can be as individual pages which you can link to in the footer.
💫 Simple tip: Before publishing, pretend you're a customer and try to buy something. Is it easy? Confusing? Frustrating? Fix any stumbling blocks.
5. Services Page: What You Offer (For example if you’re an interior designer or a photographer, or you offer bespoke work)
If you offer creative services—styling, design consultations, bespoke work, photography, workshops—this page is your opportunity to clearly explain what clients can expect.
What to include:
Specific service descriptions: Give each of your offerings a particular name. Don't just say "Design Services"—say "Custom Wedding Stationery Suite" or "Half-Day Interior Styling Consultation".
What's included: Break down exactly what clients receive (e.g., "Two mood boards, three revisions, final files in print-ready format")
Your process: Walk them through the steps from first contact to completed project
Pricing: Even if it's "starting from" prices or a range, give people a ballpark - if you offer a payment schedule break this down for them as well.
Timeline: How long does a typical project take?
Testimonials: Nothing builds confidence like hearing from happy clients
Clear call-to-action: "Ready to work together? Book a free discovery call" or "Get in touch to discuss your project"
💫 Simple tip: Answer the questions: What will you do for me? How long will it take? How much will it cost? What happens next?
6. Contact Page: Making Connection Effortless
Don't make people hunt for how to reach you. Make it obvious and easy.
What to include:
A simple contact form: Name, email, message sections/fields as a minimum—you can add "What are you interested in?" with options like "Purchasing artwork," "Commissioning a piece," "Workshop inquiry" if you want to gather more information. All website platforms will give you a template section for your contact form so it’s super easy to add in.
Response time expectations: "I'll get back to you within 48 hours" manages expectations
Alternative contact methods: Email address, phone number if you're comfortable sharing it
Business hours if relevant: "I'm in the studio Monday-Friday and respond to emails in the evenings"
Location if relevant: You don't need a street address, but "Based in Cornwall, UK" or "Created in the Cotswolds" adds personality
Social media links: If you're active on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, include these
💫 Simple tip: Once someone submits your form, set up an automatic reply that says, "Thanks for getting in touch! I've received your message and will respond within 48 hours. —[Your Name]" This simple touch provides reassurance. Again this is an easy and straight forward step to add with most website platforms.
7. Blog Page: Sharing Your Journey
A blog isn't essential from day one, but it's a wonderful way to connect with your audience, share your process. It’s also one of the best places to help people find you through search engines.
What to write about:
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process
The story behind a particular piece
Tips related to your craft or niche
How to care for or style your products
Personal reflections on your creative journey
Upcoming markets, fairs, or events where people can meet you
New collections or seasonal offerings
What to include on the blog page:
Clear, enticing titles for each post
A featured image for each article
Easy-to-scan format with short paragraphs and subheadings
💫 Simple tip: Don't overthink it, write naturally how you speak. If you want to use AI tools to help you get started and beat staring at a blank page (my favourite is Claude.ai). One blog post a month is absolutely fine. Share what feels natural—your passion and enthusiasm will shine through.
Choosing Your Website Platform: Keep It Simple
You don't need to be a web developer to build a beautiful website. Here are some beginner-friendly options, Squarespace and Shopify are my recommendations having worked with both over the last 15 years.
Squarespace is beautiful and intuitive, perfect for creatives who want stunning design templates without complexity. It handles portfolios, shops (physical and digital products), and blogs seamlessly. It’s incredibly easy to use and is a great option if you have smaller collections of work, offer services, or have one of a kind pieces. There are plenty of templates you can use to start you off both free and premium so you don’t need to be a tech wizz to get started.
Shopify was built for ecommerce and is excellent if you're primarily selling lots of products—, it is slightly more technical than squarespace but still very intuitive to use. So perfect if you have lots of products, stock and collections you need to manage. There is the ability to purchase add on apps as well which can add even more functionality to your store.
Wix offers lots of flexibility and is very beginner-friendly with drag-and-drop editing.
WordPress with a theme gives you more control but has a slightly steeper learning curve—however, there are thousands of themes designed specifically for creatives.
All of these platforms offer templates specifically designed for artists, makers, and creatives. Choose one that feels intuitive to you and has the features you need. You can always start simple and add complexity later.
My Final Words Of Encouragement… You've Got This
Building a website might feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory, but remember—you've already mastered skills that many people would find intimidating. You've learned techniques, honed your craft, built a body of work, and created beautiful things with your own hands and vision.
A website is simply another tool in your creative business toolkit. It doesn't need to be complicated or overwhelming. It needs to be authentically you, showcase your beautiful work, and make it easy for people to connect with you.
Don’t let the fear or headache of building a website hold you back. Reach out when you need guidance or help. Youtube is full of lots of tutorials, over on my channel - @SarahKavanaghJenkins - from November (2025) I’ll be sharing more tutorials on Squarespace website development specifically for creatives so go and check that out whenever you need to.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Create something simple and genuine that feels like you. Your future customers and clients are out there, looking for exactly what you create. Your website is simply the bridge that connects you to them.
Take it one page at a time, and one step at a time. You've got this.
Ready to get started? I’m delighted to let you know that you can now use our intentionally designed Squarespace templates here to get you started.
These have been lovingly and intentionally designed with creatives, artisans, craftspeople and artists in mind. They include the essential pages you need, beautifully designed, - no more overwhelm or endless scope.
And because they're Squarespace they’re the easiest to update and edit and make your own as you need to.