How to build a SaaS website from scratch solo

Alright let’s get started…

First, learn to program. Not sure which language or framework to use? It doesn’t matter. When you finish this project it will be outdated anyway.

From there you need to learn about domains, setting up a server, and deploying to get the site out into the world!

But for anyone in the world to find what you’ve made you need to learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so Google can find your site. But you can’t just use the silly words you probably wrote in first place. You need to do some keyword research based on the customer development, market research, and competitive analysis I’m just going to assume you’ve done.

Beyond SEO, another great way to get out into the world is social media. Seek out ‘influencers’ and try to make a connection with them so they write about your site. They don’t know you and have their own agendas but I’m sure your goals will align.

To that end, be very compelling in your writing. You don’t want to bore the influencers! Copywriting is essential for social and for the blog you should make next. You need to have a blog so people can hear your ‘unique voice’ and story.

And definitely be authentic. But make sure your authenticity aligns with the keywords you’ve researched. Put those words in the header and body of whatever your heart tells you to write about.

The beauty of participating in social communities, blogging, and maintaining your email campaign is it all falls in line with your content marketing strategy. Oh you don’t have weekly email campaign or a content marketing strategy? No biggie. Start that up and we’ll keep moving forward!

Once those visitors hit your site, it’s good to know what part of the funnel they’re hitting. The sales funnel that is. This will compliment the adwords campaign you’ve created which of course lead to the auxiliary landing pages you’ve made.

You’re running A/B tests on those landing pages right? Ok good. Whew! I was worried there for a second that you weren’t committed.

Now at this point I bet you’re saying, “But random Medium author I’m taking advice from, I’ve done everything you said and people aren’t using my site.” Trust me, I know!

It’s because your user onboarding is terrible.

So even though you’re very intimate with your site pretend like you’re using it for the first time. If that doesn’t work ask your friends, family, and random people to give it a try.

Watch them and listen to their feedback closely. Write everything down and don’t ask leading questions. Then take everything you’ve learned and try to see through all of it to what the user ‘really needs’ because Henry Ford misquote something something.

Through all of this learning from users you’ve probably realized that your site is getting kind of dated. Time for a redesign! Learn some of those new techniques you’re seeing made by teams of talented designers at Google, AirBnB, and Mailchimp.

And you know, while you’re back in the code, whatever you built your site on is now outdated. Time for a refactor.

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