How to Create a UGC Website as a Content Creator
Before, we’ve covered creating a custom domain for your UGC portfolio.
But what if you want to go all the way and create a custom website?
If so, we love that for you! And we’re here to help.
By the end of this blog post, you’ll have a step-by-step guide on creating a UGC website as a content creator. We’ll explore everything from choosing the right platform to encouraging user participation and ensuring your site runs smoothly. Whether you’re new to UGC or looking to refine your strategy, these tips will help you build a website that makes brands want to hire you ASAP.
Oh, and if you read this and realize you’re not quite ready to build your website, no worries. Check out this article, where we show you how to create a fantastic portfolio using Canva.
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform
The first step in creating a UGC website is selecting the right platform. The platform you choose will depend on your specific needs and technical expertise. Some popular options include WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace.
WordPress is highly customizable and offers numerous plugins designed for UGC sites. For example, you can use plugins like BuddyPress for social networking features or WPForms for user submissions.
Wix and Squarespace are more user-friendly but offer fewer customization options. However, they do provide easy-to-use templates that can get you started quickly.
Step 2: Design an Engaging Interface
Your website’s design plays a crucial role in encouraging user participation. An engaging interface should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Use clean layouts, intuitive menus, and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide users through the site.
Design your contact form to be straightforward–provide clear instructions and use forms that are easy to fill out. For instance, you could use drag-and-drop form builders like WPForms or Typeform to create user-friendly submission forms.
Additionally, incorporating features like upvotes, comments, and social sharing buttons can further encourage interaction on your website and make it more engaging.
Step 3: Establish Clear Guidelines
Setting clear guidelines is essential for maintaining the quality of user-generated content requests on your site. These guidelines should outline what types of content you’ll do, any formatting requirements for briefs, and how quickly serious inquiries can expect to hear back.
For example, you might say something like, “Serious paid inquiries can expect a reply in 1 business day.” or “I only create UGC for brands I’ve used and love. If I use your product and don’t like it, I’ll return the products, no questions asked.”
Make these guidelines easily accessible on your submission page or in a dedicated section of your website. Clear guidelines will help you avoid inappropriate or low-quality content requests while fostering a top-notch client experience.
Step 4: Encourage Questions and Reviews
To build a thriving UGC website, you’ll need to feature some UGC from others, too–namely, reviews from past clients. One effective way to do this is by offering incentives such as contests, rewards, or recognition programs for clients who recommend you.
Also, pay attention to the questions people ask after browsing your site–if you keep getting the same questions, that could indicate that you need to make some pieces of information more visible on your site or create a “frequently asked questions” section.
For example, you could run monthly contests where users submit reviews for a chance to win prizes or be featured on your site. Social media shout-outs and badges can also motivate users to participate. Additionally, actively engage with your audience by responding to comments and showcasing top contributors—this will make users feel valued and more likely to contribute again.
Step 5: Optimize for SEO
An optimized UGC website can significantly improve your search engine rankings. To achieve this, ensure that all the content you add to your site is indexed correctly using proper meta tags and schema markup.
When you’re picking videos to feature, choose ones that incorporate keywords—but don’t overstuff them. Additionally, use internal linking strategies to connect related pieces of content within your site, which can help search engines understand its structure better. Tools like Yoast SEO can help you optimize your content for better search engine performance.
Step 6: Promote Your UGC Website
Promoting your UGC website is essential for attracting clients and encouraging existing clients to use your services more frequently. You can use various marketing channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and paid advertising campaigns, to spread the word about your site. Collaborating with influencers or partnering with other websites in your niche can also help increase visibility.
For example, partnering with popular photography blogs or Instagram influencers could drive significant traffic if you run a photography-focused UGC site. Additionally, consider leveraging SEO strategies (as mentioned in tip #5) and guest blogging opportunities on reputable sites within your industry to drive even more traffic.
Step 7: Analyze Performance & Make Improvements
One of the great advantages of housing your UGC on a website is that you can access metrics. If you regularly analyze how your content is performing, you can identify areas for improvement.
Use analytics tools like Google Analytics or built-in platform analytics features (e.g., WordPress Jetpack) to monitor key metrics such as traffic sources, user engagement rates, bounce rates, conversion rates, etc.
Based on these insights, make data-driven decisions regarding design changes, content strategy adjustments, and promotional efforts. For instance, if certain types of posts receive higher engagement than others, focus more efforts there. You can and should still experiment with new formats/styles—just measure their impact accordingly.
Conclusion
Creating a successful User-generated content (UGC) website involves a lot of steps, but you can do it! By implementing the tips we suggested above, you’ll be well on your way to creating the customized, data-rich UGC website of your dreams.
Of course, it’s up to you whether you want to go all-in and create a website now or start with something smaller, like a Canva portfolio. Either way, you need somewhere to showcase your UGC in order to pitch clients, so decide which works best for you and build it out.
Now, go out there and get building! It’s time to get more clients!