.
Why Your Website Matters
Why Your Website Matters
Your website is the shop window for your business. It’s often the first thing new customers see, and it sets the tone for how professional, reliable, and trustworthy you appear.
You don’t have to spend a fortune — but you do need to understand what you’re paying for, who controls it, and how to keep your digital house in order.
The Mistake I’ve Seen Too Many Times
When I worked in marketing helping companies with their brochures and websites, I often came across a serious problem.
Many clients had handed everything — domain name, hosting, and website files — to a webmaster or freelance designer.
Everything ran smoothly for a year or two… until something went wrong. When they tried to contact the person who built the website, they found the business had closed or the individual had disappeared.
This left the company with:
- No idea where the website was hosted
- No access to the domain renewal
- Emails not working — sometimes for weeks
- Lost customers and missed orders because messages never arrived
These situations were horror stories — real businesses losing vital sales simply because they didn’t have control over their own digital assets.
Eric’s Golden Rule: Always Keep Ownership
If you hire someone to build your website, you must keep full control over:
- Your domain name — buy and register it in your own name.
- Your hosting account — open it yourself and keep the login details safe.
Once you’ve done that, it’s easy to give your designer the username and password so they can upload and build the site on your hosting.
That way, if you ever change designer or need support, you’re still in charge. If your unsure drop me an email and I can help.
Recommended Hosting and DIY Option
I personally use Hostinger.com — they’re reliable, reasonably priced, and provide plenty of storage and support.
Try Hostinger with my link and get a discount and as we will be using the same sysyem it will be esiaer for me to help if you get stuck.
If you want to build your own website, don’t be afraid to try!
If you can use a word processor, spreadsheet, or even social media, you can learn the basics of site building. With tools like WordPress and drag-and-drop builders, you might be surprised how quickly you pick it up.
Hostinger.com does have an AI-powered system
Beginner-friendly AI features
Hostinger have an AI Website Builder: All you need to do is describe your business in a few sentences, and the AI generates a website structure — layout, colours, images, text.
You can then customise it with a drag-and-drop interface: change colours, swap images, adjust text.
It supports e-commerce, blogs and standard business websites: product listing, built-in marketing tools, ecommerce payments.
They also have separate AI tools for content creation, blogging, SEO, images, etc. If you want to learn and utilise content with AI, these resources will be helpful.
Limitations
While the AI builder is very good for getting started, for more complex websites, you might still need customisation. For example, one review said the AI-personalisation only worked fully on two templates.
As with many beginner-friendly builders, you might trade off some advanced flexibility — if later you want lots of custom plugins, very custom functionality, you might hit limits.
Cost and renewal: Always check how pricing works after introductory offers.
Building a business site with AI could be a good starting point. Plus, you get full control of your domain and hosting. One of my “golden rules”.
My AI Journey: From Curiosity to Creation
When I first started exploring AI for image and video production, I was amazed at how quickly the landscape was changing. The idea that I could design an avatar, dress them up, put them on a stage, and let them deliver my script sounded almost too good to be true.
And, as I soon discovered, sometimes it is too good to be true. Alongside the exciting breakthroughs, there’s also a flood of start-ups and sadly, a fair number of fraudulent companies trying to cash in. The lesson? Always do your research before committing your time — and especially your money.
The Wild West of AI Avatars
You’ll see plenty of adverts: “AI presenter in 10 minutes!” or “Generate a virtual influencer overnight!” The promises are big — but many platforms either don’t deliver, hide their real costs, or vanish without a trace. Common red flags include:
- Platforms that require large up-front payments with no real track record.
- “Lifetime access” deals that disappear when the company folds.
- No clarity on commercial rights — leaving you unsure whether you can actually use your avatar in your videos.
- Poor customer service or no support once they’ve taken your subscription.
The world of AI avatars is evolving fast — but it’s still a place where you need to tread carefully.
Why I Use and Recommend CanvaAfter testing various options, one tool I keep coming back to is Canva.
Here’s why:
- Canva is globally recognised, used by millions worldwide, and its reliability gives me peace of mind.
- It’s much cheaper than relying on expensive stock photo or video libraries, because you can generate your own images, avatars, and backgrounds directly inside Canva.
- You can create a constant avatar — for example, your presenter or character — and then change their background, stage setting, or clothes for different videos, while keeping the core “look” consistent.
- This means I can build a female comedian avatar once, and then re-use her across multiple videos with new scripts, outfits, or stage settings, saving both time and money.
But There’s a Catch: Talking Avatars
Here’s the important bit: while Canva is fantastic for creating avatars and visuals, it currently cannot make the avatar speak.
If you want your avatar to actually deliver your script with synced voice and lip movements, you need to import it into another app. Canva integrates with several partners, including:
- D-ID AI Presenters – great for realistic talking heads and probably the smoothest fit.
- DeepReel AI Videos – more full-video production, good if you want entire staged scenes.
- Avatars by NeiroAI – flexible but less widely used.
- Krikey AI Animate – focused on 3D animation, sometimes overkill if you just need a presenter.
Each of these apps comes with its own pricing model, often credit-based or monthly subscription. You may need to subscribe separately depending on how many talking avatar videos you plan to create.
Where This is Heading
The advances in AI are coming thick and fast. Given Canva’s huge growth and popularity, I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they bundle the full avatar-talking package into their platform. That would make it a true all-in-one solution for creators like me.
Until then, my current workflow is:
- Use Canva to create and style my avatars and stage settings.
- Export/import into D-ID (or another app) to make them talk.
- Pull the finished clip back into Canva for final touches and branding.
Final Thoughts
My AI journey so far has been a mix of excitement, trial-and-error, and lessons learned at a cost. Yes, there are risks — especially with untested start-ups. But there are also powerful tools that genuinely help creators like me work faster, cheaper, and smarter.
For image creation, avatars, and professional designs, Canva is my go-to platform. It’s stable, affordable, and versatile. For talking avatars, I bring in an external app. And I expect before long, Canva will integrate this directly into their own system.
