If your clients keep coming back with “How do I log in?” and “How do I change an image?”, it isn’t because they’re difficult.

It’s because nobody ever handed them a manual for the thing you just built them.

In this episode I mention my Sparks mentoring community. You can check Sparks out by clicking here.

Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie.

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I create a website user manual for every single client: what goes in it, how it’s built, and how it went from a job that ate my time to a template I barely have to touch.

There’s a free template to go with this episode, so you can start your own straight away.

We get into:

  • Why a user manual is the difference between a delighted client and endless “how do I…” emails
  • How to build yours in Canva and send it as a PDF, and why I never host it on my own site
  • What to tell clients about themes, plug-ins and premium licences before they’re your problem
  • The front page details that protect you months down the line
  • The five minute “Welcome to Your Website” screen recording that shows them the back end
  • Why a page speed screenshot on handover day saves you an argument with an SEO later
  • The dedicated log-in page that kills half your support emails
  • How to record your tutorial videos once and reuse them on every single website
  • The troubleshooting page that says “clear your cache” in ten different ways
  • Where to point clients for extra help, and how you want them to contact you afterwards

If you want fewer support emails, happier clients, and a handover you can repeat without thinking about it, this one will sort you out.

Want to get in touch? Click here to email me, or visit my contact page to leave a voicemail.

Chapters (so you can skip to the relevant bits):

00:00 How to create a website user manual

00:46 My confession about website handovers

01:33 Why user manuals became my biggest win

02:16 How web designers actually hand over websites

02:58 Why video and written content work best together

03:25 Build it in Canva, send it as a PDF

04:22 Themes, plug-ins and licensing

05:05 What clients need to know about premium licences

06:21 The front page: logo, date and screenshot

07:32 The table of contents

07:57 The “Welcome to Your Website” video

09:01 Page speed screenshots that protect you later

10:06 The log-in page everyone forgets

11:07 Keeping the site updated, and key things to remember

12:01 Record once, use everywhere

14:03 The troubleshooting page

14:53 Additional resources and knowledge centres

15:37 How clients get in touch after handover

16:21 Grab the free template

Get your free Website Manual Template

If you liked this episode, you may also like:

How to sign off a website properly. Which comes with a free checklist.

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The Websites Made Simple Podcast is produced and managed by Podknows Podcasting*

*from episode 24 onwards – please don’t judge my lovely podcast producer for the absolute hash up of my self-edited initial episodes 🫣