How to build an online presence that still feels human
There is something slightly ridiculous about the way we talk about the internet sometimes.
We spend our days surrounded by screens, apps, algorithms, notifications and AI tools, and then wonder why everything feels a little… impersonal.
We’re told we need to post more.
We need better engagement.
We need to understand the algorithm.
We need to optimise everything.
We need to use AI.
We need to be everywhere.
And somewhere amongst all of that advice, it is very easy to forget that there is supposed to be a person at the centre of it.
Perhaps that is why I love this image so much.
Yes, it is a cat sitting in a woodland surrounded by woodland creatures, working on a laptop.
It’s ridiculous.
But it also somehow makes a point.
Because this is the digital world I actually believe in.
Not a world where technology replaces creativity, personality and connection, but one where it can help us share those things.
Technology isn’t the problem
There is plenty to be concerned about when it comes to the digital world.
Social media can be exhausting. It can encourage comparison, anxiety and endless scrolling.
AI can be used badly. It can make content feel repetitive and generic, and there are very real conversations to be had about creativity, originality and how these tools are being used.
But I don’t think technology itself is the enemy.
It is a tool.
And tools can be used well or badly.
A paintbrush can create a masterpiece or be left sitting in a jar.
A camera can capture something beautiful or be used to manufacture an illusion.
A website can become another soulless sales machine, or it can become a genuine home for a person’s work.
That distinction matters to me.
Your website can be a digital home
One of the things I love most about web design is that a website can hold so much more than information.
It can hold your story.
Your personality.
Your colours.
Your strange little ideas.
Your values.
The things that make you different from everyone else doing something similar.
And I think those details matter.
Perhaps you’re a spiritual practitioner who wants your website to feel peaceful rather than clinical.
Perhaps you’re an artist who wants people to feel something before they’ve even read a word.
Perhaps you’re a therapist, coach, healer, maker or small business owner whose work is deeply personal.
You don’t have to squeeze all of that into a generic template simply because that is what everyone else seems to be doing.
Your website can feel like you.
Social media can be used for good, too
I think the same applies to social media.
We often hear about the negative side, and understandably so.
But social media can also connect people in extraordinary ways.
Someone searching for support can find a therapist or healer.
Someone who feels completely alone can discover a community.
An artist can find collectors thousands of miles away.
A small business can reach exactly the people it was created to help.
A thoughtful post can land in someone’s feed on precisely the day they needed to hear it.
That’s quite amazing when you think about it.
The problem isn’t necessarily that we’re using digital spaces.
Perhaps it’s that we’ve forgotten why we’re using them.
And what about AI?
This is where things get particularly interesting.
I use AI myself, and I think it can be incredibly useful.
It can help with ideas, organisation, research, repetitive tasks and the bits of running a small business that can otherwise take up enormous amounts of time.
But I don’t want it to replace the human part.
I don’t want every website to sound the same.
I don’t want every image to look the same.
I don’t want every business to communicate in exactly the same polished, algorithm-friendly voice.
The interesting part is still the person.
Their experience.
Their story.
Their sense of humour.
Their weird ideas.
Their perspective.
Their reason for doing what they do.
Technology can help us bring those things into the world.
It shouldn’t erase them.
The internet can be both beautiful and ridiculous
Maybe that is what I am trying to create with Read Studios.
Not perfect websites.
Not websites that simply follow whatever the latest trend happens to be.
And certainly not websites that take themselves so seriously that you can’t see the human being behind them.
I want to create digital spaces that are thoughtful, beautiful and useful, but that still have some warmth and personality.
Because there is room for both.
There can be strategy and intuition.
Technology and nature.
Professionalism and personality.
AI and human creativity.
A beautifully designed website and a cat working in the woods while a squirrel watches over its shoulder.
Perhaps especially the last one.
So what does a good digital presence actually look like?
I think it starts with a simple question:
What do you want people to feel when they find you?
Not just what do you want them to buy?
Not how many clicks do you want?
Not how quickly can you get them through your sales funnel?
But what do you want them to understand about you?
What do you care about?
Who are you trying to help?
What makes your work meaningful?
Once you know those things, the digital side becomes much easier.
Your colours, images, words, website structure and social media can all begin telling the same story.
And suddenly, your online presence doesn’t feel like something separate from your business.
It feels like an extension of it.
Perhaps we just need to use the digital world more consciously
I’m not going to pretend I have all of this figured out.
I’m a small business owner too.
I still occasionally spend far too long staring at a website, wonder why Instagram has suddenly decided nobody should see my post, and question whether I really needed to learn whatever new digital thing has appeared this week.
But I’m increasingly interested in doing things differently.
Using technology without allowing it to take over.
Creating without chasing every trend.
Sharing without feeling that everything has to become content.
And building websites that leave room for the person behind the screen.
Because I don’t think the answer is necessarily to step away from the digital world completely.
Maybe the answer is to make it a little more human.
A little more thoughtful.
A little more creative.
And perhaps occasionally a little bit ridiculous.
🌿 If your online presence doesn’t quite feel like you yet, I’d love to help you bring it back to life.
And if you’re not sure where to begin, you can request a free homepage mockup from Read Studios. It’s a simple, no-pressure way to start imagining what your digital space could become.
🌿 Visit www.readstudioswebdesign.co.uk to find out more and you can just click the WhatsApp button to get in touch.