Often your web presence will be the first point of contact with potential customers, so it is important to get it right. Especially for beginners, it can be a challenge knowing how to get started when building a website. We’ve put a list of steps below to help reduce some stress and guide you through the process. Feel free to favorite the page and refer back to this blog post as you learn how to create a website.
Develop a plan
Planning is necessary to develop a website. There are many ways to effectively share your message online depending on industry and target audience. This is because each business idea, product and service is unique. Goal setting is a great way to make plans for your website. Goal setting will keep your team organized and prepared to build a website that solves business problems. Identify what you want to achieve. Think about what your business needs - Do you intend to inform website visitors? Will you build an email list by gathering contact information? Could your business grow if customers made online payments? How about saving time with the ability to schedule online appointments? First things first, brainstorm and have a clear plan before diving into the technical stuff.
Organize content
Based on your goals, decide what will be on the website. Create a new folder on a computer and include branding materials like (company logo, text, images and related content) for your website. Make sure the colors match and additional messaging is consistent with the brand. Stay focused on why the site is being developed, keep it simple and avoid putting too much text, images and video content that could confuse site visitors. Choose quality over quantity. Deliver the best user experience by selecting clear high resolution images, text, audio and video on your website. Some providers charge for quality -royalty free stock photos but many are free. Just weigh the cost of paying for quality images and graphics because it could bring value to your website!
Top resources for quality images and graphics:
Most website providers (Free & Paid)
Pixabay (Free)
Creative Commons (Free)
Canva (Free & Paid)
123rf (Free & Paid)
You don’t have to have all the content ready before starting the web design process but goal setting and organizing brand materials is highly recommended. If you need ideas on how you want the website to look, search the internet for competitor sites who offer similar products and services. Remember things are always changing so keep some flexibility in regards to updating information on the website. Be willing to make adjustments that help your business grow.
But Wait! There's more to consider when building a Small business website:
Select a Domain name
The next step in building a website is to choose a domain name. People search online for specific terms in order to find an idea, product or service. When someone does a web search and ends up on your website, they are described as “website visitors”. Every website has a domain name that identifies it and tells people where to find it online. The concept is just like having a street address!
So make sure your domain name:
- Is relevant to the content of your website
- Is simple & easy to remember
- Is short and descriptive
- Has the right web extension
Ideally your domain name should be an exact match to your business’s name. However, with the surge of new online businesses, the likelihood of an available exact match domain name is unlikely.
Tap into your creativity and think of a domain name/web address that describes your business. Don’t get discouraged. Choose one that fits now, because you can always rebrand and rename it in the future. The most important thing about domain names/web addresses is that it describes your brand.
Choose a hosting provider
All websites operate through a web host. A Web host is a server that stores the files/content on your website and makes it visible online at high speeds for the world to see. Nowadays website hosting providers like us offer both a content management system and hosting. This feature keeps your content all in one place.
When looking for a web hosting company there are a few things you should consider:
- Products included
- Customer support
- Design templates
As you can see there are several decisions involved in creating a website. While on this journey it’s best to research what services are available from the web hosting providers. Each company has it’s pros and cons based on the needs of your business. The design layout of your site will help you determine best options. What is your business model? Do you need an E-commerce site to sell products directly from the website? Will you accept online payments? Are you comfortable communicating with a service provider on the internet or do you want to speak with a live person for customer support? Each web hosting provider is different and may not offer phone support, however my customer support team is available by phone 24/7.
Edit the Design
The design of your website may require some level of technical skills. Knowledge of HTML coding is needed for more advanced content management. You can avoid this issue by selecting a website builder system because it has design templates with drag and drop features for those with no technical expertise. Play with the design templates and edit any colors, fonts and layouts. Start with basic pages such as Home Page, About Us, Services, Contact and then fill in the appropriate content. Always preview the website before publishing it. That way you can see how it will appear on desktops and mobile devices. Most people use their mobile phones to search the internet. So it’s important to preview and edit your website using the mobile-edit feature. Doing so will ensure that your website is mobile friendly.
Publish your website
Once you have completed these steps, your website is ready for the world to see! As mentioned above, Compact Digital Marketing has an easy-to-use website builder tool for beginners with no technical skills. It comes with design templates and images that make creating a Small business website easy. Contact us for more information about our digital marketing products and services.