Here are 7 Key Steps to Building a Great Small Business Website. Having a digital presence for businesses is vital in today’s technology-ridden world. Therefore, a website is essential for the success of any business, no matter how big or small it is. However, today we’ll be talking about the seven key steps to building a great website for a small business.
Small businesses need a strong digital presence. The website must be attractive to current and potential customers. If you have a small business and your website design is professional, you will attract more visitors who will be willing to do business with you. A great website can help you sell goods or services and act as your business card online by providing information about your business and values.
Building a website for a small business is not that difficult. You can make one yourself or hire a web developer to do it for you. Now, let’s get into the seven key steps you must take when building a great small business website.
7 Key Steps
- Decide the Purpose for Your Website
Before starting the process of building a website, you must decide on what you want your website to be about. Do you want it to reach out to new customers? Do you want a website that gives information to potential customers about your goods and services? Is your website supposed to have information and articles you have written for your target audience?
There are many reasons why businesses need blogs. They are the best source of generating engagement for your business. Furthermore, you might want a website that sells your products or services online.
You must plan out the purpose of your website, as it will help you guide how to build one. You must keep in mind that it is not necessary that you start a business website for online sales, as you can add that later on. Here is a list of what you should do before you begin your website.
2. Domain Selection and Registration
Here is another key Steps to Building a Great Small Business Website.
Selecting a domain name can make your business easier to search and help business recall as well. It can also improve the credibility of your website and business and build your brand identity online. Your domain name is like your house address – that is how people who wish to visit your business site will locate you.
Keep in mind; it is ideal to check the domain registrar sites for the availability of your chosen domain name. It could already be taken, and simpler domain names can be quite costly to register. If your name is taken, you can visit the URL to check whether the owner is using it or not. Many times, people buy common domain names and then sell them to business owners. Also, when registering a domain name, we recommend that your register all the related domain extensions (.co, .net, .org, etc.).
3. Choose a Hosting Provider
After choosing a domain name, you need a hosting service that will host your website. The hosting provider you choose will determine the location of your website on the internet. Through a hosting provider, you will get access to a virtual space where you can upload your files; it will give you the bandwidth to load your website when you have a new visitor on your sire, Cpanel, sub-domain options, and much more.
There are thousands of hosting providers out there. It can be difficult to choose one. You must check the services they provide but keep the costs in mind too. Some things you must look for in a hosting service provider are SSD storage, domain uptime, backup system, bandwidth, and server response time, and its cost. Many hosting service providers charge you monthly payments or a yearly one.
4. Choose a Web Content Management Software
Choosing a web content management software depends on the functionality you desire for your website. The software can be open source and have minimal charges for plugins or add-ons only.
If you wish to create a website that is purely for e-Commerce, choose software that is designed particularly for that function. However, if e-Commerce is one part of your website, you can choose software with additional free or low-cost plugins/add-ons.
5. Choose a Template and Plug-in for your Website
Here is another key Steps to Building a Great Small Business Website.
The next step is thinking about the features of your website. There are thousands of themes or templates that can give your website the features, look and feel you desire. Moreover, there are many templates or themes that are quite simple. But, you can also find some that are themed to a certain type of product or service and have built-in features that make the website more eye-catching.
Although you can easily find free templates and themes, we recommend investing a few dollars in a premium template to make your website stand out.
6. Organize Your Website
It is an important step, as you must think about how the visitors will use your website. Organizing your website means your logo, menu selections, and information about your business must be available on every page.
Create your menu selections and decide how you want the information to be placed on your website. You may want to add more menu selections, later on, so you must keep that in mind when organizing your website.
Ensure there is high-quality content on your website for your visitors. The content should be promising and should make your visitors want to stay on your website for longer. Furthermore, you can include high-resolution images, explainer videos, or animated videos on the website as well. The template you chose might have a background with related images or graphic images. You can use these graphics to replace the text on your website, making it more appealing to visitors.
Keep in mind; you want to make your website look professional. Ensure your website is organized in a way that leaves a lasting impression on the visitors. If you think you might need help, hiring a professional is always a good option.
7. Maintain the Website
Lastly, maintaining the website regularly ensures your website runs smoothly. Ensure your website has proper search engine optimization (SEO) and all of its links are working. Many visitors will come back and visit your website to check for any updates or new information. Therefore, regularly adding content such as blogs and articles can make your visitors want to view your website more.
Conclusion
Creating a great website has become quite easy in recent years. You no longer have to be a tech person to do the job. However, if you still find it difficult to develop a website for your business, we can help you. We, at Maxqsoft, can develop a website for your business that caters to your needs at affordable rates.