Building Your First Website? Here’s What You Need To Know
Octavia Warren Gilmore
?? The Millennial CEO ?? Multicultural Branding & Marketing Unicorn ?? Fractional CMO ?????? Goldman Sachs 10KSB Alum
If you’re like most small business owners, you may be wondering if you should build a website for your company. After all, there are so many?different platforms?and hosting options out there – it can be tough to know where to start.?
How do you go about deciding what kind of site to build and choosing the best platform for your needs? How do you start from scratch — with nothing but an idea and a blank screen — and end up with a website that actually does something? Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to?consider?before you make the leap into website building.
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WHY DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE??
Websites are everywhere – they are the lifeblood of a business – and yet only a small percentage of businesses have one. So why do you need a website?
The number one reason you need a website is that customers use the internet to search for information about products and services every day. If your business doesn’t make it easy for them to find you, then you’re missing out on potential sales.
A good website will bring your products or services to the customer’s attention when they are ready to buy. The internet makes this process easier by providing an instant way of comparing similar products or services and researching information about different companies or brands. It might also be the first thing that comes up in a search engine when potential customers look for a product or service like yours. This means that potential customers are more likely to find your business this way than through any other method including leaflets, brochures, telephone, or even word of mouth!
As well as being convenient for customers, having an online presence can help to improve the image of your business. A professional-looking site with accurate company information can help people decide whether they want to do business with you. It also gives you an opportunity to share useful information that can help your customers better understand what you can offer them.?
The bottom line? If you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on some big opportunities to grow your business. A website is a perfect way to showcase your products or services to potential customers and get them interested in what you have to offer. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with customers and keep them updated on what’s going on with your business. So why not get started today and create a website for your small business? You won’t regret it!
Building a great website doesn’t have to be hard. There is a lot of work involved, and this is why it’s important to have a plan.
Here are some tips you can consider before starting to build your website:
There are a lot of details to consider when building your website, but don’t worry!.?
You will begin on the right foot by selecting your domain name.
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HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME?
Choosing the right domain name is hard. Really hard. It’s so bad that some people say it’s harder than building a website. In truth, it really isn’t that bad – it just requires a little bit of thought. So how can you pick a great domain name??
Domain names are a critical part of marketing your business. When you are trying to make your business grow, it is not enough to only have a website. You need to be able to create an identity for your business and use it in your marketing efforts. A domain name helps provide that identity.
Make sure you get the right domain name for your business. A lot of businesses make this mistake when they buy domain names based on their products or services without considering how customers will search for them online.
Here are seven questions you should ask yourself before purchasing your domain name:
Before you put a ton of time and money into creating your website and finding just the right hosting plan, make sure you pick out the perfect name for your site. A good domain name will reflect the type of business you’re trying to build and allow people to easily navigate your A long or difficult to pronounce name can deter customers as well. It’s important to do your homework before deciding on the perfect domain name.
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WHERE SHOULD YOU HOST YOUR WEBSITE?
To host or not to host? That is the question.
Hosting is like renting space on a computer to store your website. Think of it as your website’s physical home — your domain name is the street address and hosting is the plot of land where you place your trailer.
If you want to build a house, you wouldn’t do it on a vacant lot on the other side of town — you’d build it where all your utilities are already in place. That’s what hosting gives you: the piece of land and all the pipes, wires, and infrastructure you need.
If your online presence is simply a page or two with very little in the way of graphics or other multimedia, you may be able to get away with hosting it all yourself. If your website features a lot of images and video and runs on more sophisticated programming, you’ll want to look into hiring a professional host.
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Hosting services offer several advantages:?
It’s important to have a reliable and secure web host, with a good track record of customer service and support. But if you have a limited budget, don’t let that stop you from getting your site up and running. Paying less doesn’t always mean receiving the raw end of the deal. Just make sure to do your research before settling on a particular company, and you should be on your way to hosting glory!
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APPLY THESE FOUR TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE CONTENT FOR YOUR WEBSITE.
Whether you’re writing an article, formatting a page, or making a video, it’s important to remember your audience when you’re creating content. The best content is that which your readers find useful and interesting. If they find their way to your site through a Google search and leave because the content isn’t what they were looking for, you’ve lost a potential customer. In order to write good content, you should consider the following:
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Keyword Research. Keyword research is important because it allows you to come up with topics that people are really searching for. If you know what people are typing into search engines, you will be able to come up with better content for your site.
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Using Google’s Keyword Tool.?The first thing you want to do is head over to Google and find the Keyword Tool. You can get there by going?here.
This tool will let you type in different keywords and see exactly how many searches they get every month. It also provides suggestions that other people have typed into the search engine so you can get ideas on what topics are popular right now.
Once you have found a keyword that isn’t too competitive, it’s time to make your post! You need to write at least 500 words of unique content that is relevant to your audience and contains the keywords that they will be looking for.
The key to great content is understanding the psychology behind what makes people click and share. We’ve given you a few tips on how to create good content for your website, but if we missed anything, let us know in the comment section below! Have any of these strategies worked well for you? What else would help increase engagement on your website?
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO DESIGN YOUR SITE?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or redesigning your site, the process of creating an effective user experience begins with asking questions. Asking the right questions can help you craft a site that is more intuitive and easier to use, and helps you achieve your business objectives.
The following are some of the questions to ask when planning and designing websites:
What is my mission??Your mission should be stated in an elevator pitch—the one- or two-sentence explanation of what your organization does and why it matters. The mission statement guides how you communicate with your customers, as well as how you design the content, navigation, and functionality of your site.
What do I want visitors to do on my website??You may have multiple goals for your website. It could be to sell products or services, but it could also be to drive customers to your business location, to get people to sign up for things, or any number of other things. Map out what a successful visit looks like (or at least a successful first visit).?
What happens when people arrive at my site??Where do they go? How long do they stay? How much information are they expected to provide? What do they need in order to complete their task(s) on my site?
?HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR WEBSITE?
I bet you didn’t know you could make money from your website! Okay, maybe you did, so let this serve as a reminder. If you run a website, then you most certainly want it to be profitable. You want it to bring in enough money to pay for its running costs and maybe even give you some profit. This is the goal of every website owner out there. Here are a few ways you can make money from your website:
These are just a few ways to make money from your website, but there are many more. Take some time to figure out what’s right for you!
What is the best way to build your website? Well, the answer depends on a variety of factors, such as what you want it to say about your company and how much time and money you can invest in its development. But one thing we know for sure is that there’s no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to web design. You should always do research and test out different designs and content before settling on which direction feels right for your company. And don’t forget to reach out if you need help! Our team at Creative Juice are experts in visual marketing with experience designing websites from start-ups through large corporations.?Contact?us when you are ready, and we will get started on a website that is tailored specifically for you! ??