The Complete Guide to create a Business Website

Living in the digital world, an online presence is now a necessity for every business, big or small. And, the best way to do this is to build a website. If you have a business but don’t have a website, you are losing many great opportunities for your business. So now, we will discuss business websites in detail and also how to make a website for your business. Lets Start

A website is a collection of pages on the internet. It contains specific information provided by a person or entity. It traces back to a common Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The web has a far wider reach than any other form of advertisement.

Here are some of the reasons why you should have a business website-

• It increases visibility which is one of the major factors that makes a website important.
• It helps you to build the credibility of a business and to tell consumers why they should trust you.
• You can add testimonials as well as feedbacks to your website.
• Websites are available and accessible 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

In today’s world Websites are crucial for every business. “The more professional your website will be, the more advantage you gain”.

Things to note before making a business website

• Define the primary purpose of your website. Every business has a different purpose. For eg - Some people need a website to either generate leads, create a brand or get orders. For every purpose the layouts are different.
• Decide on a relevant domain name. Remember, the domain name of your website will set your brand identity. So, choose one that will be catchy, easy to remember, and relevant.
• Set up a payment system (if applicable). Compare different third-party payment apps. Choose the one that will be easy to set up and easy to process.
• FAQ page - You need to figure out the basic problems that one can face with your website. Solve and list them.
• List your business in local directories like Google+, maps, Bing, Yelp, etc.
• Set your advertising budget. It is one of the most important points to consider. Without proper financial planning, your business will collapse.
• Hire a professional website developer, content writer, and copywriter for your website. Their job will be to look after the maintenance of your website and create content that converts. By doing so you will get the results in no time.
• Make strategies for the website’s launch, promotion and giveaways. It will help you to grab people’s attention.

Tips-

• Don't rush it - In the online world, patience is the only key to success. It will take time but will give you the desired result.
• Create a schedule with your team. You have to manage online as well as offline business which is not easy. So, try to schedule things according to your convenience.

Till now, we have talked about the importance of a business website and to-do list before making one. Now, let’s talk about the steps you need to follow to create your business website.

How to make a business website in 5 simple steps-

• Register your website's domain name.
• Choose your hosting provider and platform.
• Create your first piece of content.
• Design a logo
• Design your website.?

Website’s Domain Name

The domain name of a website will be the identity of your brand. So, do proper research while choosing one for your business. It should be between 5 to 10 characters, easy to remember, catchy and meaningful. Once you have decided on the domain name check that out on any hosting provider if it is available for you or not?

If yes bingo and if not try with your country's domain like .ca for California and .in for India or find a new domain name.

Hosting? service provider and platform

This is the most important step and 56% of the business owners do it wrong. They choose low-quality hosting providers that affect their website in the long run.

So, I got a few parameters for you to choose the right hosting provider. The parameters are- Speed, Uptime, Support, Features, Plans, Site Transfer, and Pricing.

According to the above parameter the one I found best is HostGator and Bluehost.

Now for the platform, you have two options. One for a technical guy and the other one for a non-technical guy.

Option 1 - you can choose WordPress

Option 2 - you can choose a website builder like Squarespace.

(Squarespace is a drag-and-drop interface to design a custom website).

You should go with Squarespace only if -

• You don’t want to spend too long building your website.
• You have zero technical skills.
• You don’t need a very customizable website

Create your website Content

You need to provide content on your website in form of videos, images, gifs, or blogs. This will increase your engagement with your prospect. Try to do that every 3 days for better results and keep updating it.

Design a logo

Your website’s logo will be the very first virtual identity that your visitors will notice. If you have funds hire a logo designer as it will be a long-term investment. If not use Canva to design one. It will be on the top of your website so make it clear and easy to understand. Use color combinations that compliment your brand.

Design your website

Now, it’s high time to design the website. Think of it as an offline store what things you will put on your store and how you will decorate it. Do the same with your website, Design it in a way that at first glance people can say what this website is for.

The design of your website should be easy to understand and navigate. While designing your website think like a customer and decide what will go with the website and whatnot. Especially think before positioning your categories and search tab.

For a complete guide on how to make a website from scratch visit here.

Now, you made a website but there are some points you should think about and work on to bring conversions.

How to make a website that brings conversion

• Help shoppers to find your site. You need to advertise your website and show your online presence in front of an audience. The best way to do that is by placing ads on different social media platforms.
• Help shoppers use your site. Optimize your website's speed, mobile, and tablets responsiveness. And place well-crafted Call-to-action buttons on your website.
• Make buying from a website easy. “The more easy-to-use your website will be the more conversion you will get ”. So make sure to add the “add to cart” and “buy now” buttons.
• Make it easy for customers to reach you. Keep contact information simple and direct.
• Show visitors why they should do business with you. You can do so by stating your shipping and return policies on every page. Include your preferred contact information on every page. You can also include testimonials and feedbacks.?????????????
• Test every component of your website. Always remember “Testing, leads to accuracy”. So always test your tactics and their results. Keep updating it.
• Market your website on social media platforms and search engines. All social media platforms can help you to increase your audience reach. It also helps you to connect with your audience and share all your updates.

Must have pages for business websites -

1. Home Page?
2. About Us Page?
3. Products Page
4. Blog page
5. Email newsletter opt-in page
6. Testimonials page.
7. Privacy policy page.
8. Terms and conditions page.
9. The 404 redirect page
10. FAQ page

Now, you have made your website and planned everything but to work this out you need to choose a nice theme. There are different parameters based on which you can choose one for you.

The theme for the business website

Choosing a theme for your business website is like finding an office space. you should spend more time analyzing all the below factors before choosing one.?

1. Design elements?
2. Performance?
3. Customization options?
4. Mobile responsiveness?
5. Miscellaneous aspects

The Design element includes-

• Static header
• Parallax layers ( Text or image layer that goes on top of the image. This is to break the monotonous nature of long pages)
• FAQ tab, or uncluttered title based information
• Pricing tables (needed only if you showcase price)
• Video banners ( needed only if you are planning to buy or create high-quality videos)
• Forms to store your customer's information
• Team
• Services or Icon box ( icons with 2–4 lines of text)
• Blog page if you are planning to have a blog on your website.

Bingo! You are all set to launch your business website. Now, you might need some tools to get things simplified.?

Tools for business website

• MailChimp & tailwind for marketing and promotion.
• Canvas & Unsplash for creative design.
• BigCommerce? - It is an e-commerce software that helps you to create and manage your online store. It helps you to sell your products and market your business.

If you have chosen a WordPress platform with your hosting then you can use plugins.

Some Useful WordPress plugins

MemberPress - It is a complete WordPress membership plugin. It bundles all the features you need to create a powerful membership site. With MemberPress, you can restrict access to specific pages. It can be posts, custom post types, or any existing files.

Envira Gallery - A responsive image gallery may be another feature you want to add to your website. It helps you showcase your online portfolio.

WooCommerce - If you want to sell digital or physical goods on your site we recommend WooCommerce. It’s the official eCommerce plugin for WordPress.

LearnDash - It helps you to build a website that lets you sell online courses. Take a look at some of the best LMS plugins. With these plugins, you can create an immersive learning experience for your students.

BirchPress - It helps to add an online booking feature to your website. With an online booking form, you can allow your website users to book appointments online. This feature makes your business more approachable.

Google Maps Builder - With this plugin, you can share your physical business address. By sharing your location, you can make it easy for your customers to find your business offline.

Congrats, now you are all set to launch your website.