In the digital age, every business owner should have a website. This allows you to control your online presence instead of relying on social media or other platforms. In addition, having a professional website gives a good impression to your customers and clients.
Sometimes, running a small business may leave you with no budget to outsource some tasks. For instance, when you need an online presence, it could be pricey to hire a web developer and challenging to make a business website on your own.
Unlike the old days, building a business website is now relatively easy. You can even do it by yourself if you wish, or you could hire a developer. Let’s take a look at the process of building a business website.
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Have a purpose
Before you decide to hire a web developer or WordPress programmer, you should have a purpose for creating a website for your business. Business websites usually serve as a space where you show general information about your company.
Whether creating a simple or complex e-commerce site, you must state what your company does on the homepage in plain terms. Customers should not have to search around your website to get an idea of your company’s services.
Get a domain name
The domain name you choose is an essential aspect of creating a website. The domain name is the URL shared on social media and with potential clients. Therefore, it should be easy to type in, remember, and be descriptive.
Next, you should decide on your top-level domain. This is the suffix that is usually found at the end of the domain name like .net, .org, or .com.
In addition, there are other non-traditional top-level domains like .nyc or .law, depending on the type of business. After you have chosen your domain name, you should ensure it is available to purchase through domain registrars.
Select the web host
Your website would need a web host. A host is a server where your data is stored for public access. However, it is pretty expensive to host a website for a small business. Therefore you would need to use an external source.
There are various routes you can choose based on your budget. For example, you can choose to use a shared host, which means you would have to share it with other websites.
On the other hand, dedicated hosting costs more, but you would have a private server with no competition that could reduce your speed.
If you are not hiring a WordPress programmer or web developer, you can use builder platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, which have monthly web hosting services. Also, you could make use of web hosting services like Dreamhost, A2 Hosting, and 1 & 1 Ionos.
Add contents
Before your website is customized, you need to put some content in it. Of course, your content would vary based on your site’s subject matter and goals. However, every website should have a few critical pages like the contact page, home page, and the about page.
A website should be more than the above. It would be best to create various pages dedicated to different aspects of your business, such as a blog section for updates or a detailed catalog of your services and products. Overall, each page of your website should support your primary goal and include calls to action like contact us, sign up, etc.
Test and publish the website
After the development phase of your website, then you can publish it. However, you must ensure your site is tested on major web browsers like Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge before publishing your website.
Ensure that you go through every page and everything is perfect. This usually takes time, but it saves you from future customer complaints who can’t access some features.
Also, ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. This is important since search engines prioritize mobile-first indexing that you’d need.
Maintain your website regularly
After publishing content, you need to regularly maintain your website by updating or fixing tech issues or restructuring pages for search engine ranking. The list is endless. However, hiring a web developer would be a good option if you cannot take on the task.
That’s a Wrap
Learning to make a website for your business can be challenging, even with detailed guides to help you. On the other hand, it can also be satisfying since you would be learning a new skill and see your hard work pay off.
However, don’t stop there. Learn more and implement more features and functionalities to improve your business.
