Setting up a website for your business is incredibly important. As a business owner, a website is your portal to connecting with customers, sharing information, and promoting your products and services. What do you actually need, in order to create an effective website for your business?
In today’s blog post, I’ll go over the three main components you need in order to create a website for your business. Let’s get started!
Creating a website for your business doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful. To start, focus on three main components: your domain name, hosting and the design elements of your website.
Domain Name
The first thing you’re going to need is a domain name—and you don’t want to rely on some generic URL created through a free Web hosting site. A custom, well-crafted domain name makes you look professional and tech-savvy.
As important as the initial impression you make, so is owning your domain name. You can take it with you if you change web hosts or switch to an on-premise server. On the other hand, if you don’t own your domain name, when you switch, you will have to create a new URL, and that means saying “goodbye” to the brand presence you’ve built online.
So, how do you choose a domain name? Typically, it’s the name of your business, but keep the following rules in mind during the process:
- Do your research
- Think long term
- Keep it short — and easy to type
- Integrate keywords if you can
- Steer clear of numbers and hyphens
- Keep your city name out of it
- Protect your brand (secure all extensions, i.e. .com, .net, .biz, etc…)
Hosting
Next up, you’ll need to choose a host for your website. This can feel a bit stressful, especially considering all of the different hosting platforms available. The host that you’ll choose is unique to your business—it should depend on your business’s needs and budget. I like you describe hosting to my clients as the house and electricity of your website. Your domain is your address, the web hosting is where it lives and electricity is provided and last is your design.
When you’re checking out different website hosts, consider the types of hosting available, the website traffic you’re anticipating, the level of assistance you’ll need, and extra features and security.
Website Design
Once you’re ready to get your website set up, the most important thing is the design (and the user experience you craft through that design). The design of your website is important to presenting professionality and building loyalty with your customers. Plus, it’s usually people’s first major impression of your business. Knowing what elements make up a well-designed website is essential to crafting a website that seals the deal with your customers or clients.
Make sure the visual appearance is appealing, and that you use colors and fonts that are on-brand to help you build brand awareness. Then, focus on ease of navigation. Simplify where you can, and think about how you’d interact with the website as a consumer.
Also to mention a website can be built in many different platforms such as most host provider offer DIY website builder, there are a ton of CRM such as WordPress (which we use), Joomla and so on. So again you’ll want to do some research to see what platform is best for you as some require a bit more technical knowledge than others.
You made it! When you focus on these three elements, you’ll be able to build a website that works for your business and helps you create amazing results. Serving customers and clients is the heart of your website, and these elements are the core of a great website.