If you have a business, you need a website. It doesn’t matter what your business sells or does. It doesn’t even matter how big or small it is. In today’s world, every commercial endeavor would benefit with an online presence. The number one reason for this is your website serves as the cornerstone to establishing such a presence. A website is more than just a place for customers to peruse your wares or services, it is the face of your business, just as relevant, in some cases even more, than an actual brick and mortar address. It is a place to attract customers, certainly, but also potential employees, clients, business partners, collaborators, and in some cases, even investors. This is why it is imperative for any business to have a website. Now that we have established why to create a business website, let us explore how.
Choose Your Domain Name
This is the address people will use to find you on the internet, so having the right domain name is critical to your branding, and overall business success. For most companies, their domain name is the same as their business name. Even if you decide to wait to create your website for whatever reason, it is a prudent endeavor to purchase your domain name right away, so no other business can take and use it. Keep it short, simple and memorable. Once you have decided on a domain name, you need to register it with a domain register. There are several online to choose from. Cost for this step is minimal.
Choose A Host
Every website needs to have a server, or host as it generally referred to, to store all of its various components on. There are many external hosting sites available based on need, preference, cost, and ease of use.
Establish The Purpose Of Your Website
A business website will serve many purposes. First and foremost, it provides a universal space of critical information regarding your business. However, it can also be used to sell goods directly. If you need a site that will offer e-commerce to consumers, you will want to establish that immediately, so your website will be the most effective it can be from the start.
Build Site
A quality website will often be comprised of several pages of information. There will be a “Home” page which is the page a visitor is initially brought to. What other pages you wish to create on your business site is entirely based on you, and the needs of your company. Common examples include an “About” page which will highlight a bit about your business. You may decide to have a “Products” page, or some equivalent thereof in which a visitor can purchase a product you offer for sale directly off of your website. A “Contact” page is another wise choice. It offers visitors further information on all the different ways in which an interested party can contact your business, such as address, phone number and email addresses. You may also wish to have a “Blog” page with informative content a visitor can return to over and over again. Some business owners prefer to build the site themselves, or they decide to hire professional and experienced web designers to do the job for them.
Set-up e-commerce Platform
This step will not be relevant to all business websites. This is why it is important to establish the purpose of your website prior to this step. However, if your business site will offer products for sale online, you will need to set up an e-commerce platform which allows you to receive payment. There are many third-party payment processors, or software available to make this step relatively painless.
Maintain Your Site
Once your site is up and running, you will want to make sure to add new content on a regular basis. Keep it fresh and new. Market your new business website on social media and drive traffic to your site. It is wise as well to analyze visitors as to notice what is working and what is not from a content standpoint. Routine testing should also be a standard. This will ensure your site is up to date and not running into any technical issues. Some business owners manage all aspects of their website themselves. Others delegate the task to a trusted employee, and yet others will hire a website manager to do the job for them. Find the right way for your business.
Having a business website will afford more credibility in today’s technological culture. People can visit the site at any time, day or night in any country or location in the world. The reality of such opens your business up to far more potential customers or clients than one could reach via traditional marketing venues. With the right analytics, one can even examine the particular demographic interested in your business message and design the right advertising to utilize this newfound insight. This can greatly improve your marketing efforts, as your website can provide valuable clues into your potential customer base. The biggest reason, however, you need a website is as stated above. Your website will become the central hub of your branding message; an easy to remember way to access your business, and all it has to offer. Some one can visit your site and get all your company’s information, such as phone number, physical location, hours of operation, contact info, etc. Certainly more info than any business card could provide. If you are wondering why or how to create a business website for your company, please bookmark this page and revisit it as often as necessary. Neither you nor your business will regret it.
