How to Start a Business Website
Be specific with your goals from the outset.This will help you to target your audience with greater accuracy., Set a budget.Developing a polished, comprehensive website can be a costly endeavor., Research domain names and providers.Your domain name...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be specific with your goals from the outset.This will help you to target your audience with greater accuracy.
If you know that the goal of your website is to provide clear and engaging information about your company's services, you will be able to make use of specific strategies, like interactive info-graphics, that accomplish your goal best.
Some goals include:
Establishing an online presence.
Providing customers information more efficiently.
Generating sales through an online store.
Blogging to engage client base. -
Step 2: Set a budget.Developing a polished
Most competent web developers will charge around $1,500 per website, charging less or more depending on the features and particulars of your site.Setting a budget can also help you determine:
Whether or not to use a web designer.
Whether or not to hire a copywriter.
How much you will be able to spend on site optimization features, like content management systems. , This way your customers can remember it easily and search it online when ready.
When you've decided on your domain, you'll need to check that its available with a domain provider.
Some common domain providers are: 1&1 Domain.com GoDaddy Name.com NameCheap.com, If you are a small business owner still evaluating his need for a website, a self-made one might be the most affordable option. , The three basic types of web host are:
Shared
- space for your website is shared on a server with other website owners.
Dedicated
- an entire server is committed and maintained solely by you for your website needs.
Collocated
- you own and maintain a server that is kept in facilities owned by a web host., You'll need to know what color scheme your website will use, along with its basic layout and content.After all, you'll need to build your site around features like a weekly blog or monthly specials.
Try to use the structure of your site to draw attention to these special features and offers.
Think about ways you might tie in existing designs your business uses, like a logo, emblem, or watermark. , This is a fairly simple process that involves first checking to see if your domain name is available.
Usually, this is done through the domain provider you have decided on purchasing your domain through.
Once your domain name is verified as available, you'll have to pay the agreed upon cost for your domain, usually for a specified length of time. 24/7 technical support can save your business money in the event of a failure on the provider side of things. , If you are working with a web designer, you should set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings where you can give feedback on the website and hear your designer's opinions as well.
You might well find, after beginning the design process, that you need to:
Limit flashy graphics and distracting features, like flash animation.
Restructure your site to guide users through it more organically.
Reduce the words in your copy to make it more concise and to the point. , You can put your customers at ease while giving a face to your brand by including a blurb about your management team or executive members., While building your website, always think of what customers will be looking for next and how you might help them find that.For example, if you own a physical store, you'll likely want your hours of operation clearly visible on your homepage.
You also might:
Have clear links on your homepage to the purpose of your website (store, product information, map, etc.). , This can hurt your image as a competent, reliable business person, but can be avoided by:
Having associates and colleagues look at the pre-release version.
Allowing a small group, like a pool of employees or family members, to stress test the website. , Online search engines, like Google and Yahoo, are essentially directories of websites on the Internet.If your website is not registered with these search engines, you might be missed in a general web search and lose customers.
Add your website at: www.google.com/addurl/ www.bing.com/toolbox/submit-site-url search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html , Have a plan of attack for the development of your site's content, including ways you can keep your site engaging and fresh to site users.
You should regularly:
Update personal information.
Update product information.
List specials and sales.
Include related content, like market advances or new technology. , If you find writing reliable, informative, and grammatically correct content (often referred to as "copy") for your website difficult, you may want to hire a writer to assist.You'll need to decide on either hiring a freelance writer or a contract writer.
Some common sites you might investigate en route to finding the right writer:
Blogging Pro Job Board Copywriter Jobs Central Elance oDesk , Some providers, like GoDaddy, include this service, but you might want to look into:
Drupal Expression engine Rubedo, You can also use social media to post specials and site updates, potentially earning you clicks and better traction. , Monthly messages about deals and sales. -
Step 3: comprehensive website can be a costly endeavor.
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Step 4: Research domain names and providers.Your domain name is the name that users type into the search bar of their web browser to search for and find your website.You'll want a domain that is both catchy
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Step 5: simple
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Step 6: and related in some way to your business.
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Step 7: Decide whether you want to go it alone or hire a developer.Many domain providers now include tools to help new users create a simple website for themselves.
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Step 8: Think about the host for your website.Unless you are extremely tech savvy or have an entire IT department helping you with the process
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Step 9: hosting your own site can be costly.If this is your case
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Step 10: you'll need to do some Internet research on external web hosts to find which is best for your situation.
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Step 11: Imagine the final product in detail.
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Step 12: Purchase your domain name and enlist with your provider.
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Step 13: Implement your design decisions.
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Step 14: Include information about executive members and management.People oftentimes feel at a disadvantage when dealing with faceless
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Step 15: inhuman companies.
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Step 16: Keep the next step in mind.
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Step 17: Test your website before you launch it.Failure to launch a site properly can result in a negative kind of publicity that turns customers off because your web service was poorly functioning.
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Step 18: Add your site to search engine directories.
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Step 19: Update your content regularly.Information that is quite obviously years out of date will not inspire confidence in your clientele.
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Step 20: Hire a copywriter
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Step 21: if suitable for your situation.
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Step 22: Manage your site content with a content management system.The right system will make it a cinch for you or your employees to post new content to your website without having to use HTML code.
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Step 23: Incorporate social media in your site.Today's user is likely to also be a consumer of social media
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Step 24: like Twitter and Facebook
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Step 25: and by incorporating these features in your site
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Step 26: you can improve your connection with your clients.
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Step 27: Email your business contacts with specials and new information.Strategic timing of emails
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Step 28: like right before your busy season
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Step 29: can gain you business that might have otherwise been missed.You should also think about: A monthly newsletter
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Step 30: informing clients of updates and news.
Detailed Guide
If you know that the goal of your website is to provide clear and engaging information about your company's services, you will be able to make use of specific strategies, like interactive info-graphics, that accomplish your goal best.
Some goals include:
Establishing an online presence.
Providing customers information more efficiently.
Generating sales through an online store.
Blogging to engage client base.
Most competent web developers will charge around $1,500 per website, charging less or more depending on the features and particulars of your site.Setting a budget can also help you determine:
Whether or not to use a web designer.
Whether or not to hire a copywriter.
How much you will be able to spend on site optimization features, like content management systems. , This way your customers can remember it easily and search it online when ready.
When you've decided on your domain, you'll need to check that its available with a domain provider.
Some common domain providers are: 1&1 Domain.com GoDaddy Name.com NameCheap.com, If you are a small business owner still evaluating his need for a website, a self-made one might be the most affordable option. , The three basic types of web host are:
Shared
- space for your website is shared on a server with other website owners.
Dedicated
- an entire server is committed and maintained solely by you for your website needs.
Collocated
- you own and maintain a server that is kept in facilities owned by a web host., You'll need to know what color scheme your website will use, along with its basic layout and content.After all, you'll need to build your site around features like a weekly blog or monthly specials.
Try to use the structure of your site to draw attention to these special features and offers.
Think about ways you might tie in existing designs your business uses, like a logo, emblem, or watermark. , This is a fairly simple process that involves first checking to see if your domain name is available.
Usually, this is done through the domain provider you have decided on purchasing your domain through.
Once your domain name is verified as available, you'll have to pay the agreed upon cost for your domain, usually for a specified length of time. 24/7 technical support can save your business money in the event of a failure on the provider side of things. , If you are working with a web designer, you should set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings where you can give feedback on the website and hear your designer's opinions as well.
You might well find, after beginning the design process, that you need to:
Limit flashy graphics and distracting features, like flash animation.
Restructure your site to guide users through it more organically.
Reduce the words in your copy to make it more concise and to the point. , You can put your customers at ease while giving a face to your brand by including a blurb about your management team or executive members., While building your website, always think of what customers will be looking for next and how you might help them find that.For example, if you own a physical store, you'll likely want your hours of operation clearly visible on your homepage.
You also might:
Have clear links on your homepage to the purpose of your website (store, product information, map, etc.). , This can hurt your image as a competent, reliable business person, but can be avoided by:
Having associates and colleagues look at the pre-release version.
Allowing a small group, like a pool of employees or family members, to stress test the website. , Online search engines, like Google and Yahoo, are essentially directories of websites on the Internet.If your website is not registered with these search engines, you might be missed in a general web search and lose customers.
Add your website at: www.google.com/addurl/ www.bing.com/toolbox/submit-site-url search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html , Have a plan of attack for the development of your site's content, including ways you can keep your site engaging and fresh to site users.
You should regularly:
Update personal information.
Update product information.
List specials and sales.
Include related content, like market advances or new technology. , If you find writing reliable, informative, and grammatically correct content (often referred to as "copy") for your website difficult, you may want to hire a writer to assist.You'll need to decide on either hiring a freelance writer or a contract writer.
Some common sites you might investigate en route to finding the right writer:
Blogging Pro Job Board Copywriter Jobs Central Elance oDesk , Some providers, like GoDaddy, include this service, but you might want to look into:
Drupal Expression engine Rubedo, You can also use social media to post specials and site updates, potentially earning you clicks and better traction. , Monthly messages about deals and sales.
About the Author
Kayla Baker
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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