A website can be a very effective sales and promotion tool if used correctly. What’s more, visually appealing ones are getting easier to create. A website can attract potential buyers and engage visitors. This guide explains the process.
Your Name
What’s in a name, Shakespeare asked rhetorically. A rose by any other name…but this humble writer begs to differ. The choice of a domain name for your website is a critical factor in your success or lack thereof.
The domain name, which is the URL ending in .com, .net, etc., should match your business or professional name. This helps keep your branding consistent and impacts your search ranking.
The name can make all the difference. If you choose it properly, it will increase your potential customer pool.
To come up with the best name possible:
- Have a brainstorming session among stakeholders or friends and family to generate interesting ideas.
- Make sure you use relevant keywords and that the name is easy to remember.
- Keep it short and avoid cluttering symbols like hyphens, numbers, acronyms, and abbreviations.
- Check to see if your name of choice isn’t already taken. It’s best to use the .com ending.
You’re likely to be on a budget if you have a small business and it can be expensive to purchase a domain. If your name ending in .com is taken, you could go with the same one with a different extension as long as you don’t want your site to be confused with that particular one. If you get stuck, you can always use a free domain name generator.
The Details Around Signing Up: Hosting and More
It costs around $20 a year to register a domain. Keep in mind your choice of a web hosting platform is just as crucial as that of your name, and the two are not the same. Many web hosting services offer service packages that include hosting, web design, and domain registration. If you’re tech-savvy, you can design your own website and go for unmanaged hosting, which is cheaper than managed. If not, you’ll have more expenses, but the end product will probably be better.
If you don’t have coding or design experience, you’ll find Wix and WordPress to be decent all-in-one options. As you go about choosing a hosting provider, look for one that provides tech support, a free domain, or an SSL certificate. This last one is a major advantage because it keeps your connection secure and protects your visitors’ personal data. Both users and search engines look at SSL favorably.
The service packages mentioned usually have all of these features, but there’s never a guarantee. It’s wise to check before purchasing a hosting plan.
Consider Canva or another design program if your host doesn’t provide integration features.
Create Content
At the very least, you need a homepage, a page on your products or services, About Us, and a contact page. As the first thing, which visitors see, the homepage is the most important. It is the core of your online presence and should capture people’s attention and make what you offer clear.
Describe your products or services clearly and concisely, include calls to action, and use a font that’s easy to read.
Your About Us section should share the story of your platform or business. It should attract attention to your mission, values, and accomplishments. If you have a team, you can add some information about the members.
The contact page should contain basic details like your email, physical address, phone numbers, and social media.
Consider SEO
Don’t hesitate to leverage unique content to present yourself as a professional in your niche or sector. This could include podcasts, a blog, videos, etc. Such content has the added benefit of helping your SEO and increasing your visitors.
On the note of SEO, it’s important to use relevant keywords throughout your site. An SEO expert might be worth investing in because it’s hard to find the right balance between spammy content and text in which the keywords have been underused.
Another thing that improves search engine rankings is optimal website speed. Optimize images and enable browser caching to keep it as high as possible.
As more than 50% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices at this point, ensure your website is accessible on desktop and mobile.
Before You go Live
Before you hit “publish,” proofread your content for errors, remove broken links, get rid of filler content from your template, and test the website using more than one browser. Connect it to Google Analytics to monitor its performance.
