Whether your small business is starting to grow rapidly and you’re outgrowing your physical store or workspace, or you’re just looking to widen your opportunities with an online presence for your business, the first step is to build and develop a website. But creating a website from scratch can be overwhelming and daunting for many business owners out there. Luckily, we’re here to help. Keep reading to discover how to build a website for your small business.
Get a Domain Name
You may already have a name for your small business, but when it comes to choosing a domain name, the possibilities are endless. It’s simply not enough to have a great website and a unique product. Your domain name needs to be the first thing on your to-do list when it comes to building a new website. It may seem simple but choosing a good domain name isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your website name is the main way your customers are going to find your site, so it’s important to make sure it’s memorable, easy to spell, and promotes your brand identity.
Find a Website Builder
When it comes to building a new website, having a good website builder is a great place to start. There are so many different choices out there, each offering their own selling points and benefits. For a small business or beginner, the most important thing is choosing an easy website builder. You don’t want to be spending hours each day learning how to develop your site, leaving you with little time to focus on your business itself. Choose a builder that takes care of things for you, making your life easy and simple.
Create & Upload Content
Your site is redundant without content. What product or service are you selling? Who is your main target audience? What makes you different from the rest? These are all important questions to consider when creating content for your website. Your text and images need to portray your brand identity whilst appealing to your target market. You can either develop content yourself or choose to hire a copywriter to help you out.
Optimize Your Site
Once you’ve added your content and found the perfect images, it’s important to make sure people can find your site. The online business world is highly saturated, meaning it can be challenging to stand out. Google’s ranking algorithm will push ‘useful’ websites to the top of their results pages, so you need to make sure search engines can easily identify what your website is for and the type of customer to target. That’s where search engine optimization comes in. With keywords, hyperlinks and titles, and descriptions, you can essentially tell Google and other search engines the main aim and function or your website so a potential customer can easily find your site and products.
Publish and Advertise
Once your site is built, your domain name is bought, and your content uploaded and optimized, there’s nothing left to do but publish your site and get started. Remember to promote and advertise it as much as you can to drive traffic to your new website.