The most important reason for building a website for your business is to be where your customers are. There is a reason why so many businesses, big or small, invest in a customized website with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). 97% of people go online to find a local business and 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. Would you believe, on average, there are 3.5 billion Google Searches made worldwide? At this point in time, someone in your neighbourhood is just looking for the products or services you provide. If you don’t have a website, you clearly don’t get the business!
Probably the most common misconception about business websites is that for them to exist, they need to offer services or products for purchase or process financial transactions online. This is not true. Although e-commerce websites have gained quite a popularity over the past years, a majority of businesses still have websites which are information and communication oriented. If your business is ready to sell online, then by all means you should consider building an e-commerce website however, if it's not, you will still need a website for it.
Still, many business owners do not understand what they want when they build a website. It is easy to get it all wrong by creating an unsearchable website especially when you want a digital platform which represents your brand, upholds your values, fetches you, and your customers, markets your products and services and if applicable, accepts payments and bookings.
Here are 10 things you need to consider when you build a website for your business.
Strategy
Numerous business owners do not know what they want when they start out. They know that they need a website for their business to grow and thrive. However, more than often business owners are confused with regard to how they should approach website making. The point is to create a website which works with your audience. In order to do that, you will first need to understand what are the core values of your business and map out what you want to display to the world about your business. Always keep in mind that your website is a source for you to reach out to your customers and if your message is unclear and confusing, your website will hardly yield any value.
The Journey
After you have established the core values and the impression you would like to create with your business website, it is time to think about how you would want to guide your customers when they embark upon your website. Because, well, the first impression is everything! This can be clear if you know who the optimal visitors of your website will be and which type of customers are most likely to take advantage of your products or services. For example, if your business target is young customers, you would want to keep minimal content and use more images and videos to showcase your products. In other words, you need to decide what kind of experience will keep your potential customers on your website.
Navigation
When you plan to create your website and you consider user experience, it is imperative that you consider all the pages which will be a part of the website and the course in which your audience will travel from one page to the other. It might be that you have a generic idea however, it is highly recommended that you have total clarity and better still, put it on paper in the form of a flowchart to avoid last-minute ambiguity. This includes the main categories of your main menu, the subcategories and how they will lead you from one page to the other. Also, spend some time considering how the user experience will be at each level and whether your customers will be easily able to find what they are looking for. Remember that a confused user will never buy and therefore each page has to be set up in such a manner that they are seamlessly guided to your products and services and the entire process is seamless.
Domain Name
Naming your website is one of the most important aspects of website building. You need to pay a certain amount of fee to register and block the name to be able to use it for your website. Always remember the domain name should be easy, short and memorable. If your business has a name, your domain name should ideally be the same to represent your brand. Make sure to not violate any copyrights with your domain name.
Hosting
If your business website has a slow loading rate, your visitors will not wait. Remember there are numerous websites waiting to grab your users’ attention and thus, there is no alternative to good hosting. In addition to that, poor hosting can have adverse effects on your website ranking. It is imperative to not only opt for proper hosting services but to also resolve any kind of hosting issues before you officially launch your business website.
Wireframes
Wireframes form the fundamental architecture for anyone looking to build a website. It is a black-and-white layout indicating the size and placement of site features, navigation, page elements and conversational areas. Wireframes are devoid of any real design elements such as colours, fonts and logos. Wireframes are primarily focused on a site’s structure. Creating wireframes brings website usability to the forefront and ensures that everyone involved in the process of website building is on the same page with regard to the website’s ease of use, naming of links, conversion paths and navigation and feature placement. It can point out flaws in the website architecture and how a specific feature may or may not work. Overall, you are sure to save a lot of time on the website-making project.
Content
An effective web presence is powered by sound content. Whether you are a social startup, a retailer or a new site, up-to-date and relevant content is what attracts and engages users. The content you provide on your website will determine how many users visit your website and whether they will stay longer or wish to interact with your brand. Unique, high, quality and authentic. It is absolutely great for website ranking. Content which is high in quality, precise and not duplicated with naturally placed keywords. The higher your website ranks, the more exposure your brand gets to your digital potential customers. Content which encourages engagement is invaluable to your business and fosters relationships between brands and customers. A website with engaging content is good for SEO and drives traffic.
Social Media Integration
Once your website is made and running, it will need marketing and SEO might not begin functioning instantly. Therefore, you need to integrate social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and others which can provide an excellent platform for you to reach your target audience. You should be in a position to share your website’s content on these channels and analyze the kind of traffic you receive from them.
Budget and scope
Find out how much time and money you are ready to invest in your website. Remember, ‘as cheap as possible is not a befitting reply and if this is how you perceive it, it might be difficult for you to build a custom-made website. Remember, your website is an investment and not a cost. A customized website has several components and it is advisable to not cut corners while you are building it. Having said that, we do agree with the fact that the desire should always remain to receive the maximum return against your investments, but then again, your goal should be to maximize your return rather than minimise your expense.
Maintenance
Technology changes by the day and so does your target audience. In order to keep up, your website will need time-to-time upgrades and alterations in the form of maintenance. This could be anywhere from a weekly to a monthly basis. You should be in a position to be able to execute this without which, your website will not fetch you as much business as you would expect it to bring!
Learn, Learn, Learn
Web designing is an ongoing process. You have to keep up with the latest trends and latest technology changes. You need a professional guide or a professional course for the same. If you are unable to find a physical teacher, you might want to take a good web design course from websites like Udemy.
A well-made website is a boon for your business. Irrespective of your business and profession, your website can promote goodwill, generate business and deliver strong marketing messages.
Hexadesigns is a web design company located in Kolkata, India. We take advantage of the latest trend and technologies to design, redesign and develop websites. This is our blog where we publish information for the general people and web developers for their knowledge enhancement.
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