Creating Your Business Website

Creating your Business Website

Without an online presence, your ability to reach customers is diminished. Some small business owners utilize social media only and do not create a business website, or feel that they may not need one. If you have never created a website, it can feel daunting to know where to start or you may be concerned about the price to create a website, or what is involved in managing it.

However, every business benefits from having a website.  When you have a website, it lends credibility to your business. A website that clearly outlines your businesses, who you are, and what you offer, is appealing to customers and makes a good impression. Lead generation and organic traffic all come from a well-designed website because your chances are increased for showing up in Google searches.  In addition to new clients discovering your business, your existing clients will also use your website, for location, hours, contact info or to see what other services/products you offer.

Digital.Com has created a comprehensive guide to creating a website for your business. Their guide has 8 easy-to-follow steps for how to create a website to help promote and draw in customers for your business. 

Each one of the steps includes all the information you will need, including comparisons for the types of services being discussed, to give you all the options available to find the best fit with your company.

Their 8 Step Process for creating your Business Website are:

Identify your Website’s Purpose

Every website needs a goal.  The way you build your website depends on what you are using it for. An E-commerce website will need to be set up differently from a website that is used to educate or entertain. 

Register Your Domain Name

You need to have a registered Domain Name that reflects your business. Choose a name that is easy to remember and is not too long. Many website builders also provide domain hosting and you choose the domain name with them. There are various domain registrars to choose from, and when looking for which one works best, for extra website security, use one that uses SSL Certificates.

Choose a Web Hosting Service

Once you have a domain name, you need to have a web service to host your website.  There are several types, including shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers.  Each has pros and cons and you should find the option that will best work with your website needs. 

Choose and Install a Website Builder

There are three types of website builders and you need to find the one that best suits your needs.  If you are going to be running an e-commerce platform, look for website builders designed for online stores such as Square and Shopify.  The other two kinds of website builders are all-in-one (Squarespace, Wix) and web hosts that have site editors (GoDaddy, Bluehost.

Each has various types of control and customization options, and levels of difficulty.  The Guide has a list of suggested options, with a breakdown of the best features of each and a comprehensive comparison of WordPress and Website Builders.  They also have step-by-step instructions on installing WordPress manually.

Customize Your Website

Many website builders, e-commerce platforms, or hosting services that use WordPress, have templates that you can choose from.  From the basic template, you can add elements, plug-ins, and features to better suit your business needs.  Look for a template that reflects your business goals, and fits your needs. Once you have your template, you can customize it for your content, and install and fine-tune it with apps or plug-ins to give your website the look and functionality that you need.

Optimize Your Site for Organic Search

SEO is what helps you get seen in searches.  An optimized site is better found by search engine indexes and improves your chances of appearing higher up on a website search. Google Analytics is a feature that is helpful to learn what part of your website gets the most traffic and where the traffic originates from. Google also has a Keyword Planner that helps your ads show up in more searches if you are planning on running Google Ads to draw in traffic.

Publish and Manage Your Website

You are ready to publish your site. Once your website will be live once you publish it. After that, you will need to maintain your website.  You may want to add other pages to your home page, such as contact us pages, about us, blogs, or pages that outline the various services that you offer. Additional steps to manage your website include, blogging, contact forms, TOS/Privacy terms, Social Media Share options, include images that have alt text for accessibility, menus for navigation, add widgets, and then you can submit your website to directories.

With a fully operational website, businesses should also consider a Cyber Liability policy.  Especially if you collect any personally identifiable information, and/or payment information. As more and more business goes digital, so does the increase in cybercrime. Protect your business with Cyber Liability insurance, and have peace of mind that you are covered in the event of any attack or breach. Our carriers can customize coverage, so have the limits and coverage that you need. Many even offer pre-claim help and digital tools to help keep your website and business secure.  We offer no-obligation quotes for all of our lines of business and would be happy to go over your options with you. Contact either Laura Ruetz at [email protected] or Veronica Melgoza at [email protected] for more information.

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