First of all, let’s agree, creating a website for a small business is essential to manage its communication on the web. However, this is not a simple task to accomplish. Despite the existing solutions for rapid website creation, designing your business website can still be a complex task so that it perfectly meets the requirements of your business.
In this article, we offer five key points to consider when creating a small business website:
- Make a plan.
- Choose the platform for your website.
- Decide on a domain name.
- Select a quality web host.
- Deciding to outsource development work.
Let’s go !
Make a plan
In this context, you need to clearly state the goals of your website and determine how you will achieve them.
This step is vital for several reasons:
- A plan is an anchor element to designate for any subsequent decision.
- You will have a roadmap that can be used to set timelines and targets.
- You can adapt to any possible surprises.
The easiest way to create your plan is to ask questions about your site’s audience and its requirements. You might ask yourself, “What is the purpose of our site?” or “What is our development budget?” Some of these questions may seem obvious, but answering them will help to better understand your goals and needs.
Once you have your answers, you can identify your top priorities and figure out how to accomplish each one. By the time this stage is complete, you will have a clear and defined plan that can propel you into the next phase.
Choose your website platform
This point is certainly the most important after developing your plan. The wrong choice here could slow you down and negatively impact your budget, so it’s important to take your time.
There are several options you can choose from, each with their own pros and cons:
Online website builders
Solutions like the Wix Site Builder get you started quickly. For some companies, this is the best option. But if you’re building a website for your small business, that might require something with more flexibility and scalability than many site builders offer, so you might want to consider other options.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Collaborative platforms like WordPress and Joomla give you a balance of ease of use, flexibility, and scalability. Creating a website for a small business using WordPress, for example, requires intermediate skills, such as installing plugins that will boost your site’s flexibility. It is quite easy to create a website with a CMS like WordPress but maybe not as simple as using a website builder. The ideal is to use a website creation agency that will be able to deliver a platform configured to best serve your business, all you have to do is take care of the updates.
Decide on a domain name
For this point, let’s first start by clarifying the notion of domains and hosting. Think of web hosting as your home, because it’s where your site “lives.” In order for visitors to find your home, you will need to give them the address: it is your domain name.
Choosing the right domain name is essential, because one that doesn’t match your company’s brand could confuse your visitors. Worse still, they might not find you at all.
Finding the perfect domain name is tricky, but keep in mind that the key is to keep it short and easy to pronounce. If it matches your brand, even better! Today there are a multitude of top-level domain extensions that can be geographic (.ch, .fr, de…) or domain-specific (think .attorney, .construction, .photography, etc.) and which make it easier to find a domain name that meets your selection criteria.
When you find the right domain name, you will need to register it. There are plenty of registrars available and often it starts with web hosts. Once again, a specialized agency will be of great help to you in this process.
Select a quality host
Finding the right web host is just as crucial as choosing your domain name. A bad one would also simply cause you to fail your project. You need the right support when things go wrong. In addition, the performance of your hosting has a direct impact on how you are positioned in Google search results.
Good hosting will therefore have an important place in the success of your site.
Finally, the search criteria are as follows:
24/7 support.
Dedicated hosting for your chosen platform.
Built-in security so you don’t have to worry.
A reliable backup system
Entrust the creation of your website to an agency
Now that you have your main plan and tools in place, you can choose to develop your website in-house or outsource the work. There are a number of pros and cons to consider:
Building a website in-house is cheaper, and you have complete control over the design and development of your site. However, this is at the potential detriment of quality in the design as one needs to have the required skills and it will take more time.
Outsourcing development is more expensive, but you entrust the design of your site to an expert who can offer you good value for money on the creation of the website, relieve you of a considerable workload and offer you valuable advice.
Ultimately, the decision will be based on your budget and your needs.
If your needs are quite basic and your budget is very limited, the website builder option is probably the best solution. Subcontracting will not be considered as these tools are perfectly designed for DIY.
If you choose to outsource, choosing a freelance web design Agence 25 company, web designer, or developer will require some additional research.
Conclusion
In order to offer an adequate image and stick with your competitors, a professional website is crucial for your business. It’s not just a virtual business card, it can be at the heart of your marketing and lead generation strategies. However, knowing where to start when building a small business website is the hardest thing, and you could end up wasting valuable time if you’re not fully prepared.
In this article, we have offered five key points that you should keep in mind when building a website for a small business:
- Prepare goals and a plan before you begin development.
- Choose a platform that can help you achieve your goals.
- Select a quality and marketable domain name.
- Choose a host that meets your performance and stability needs.
- Decide to take care of the development of your site in-house or leave it to the experts.
If you have these points in mind from the start, you will be ready to create a site that works well for your business. Want to define your digital strategy but you don’t know where to start?
Contact us for a first free interview during which we can advise you on your current project and give you some ideas for the development of your digital strategy.