Key steps to building your first small business website

Creating a website for your small business is crucial especially as more and more people choose to make their purchases online. A website has many advantages to offer your small business including increased visibility, greater sales conversions, a more reputable brand and greater revenue overall.

However, in order to gain these advantages, you will need to ensure that you have a user friendly site that visitors can return to time and again. Below are the essential steps you need to create an effective website for your small business:

1. Determine the purpose of your website

What ultimately, is the purpose of creating your website? Do you want to provide more information about your business? Sell your products and services? Start a blog that will help you interact better with your customers? The answers to these questions will help you design on the best layout for your website and garner you the right visitors.

2. Decide on your website’s layout

This is where you decide what your website will look like including graphics, layout, fonts, navigation, home page, about us, products and services page and many others. The design of your website is crucial as it will determine whether you attract the right traffic, guide your customers through your site and help them make a positive decision in your favour.

3. Choose and register a domain name

A domain name provides an online link to an online address where your website may be found. Domain names usually end in .com, .edu, .biz or .net. As a rule of thumb, you should pick names that are easy to remember and avoid duplicating those owned by other sites to avoid confusion. Once you have decides on a domain name, you need to register it to avoid having other people use it.

4. Find the right web management software

Web management software is designed to help people who are just starting out to create web content with the minimum of hassle. Depending on the purpose of your website, you may only require simple software with minimum features or advanced software with a number of plugins and other features to help visitors navigate easily through your site.

Click here to know the Web design trends for 2018.

5. Choose a web host

A web host refers to the location where your website will be held. Your choice should be guided by the type of management software you choose to use, as well as the speed

of the server and the number of visitors you expect to your site.

Designing a website can seem like a daunting task especially if you are just starting out. However, by following a few simple steps, you can build an attractive and responsive site that attract the right traffic and helps you convert visitors into loyal customers who will visit time and again.