As the digital age descended upon us, businesses began to move online out of necessity and websites became the face of businesses across the glove. Living in the age of the internet, a website and digital presence is crucial for any business, no matter size or industry. Like they say, "If your business is not online, does it really exits?"
If your business does not have a website, you will miss out on opportunities, leads, brand awareness, and ultimately longevity. This is because the web has far more extensive reach than any other form of marketing and advertising available today and your website is the center of your company’s online footprint.
If you are looking to build a new website, or revamp your current site, but are unsure of where to begin we have outlined everything you need to know to get started on your website creation journey.
A domain name is the identification string that defines a place of administrative autonomy, authority and control on the internet. It is the branded website address that users can type in online to access your website, and is a unique string of numbers or letters that is followed by a domain extension, for example: .com or .org.
This may sound obvious and you may believe this to be a simple step in the process of web development, however it can become a complicated task. This does not require a lot of work and time but it does require creative and informed decision making, and it is easy for new businesses to become stuck at this step.
When purchasing a domain name, you may find that the domain you want is already taken and you will have to think outside of the box. You may think it creative to choose a misspelled or over-complicated name, but this will make your website difficult to find online - you need to consider the user in the naming process. You will also need to look up available domain names as many domains have already been purchased and are in use, and because of this many new businesses become caught up in this seemingly simple step.
2. Website Hosting
Website hosting is an internet based service that allows organisations or individuals to make their website accessible across the World Wide Web.
You can usually register your domain name and buy web hosting in one go as most hosting plans include a domain name as part of the package. Picking the right hosting plan can become overwhelming but if you do the relevant research, and speak to professional web designers and web developers, you will get greater insight into what will work for your business and your overall website goals.
If you are beginning from scratch and your website is going to be small, you can look into affordable shared plans that many providers offer, at just a few dollars a month.
3. Design
Website design is made up of different disciplines and skills in the production of a website. There are different areas of web design that include graphic design, interface design, coding and user experience design.
Every website you see on the internet comes with a web design that has to be created and when a design is intuitive and easy to navigate, then it is doing its job. There are a few options available when it comes to designing your website but the best thing to do is hire a professional that is experienced in web design, as they can fully customise your website to suit your specific requirements and meet your visitors needs.
You can try to build your website yourself and there are a variety of easy-to-use website builders available however, if you do not have prior experience, this will almost certainly be a struggle and will come with a lot of trial and error.
4. Content
Website content is the text, videos and visuals on a website that play a major role in the user experience.
When you visit a website, you expect to find informative and helpful content on the pages of the site and the amount of work that goes into crafting these words is not as simple as you may think.
Much like web design, this is another step in the process that will probably require a professional. Professional copywriters will help you figure out the language and tone of your website and create content that will drive visitors to take action on your page. They also understand the importance of quality content writing for Search Engine Optimisation purposes, a big part of digital marketing that will get your website noticed by the search engines - helping your website rank in search engine results related to your business.
5. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a part of marketing and advertising that uses online digital technologies and digital platforms to promote a business, product and service.
Once your website is launched, you will soon realise how difficult it can be to get people to find your page online and this is why online marketing should always be a part of your website creation strategy.
Investigate different types of digital marketing tools and find what makes the most sense for your brand and what marketing platform will work best when it comes to raising awareness about your business to your target market. No one will purchase your product or services, or engage with your online content if they are unable to find your website online. Learn more about digital marketing tactics for lead generation, here.
6. Google Analytics
Google analytics is a web tool made available by Google that tracks and reports website traffic.
Google Analytics is one of the most valuable tools for any website owner and this tool is free. Setting up Google Analytics is an easy process and this is one of the first things you should do before launching your website. It provides deep insights into your website traffic, tells you how your website was discovered online, and will inform you as to whether the user has returned to your website.
The data you will receive from Google Analytics will inform you of the success of your marketing efforts and you will be able to discover which marketing tactics are working best for your business. The platform will also tell you what type of visitors are taking action on your page (be this signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase) and it will also tell you what kind of visitors are likely to click off your website.
This kind of insight will guide you on what is working and what is not working, helping your marketing efforts and giving you the opportunity to amend your strategy in order to achieve your goals effectively.
Website creation comes with many challenges however, once you fully understand the necessary steps you need to take, you are able to work out a step by step strategy and successfully move forward.
Once your website has been launched, you need to invest in digital marketing services to help you achieve quality website traffic and grow your business. If you have been holding off building your website because you are unsure of what to do, take it one step at a time, ask for your help if required and begin your website creation journey.
Nexa has been building websites for businesses located around the world since 2005 and have a vast portfolio of clients, which includes homegrown businesses to large global businesses.We also provide a range of Performance Optimisation services for business that need support maximising their return on investment for websites.
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