So here we are, another great year spent observing a massive boom in the digital media. Every business owner is now thinking about getting their business online. Speaking of that, I think it would be better to provide some website design tips so you can really make the most out of your online business idea.
It is not that complicated to get a website you know? People often think of it as a hassle, when it is really about getting your ideas and approach lined up together and then just go with the flow.
It’s not a crime to have a website that doesn’t look perfect, especially when it is your first time trying to build something on the internet, using nothing but tutorials online. I made my first website using YouTube and some basic guidelines from a friend.
I finally got it to work but let me tell you, it was a disaster. No call-to-action, no meta tags or sitemap was there and the best part was, I didn’t know that I had to get a domain name registered before I could start working on the website lol.
Well, you learn and then you grow, right? Going through that whole process took me about a month to finish the website on my own with all the help I could find for free and it was still not satisfactory.
When I saw those great looking websites on the internet working in the same industry, I was so de-motivated to see myself struggling to get a good looking website that people would actually visit.
But I guess that was part of the ultimate plan. I took some extra time out of the day and got into looking for ways to get my website fix. I was finally introduced to a guy who worked with a medium sized digital agency and he was really good at building websites.
He finally responded to my S.O.S call and decided to help me get a website worth keeping. I am kind of a perfectionist, I don’t like it when my work doesn’t represent my passion for it and it is not close to perfect. Over the years I got really good at designing kick-ass websites for myself and others.
It was obvious to me that this is what I’m good at, building one of a kind websites for others. So I started my own small company with that same guy who pointed me in the right direction and we’ve been developing websites since then. It’s been 12 years now.
So here are some pointers that will help you streamline your process of getting a website designed by yourself.
Draft a Plan for your online business idea:
First most important thing is to have a plan, it is not necessary that you have to write it down somewhere but it is better to do so. Sketch a picture in your mind about how you want to operate your business using a website?
If you’re planning to manage your business by yourself, then my suggestion is that you make friends with someone who can design a website for you. I don’t recommend you designing the website and then operating the business together. Just mentally exhausting, been there done that! Believe me it is coming from experience.
If you already own a business or a store and you just need a website to expand your footprint, then you can skip directly to step 3
- Decide a name for your business
- Research about your competitors
- Get a domain name registered
- Get a good hosting plan for the whole year
- Make a list of features you want in your website
- Choose a platform to build your first website
- Optimize your website for quick loading and visibility
Decide a Name For Your Online Business
It is crucial that you decide a good and easy name for your website/online business. People often overlook it but believe it or not, a good name can make a good first impression in your audience.
Everybody needs a name that is trustworthy, or at least something that they would think of as a solution to their problem.
Once you’re settled on a business name that you like, the next part is to have a basic logo to support that business name. It is observed that having a professionally designed logo for your business gets more attention from their audience as compared to the business that uses just their name to represent themselves online.
If you need help naming your online business and get you a logo that looks professional and relevant, you can also contact us Here!
Research about your competitors
Doing a little research is never wasted when you’re planning to launch your business online and the easiest way to do that, even if you don’t have a computer, is by using your smartphone. Get your internet browser opened and start typing the names of your competitors operating in the area one by one and see if any of those have websites designed already.
If you see a website with their business name, visit the website and start taking notes of things you want on your website. I would suggest you spend a good hour doing this with multiple competitors so you can have a better idea about your website.
Get a domain name registered
Now this is where it gets serious. The most important thing is that you secure a good domain name for your online business. There are a lot of factors that come into play for an online business.
You don’t want a random domain name with a lot of filler words in it, instead you want something that is precise and easier to remember. So it is crucial that you head on to a a good domain registrar and purchase yourself a good domain name that supports your business idea.
If you’re having trouble finding a good domain for your already decided business name, we can help you in securing a domain that will represent your business exactly how it needs to be represented. Contact Us Here of just fill out this quick inquiry form and we’ll follow up with you.
Get a good hosting plan for the whole year
The next thing you need to do is not that complicated. You need a reliable hosting service with options you need for your business to run smoothly. For example: My business falls in the digital services industry and I don’t have physical products so I need something that can support it.
If you’re low on budget and you want something in a certain price range, just make sure that you have a hosting service that you can upgrade down the road.
We also offer our custom hosting service with every website we design, if you’re interested in knowing more about our website package, you can get more details here.
Make a list of features you want in your website
This is not a required step in the process of getting a website but it is always better to know what you really want. So once you’ve gone through the websites of your competitor, you can write down all the features you’d want in your website.
It could be like,
- Need a subscribers form
- Need 4 categories for my business
- Animated banner
- Click to call button
- Map in “Contact Us” page
- And so on…..
The list can be as detailed as you want but I suggest that you keep it to basics. If you are hiring a professional to help you with your website so you can focus on expanding on your business, professional website designers really appreciate it when you give them the creative freedom to design your website.
We’ve been designing website for a decade now and we’ve been leaving a trail of happy and satisfied clients all over the globe, check out our TrustPilot Reviews Here
Choose a platform to build your first website
Ok so you’ve made it this far, congratulations! Now all you need is a platform that you think you’d want to use. There are a lot of page builders out there to help you get your first website. But even those need a little experience before you can start using those website builders.
We’ve been designing websites on WordPress, Shopify, Weebly, WIX including HTML5, Php, Laravel and JavaScript. A custom website template tailored to your needs is always better to have, rather than a cookie cutter template as your first website.
If you want to understand more about which platform fits your business model, you can get in contact with us here
Optimize your website for quick loading and visibility
Nobody likes it when the website takes time to load when they really need to buy from that website. However, you don’t need to do this until you have a website that you’re happy with online. But it is one of the things that will keep on bringing new visitors to your website.
There are multiple ways to optimize your website for speed. Search Engine Optimization or SEO is one of the most trusted and efficient ways of doing that. SEO will not only help you rank higher in the internet searches, but it will also help you to provide a better user experience while on the website.
We here at WPDriven have come up with our own secret strategy to help your newly launched online business get some initial traction, which really means showing your website to people searching for the service/product you are offering.
Get in contact with us to know more or visit here to get more information.
So this is what I think can help you get a professionally designed website in no time while you are focusing on running and expanding your business. Now comes the part where you just have to wait till your SEO starts to kick in and watch people visiting your online store everyday.
