Five Tips for a First Time Business Website: The Basics
If you are starting a new business, you will need to have your own website. Websites can give potential customers the feeling that this is a serious company and not just somebody with an idea. Websites also allow for 24-hour availability of information about your products or services. A well-designed website can help generate more revenue for your company, so it’s important to take some time to really think about how it should look before you proceed with development. Here are five tips for creating a first timer’s business website!
Do some planning and research
Creating a website can be a daunting task, but if you take the time to plan and do some research, it will make the process much easier. Websites are necessary for all businesses today as they provide an efficient way of communicating important information such as employment opportunities, products and services offered etc. The first steps towards creating your own site might seem overwhelming but after some planning research, it will become much easier! Figure out what you want your website to accomplish and what features you need. There are many different types of websites, so find one that matches your business goals. With more than one billion websites on the web this makes competition tough so knowing what you want out of your site and having features that attract users is key to success online!
Think about how it looks
Your website is a reflection of your business, so it’s important to make sure that it looks professional. If you don’t have any design skills yourself, consider hiring a freelance designer or an agency. If you have the time (or can afford it) get yourself a good logo and branding. It doesn’t need to be expensive but it will help people remember who you are and what you do. Make sure your site is easy to navigate and use. People shouldn’t have to spend time figuring out how to find what they need on your website. Everything should be just a few clicks away. Use images and graphics sparingly – too many can slow down the loading time of your website unless the website is professionally developed by an expert. And finally, test everything! Make sure links work properly and that all the text is legible on different devices (including smartphones and tablets).
Consider the content
Websites are living, breathing things and should be updated regularly with fresh content – blog posts, new services, images and news. Make sure you include your keywords (the words and phrases people might use to find your business online) in page titles, meta descriptions and on-page text. This will help improve your website’s SEO (search engine optimization) – making it more likely to appear higher up in search engine results pages. You should also keep an eye on web analytics; this tells you how many people are visiting your website, where they’re coming from and what they’re looking at. Use this information to tweak your website content so it appeals to as many people as possible. And finally, use social media! Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. They’re all free (or cheap) and they can really help amplify your message to potential customers.
Use good quality images
The first impression is everything so if the images don’t work it will reflect badly on your business. Your website imagery should be clear, bright and professional which doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands but good quality does cost a bit more than just grabbing something from google images or free stock photo sites. Another key factor is making sure your website loads quickly – no one wants to wait around for ages for a site to appear. You can test this by running it through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool . One thing to keep in mind when designing or developing your website is how it will look on different devices. More and more people are browsing
When it comes to website development, there are a few basics that you should follow in order to help with your SEO. One of the most important is using titles and meta descriptions for all of your pages – these are the little snippets of information that show up in search engine results. Make sure they accurately reflect the content on the page and use keywords relevant to what you do.
Make it easy to contact you
You’ve come up with the basics of your website, now it’s time to sell. Make sure you write compelling product descriptions and be clear on what they can expect when they arrive at your site. If you don’t know where to start check out these examples .
When people land on your page make it easy for them to take action (we mentioned this already but deserves repeating) by adding a friendly call-to-action button that stands out from the rest of your content like this one : “Contact Us For A Free Quote Today!” or even something more subtle if that suits better; “Get Your Project Started Now – Fill Out The Form Below To Get In Touch With Our Team!”
Conclusion
For a new business, your website is the first impression you’ll give to potential customers and investors. It’s crucial that it represents who you are as an organization while showcasing what sets your company apart from the competition. Here at Bath Marketing Company, we’ve helped many small businesses create websites with these five tips in mind—so contact us today for more information on how we can help you!