Get Your Organization Online: 8 Easy Steps to Create a Business Website

A website accomplishes what traditional, non-digital marketing techniques cannot, from instantaneously engaging leads to immediately updating customers about products or services. While time and money are required to build a business website, you’ll quickly see a return on that investment when users begin interacting with your company online. There’s no time like the present to create a business website, so your organization is online and connecting with a larger audience than ever before.  

  1. Determine Your Website’s Purpose

Sure, every business needs a website. But what purpose will your site serve? Can customers buy directly from your company via the website? Can clients schedule appointments for your services? Consider what a user will expect when they visit your website. If you own an office supplies business, visitors would expect to be able to view your catalog and submit orders on your website. This site is for your target audience, so develop a platform that meets their needs.

  2. Select Your Domain

Your domain is the address users will enter to navigate to your website. You’ll be promoting this address across all digital and printed marketing assets, so you want to choose wisely. Keep it as short as possible but still memorable. Avoid using abbreviations, numbers, or acronyms. Keep in mind that you might want to use a main keyword or search term in your domain for SEO purposes as well.

Once you’ve decided what domain you want to use, you have to see if it is available. You should use a domain registrar where you can see if the domain you want is in-use or up for grabs. If no one owns the domain name, register it immediately, so you don’t lose it to someone else.

  3. Pick a Web Host

The expense of hosting a website in-house is more than most businesses can budget for a single project. However, hosting sites like Bluehost or WPEngine, are inexpensive options for website hosting services. Also, these web hosts have the added benefits of offering domain registration services so you can register your URL and set up web hosting in one place.

  4. Develop Your Site’s Content and Design

A website requires more than a home page. That means you have to create website content to fill all of those additional pages. This is an involved process that takes a lot of time and effort. Don’t skimp when it comes to developing your website content — this is how you establish relevance, engage people, generate leads, and build brand loyalty. There are a lot of traits to successful website content so invest heavily in this portion of building your website.

Also, content needs an eye-catching space to occupy. Work with a graphic designer to collaborate on the visual branding for your website. Or, if you choose to create a business website on WordPress, you can select one of the millions of pre-existing themes available as the template for your website design.

  5. Add Analytics Software

As you set up your site, be sure to incorporate Google Analytics. Once your site goes live, you will monitor traffic as a means for determining what is effectively engaging users and what needs improvement. For instance, if users have no problem adding items to their shopping cart but they keep abandoning them, this data tells you that something needs to be addressed on your check out page.

  6. Test Your Site

Before publishing your website, you have to test it to make sure it functions correctly across all major browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Opera) and devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones). Ask employees, friends, and family to click through everything on your site from different browsers and devices to ensure everything functions and loads as it should.

  7. Spread the Word

You’ve gone to all the trouble of creating a business website. Now it’s time to let everyone know. If you don’t have any, set up social media profiles for your business to start connecting with clients and leads. You can opt to increase traffic to your new website by investing in paid search and social ads. Don’t forget to share the news via email and add your new domain to any printed marketing materials.

  8. Maintain Your Site

Don’t be like the numerous business owners who set up a website and forget about it. A good website must be updated regularly. Publish blog content. Add new products. Promote seasonal deals or news.

Maintaining your site also requires everything on the backend, for example, plugins, are up-to-date. This keeps your site secure while also ensuring its operating properly.

While a website is a small investment into establishing credibility and reaching a wider audience, it requires the expertise of marketing professional to guide the process. A poorly executed website is a waste of money, time, and energy. Rather than unsuccessfully trying on your own to build a business website, work with the accomplished team at Proactive Maintenance. Contact us today about creating a stand-out website for your organization.