In order to get the full potential from your business you’ll need to consider having your own website. Whether you decide to engage a professional web designer or do it your self, there are several points you’ll need to to consider.
The internet has been with us for some time now and most people in business and those just starting out understand that having a website can not only give them an on-line presence but can also be a source of extra revenue.
For an established business the obvious route to follow will be to get in touch with a local web designer and take it from there. Those starting a new business or on a tight budget might prefer to do it themselves and with the number of free resources now available this is perfectly feasible.
Employing a Web Designer
There are 1000’s of independent web developers operating in most parts of the country, so finding one local to your business shouldn’t be too difficult. However, before contacting a third party developer it’s a good idea to think about what you want your website to do. The clearer you are about your requirements and goals then the easier it will be to get a firm idea of costs and what can be achieved. For instance, you may just want a simple mini-site which describes your service or product together with some basic contact details and prices. At the other end of the scale you might want a fully functioning e-commerce site with the ability to conduct on-line transactions.
Going it alone
It’s never been easier to create your own website these days and you don’t need a high degree of technical knowledge in order to create a professional looking site. Open source software such as WordPress allows you to start your own site in minutes with much of the technicalities handled in the background. You can get started with a sub domain of WordPress for free or register your own domain and host your own WordPress website for just a few pounds a month.
Alternatively, you may prefer to use an online application provided by your web host or use a web site creation program like Mr Site. For those with more experience a professional web site editor like Dreamweaver will get the best results and there are numerous tutorials available if you want to take this route.
Domains
Registering your domain is quite simple and not expensive. First you’ll need to decide what name you want; this may be your company name or a generic word which describes your business. The name should, ideally, be short and easy to remember and, if at all possible, relative to the main search term your users will be using to look for your product or service.
The choice of an ideal domain comes under the heading of Search Engine Optimisation and we’ll explore this in further depth later. However, in simple terms, say you are a heating engineer based in Essex. A lot of people searching for your services are likely to type in terms such as ‘plumber essex’, ‘heating engineer essex’ and so on. Choosing a generic domain like this can be beneficial and worth considering.
Next you’ll need to check that the domain is actually available; in many cases your ideal choice will have gone already. Try alternatives by using a hyphen or opt for another top level domain (TLD) such as .org.uk instead of .co.uk. It can also be a good idea to register a couple of alternatives at the same time – if the domain is available with a .com and .co.uk then it makes sense to register both.
Web Hosting
Although most domain registrars will offer some form of web hosting it’s often preferable to use an independent web host and simply point your domain to their web servers. The cheapest registrars tend not to be the greatest web hosts and you will often find a better deal elsewhere.
If your business is in the UK then it’s best to have a web based here. Not only does this help search engines understand what market you are targeting it’s always easier dealing with a host that is fairly local.
Hosting a single site is quite inexpensive and most companies are quite reliable. To begin with you’ll only need shared hosting and this is very economical and usually quite reliable. Avoid hosts who are very cheap as they tend to pack a high number of sites on one server and also attract spammers. You only need one spammer on the same server for problems to start.
A good host will have a dedicated support department who work 24 hours – any problems reported will usually be dealt with in a few minutes and by email so it doesn’t cost you.
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Getting Traffic to Your Site
Once your site is set-up and has gone live, you’ll want to get as many potential customers as possible to find it. This is by far the biggest challenge, particularly in a competitive area and is not something that’s going to happen overnight.
The main ways that people will get to your site include:
- Existing clients who type in your web address directly or save it to their favourites folder;
- New clients who see your web address in print, via advertising or by word of mouth;
- Links from directories and other related sites;
- By searching your company name in Google or some other search engine;
- By searching for your specific product or service in a search engine.
In order for your site to perform to its full potential in search engines it will be necessary to optimise the content and structure of the site. Search Engine Optimisation or SEO starts when you first create the site and is an on-going process. There are no great mysteries involved, just common sense and a few basic rules to follow.
Now that your site is fully operational you’ll have other issues to consider. Maximising the number of targeted visitors is one, keeping the site updated and secure and optimising the sales process will be issues you’ll work on and develop as you go. The best web sites are those that are constantly evolving, improving and , above all, driving more and more sales for your business.
