If you don’t have any particular website, then you are losing a lot of potential customers. There are various excuses for not having a website such as it is too complicated or it is too expensive to create. These excuses aren’t valid. Bluehost provides a domain, as well as a business email along with a professional and customised WordPress website for merely $2.95/month.
Just follow the five easy and simple steps in this article to make your own small business website working no time:
Step 1: Select and Register Domain Name of Your Small Business Website
The first step that you essentially need to do is to decide the name of your website, for instance, www.yourbusiness.om. In this particular case, you will be required to check as well as see if the business is currently available. In order to find out, you can simply enter the domain name in the search tool which is powered by Bluehost. In case you have been taken a right to the registration page of the website, this means that the name is currently available, in case there is a message that says the domain is not available to you for registration, then you have to adjust the business name. In case the .com version of your own business name is currently available, then consider it to use it for your website. Else, you can try different phrases before you settle for any other suffix such as .info or .net. Consumers generally use .com when they enter any web address. So even in case you wish to promote the .net website of your business, you can essentially lose many customers who have simply typed in the .com version.
Tips to find Business Website Domains
In case your business name is already taken, then there are certain tips that you need to keep in mind in order to search for any alternate name:
- Domain names are quite essential for search engines such as Google. You need to consider the inclusion of words that most of the people often like to use when they search for your business.
- Domain names should be easier to remember and pronounce. You need to keep the name of your website as short as possible and also avoid any kind of punctuations such as dashes. The basic rule is to make sure that anybody can find the domain of your business if he can hear it spoken.
- Try to use the location of your business to find a unique URL. In case the other options are already taken, then you can add your city or even your area in the domain’s name. This will help the website appear in the Google as customers are more likely to enter the name of their city when they are searching for any service.
Step 2: Selecting the Right Platform & Host for You
Once you have already selected a domain, the very next step for you is to decide where you wish to host the website. A host is essentially a service which actually stores the website and transmits it to different visitors. As per our experience, the best host platforms of current times are Bluehost and Weebly.
Bluehost is among the most versatile hosting option which is available to you that delivers the most value. It allows you to register the domain, host the website and also get a business email address for merely $2.95 per month. However, Weebly is a more user-friendly option and among the best website building tools which provides more personalised customer support. It can be a better option for non-technical users who simply want their information website. However, it costs at $12 per month, and it doesn’t include any email account or domain.
There are various different options that you should consider
Option 1: Creating a WordPress Website by using Bluehost
In case you are technically competent and wish to access the unlimited features as well as functionalities then WordPress is the best way to go. Bluehost provides various affordable hosting plans along with a WordPress website which includes a domain as well as a business email account for merely $2.95.
Get Started with WordPress
You need to keep in mind that WordPress is essentially an intermediate website builder. It doesn’t require any programming knowledge, but you have to be familiar with the backend menu of WordPress. Unlike Weebly, which allows editing your website by simply dragging and dropping the different elements, the WordPress comes with a little more traditional edit menu. Having said that, there are various written guides as well as recorded videos that are available on the web that can explain to you how to create WordPress website by using Bluehost.
Option 2: Utilizing a Website Builder such as Weebly
For most of the small businesses which don’t have much time and aren’t technologically advanced but they are willing to shell out extra money, then Weebly is certainly the recommended one among the different website building tools. It is essentially a part of the latest class of tools which are called website builders that use drag and drop interfaces in order to make it quite easier for the user than to design a site. With Weebly, you can simply start by selecting a template then move on to customising the pages, text as well as images, etc. The editing process is quite intuitive. In case you have already used Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint, then it will be quite easier for you to grasp this tool. Adding elements is easy as you can drag them from the sidebar. You can also adjust the size by simply dragging from any corner and also change the text by simply double-clicking within the provided text box. It is quite easy to add different interactive features to the website. Most of the website builders for small business have a click to add options for YouTube/Vimeo embeds, Google Maps, web forms etc. It makes the customers more likely to spend the time on the website as well as share it.
Step 3: Outlining Website Content
Once you have known which platform that you are going to use, now it is the time for you to decide what your website is essentially going to say. To find what the website will say is quite difficult and one of the most common reasons why business owners don’t have a website. The good news is however that you don’t need to say much about your business. Business websites often work best when they are quite simple, featured with minimal texts and has a single option on every page. Business websites generally follow a standard format which uses the 4 essential pages. As you go through this entire list, you don’t have to worry about the formatting of each page, all you need to think about is text, images as well as content that you will include in:
- Homepage – On this page, you need to put the business name, the place where you are located as well as a simplified pitch which is essentially a few lines about how your business is unique and why the customers should select your business.
- Products as well as Service – This page contains details about the products that you sell or any services that you provide. On this particular page here you have details of all the products and services, you need to spend only one to five lines which describe each type of what you offer and also provide the pricing.
- About Us – You need to offer the company background as well as list of the organization memberships. You can also include customer testimonials that help you project your company to be more credible and trustworthy.
- Contact Us – It should have the address, email as well as phone number and the hours of opening of your business along with links to all of your social media accounts that need to appear on your page. You need to also embed a Google Map of the current location of your business and include the various ways of reaching your location if possible.
Different Special and Great Tools for Mobile Websites
At present, most of the customers browse using their smartphones rather than on the computer. As an owner of a small business, it is imperative that you have a mobile-friendly site.
The best news that you have is that the most of the top website builders which includes Weebly can automatically create a mobile-optimised and friendly website for you. These sites are known as responsive themes, which can detect the device type that you are browsing from and then automatically shift the entire content in order to provide the best and optimal experience. The WordPress also comes with multiple responsive themes which are available.
Even if your website isn’t responsive, it is important to make additional adjustments to the mobile site of your business. It is suggested that you remove any type of excessive details. Your own mobile website needs to focus completely on the call to action, whether you want the users to call your business or fill out any contact form, as well as join the mailing list or even make any order online.
Click to call buttons are quite helpful in case you wish to make mobile visitors to dial the business of yours. This is a particular button which is when clicked from any mobile device, automatically populates the phone number of the business into the dial pad of the visitor. Also, an embedded Google Maps widget can also provide the customers with the direction to easily navigate to your store.
Step 4: Deciding a Logo
The font, colours, and the style of your business logo is certainly going to affect the design of the website. Hence you need to have a consistent theme between the log and the web pages.
In case you already have a logo that you are currently using in the offline space, then it is quite perfect. You need to find a digital file or even create a high resolution scan of the logo in order to use on the website. In case you don’t have any logo or you wish to upgrade the existing design then there are three key methods to create a logo for you
- Do-It-Yourself – There are numerous logo design software available on the web which allows you to create your logo. These software are any easy method to create an appealing logo.
- User Fiverr.com -It is website which matches your business with all types of service providers that are willing to do the projects which include logos for merely $5. For $20, you can easily get it in the same week. In case you find any designer with a portfolio which you like, then it is the best option for your money.
- Use 99Designs.com – It runs contests where different designers compete for the logo of your business as well as other design business. It is a great option for you to have since you get to see various professional as well as creative designs. You only pay for the one which you select. The price range of the logos on this website is from $299 to $799 which depends on how many number of designers you wish to compete along with the designers’ quality.
Step 5: Designing the Website
Now, you have all the essential things for your small business website which are ready, it is the right time to put them together into an appealing website.
It has been found that it takes nearly less than 3 seconds for the visitors to decide if they really wish to stay or leave the website of your business, so it is important to make a good first impression. There are few important and essential tips that you can use to make sure that the website engages the people.
- Having a clear navigation- You need the people who visit the website to instantly get the knowledge of what your business is exactly about and where they need to go to learn more about the products and services that you offer, and also the pricing as well as contacting a representative. In case the website isn’t clear, the people will eventually get frustrated and then exit out.
- Using call to action buttons- It is important to implement buttons which have clear actions that can immediately attract the eyes of the user. It helps you in leading the visitor to take the desired action that you want.
- The Website should load quickly- People are quite impatient in the online world and if your website takes too long to load then people will eventually give up and then look elsewhere. Make sure that the website host provider like Bluehost has faster load times.
- Keep the website minimal- You need to make sure that you don’t overdo the website and keep the design minimal. You don’t need to cover each and every part of the website with information and design. White space are quite friendly to you. Keep the look minimal, which allows you to focus the attention on the various things that you wish the people to really pay attention
Conclusion
In order to create a small business website, there are various least expensive as well as versatile options such as Bluehost where you can easily get domain as well as business email accounts and a professional WordPress website for merely $2.95 per month.
Having said that you could also choose a simpler as well as faster solution such as Weebly. It is quite expensive at $12 per month which doesn’t include domain and the email. However, it provides a great user-friendly system in order to design any website and comes with great customer support.
You can choose any other website builders which are available in the market which come with different features and functionalities. You need to makes sure that you consider various essential points when you build a website for your business. You are required to have a good domain name which represents your website. Include location, Google Maps, etc. You need to have good theme for your website. You should also include the essential contact, home, about us, etc. pages in the website. You don’t have to populate the website with extra content. Keep it minimal. Have a good and attractive logo. Keep the social media links in the web pages. Use good website host service provider for good speed and lower page load time.
All these factors will help you in creating a good website for your business especially using website builders for small business. You need to remember that these different essential factors will play a crucial role in the success of your website of the business. It can drive a large amount of traffic to your website and hence leads to more potential customers accessing your business website. It can also provide you more leads and increase your sales. These factors will ensure the success of your business. So, try these things and create an alluring website for your small business.