0
0
Did you know that having a poorly designed website hurts your business? One study found that a badly designed website will drive 50% of your customers directly into your competitor’s arms.
If you own a business and don’t have a website for it, then you’re in the minority. However, it’s not hard to see why there are still a few holdouts. Building a website is hard work, and it involves planning if you want to do it the right way.
So, how do you make sure that your company website will attract, instead of repelling, your target audience? Simple: by reading this article! In it, we’ll give you a bunch of tips on building your company website. That way, you have a point of contact that you can be proud of at the end of the day. Let’s get started!
First Things First: Plan It Out
The first instinct that many people have is to just dive in and start creating a company website. We encourage you to fight this instinct. Instead, we recommend planning everything out. This might be a bit boring.
However, it’s vital for determining the type of website that you need and the effectiveness of the website. So, what types of things should you plan before you get started? First, you should decide on the purpose of your website.
Is your goal to provide useful blog information to customers that encourages them to use your service? Or, are you an eCommerce site that wants to sell products directly to consumers? The purpose of your website will play an important role in determining what features, content, and apps get applied. You should also identify your target audience.
This is the demographic that’s most likely to be attracted to your company. There are few one-size-fits-all websites. Almost all of them are catered toward the most likely demographic to use them.
Finally, now’s the time to decide on your budget. It’s easy to overspend when designing a website. As such, having a set figure that you can spend will make it easier to stay within budget.
A budget will also help you decide on whether you should go with a popular website builder (the cheaper option) or a custom-built website. Both of these options have a lot of pros and cons. We’ll take a look at them in the next section.
Pros and Cons of a Website Builders
Website builders provide you with ready-to-use templates for making your website. Some popular options include things like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. The biggest plus that comes with this option is that it’s very user-friendly.
That means that you can drag and drop sections entirely on your own. No coding is needed during the process. And, there’s plenty of tutorials if you get lost. There are also free plans and free trials, so there isn’t that much upfront cost (however, more on that later).
You also get a support team with these website builders. So, if you encounter a problem, then there’s always someone that you can reach out to. Lastly, it’s a quick setup. As such, this is the best option if you’re looking to create a website as soon as possible.
However, there are also a lot of disadvantages that come with website builders. For starters, you are very limited in what you can put on your website. Since you’re working entirely off of templates you don’t get a lot of space to be creative.
It’s also easy to outgrow your website with this option. These types of websites aren’t designed to handle a lot of web traffic. And, switching platforms can be a pain in the neck.
More often than not it will require starting over entirely. Finally, website builders can be expensive. We know that we mentioned that there are free plans available. However, if you want more advanced features, then you will need to pay more for plans.
These can get incredibly costly. As such, they’re only a good option for people who know they want a simple, by-the-books website with no frills.
Pros and Cons of a Custom Built Website
Now, let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages of a custom-built website. The biggest advantage is the amount of customization you get. With these types of websites, anything in your mind can become a reality.
This is especially true if you hire a dependable company to do it for you, like Weber & Co.’s web design. You also get way more plug-in options with a custom site.
These can go a long way toward enhancing the look and feel of your website. Finally, you don’t need to worry about third-party apps.
Many people dislike the look of a lot of unattractive banner ads that you have no control over. However, custom-built websites aren’t perfect. For one thing, you likely will need professional help to make it.
If you’re a tech beginner and you try to make a custom website, then you automatically set yourself up for failure. Custom websites are also expensive. Not only do you need to hire a web design team, but you also need to worry about hosting, security, domain names, and any plug-ins that you’re adding.
These costs can quickly add up. Finally, there is no dedicated customer service that comes with the website builders. You’re entirely accountable for your website, both how it looks and how it performs.
Choose the Option That Works Best For Your Needs
As you can see, building a custom website and using a website builder both have a lot of pros and cons. So, which is the best option? The answer is that there isn’t one.
The right type of website depends on your needs. If you’re on a tight budget, or just prefer the DIY approach, then a website builder is a great option. However, if you want complete control over the look and function of your website, then you’re better off building a custom one.
Also, keep in mind that a custom website might be better for you if you plan on scaling up your business in the coming years. It’s really easy to expand the function and uses of a custom website to meet growing demands and other changes that you’ll encounter.
The same, unfortunately, isn’t true for website builders. As such, you might spend a lot more money tearing down your old website to rebuild a new one. Just something to keep in mind.
Add Content to Your Website
Now, that you’ve decided on the right platform for your needs we can start adding content to your website. There are three elements of content that all business sites require in one form or another. The first is a strong homepage.
The homepage should be attention-grabbing. You want potential consumers to be intrigued by the concept of your business. It should also naturally lead them to the other elements of your website. If someone is confused by your homepage, then they aren’t going to stick around to figure it out.
Next, you need an ‘About Us page. This is a page that contains your stories and pictures of your staff or building. The last essential element you’ll need is a contact page. This is an email, phone number, and address where potential customers can reach you.
However, keep in mind that these are usually far from the only elements you’ll need. Many websites will also require a products or services page that can showcase what you offer consumers.
It’s also a smart idea to develop blog posts for your website. This helps show that you’re an expert in whatever industry you’re a part of. And, perhaps more importantly, it can improve your SEO ranking. However, we’ll go more into that in another section.
Add Apps to Your Website
Congrats! Now you have the framework for a proper website with a few base pages and content to fill them. Sadly, this is where many websites call it quits. This is a large mistake. Remember that there are hundreds or even thousands of websites out there that look just like yours. As such, you need to do ev
erything in your power to make your website stand out from theirs. So, how do you do this? The secret lies in features that can be added using apps and extensions. These apps allow another layer of function to be applied to your website.
So, what are some good ones that might work with your pages? For starters, a form might be handy. This is a great way to get feedback from customers and build a growing readership if you use things like newsletters and email updates.
You might also want to utilize social media integration. This can connect things like your Twitter and Instagram feed to your website. It’s great for building your followers.
Live chat is also a good option if you want to connect to your consumers in real-time. If you plan on using people’s data, then we also recommend a cookie alert. That way, you can be as transparent as possible and give people the ability to opt out if it’s not something that they want.
Don’t Forget About the Mobile Version of Your Website
Many people make the mistake of spending so much time on their browser version of the website, that they completely neglect the mobile version. This is a big mistake. These days, many people surf the web entirely on their mobile devices.
One study found that 45% of all eCommerce shopping takes place on mobile devices. As such, if you’re neglecting the mobile version of your website, then you’re missing out on a huge customer base.
Use SEO to Make Your Website Discoverable
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how well your website is designed if no one visits it. Unfortunately, this is a problem plaguing many small businesses. One study found that one out of five businesses say that the main problem with their website is low traffic levels.
So, how do you improve them? The answer is SEO or search engine optimization. This is the process of making sure that you appear higher up in Google search trends. The secret to good SEO is making use of popular search term keywords.
You can find popular search keywords using Google Ads Keyword Planner. Using them strategically in your website, and corresponding blog posts is a great way to naturally raise your ranking in Google.
You should also make sure that your website loads quickly. If someone finds your website through a search then they aren’t going to be sticking around long if it’s not loading. Don’t be discouraged if SEO is taking you a while to figure out.
This is a complicated form of marketing that doesn’t lend itself easily to business owners. As such, we recommend hiring a professional to help you with SEO if you’re serious about seeing actual results.
Want More Content? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you learn more about what’s involved in building a company website. As you can see, it’s not as simple as choosing a template and filling out the boxes.
Even if you use one of the popular website builders your website will still require a lot of planning if you want it to be successful. As such, if you aren’t confident in your ability to create one, then you should feel bad about reaching out for professional help.
Just make sure to find a business that collaborates with you to produce the singular vision that you have for your website. Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep exploring to find more topics that you’re sure to love.
