5 Decisions You Need To Make Before Creating Your Website
Many of the small business owners I work with come to me already owning their own website. The problem is, it’s not the website of their dreams… not even close for a plethora of reasons: it’s not representative of their brand, it’s not attracting the traffic they want, or their conversion rate sucks. And what’s worse, they don’t have the time to fix it.
For many of my clients, their website has been this nagging pain in the ass for months or even years. Unfortunately, it almost always gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list compared to all the other critical elements on which small business owners need to focus. So I thought I would share some advice with other small business owners who are contemplating designing their own website. I give you: 5 Decisions You Need To Make Before Creating Your Website.
Purchase a Domain Name That Speaks to Your Brand
Your domain name is the URL address that will direct people to your website, so I guess the precursor to this decision is making sure you have a company name. The key is branding yourself and your company through every piece of content your potential buyers view— your logo should speak to your company name, which should speak to your products or services, which should speak to your domain, your website, your blogs, your social media posts… I could go on and on, but I am digressing. If you don’t have a company name, either start there first or create a domain as simple as your name and what you do. For instance, if I was a photographer, I might buy www.marybellphotography.com. Unfortunately, someone already owns this site, so thank god I’m not a photographer. I’m really proud that she’s quite talented. After all, we Mary Bells have an image to uphold. Well done, Mary. Well done. The point is, you want to give visitors a sense of what they’re coming to see before they get there, and then you’re going to wow their pants off when they arrive!
Choose a Web Host for Your Super Awesome Domain
Now that you have a domain name, you need to choose a hosting service. The host houses all the files and data you put on your website. Without a host, your domain points at nothing and visitors will get an error message. Fun fact— you don’t have to host your website on the same platform from which you bought your domain. In fact, some techies actually recommend that you split your domain purchase and hosting service. Once you select a host, you’ll usually have a number of plans to choose from as some website capabilities (e.g., newsletters, emails, web forms) will require a more expensive hosting plan. Most platforms will allow you to upgrade when the time comes, so my advice is to start with the basics and go up from there.
Plan Ahead to Attract Traffic to Your Website
You may feel I’m skipping ahead here— I mean, you’ve barely just set up your domain and hosting, and now I’m asking you to be proactive in getting traffic to your site. It’s probably one of the most intimidating aspects of website design for small business owners. But in all honesty, you either need to research and learn everything you can about search engine optimization (SEO), or you need to hire someone to design an optimized website for you. The reason you need to think about this now, before you design your website, is because it will save you so much time. The page names, the URLS, the headings, subheadings, the alt text on pictures — literally every aspect of your website (even things your visitors will never see) contribute to SEO. You. Need. An. Optimized. Website. For. Your. Business. I can’t say it any louder or clearer. Because, while it’s great that people you personally direct to your website are going to love the beautiful piece of art you’ve created, it will do your business no good if you’re not able to branch out and reach people beyond your own personal network.
Organize Your Content
Your potential customers are going to consume your website in unique ways. What does that mean? Think about learning styles— some people are visual learners, some auditory, some tactile. It’s the same with visitors to your site. Some visitors are going to want to see pictures and videos, some will want to read blogs, and some might want to hear a podcast on your specialty. “But Mary, I’m a landscaper. What kind of content am I supposed to have?” Woo buddy, you better mow the most beautiful lawn you’ve ever seen and take pictures of it from every angle. Hell, have someone take a video of you riding your Cub Cadet Xt1 Enduro Series across an acre of land, edit it in fast motion, and brand it with your logo. The bottom line is— you’ll keep people on your site longer and you’re more likely to convert them into paying customers if you have varying forms of relevant content on your site.
Make Sure Your Social Accounts Are Ready to Be Linked
Even though tik tok has had a recent burst of awareness and recognition, the fact remains that Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are the largest social networking platforms for small businesses. Linking your social media accounts not only gives a boost in SEO, but also it gives your prospects another way to take a glimpse into your business. Especially in today’s world of COVID quarantines and lockdowns, the majority of consumers are doing their “shopping around” from their computers. Whereas six months ago, someone might have come into your brick and mortar location to decide if you were trustworthy and whether they wanted to buy from you, today they are stalking you like they’re Joe Goldberg creeping on Beck’s Instagram whereabouts. So let them in, give them a taste of your brand, and have them falling in love with everything about you. (Seriously though, how did Beck not pick up on his creep factor?!)
