How To Create A Great Business Website

Creating a local-area business website is a great way to get started and attract new customers. By creating an online portal for users to engage with, you’ll not only increase interest and awareness of your business, but you’ll also increase lead generation and sales. In this article, we will show you how to create a website for your business that is built on best practice foundations and what to do post-launch to continue to scale growth and awareness.

Find a Good Local Website Designer.

Choosing a website designer can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not digitally savvy. There are so many talented professionals out there from freelancers to professional agencies, and it can be hard to decide who to work with. If you’re building a new website for your business, we’ve collated a few tips to help you find a good website designer and guide you through the process.

But first, let’s lay down some foundational rules:

Do your homework first. Before you even start looking for a website designer or a digital agency to work with, it is important to do your research. Look at various websites and discover what you like, don’t like and need from your website. Check out your competitors websites and see how they stack up in comparison, reviewing everything from UI to menu navigation and ensure that as a ‘user’ you can easily navigate the website without questioning things. If so, make a note to factor into your site designs.

Once you have done your homework and got a good idea of what you want, find a website developer or digital agency who can bring your ideas to life. As above, review their website and portfolio to see how they measure up with your expectations. If their own website isn’t up to scratch then how confident are you that they’ll do a good job with your brands website? Do you want to work with someone locally, like a web designer in Goulburn, or are you happy with someone on the other side of Australia (or even overseas?)

Be weary of developers using premade templates, especially with WordPress. As a website platform WordPress and Woocommerce are great, with thousands of pre-made templates on the web that anyone can purchase. Most of these templates cost between $50-100 and are a one-click installation, however if you’re not aware of these sometimes agencies can promise a custom designed website and deliver a pre-made template with an extortionate mark-up attached. If you’re happy with a pre-made template then have the conversation with your agency about costs and roll-out, however if you want a custom design make sure you outline this upfront. At Isojam, we only create custom website builds using the Bricks Builder and custom CSS, so we don’t use any premade templates in any of our designs. This ensures you’re site is unique and exclusively on brand for your business.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s important to have a good relationship with your design agency and ensure you’re on the same page, so ask questions about your website build and what it will entail. Ask about ay website package inclusions, must-have’s and add-ons that otherwise get hidden in Terms and Conditions. If you’re website developer isn’t upfront then they’re usually hiding something which you’ll pay for later.

Choosing Domains & Hosting for your Business Website.

So you’ve established your business name and are looking to get your website setup, but where’s the best place to start? There are a lot of factors to consider in the digital world, such as the company’s website URL, software capabilities and the type of website you’re looking to create.

Here’s some tips to help you get started:

Start with your domain name before looking at hosting options. Research your target audience. Who are your potential customers? What do they want and need? Once you know this, you can start to look for domain names and web hosting that will resonate with them. For example, if you’re planning to create a website for a pet company, you might want to look for domain names that relate to pets (like pets.com) or keyword-rich phrases (like pet supplies). Does your business need a .com.au domain name or are you happy with some of the more obscure options?

Website hosting and domain name registration do not have to be purchased together. Several digital companies selling domains and hosting services will make it seem like you have to buy the package deal, however you can split them out to save some cash. Depending on your needs this can make things easier, but your hosting options can become more costly when it comes time for renewal after your initial 12 month period. (a very common tactic) Whilst a bit more technical, it’s possible to get better and more secure hosting and buy your domain name separately. We’re big fans of Vultr and Cloudways as cloud based hosting providers that provide speed and flexibility.

If you do opt for a hosting + domain package deal, we recommend taking a look at WPEngine, Dreamhost, or SiteGround for WordPress site package to get your business up and running quickly. It’s worth noting though that not all website packages are created equal, so depending on your online offering(s) it’s worth it to explore what inclusions your site package gives you.

Keep a look out for shared server packages, which are typically the cheapest option presented to users, as this basically means your hosting is shared with several other websites. This can lead to slow website development and performance overall pending on how complex other websites are on your shared server, or how much resource they take up. Our experts are here to help at any time if you need help and clarity on how best to proceed.

Designing Your New Business Website.

Creating a great business website is an important part of marketing your business and typically the first interaction new customers will have with your brand. A website is your first point of contact with potential customers, so it’s important to make a good impression. There are a few things you need to consider when designing your website. First, you need to think about what your website’s purpose is. Is it a sales website? A information website? A collaboration platform? You need to decide what you want people to see when they visit your website.

Second, you need to think about how people will use your website. Will people be looking for information? Products? Services? You need to decide what information you want to make available on your website and what kind of content will be most useful to your customers. Think about your business systems and software used and how this can be integrated into your site build to simplify admin or create new opportunities. 

Add Unique Page Content and Images.

Adding content and images to your website is an important part of creating a great business website. Your website should be easy to navigate and look professional, so adding content and images is essential. You can add content by writing articles or creating galleries or videos.

Images can be added by either using stock photos or with photos you source yourself. (the preferred way) You can also add social media links to your website so visitors can easily share your content on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Ensuring all of your content is unique and on-brand is the most important part of fleshing out your website build, ultimately creating a unique look and feel that stands out from competitors.

Promote Your New Business Website.

Promoting your business website is essential to getting more people to visit and learn more about it. There are many different ways to promote your website, and the most effective way will vary depending on the target audience, geographic location and your website’s content. Common methods of online promotion include paid advertising, social media advertising, and SEO (search engine optimisation) but are largely dependant on your time, resources and budget with regards to how quickly you wish to scale up.

Regardless of the advertising method you choose, make sure to track your results to ensure that your efforts are paying off. We offer a variety of local-area digital marketing services to start amplifying your brand and reach your target audiences.

Creating a website for your business is a great way to get started online. Follow these simple steps and you will be on your way to having a great website! If your business is looking for local area website design and development, feel free to contact out team for an initial chat. We help build and maintain websites and create digital marketing strategies for businesses all around Goulburn and the Southern Tablelands regions.