For a business of any size today, a website has become a must. Even if you have just started your business or have a small business that wants to tread the digital path. With website builders, the journey from offline to online has gotten much reduced, thanks to the technology and ease of building websites because of platforms like WordPress and Wix. With these platforms, small business owners don’t really need to design knowledge but should understand what their website should have and not have if it comes to product sales through the website.
But what is enough and what isn’t for a small business? With this article, let us find out how to create a small business website with a website builder.
1. Choosing a website builder platform
Choose a user-friendly solution that helps you build a website without any coding knowledge. Ideally, go with something as simple as WordPress. Almost 40% of websites worldwide use WordPress today. Basically, WordPress is an open-source project, which means it’s free, so choose WordPress. You don’t have to be a developer or engineer to create a site. This website builder is specifically built for the likes of small businesses or startups who just want to get started without having any prior coding or web development knowledge. Secondly, WordPress software is free. Also, it’s incredibly flexible – you can easily change the look of your website or add new features.
2. Pick a hosting provider
Choose the right hosting provider for you keeping your website’s requirements in mind. Understand how much space you will need or ask your hosting provider for suggestions on keeping your website in the best of conditions since you are just starting out. Certain prerequisites you must keep in mind which every small business must do while choosing a web hosting provider –
1. 24/7 customer service and support
2. Free SSL certificate
3. Free domain name for the first year of your plan
4. Access to the user-friendly control panel
5. Built-in security features
6. WordPress optimization features
3. Pick a domain name of your choice
The domain name you choose must match the company name. If you’re not sure which name to choose, there are plenty of online generators that can inspire you, such as DomainWheel. Also, here are some tips to consider when deciding on a website address:
1. Make sure it is easy to spell.
2. Try to keep it as short as possible.
3. Include keywords that are relevant to your business.
4. Install the website builder software
If you have purchased the software or even purchased the .COM version of the website builder from your hosting provider, you will need to download the website builder software. This process may be different depending on the hosting provider you choose so to be on the safe side, download the software from the official documentation.
5. Select a theme or template
Select a theme that is easy to customize. Many of them will also be free to use. In WordPress, you can access the free theme options from your dashboard by going to Appearance > Themes.
You can customize it by installing and activating the theme of your choice. Alternatively, you can consider a premium WordPress plan for themes. These products typically include features such as advanced portfolios, e-commerce websites, and web development tools. When you’re happy with your selection, you can review them all and click ‘Get started with this theme’
You then go straight to the editing area where you can customize almost every element of your site. It’s a good idea to look at the changes upfront to make sure it looks good.
6. Add your content
When you customize your site, you’ll probably want to add content almost immediately. Before doing so, it is important to keep in mind the rough structure.
Most small business websites require the following:
a) Home page.
This is the first thing many visitors will see when they come to your site. It should provide a brief overview of your services. In addition, it should include clear navigation to other sections.
b) Products, services, and portfolio page.
Here you will present your work and describe what you will offer to your clients or customers.
c) About us.
In this section, you can talk about your story or share information about your team.
d) Contact us page.
Basically, you want to include a contact form and encourage customers to contact you if they have any questions.
e) Blog.
Today, it is a necessity for many businesses and it is a very good tool for content marketing. You can have different kinds of conversations about your company, your products, or your brand through the blog.
7. Install plugins or extensions of need be
You may have an SEO plan or content plan for your blog or even may want to take backups, have e-commerce integrations, better speed and better security. You can add the plugins you want to and at the same time keep the speed of the site up. Start by downloading the relevant plugins for your new website.
8. Publish your website
Once done, push publish and present your website to the world.
Conclusion
Building a website as a small business has become less tricky and more fun. We hope that your journey begins smoothly and that you have no hiccups in getting online. In case you have any trouble, please share your queries below. We will try and fix them as much as we can.