Websites development solutions provide an ideal venue to showcase your services and products to potential clients. Your website can rank for specific search keywords like "counseling California" or "contractor Chicago."
Launching an amazing website doesn't need to be daunting or time-consuming - in fact, chances are it probably won't!). Simply spend enough time making sure it appears legitimate and addresses customers' most urgent inquiries to increase its success. A website differs significantly from Facebook Pages since you control each page within its pages on it directly.
How To Build Your Dream Website In 9 Simple Stages
We will show you how to build the website of your dreams in nine easy steps, covering costs and options according to your requirements.
Choose Your Business Name And Purchase A Domain .
Now is the time to purchase your domain if you already know your company's name; using free ones does not look professional and trustworthy.
To increase search engine rankings, incorporate your company name directly into the URL - with.com being preferred over.com in terms of searching. For instance, if Yum Catering was your name, searching on that phrase should return results such as www.yummmcatering.com, as it will improve results significantly.
What Is The Cost Of A Domain?
Expect to pay between $20-$35 for a basic domain, such as one ending in.com. However, costs could increase exponentially if your desired name is short and to the point!
NameMesh provides an effective tool for checking domain availability. Simply enter your business cards name to see if a.com domain is free; once available and inexpensive, you may purchase it through GoDaddy or any other web host company.
Need some name inspiration? Could you take advantage of our name generator? Instantly, check if a domain or social media handle is still available!
If the name you want is unavailable, there may be other solutions. Check all available dot.com addresses first before considering another choice if the company in direct competition with yours has their name available as an option.
If it's a parking address or something irrelevant to what you are doing:
- You can try to purchase the URL -if you want the.com domain. Check if the site has contact details and do some research. This option can be expensive.
- Search for another domain extension-We can help you with ideas to use for your business domain by using other extensions. You can choose from regional extensions like.ca and. uk or generic ones such as.net.org or.io. Check if these domains are appropriate for your business.
- Try to add a word to your name at the beginning or the end to see if you can get it- You could also try adding "hello", "get", or "app" before or after your name. If your target audience is local, you could add your customer service or product offering (smithopdesigns.com) or your location (smithoptoronto.com).
You have two options for purchasing domains directly through a website builder: directly (more in Step 2) or connecting one purchased elsewhere to WordPress/website builder platforms.
As soon as your website is in production, secure its domain name as soon as it becomes available - this way, one more task will be off your to-do list!
Have you got it? Great - let's move forward.
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
Step 2. Decide On How To Build A Site
You have three options to build your website once you've selected your business owners name, secured a domain and picked the available one.
DIY WordPress
Content management systems such as WordPress offer cost-effective DIY solutions at the low end, though their setup process often involves more work. First, you must purchase separate domain names and hosting service contracts before connecting these to WordPress's dashboard to add content and install templates.
Create Your Website: From $5 for Basic Hosting Plans up to $59 Annual Billed Plans on WordPress, these options for website creation vary in price depending on their complexity but provide free website space without domain name registration and premium functionality - which makes this an excellent opportunity to experience WordPress! This free version also comes with basic SEO support, allowing visitors to see exactly how it functions! It's an effective way of exploring what's out there!
Create A Website With A Website Creator .
Option 1 can be cheaper; however, platforms like Squarespace or Shopify tend to cost slightly more and provide all hosting, security, and website-building benefits in one location for a low monthly cost.
Most website builders feature an easy drag-and-drop editor to build your site without writing code. Plus, with so many customizable options ranging from adding functionalities and templates to fully customizing it - there's sure to be one out there perfect for you!
Create a Website:
- Squarespace: From $26 up to $65.
- Shopify: From $5 to $299 per month
Note that selling products online increases monthly expenses due to secure payments and managing product details; service businesses also need a booking calendar system.
Hire Someone
Are You Lacking Confidence to Build a Website Yourself? Look for freelancers through platforms such as Upwork to save yourself the effort of building one yourself. However, the costs might be higher, but this method should also give you valuable learning experiences as the freelancer will teach you how to update and manage it themselves later.
As your business expands, optimizing and fine-tuning its website should become simpler. Budget approximately $5,000 to $10,000 to create and host a simple website in its first year of creation.
What Is The Cost Of Creating A Website?
Here's a breakdown of the money and time costs:
WordPress DIY: - $5-$59 for domains, hosting services, and upkeep
Website builder- From $5-$299 for Domains, Monthly/Annual Fees, and Plugins
Hiring Website Designer : Can charge between $5,000 and $10,000 for creating a professional, simple website in its first year. It will feel great to decide on your next steps and take them.
Step 3: Layout Your Website
Now is the time to construct your pages! Let's discuss the structure and contents of a site dedicated to business services or company products; remembering what customers require easily accessible information will ensure a great website design experience!
Start planning by studying websites in your field to understand their organization. It will become apparent what types of content exist and their impact on customer experiences.
Create a wireframe of your website to structure it effectively with our guide that shows how quickly one can be made.
Start with essential web pages, such as Home and About, when building your site.
Home Page
Please briefly outline what you do, how it helps people, and at least one button or link that encourages people to act (i.e., mission statement!). At the top of your website, include this as an informative statement at its center - consider this your mission statement! For instance:
- Contact us or Request a Quote, which leads to an Email Form
- Book a Call that links to a scheduling software (or email form).
- Shop now takes you to the category of products
- Please work with me, which takes you to your page explaining your services and processes.
- Subscribe to updates if you are in the early stages of your company and would like to collect email addresses.
Decide on any additional design elements you would like to include on your homepage beyond CTAs and messages, such as testimonials, benefits or information on how your product or service works. Remember that your content must address users' top priorities regarding what it offers.
Page About
Tell Your Company Story. This page outlines the mission, reasons behind creating and qualifications of your company or startup. Include contact details here or create a separate contact page (see below).
Contact page
If your website's aim is to gain new leads - for instance, a cleaning business wanting more leads from its site - adding contact info in the About section could help generate them. Most contact pages include links directly to emails, while it might also make sense to include physical addresses and phone numbers where applicable.
Do You Run A Business That Is Based On Services?
Services/Pricing/Plans Page
Include all services and benefits provided, remembering that their primary aim should be helping their customer. Include pricing of packages such as coaching or personal training packages you offer.
Visitors should either book an appointment, contact you directly for pricing if applicable, or just enter "starting from" as their starting point. Most will search online for pricing information but become frustrated if it cannot be found easily.
You Own A Business That Sells Online Or Through Ecommerce
Category And Product Pages
Product pages will be your website's core if you run an online business. Include:
- Professional Imagery
- Product descriptions
- The product attributes
- Pricing
- Review
- Video tutorials
- Shipment information
- To make a purchase, use the Add To Cart or Buy Now buttons.
Create category pages if you sell many products. For example, if you run a jewelry store, you could have separate product pages within each category.
Other Pages To Include
- FAQs: Clarify shipping/return policy, products and services.
- Policy on privacy: If you collect personal information from your users, such as in an email signup form for a newsletter, you must have a policy.
- A blog page is A great way to increase organic traffic, demonstrate expertise in a specific topic and maintain the freshness of content on your website.
You're now ready to start your writing after planning all the pages.
Choose A Template Or Theme .
If you use a CMS, selecting the template or theme that speaks to you can help communicate what designs speak to your graphic designers. Showing pictures that represent designs you like may help.
Customers determine whether to remain on your site within five seconds, so design matters!
Read More: What are web development services?
What Is A Website Theme?
Themes are pre-designed website pages featuring fonts, colors and patterns suited for web use; just add content.
Review these top website design trends to gain inspiration and get some design tips. Website builders offer an assortment of free themes. Sometimes, premium themes from third-party vendors may also be available; consult your web host provider for details.
Customizing themes is possible; however, it may prove challenging if you lack technical know-how. Choose one that complements the content on your site while appealing to audiences; when making this choice, consider the following factors.
Which Type Of Site Are You Building?
It is the key. It's the industry, audience, and primary business goal of your site . You can, for example:
- Do you need to build a website for your tutoring company to share information about packages and to provide contact details?
- What is an ecommerce store/online business that sells products to direct customers?
- What if you are a not-for-profit organization that wants to share stories, describe its mission and take online donations?
- Travel blogs that want to draw subscribers by using beautiful photos?
- Are you a professional looking to showcase your work in order to attract new clients and show them off?
Take inspiration from websites similar to your business and note which website design styles appeal to you. This will help you better understand what kind of website design is right for your business.
What Do You Think Your Homepage Should Look Like?
Your website homepage serves as its centerpiece and should communicate information about your company effectively and quickly to visitors, or they could leave altogether due to excessive loading times. Keeping visitors engaged by keeping page speeds fast enough may significantly increase visitor retention and save costs on digital marketing strategies in the long run.
Static imagery will likely be your best choice; for companies offering multiple categories or products, consider carousels or columns instead. Be sure to include an explanation or call-to-action statement of what needs to be done to assist in the header. Indicating what can be done is vital.
What Do You Think Of The Navigation?
How you design the navigation menu depends upon how many pages are on your site (Step 3). Determine whether your menu bar should appear horizontally across or vertically down each page or be hidden away as part of a drop-down menu.
What Is The Desired Appearance Of Your Logo?
If you are focusing on building brand recognition, placing your logo in the middle of the header may be better. Be sure that the logo can be read easily! If you are ever unsure about the size of your logo, please refer to this guide!
Is The Theme Responsive/Mobile-Friendly?
As part of your web development strategy , ensure your selected theme is responsive for mobile device use and can adjust according to various screen sizes.
Page-speed insights allow you to track the speed of your website on various screens.
Once you've answered all the above questions, create a mood board featuring themes tailored specifically to your needs and then move forward to step two: planning the website structure and adding relevant content.
Start By Creating A Dream Logo!
Step 6: Create A Call To Action And Copy
Website copywriting from scratch can be dauntingly complex if your market research falls short and your understanding of what sets your company apart is limited. To ease the process, here's our five-step plan for writing effective web content from the ground up:
What's exciting? Now, you have an outline for all the pages you intend to write! To move pages along in the development process more efficiently, we advise creating either Notion or spreadsheet projects to manage each one as necessary.
As you write website copy, remember your audience when writing online brand copy. Your online brand voice should be approachable and appear genuine - the key is sounding conversational when speaking directly to potential clients!
How to create content that stands out:
- Create buyer personas. Please fill out the following information: age, profession, gender, interests, dislikes, fears and hopes. What drives this client? What makes them want or need your service or product? This will help you choose the words and images that best suit your message.
- Choose a keyword to target for every web page. Google keyword research will help you find the terms people use to search for your service or product. Your home page's target keywords could, for example, be "portrait Photography Newark" and "natural deodorant."
- Focus each page on a specific goal. Visitors to websites are easily distracted and task-focused. You should use your copy to answer the most important questions of users and encourage them to act.
- Spend as much time on your website -- remember to talk to your audience, keep things simple and use the word "you" rather than "us" or "we".
- Clarify your product or service pages. Talk about the needs and pains of your buyers, using your buyer persona, then present a solution highlighting results and benefits. You should be able to tell them exactly what you are offering.
- Do not forget to include calls to action! It is better to make it easy for the user to move on. (e.g., Book a call, Shop now)
- Edit! Edit!
How To Write "Technical Pages"
You can find templates for free or create a contract that suits your needs at TermsFeed.
Have you got drafts for all of your pages? Fill in your website creator or CMS with your content. In Step 7, we'll cover how to optimize your site and SEO tools.
Step 6: Add Visual Materials
An effective visual identity for websites is indispensable; this will allow you to break up textual sections so as not to overwhelm visitors and help define how many images will be featured and where on your page according to wireframes and copy.
There are four primary categories of images to keep in mind.
- Photo: For a blogger or service-based company, you must have a professional headshot and pictures of your work. You'll need to decide whether you want to use images provided by vendors, hire a professional photographer or do your photography if you have an online store.
- Logo: You must create a PNG for your website and brand logo. Create your brand and logo with our Logo Maker. Do not delay the launch of your website by getting stuck at this stage.
- Graphics: Want some icons and graphics? UnDraw has a large collection of free illustrations. Creative Market offers graphics at low prices, including fonts, themes and photos.
- Videos: If your promotional video explains how your service or product works, you can embed it in your site.
Start designing the ideal logo for your website using our Beginners Logo Design Guide!
Tip: Once your colors and fonts have been customized, use them on other areas of your website. Our Website Package makes this easier - using headings and call-to-action buttons will ensure an optimal experience! Now you've added images and copied them to your template, and it's time for editing and optimization!
Read More: Hiring A Custom Web Developer to Build A Tailored Website For Your Business
Step 7: Optimize Your Website For Search Engines
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to boosting a keyword or group of keywords ranking on search engine result pages without incurring fees; this form of search is known as organic because there's no requirement for paid-for keyword acquisition.
Optimize your website using keywords related to both your company and target audience. Your services or products might have one name, but are they matching up with search terms used by potential customers? Always verify any assumptions before moving forward.
Here are a few basic techniques for optimizing your website.
Research basic keywords. Tools like Keywords Everywhere provide free services that enable users to discover which terms are being utilized by other websites in your field and can provide invaluable content ideas if you plan on starting a blog. Select long-tail keywords containing 3-4 words. Long tail keywords often feature phrases such as "how to" or "what."
Place keywords strategically. SEO depends on the website builder and CMS you choose, but searching "How to Add a Page Title in XX" should give you enough guidance. Be sure that keywords appear in at least 5 locations: It's important to use your keywords in the page title. This is the title that appears on your Google Search Results and your tab at the top. It should not exceed 55 characters.
- Search engine result pages (SERPs) display meta descriptions as page descriptions. Limit your text to 155 characters.
- The URL is what appears in the search/navigation box. The end will usually tell you the contents. Separate words with hyphens, for example. smithopdesign.com/interior-design-services-Boston
- Alt tags for images describe an image. These tags are a great place to include keywords. Specially for products. (e.g., Red tennis shoes, for example.
- In-page copy: Headings appear on the page in headlines or subtitles. Include your keyword in the body copy where it makes sense.
If you are a novice, SEO may seem daunting. But if you follow these simple steps to launch your website, you will be on your way to ranking high for the keywords your target audience searches for. You can continue optimizing your website even after its launch. It is highly recommended!
Step 8: Add Functionality
This section may not be necessary if your website merely serves informational needs; if, however, you'd like to incorporate more technical features such as an ecommerce storefront, online booking functionality or blog, then widgets or plugins depending on which website template and builder are being utilized will likely need to be employed for optimal functioning.
Brand Kit customers can take advantage of exclusive offers and discounts, including free trial versions! Visit our Exclusive Offers Market now.
Consider these features:
- Online Payments - If you want customers to buy products and services from your site, check whether or not they need an account to make payments.
- Lead Capture - Collect emails by asking visitors to sign up for your newsletter using a widget like Mailchimp.
- Forms - This is similar to lead capture, and you can use it if you want your visitors to complete a form before you get in touch with them.
- Google Maps - Show your business location (if it's a physical store) on a map or show the stores where you sell your products.
- Social Media Feed - Add your Instagram handle, Twitter feed or other social media accounts to your website.
- Safety: This is very important when you launch a WordPress website without an SSL certificate. Look for a plugin to support it.
Keep things simple when starting.
Step 9 - Test, Improve, Then Launch!
Once your copy has been uploaded, carefully read through it and choose all links. Design changes often need experimenting and fine-tuning to produce desired outcomes, with altering copy often occurring after witnessing it on another design.
Before Launching A Website, Ask Yourself These Questions:
- How does your website look on different devices?
- Is it compatible with different browsers and devices?
- All buttons and links should work correctly and take you to the right pages.
- Do all images load quickly and correctly on the site?
- Your logo should be clear, and it must be in the correct position.
- Does the small icon beside your URL (favicon) work?
- You have proofread the entire copy.
- All forms are working correctly and sent to the correct email address.
- You have enabled and tested e-commerce.
- Do you have page titles and meta descriptions for each page?
Create an organized list of all tasks needed before your launch, ranking from highest to lowest priority.
There's always room to improve or add something new to a website, giving you more incentive to optimize it once it goes live. One of our clients once advised: "Creating your first website may seem intimidatingly complex; don't put too much pressure on yourself. Release it when 60-80% of its features have been completed correctly - then live with what it gives!" You can always make amends.
After Your Site Is Up And Running (Yay!), Here Are Some Basic Things You Can Do To Promote It. Here Are A Few Basic Ways To Track And Promote Your Website:
- Please share it with your friends and family/on your social media channels
- You can add the link to your social media channels
- Email signatures: Add the URL
- Here's how you can set up Google Analytics for tracking your numbers.
A website that is up to date will allow you to attract more visitors, reach more clients, and improve your ranking in the search engines. All of these things are vital for growing your business. Please give yourself a big pat on the head when you launch it!
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
Conclusion
Preparing and planning will increase your odds of having the website and results that meet your desires from web development companies rather than becoming frustrated nightmares.
Are You Concerned about Building a Website Yet Nervous About the Process? Don't Panic: Building websites has never been simpler; beautiful pages can be created quickly without needing any coding experience! Publication can then come after.
WordPress is our top choice for first-time web projects, as its flexible system enables rapid website building with its powerful editor that simplifies page construction.
