So, you’ve just kicked off your startup business and you’ve been told you need a website. Sounds expensive and you’ll need a computer science degree right?
Well, in the early 2000’s you would have been looking at investing quite a few thousand dollars to get a decent website where people took you seriously. These days, the opposite is the case.
We’ll show you how to build your startup website that’s:
- Cheap to create – you can use your money on marketing instead of a website
- Easy to make and maintain – you can spend time on your business instead of spending hundreds of hours trying to work out a website platform
- Something that helps your business grow – every website should give a return to your business – we’ll show you how
What this article covers
Told and UNTOLD reasons why your business needs a website
A great website will promote you 24/7. No employee will do that…
Most advisors (and friends) will tell every startup that they’ve got to get a website – and it’s got to look great… but DON’T spend a fortune on it – do it yourself!
BUT, nobody really dives into WHY your need a website.
So here’s our top reasons:
- People take your business seriously when you’ve got a website
- When people hear about your business, one of the first things they’ll do is “Google it”
- You can generate sales leads while you’re not in the office
- Other businesses can easily refer business to you
- You can save time with frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the website
For a deeper dive into why your business needs a website, take a look at our article The top 5 UNTOLD reasons why every business needs a professional website.
How the process of making a website works
Believe it or not, making a website is relatively straight forward. Here’s how it all works:
- Plan your website
- Purchase a Domain Name
- Choose the right platform for your website i.e. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify etc.
- Select hosting if required – i.e. WordPress
- Pick the look of the website – i.e. the Theme
- Build the website – i.e. setup the look of the website
- Add content to the website – i.e. text, images, videos etc.
- “SEO” the website
- Test the website
- Make the website live – i.e. shout it out to the world
- Start getting traffic to the website
We’ll take you through the full process in this article, so keep on reading.
Choosing and purchasing your domain name
This part can be a little tricky. Why? You’ve got to hope that the domain name that you want is available, and you want to pay the right price for it.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what all this domain name is stuff is all about, you might want to read our article which explains everything you need to know about domain names for small business.
Here’s how to choose your domain name:
- Pick something that’s linked with your business. As an example, if your business name is Brenda’s Pet Shop, then the obvious thing is to go for brendaspetshop.com.
- Get the “local” version of your domain name if you live outside the US, e.g. brendaspetshop.com.au if you’re in Australia.
Why?
Search engines will tend to rank local websites above .com websites in search results.
- Consider variations of the domain name. As an example, brendaspets.com.au might be easier for people to remember than that full name. It’s also easier for people to type in an email address, e.g. hello@brendaspets.com.au, when they’re sending you an email.
- Check that the domain name is available. Use a reputable company to purchase your domain name through, e.g. Crazy Domains.
If the domain name is NOT available, then check out our article on what you should do next.
Once you’ve chosen your domain name, go ahead and purchase it.