New Website Design Tips - Where To Start
What’s the Best Way to Start Your Own New Small Business Website?
Starting a new website for your small business can feel overwhelming, but with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be. Read on for our top 5 new website design tips to help you get started and avoid common mistakes along the way.
Number one is the all-important website domain name is the best place to start for any website project.
Think of two or three .com domain names that are short, memorable, and descriptive to what your small business is all about. Then go see if those names are available to reserve at Go Daddy Domains & Registrar for example. Researching your competition is a good idea to help guide your choice.
Also Consider:
- If you should use a .org, .biz, .co or .site website address – there are lots of options today including .yourlastname or whatever you can think of really. You should always try to obtain a .com or .net website address if possible but there are a number of cases where these other naming conventions should be considered. For example if your business or company is a nonprofit organization then you should get a .org as your main domain, then maybe consider the .com, .net, etc., if you feel they are important to your business goals. This also protects them from other business purchasing those domain versions.
- Using an abbreviated name if your company name is very long. You can then redirect the abbreviated domain to the long domain. Shorter domains can be used on business cards and other printed media so it’s easy for your customer to remember and type into a browser.
- Always be sure to purchase your long website name as your main website address because the keywords in the address are important to search engines. For example buy the RealyCoolRedWidgetsSeattle.com as the long address if that is really the name of your company. Then get a shorter one as mentioned above for print media.
- Always purchase the website address for at least three to five years to take advantage of the best possible discounts.
- Beware of Ultra-Cheap Domain Name Registrars. While super cheap domain name registrars may seem like a good deal upfront, they can cause headaches down the line. When it’s time to manage your website’s domain, these low-cost providers often offer subpar online tools and customer support. It’s worth investing a little more in a well-known registrar with better online management features to save you some frustration later.
Step Two – you will want to search terms like “website hosting” and “local website designers” to find the right resources for your website. If you found our website this way, you’re already on the right track!
Website Hosting Today Offers Free Website Builders, but Know Their Limits
Many website hosting companies offer free tools to help you build your site, which can save you money upfront. Look into them. But it’s important to note that these free website builders often come with limitations. While they may help you get started, they typically don’t offer the advanced design features or SEO tools that a professional web designer can provide. Without proper SEO, your website will struggle to rank on search engines like Google and Bing, making it harder for your target customers to find your business online.
For Website Hosting
- For website hosting looking at Go Daddy, Blue Host, or SiteGround Registrar and Hosting could all be a good resources depending on your project. They provide high quality hosting, consistent up time and some of the best in customer support at a cost effective price. Be sure of what tools your hosting company has to offer, you may not need all the bells and whistles to start but you should consider more than super basic economy hosting for most business.
- Always compare the two above items keeping in mind the size of website you want and what you want it to do for your business. Don’t pay for more website hosting space than you will need for your project. Most website hosting today will provide a base line SSL certificate with your hosting for security. Be sure this is included or you purchase one. The SSL certificate provides your website with the https: to show as a secure server connection. Google now requires an https: connection for increased search engine rankings, plus it looks great to your customer.
If you’re not sure about how to select hosting or SSL certificate and would like a free consultation on any of the above items Feel Free to Contact Us.
Step Three – will you need to develop your business logo and brand?
- Do you have a website logo designed already for your business?
- What two or three basic colors would you like to use in the design to guide your brand?
- What fonts are best for your brand or product to help convey your message to the visitor?
Step Four – consider what you want the website to accomplish – sell products online, generate client leads, or provide your list of services to your visitor.
Are you going to sell products online?
If so, how many? You may be looking for a simple PayPal buy button or shopping cart for just a few products, or perhaps a way for customers to pay for a service or membership. On the other hand, if you have a larger catalog and need to manage thousands of products, customer data, inventory, shipping, and more, you might require a full-featured eCommerce solution.
Take a moment to explore our Online Shopping Cart Design Services to see the comprehensive solutions we offer for selling online. If you’re considering a pre-built platform, services like Shopify might meet your needs, but keep in mind that they require a lot of customization, come with ongoing subscription fees, and may not always align with your marketing or SEO strategies.
Online Forms – They are a key feature of many websites, and when used effectively, they can significantly enhance your business operations. Whether you’re gathering orders, generating leads, or collecting customer feedback.
Should you have just one page to list all your services or create unique services pages with greater details and examples possibly?
This depends on the complexity and variety of your services, as well as your goals for user engagement and SEO. Both approaches can have their advantages, but often, a combination of the two works best. Contact Us Today for a free review of what your current website has or what you would like it to be.
Step Five – conduct some competitor research and keep your website goals simple to start.
Conducting research of your competitors and understanding your target audience is crucial when planning your website. Note what design features, content, and user experience elements stand out to you. How the competitors website navigation functions, the calls to action and over all style each one conveys. By spending some time to research your competitors and clearly defining your customer’s needs, you can structure your website to be both user-friendly and effective.
Starting with what you already have is a great way to ensure consistency and make the web design process smoother. By leveraging what you already have for your business you can quickly create a professional-looking website design that represents your brand effectively.
Below we offer a list of key design idea questions that will help guide the process of planning your small business website design or redesign.
- Who is your target audience? What are they looking for from your website?
- Do you have a website log designed and if so what two or three basic colors would you like to use in the design?
- Will you need to have a Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress to maintain your website? Do you want to manage your content?
- What time frame do you want your website to be done in? Will it be done in stages?
- Have you seen websites by other companies in your industry? What do you like and dislike about these websites?
- Who is your competition and how does their website look and function?
- Do you have the text, photos and videos that you want to use on your website clearly labeled and organized?
- What products or services are you providing? Do you have all the descriptions well organized, written out and ready to go?
- Are you selling online? How do you want your products displayed? And do you have your product data?
- What is the scope of your website – small business, ecommerce, corporate, personal, blog, etc.?
- What other ways do you plan on promoting your business? Will these methods have the website address as a prominent feature?
- Have you created a keyword list of search terms you want your website to rank well for in search engines?
- Do you have a basic business Gmail account so we can submit your website right to Google and attach website analytics and search console to your project?
- How much do you want to spend on your new website, what is your budget range?
- What social media will you need to have active on the website?
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