Tips and Tricks on Creating a Website for Small Businesses
Posted on November 12th, 2024
Small businesses often struggle to reach potential customers due to a lack of reputation and limited marketing funds. Creating a website is a powerful way to establish an online presence and connect with your target audience. Yet, many small business owners are unsure about investing in a website. They may think that building one is too complicated or expensive. In reality, that’s not the case. This article will highlight why having a business website is important. We’ll also provide nine easy steps for creating your own small business website and answer some common questions on the topic.
What Are the Advantages of a Business Website
Creating a business website can be beneficial in many ways, regardless of its size and type. Here are some advantages a website offers for a small business owner:
Reach a Larger Audience
Small businesses might find it hard to enter global markets, but having a website can make things easier. Taking your business online allows you to break free from local boundaries and connect with new potential customers from different places. Another big benefit of having a website is that customers can engage with your business anytime, day or night. This helps improve customer satisfaction and can lead to more sales.
Increase Brand Visibility and Simple Online Marketing
Recent studies show that 92% of people prefer businesses that appear at the top of search engine results. Having a website helps small businesses become more visible online, especially if they use good search engine optimization (SEO) practices.
Over 90% of business owners think a website is the best tool for digital marketing. Small businesses can use their websites to provide information, engage with potential customers, and make sales.
For instance, adding your small business website to Google Business Profile can boost your local search results on Google Search and Google Maps. When people search for “coffee shops near me,” they can see your profile with details like your address and hours.
Customers can also leave reviews and add photos to your profile, which can help build your business’s trustworthiness and encourage more people to visit your store.
Gain Better Customer Insights
Knowing what customers like and how they act is a great way to improve their experience. A website can help you see how your business is doing. Google Analytics is a valuable tool for assessing your website’s performance and understanding visitor interactions. It offers insights into visitor demographics, behaviors, traffic sources, and purchase patterns.
This data enables businesses to identify their top products or services and refine their marketing strategies effectively. To start, just connect your website to your Google Analytics account. If you have a WordPress site, you can easily add Google Analytics to your dashboard.
How to Create a Website for Small Business in 9 Steps
Given the advantages of a small business site, we’ve outlined the nine key steps for creating your own website:
Step 1: Select a Reliable Hosting Plan & Get a Free Domain Name
To get started, you need to buy a web hosting plan from a reliable company. Your web host will keep all the important files and data for your site. Before you decide on a web hosting provider, think about these factors:
- Easy setup and use are important.
- Check the kind of control panel the hosting company provides.
- Consider storage and bandwidth limits.
- Check site security with built-in features.
- Make sure to consider site performance.
- Customer support is key.
Once you find the right hosting company, select a web hosting plan that fits your needs. You’ll also need to pick a domain name, which is the web address customers will use to visit your site. It should be short, unique, and related to your brand. Try to avoid numbers and hyphens to keep it easy to remember and look professional. For ease, it’s smart to get both your hosting plan and domain name from the same company. With Interserver, you can receive a free domain name for a year when you purchase one of our hosting plans.
Step 2: Choose a Platform for Building Your Website
The next step is to choose a good platform for building your website. Look for one that is easy to use so you can create your site without any coding. Popular choices include website builders and content management systems (CMS). When looking for the best website platform for your business, consider the following factors:
- Ease of use.
- Cost.
- Support.
If you’re just starting out, a simple website builder might be the best choice. Most of these builders have easy drag-and-drop tools and ready-made templates for quick customization.
You can also look for builders that use AI to speed up the process. Interserver offers an eCommerce website builder that helps beginners create a well-optimized site quickly. It includes many useful features like customizable templates, built-in marketing tools, and smart AI options.
WordPress is a great choice for building all kinds of websites, but it can be challenging to learn due to the technical skills required.
Step 3: Customize Your Website Design
94% of a user’s first impression comes from the website’s design. A well-designed and easy-to-use site can attract more customers.
The design process involves playing around with colors and fonts. Make sure your choices match your brand. Once you’ve finalized the visual details, you can set up important pages like the landing page, homepage, About Us page, and others.
Different website creation platforms offer various ways to design and customize your site. Website builders often come with ready-made templates and a simple drag-and-drop editor, making it easy to make changes. For example, Interserver has many professional templates suitable for all kinds of businesses.
On the other hand, WordPress has over 9,000 themes available in its official repository. You can filter themes by layout, features, and topics to find the best fit for your small business website.
Step 4: Make an Effective Product Page
Designing a product page is a key part of building an online business website. Here are some important elements to include:
- Feature image: Use high-quality photos.
- Product video: Videos can showcase your products.
- Persuasive product descriptions: Write engaging descriptions and highlight key features.
- Call-to-action (CTA): Choose a color for your CTA button that stands out.
- Reviews and comments: Honest reviews provide social proof.
Step 5: Add eCommerce Functionality
To facilitate seamless online transactions, you’ll need to add eCommerce features to your site. Here are some ways to do it:
- Install Plugins: WordPress users can use a trusted eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce.
- Integrate Payment Gateways: This checks card details and confirms purchases.
Step 6: Include Up-To-Date Contact Information
Running a small business requires you to be accessible. Create a dedicated contact page with all essential details. Using contact forms can help automate your mailing list and protect your business email.
Step 7: Conduct Several Testing for Your Website
Website owners should test usability. This includes checking for:
- Broken URLs.
- Browser and device compatibility.
- Speed testing.
- Readability testing.
Step 8: Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Optimizing your small business website for search engines is crucial for visibility. Here are some tips:
- Add image alt text.
- Include internal links.
- Target the right keywords.
- Optimize your images.
Step 9: Market Your Website
After launching and optimizing your small business website, promote it to drive traffic. Here are some methods:
- Blogging: Share insights and practical tips.
- Email marketing: Keep customers updated.
- Paid marketing: Research each platform carefully.
- Social media integration: Add sharing buttons to engage audiences.
Conclusion
Small businesses usually need an easier and more affordable way to market their products and services than bigger companies. Having a business website can help by making them more visible and enabling them to reach a wider audience. In this article, we’ve outlined the nine steps you should take when creating a small business website:
- Choose a reliable hosting plan and a free domain name.
- Pick a website building platform that fits your budget and needs.
- Customize the design of your website.
- Create a product page.
- Select a trustworthy platform to add eCommerce features.
- Make a dedicated contact information page.
- Test the site’s usability to check its functionality and user experience.
- Optimize your website for search engines.
- Explore different ways to promote your small business website.
We hope this article helps your small business grow and increase revenue. Good luck, and see you at the top!
