7 Tips for Building a Business Website

4 Steps to Doing Distraction-Free Work, Every Day

Nowadays, it is an absolute must for any business to have an online presence.

Consumer behavior has shifted dramatically during the last decade. Over 90 percent of potential customers will research your business location, products, services, prices, and even reviews before contacting you or physically visiting your store.

You can imagine how frustrated they are going to be if there is no information about your business available online. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a web developer or hire one, spending thousands of dollars, to develop a business website.

There are plenty of website builder services available for under 100 dollars. Here are some tips to get things right from the start.

1. Research your competitors

Do not jump into website creation straight away. Perform small competitor website research first.

The chances are that most of your competitors already have a website. Browse their websites from a customer perspective and write down what you like and what you don’t like.

This is very useful even if you already have a website since you will get new ideas on how to improve your site and possibly fix or even avoid some mistakes in the future.

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2. Decide on a budget

Even though there are many free website builders available online, the process of creating your own website is not entirely free.

Apart from the actual website development, there are other costs as well, such as buying a domain name and paying for hosting services.

Moreover, you will possibly have to add some useful functionality to both the front and backend of your website through paid apps in order to satisfy requirements inherent to your business specifics.

3. Chose domain name

Choosing a domain name is one of the most important steps. A mistake at this step may lead to years of potential client confusion. Some say that the right domain name is as important as website design.

A domain name should be related to your brand. Also, it should be easily memorable.

Avoid very long and “clever” words, make domain name no longer than 12 characters.

Also, try to use words related to your business niche. If your business has a brand built around it, use your brand name as the domain name.

Of course, most of the simple and easily memorable domain names are already used by someone else. However, you should not give up, take your time and get creative. Do not disregard the importance of this step, read more about choosing a domain name.

4. Make it user-friendly

Your business website should be easy to use and navigate.

Most people visiting your site will see it for the first time. Therefore your site should not be massive on the information.

A visitor should be able to get a clear understanding of a product or service that you offer and how to find you.

Place your contact details in both the header and footer and make sure there are enough contact options to satisfy all potential customers.

5. Make it mobile-friendly

Almost everybody has a smartphone today. This is why making your website mobile friendly is one of the most important SEO metrics today.

People use smartphones even in physical stores to compare product prices and make final purchase decisions.

There are more online purchases made by mobile users than desktop users.

Also, if your business has a physical location, potential clients may often double check your website from mobile while they are on the road to your store or office. Make sure to put clear instructions on how to find you.

6. Add a blog to your site

Adding a blog will bring more potential clients searching for information related to your business online.

High-quality content will also increase your search engine rankings. Blogging is a great way to build a trustworthy expert reputation around you and your business.

If you have a profitable business, you are likely already an expert in your business niche. Therefore you should know most of the new trends and developments in the industry. Start writing your thoughts on new changes in the industry, review new products, and old product improvements.

Starting a blog on your business website should be relatively easy for you as an expert. Read more about how to start a blog.

7. Place a call to action

Make sure that each page on your site has a purpose. Design your pages in a way that provokes visitors to act.

In some cases, you want to collect emails, in others you want them to press on a link or even to make a purchase.

Make sure that it is effortless for visitors to make an action. Eliminate any unnecessary steps in the process. It should be as easy and straightforward as possible.

Imagine that the client is ready to make a purchase, and you ask him to register and confirm an email first. A mistake like this may cost you thousands of dollars in cart abandonment.