Are you thinking about creating a website for your business? Since setting up a professional website is something that can cost hundreds of dollars, I thought I would put together this article to help people get started on their own DIY website. There are a few things you need to consider before getting started and they are: Domain Name, Hosting, Logo, Color Scheme, Mission and Content. If you’re not sure where to start with these items, then continue reading.
Domain Name
A domain name is the address of a website. It is like a street address for your business on the internet. Choosing a domain name is probably the most important thing to get right. You want something short and memorable (e.g., 123.com) that is also available (.com). It should be simple, but not generic so it can stand alone as your brand name (e.g., Apple or BestBuy). Since you’re on a budget and building your own website, I will suggest going with a .com instead of an .org or .net because they’re generally cheaper. However, if you want to start a nonprofit organization or foundation, then use one of those extensions instead.
Hosting
Web Hosting is a service that allows you to post your website on the internet. It is like a store front for your business that everyone can see, but only you can change. When someone visits your web page, they will be able to view it and interact with it. It is important to choose a good hosting company because they are the ones who make sure your website stays up and running all the time. If you choose an affordable one, then you are likely to have problems with slow loading times or have your site go down from time to time which is not what you want for people visiting your website. On the other hand, if you spend more on web hosting then there is less of a chance that these issues will occur. As a recommendation, it’s always best to start small since most Web Hosting companies will allow you to upgrade at any time if needed.
Logo
A logo is a very important part of your business’s branding. It represents who you are as a person, and it conveys the message that you want your customers to hear. A well-designed logo can be very effective in attracting people to your website and starting conversations about what you do. A good logo should be simple and easy to understand. It should also catch people’s attention without them even realizing it. If you take some time to think about what yours will look like, I guarantee that it will make a huge difference in the success of your business.
Color Scheme
By choosing the right color scheme, you can set the tone and mood for your website. This can influence your audience by creating an overall feeling of professionalism, trustworthiness, and expertise. The perfect color scheme will not only make a good impression on your visitors, but it can also help convert these visitors into leads. To choose the right colors, you need to consider what industry you are in and how other companies in that industry use color on their websites. For example, if you work with technology, then green is a popular color for background pages or buttons because it resembles technology. However, if you are in the entertainment business blue is often used because of its calming effect.
Purpose/Mission
Put simply, what is its purpose? You must understand what your mission or purpose is when you’re creating a website. This means that you must know exactly why you are building the site in the first place, so that it is more than just a business card online. Are you trying to get more customers, sell products, build an email list? This should be an easy starting point to ensure that the rest of your work is focused and productive.
Content
Good content is imperative for your website. It is the meat of a good website and without it you don’t have anything to attract people to your site. The first thing you need is a well written description of your business. Start by writing down what your business specializes in, what services you offer, what products you make/sell, where you are located and why people should purchase from you instead of from one of your competitors. This portion of the customer persona is the target market that we want to sell our product to (business owners) and their concerns (Why should businesses purchase from us instead of our competitors.) This helps us determine how we want to present our product (Good content for my website). Content is the foundation of your website. How are you planning to attract traffic to your site? What will make people want to visit? There are a lot of different methods and techniques you can plan on using, but at the end of the day, you’re going to need quality content that will keep people coming back for more. Content is what makes websites look professional, not just in terms of design, but in terms of substance. Even the best designed sites look amateurish without good content behind them. Content comes in two forms: text and images. Both are important, and both are equally difficult to create well (and equally easy to find poor examples).
Conclusion
Planning out a few things will make the designing process a little more enjoyable and a lot easier than you might think. There are plenty of platforms and tools that will help you get started without any coding experience. If you are looking to create a business website, now is the time to do it!
