The pandemic has definitely been a game-changer in the world of marketing. In a time when we relied on face-to-face public stunts, have now been reduced to competitive online marketing. So the big question that most industries ponder on is how to make people interact with the brand online? No doubt, this phenomenon has taken marketers into a new leap in terms of thinking outside the box.
But that’s not all that’s become quite significant during the surge of the Covid-19 virus. Companies, small businesses, or even established enterprises have learned the value of building the perfect website. Here, we’ll tell you how you can efficiently build one! Before anything else, here’s what you should start on:
STEP 1: Choose a website platform
When we say platform, think of this as the main foundation of your website. Usually, the traditional platforms are those made from:
- HTML codes
- CSS
- PHP
These platforms are the traditional kind and take a lot of time to do. When you opt for these kinds of platforms, you might want to hire a professional to do it if you don’t have any experience with coding.
There is, however, an easier alternative. A more modern way of making a website is with the use of content management systems (CMS). This is a more user-friendly approach that can actually be used even for a person with minimal experience. Here’s what we recommend!
- WordPress
- Wix
- Joomla
- Squarespace
- Magneto (for e-commerce shops)
Of all the given suggestions, we specifically prefer using WordPress. Why? For a good number of reasons:
- WordPress is free! You just have to sign up.
- Easy website customization.
- Very user-friendly. As we’ve mentioned, even a person without IT experience can navigate his/her way through WordPress.
- WordPress is responsive. Meaning it works on all devices. Your website will be easily accessible through mobiles, tablets, PC, and other devices.
- Assistance is easy to find. Easily search for solutions to your dilemmas if you’re having a hard time navigating your way through WordPress.
Although some of the given suggestions can still do the job well, WordPress is still the ideal option if you want to start your own website. Ask anyone else! But they’ll initially refer you to this CMS.
STEP 2:Choose a domain name and host
A vital part of the process of putting your business online is choosing your domain name and your hosting. To put it plainly, a domain name is what people will put on the search bar to go to your website.
Ex: wedigitalph.com
As for the hosting, this is a service that connects your site to the internet. When you’re planning on signing up for a WordPress account, everything will be free except for the domain name and the hosting.
You can actually get away with a website without specifying a domain name (since WordPress will create one for you) but in the name of business credibility, you have to enter your business’s domain name. Imagine running a website without your business name, sounds pretty off doesn’t it?
Speaking of, what kind of domain name should I choose?
Don’t stray too far with your original business name. A rule of thumb when it comes to business domain names is to try and keep it as simple as possible.
- Let’s take Starbucks as an example. Their social platforms are pretty clean, easy, and straightforward. When you want to know more information about this coffee shop, you simply type starbucks.com, or simply Starbucks in their social media platforms to get there.
It’s not starbuckscoffeeshop.com or starbuckscoffee.com. Although it could be. However, as we’ve mentioned, keep it sweet and simple, and as much as possible direct to the point.
- This method also goes for those who want to build a personal website. If you want to create your own branding, simply put your name (or a name of your choosing). Let’s take renowned fashion blogger Kate Waterhouse. If you want to visit her blog posts, you can simply type in katewaterhouse.com. It’s uncomplicated, easily accessible, and is in line with your brand.
In line with this, avoid using odd extensions such as .party or .blog. Avoid these uncommon extensions and stick to the common ones such as:
- .com
- .net
- .org
Basically, those are a few things that you need to keep in mind when you’re choosing a domain name.
STEP 3: Fire up your website and start designing!
Hold up! There are a few things you should know first before you start building the perfect website. First, let’s start by creating your theme. Your website theme should mirror the overall personality and tone of your business. From the colors, to the text, and the font, it should reflect and scream your brand. If you’ve identified this, then it’s an easy roll from there.
Choosing a theme.
You should communicate the things you want to include for your website if you’ve chosen to build it via coding. But if you’ve opted to use WordPress, then sign up and choose a theme for your business.
Take note that there are free and premium themes to choose from. You can also search the kind of themes you want depending on your business.
So if you’re unsure on what design to choose, WordPress has some ready ideas for you whichever business you are running! Pretty cool right?
Although, if you’re already saturated WordPress, and their available themes are not to your liking, here are plug-ins you can refer to these premium theme markets:
Add your website’s content.
Add content to your website before you customize because it’s fairly hard to customize something that isn’t there. So what should be on your website? Remember, your content will vary depending on the kind of service you’re offering.
Relevant content is very important in a website so make it count! Fill your website’s pages with timely and interesting texts and graphics. Let people know what they don’t know about your business and other necessary stuff that you think they should be aware of. Speaking of pages, here are a couple that are present in every website:
- Homepage
- About page
- Contact page
- Services (If you have some to offer)
- Products (If you’re an e-commerce)
- Blog (optional depending on your business, but this part can actually help in terms of SEO)
Remember to balance your website in terms of visual and graphic content. Text heavy pages have a tendency to bore visitors. Nevertheless, you can always break that mold with attention-grabbing graphics or even short videos.
Make sure your website is organized.
Naturally, when we visit websites, we don’t want the feeling of ‘getting lost’, and with websites, it’s very easy to add things and elements. As a result we don’t often notice that the website itself is already becoming complicated.
One of the key things to make an organized website is to learn how to compartmentalize. After creating your pages (or menu bar) start plotting on what to put on those pages and stick to it! To sum it up, just make sure that your visitors can be able to go where they need to go with ease.
Apply SEO best practices.
Building the perfect website is nothing when it’s not even found online. SEO or Search Engine Optimization can help your website rank when people search for it on Google. When you apply this on your website, it will help you gain more traffic and become more discoverable online. So how can you do this?
It’s all about the content. The more content, the more chances of you being found online. Having a space for a blog is a very good strategy to rank higher on Google. Here’s how you’ll do it:
- Make sure your blog posts are at least 1600 words.
- Cite credible sources. (Google likes knowing that you’ve done your research)
- Use keyword research! (These are the words or phrases that people search for)
- Make sure to apply your chosen keyword in your blog titles (preferably in the beginning)
- Adding infographics can help you rank better too!
- Your blog article should also have subheadings!
- When writing, refrain from using a passive tone of voice. Always use active!
That’s the content side of things. But there is also the technical side. To help you rank higher, make sure that your website is:
- Fast loading. Make sure that your pages are loading faster.
- Also make sure that your website is mobile friendly!
- Make sure that your page’s purpose is clear.
- Duplicate content issues. Google hates confusion and duplicate content contends to that.
A word of advice, don’t get disheartened when your content or your website doesn’t rank automatically. It initially takes 6 months for content to rank on Google SERPS. So be patient and keep on building the perfect website! Afterall, everything is a work in progress.
Congratulations! You have now built your perfect website!
In a world wherein everyone is on the internet, establishing an online presence has never been more significant. But people also need to understand that building the perfect website is not a small undertaking. So give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far!
