3 Important Steps To Consider When Setting Up A Successful Website
A website is the first platform that businesses use for marketing. This is the starting place for many businesses before marketing their business on other social and visual platforms. A website is used for people to learn about a business, services, and products offered, and to gain information about the owner and staff. But what if your website is not set up for success, what if your website turns away business because it does not meet your ideal client's expectations? A website is a reflection of your business and the quality of services that you provide. If you have a website that looks like a hot mess that’s a negative image of your business.
As a Digital Marketing Strategist and owner of Appalora Virtual Services LLC I have seen more than a few websites that need a little extra attention. Before even thinking about Pinterest marketing, social media marketing, or content marketing the first thing I look at is a business’s website. Why is this important? If a business produces high-quality marketing content and materials that drive traffic to its website but the website layout is confusing, with low-quality images and looks unprofessional viewers who might have been potential clients will lose interest and move on.
Interested in outsourcing tasks to a digital marketing virtual assistant for your small business? Schedule a free discovery call to learn more.
No matter if you are an established business or just starting you have the opportunity to set up a website that will reflect highly on your business. In this step-by-step guide, you will learn how to choose the right website builder, how to set up your pages, and why you should consider adding a blog.
Step 1: How To Choose The Right Website Builder?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions, what website builder should I use? First, consider your experience with setting up a website. How much time do you want to spend on creating your website and managing your website, what type of services or blog are you providing, do you have a small business or a larger corporation?
The first type of website builder that you can cross off your list is a free website builder. People can tell the difference between a good quality paid site versus a free website. Two of the top website builders that are more popular are Squarespace and WordPress.
Squarespace is great for small businesses. If you do not have experience setting up a website or looking for an easy-to-set-up and manage website builder this is a great option. Squarespace has everything you need in one place, no need to download anything. It has built-in SEO, analytic reports, template styles, high-quality stock images, and email subscriptions. For a full-featured list of services available through Squarespace click here to learn more.
WordPress is a great option for larger businesses or if you have prior experience with building websites. This website builder will take more time to set up and build because it gives you a blank slate to create a website that will best fit your business. The website builder does have easy-to-use templates but for everything else, you will have to download plugins to add to the back end of your website such as Yoast SEO or Mailchimp for email marketing. WordPress also requires you to frequently do security updates. If you decide to go with this website builder just make sure you keep up with any updates, plugins, or changes that are needed. If this seems like the right website builder for your business but not comfortable setting up or managing your site consider hiring a professional.
2. Creating Pages
Now that you purchased a website builder think about the pages you will need for your business. No matter what type of business you have you want to start with a Home page. The home page should highlight your business and a brief description of the services or products you offer. Many businesses struggle because their home page does not give a clear picture of what they offer. If people have to click through a website to figure out what type of services are offered they are more likely to give up and leave the website. No one wants to waste valuable time and not get clear answers.
Along with having a great home page, your Services or Work With Me page will be the next step to setting up your website. Depending on your services you might have them featured all on one page or set it up as a drop-down menu. If you offer multiple services a drop-down menu will make it easy for people to navigate through your site instead of scrolling through to find the service they need. After each service offered make sure you include a call to action button. This will make it easy for potential clients to schedule a discovery call, purchase products or packages from your website.
The next step will be creating an About Me page and a Contact page. Provide your viewers with options to learn who you are, your experiences, and how to connect with you. It’s helpful to have an email inquiry form or scheduler added to your Contact page. As a business owner, I recommend Calendly to make it easy for people to see your availability and schedule a meeting or discovery call.
Step 3: Adding a Blog
To go an extra step consider thinking about setting up a blog for your website to make your website stand out from the rest. A blog can greatly help a business and plays a large role in marketing. Blogging is a way for businesses to showcase who they are, their experience, services offered, and to share valuable information with their readers. No matter what type of business you have a blog can be included on your website. Blogging and marketing your business on social media and Pinterest go hand in hand. Content marketing can highlight and drive traffic to your blogs. Blogs can then drive traffic to a business's home page, services page, or contact page.
You worked hard to start your own business, it took time, effort, money, education. Create a website that reflects who you are as a business owner. Set up your website for success from the start. If you are not proud of the website that you currently have make some changes or hire someone who can help provide a new perspective. If you want to be valued for your services offered and to be paid what you deserve then create a website that showcases your expertise. If your website looks cheap then your clients are going to expect your prices to be cheap.
When setting up your website take time to research different website builders available, ask for recommendations from other business owners in your field, and consider hiring a professional to help with set up and layout designs. Remember your business website is the first step to digital marketing success. Marketing will revolve around your website because the ultimate goal is to increase client interaction. If you need a digital marketing strategist and someone to help guide you with setting up and creating an incredible website learn how Applaora Virtual Services LLC can help. Schedule a free 30min discovery call to learn more.
Follow Me On Socials