You know that your business needs a website, but taking your business online can be intimidating when you don’t have any experience with web design or development.
Fortunately the process for getting your business online isn't as complicated as it may first seem to be, and can be broken down into these simple steps:
1. Research and Register a Domain Name
Ideally, you’ll find a suitable domain name for your business at the same time that you choose and register your business name. Use an online domain name registrar to search for and purchase the preferred domain name for your business as soon as possible.
2. Determine What Your Website Will Need to Do for Your Business
Your website is a tool and should only exist if it provides some kind of value for your business. If all your website needs to do is provide basic company information and contact details, then a simple brochure-style website will suit your needs. However, if you need something more extensive that incorporates a blog, third-party plugins, or e-commerce functionality, then the scope of your website project will be much larger.
Make sure that you are very clear about what you need from your website – separating the “must haves” from the “nice to haves” – so you can make an informed decision about picking a website platform to suit those requirements, and to make sure that your website project stays within scope and on budget.
3. Decide Whether to Hire Help
To create a website, you have two choices: you can do it yourself, or you can hire someone to do it for you. If you decide to build your website yourself, pre-designed themes for self-hosted WordPress sitesand fully-hosted services such as Squarespace will allow you to do so with little or no knowledge of HTML or other coding languages.
However, while the DIY route may be cost-effective, it can also be very time-consuming. If you would prefer to hire a web designer or developer instead, you have a number of options. On the less expensive end, you can hire a student. Having a student build your website should cost less than hiring an experienced web professional, but keep in mind that they may lack certain skills and their availability may be limited by academic commitments.
Alternatively, you can also hire a freelance web professional, or if your websites requirements are extensive (and your budget can afford it), you may need to hire a web design agency for the most comprehensive set of resources, skills and services.
See How to Design and Build Your Website for more information on how to make the best decision about who to hire to help you build your business’ website.