In order for your small business to succeed, you must have a strong online presence. You can start by creating a good website.
A website is the platform where you can virtually meet customers and showcase your products and services. You can use a website builder for it, or do it yourself.
This guide for startups presents the most important factors to keep in mind when you create a website. However, you should know the following about online businesses.
New websites are created every day, which means you have tons of competition. You must be prepared to overcome your competition in the field.
Online trends also change constantly so you should learn how to adapt to them. You can easily make it online as long as you know what to do and how to do it.
Knowing how to create a website and making it succeed in terms of lots of traffic and sales conversion is not a walk in the park. In fact, statistics show that many businesses never make it past the initial stages because the owners do not know what to do or don’t keep up with the online trends.
The following should help you to succeed when you create a website for your business.
Find the right domain name
A domain name is an address that anyone can use to find you online. It is usually a representation of your business name, but you can alter it especially if the preferred one has already been taken.
It is important to choose a name that represents what your business does so that your customers can find you easily. In addition, don’t use names that are too long because nobody will remember them.
If you can find a simple name that will stick in the minds of everyone, it will be a major boost for the business. Read these tips in choosing the right domain for your business.
Look for a host for the website
You do not only need a domain; you have to host it so that the website can go live. There are many web hosting companies ranging from free hosting to paid ones.
Choose a hosting service that can assure you of sustainability because you do not want the site to keep going offline all the time.
Ask them about the amount of space that they can allow you to use, and the emails attached to the site.
Although it is advisable to start with free hosting, do not stay there for long because there are too many limitations. A paid hosting account will give you more flexibility to grow your business.
Optimize the website for the search engines
Now that your website is live, you need people to visit it. Remember that at this point, nobody actually knows it except you and those who helped you build it.
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process of making it more visible in the search engines. You can start by creating enough content for your visitors. Let them know who you are and what you offer. Be sure to give them value.
When potential customers get to your site after clicking on a link, it is because they are looking for a solution to one or more problems. If they find out that there is no solution in your content, they will not come back.
In optimizing the site, focus on your target audience: the people who will buy your products and services. It will be a waste of time and resources if you end up getting millions of new visitors to the site every day yet none of them is interested in what you have to offer.
Targeted traffic can be found through quality and qualified backlinks as well as pre-qualified traffic. When writing content, use keywords that reflect your area of operation to get local traffic.
Anyone can create a website but not all can make one that converts online traffic into customers. If it sounds too difficult to do, or if you don’t have the time to devote to it, you can always hire an expert to design the site, host it, and optimize the content.
However, make sure that you choose a reliable website builder based on skills, experience, and an understanding of the online market.
Ready to take your business online? Get started with Bookmark website builder today!
Originally published at www.bookmark.com on October 24, 2016.
