William has been thinking about establishing his company\u2019s presence online, and thinks that creating a website would be the best way to accomplish that. He\u2019s been daydreaming about a simple site with just a few pages that simply acts as a quick way to grab leads. Even though his idea is simple, getting started seems incredibly complicated. Is there any way for him to design a great website with no skills, limited time, and a tight budget?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Your website is as important to the success of your business as the employees you hire and the product or service you offer. You need one. Period. This quick guide will help you get your site up and running so you can reap the benefits of this crucial online strategy.<\/p>\n Website builders are the training wheels for self-designed websites. Since many of these programs are designed for beginners, they start off with templates and resources that allow you to handle web design on your own. However, a do-it-yourself website builder won\u2019t always have all the answers. You may need to spend time\u00a0learning HTML and CSS<\/a>\u00a0in order to get the website you really want.<\/p>\n The main benefits of a website builder for small business owners are that they let you host, create, and maintain your website all in one place. This can offer the simplicity that you need to get a website up and running in a short period of time. Plus, these programs often start with a free plan with the option to upgrade to more expensive packages as your business grows.<\/p>\n Check out this comprehensive list of website builders.<\/a><\/p>\n Hiring a freelance designer gives business owners a greater degree of control over their design while spending less time on the process. However, there are a few things to be aware of before choosing this option.<\/p>\n When searching for a freelance artist through sites like\u00a099 Designs<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Upwork, make sure you know what you\u2019re getting before agreeing to work with a designer. Ask for references and a portfolio, and do your research on cost! You\u2019ll waste yours and the designers time by agreeing to work with someone who doesn\u2019t share the same vision or standards that you do. Also, keep in mind that a freelance designer is just that, a designer. You will still need to find a host for your site and have the design implemented before you can go live.<\/p>\n On the plus side, hiring a freelancer will give you more control over the actual design of your site. You can work with them to create something truly unique for your business that\u2019s geared toward bringing customers through the door. Hiring a freelancer will also save you the time it takes to create a website from scratch. Yes, website builders make the process simple, but getting your site just right takes time. If you don\u2019t have an extra 2-3 hours a day to spare, freelancers are a viable option.<\/p>\n Web design agencies and professional designers are an option, but not one we typically recommend for small businesses. You\u2019ll get a custom design that will certainly stand out against your competitor\u2019s, but at what cost?! No, seriously. It\u2019s expensive! Even a basic, small business website can\u00a0cost between $2000 \u2013 $5000<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you have the cash to spend but not the time or design skills, then this option may be the right one for you.<\/p>\n No matter which option you choose, here are some basic design best practices to get your site in tip-top shape!<\/p>\n There are two audiences you need to write content for: search engines and your customers. In order for your business to show up on the first page of search results, you have to write content the search engines will like. And in order to make sales, you have to write content that appeals to your prospective customers. Unless you have a full-scale marketing team, it\u2019s difficult to do both exceptionally well at the same time. So which do you focus on first?<\/p>\n Always, always, always put your customers first. In every aspect of your business, making your customer\u2019s needs the priority ensures that your business is centered around the people who drive your sales! Take care of them, and they\u2019ll take care of you.<\/p>\n When it comes to writing website content, put yourself in your customer\u2019s shoes and imagine what they might want to see when searching for your business. For example,<\/p>\n Restaurant owners may want to offer:<\/p>\n While realtors may want to offer:<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve decided what information to put on your website to serve your customers, then you can update your content so that it serves search engines.<\/p>\n To start, make sure you include your:<\/p>\n Also known as your NAP, these three pieces of information can reap major SEO benefits when\u00a0used consistently and kept up-to-date.<\/a><\/p>\n After you\u2019ve verified that search engines can find your website and local listings, you need to optimize your written content for search. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard that using keywords is sure to get you to the top of the results page. While keywords still play an important role in SEO, best practices are constantly changing and keywords are\u00a0not as important as they used to be<\/a>. The reality is that SEO best practices will continue to change at a rapid pace, and spending the time to stay in the know about each update just isn\u2019t feasible for small business owners.<\/p>\n Our recommendation is to use\u00a0SEO tools<\/a>\u00a0to help you with your optimization. When creating your website, look for tools within your website builder. For example, Wix has a free SEO tool built in that guides you through search engine optimization for each page. After your site is built, other tools, like\u00a0HubSpot\u2019s free website grader<\/a>, will evaluate your site, give you a rating on its performance, and then provide next steps for improvement.<\/p>\n Social Media.<\/strong>\u00a0Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. serve as a direct line to your audience. What you post here can\u00a0*almost*<\/a>\u00a0be guaranteed to reach your most loyal followers. However, social media pages don\u2019t deliver the SEO benefits that other online media do, which means consumers who are searching for businesses like yours may not find you if all you have is a social media presence.<\/p>\n Local Listings.<\/strong>\u00a0This includes your Google Maps listing and local online directories like the Yellow Pages. Because listings focus on your NAP they tend to rank well in search engine results. While some listings like Google Maps have room for images, virtual tours, and reviews, most listings offer space for a very limited amount of information, so it is difficult to rely solely on this medium to get your full value proposition out to consumers.<\/p>\n Blog.<\/strong>\u00a0A blog is a great tool for talking about and marketing your business, as well as attracting customers via the SEO that accompanies it. But, blogs are educational, not transactional. This works great for industries like\u00a0realty, law, and healthcare because consumers often need to be educated about industry trends and best practices. However, for small businesses like restaurants and dry cleaners looking for a true online selling tool, blogs simply fall short.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, all businesses can rely on a website to publish their content online. As a static, formal home for your business, they provide a single place for current and prospective customers to find accurate information about your business. Unlike social media, there\u2019s no login required, so anyone with an internet connection has access to your site. And, as your 24-hour salesperson, websites work to sell your products or services at all times of the day.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nWhat are my options for building a website?<\/h2>\n
Website Builder<\/h3>\n
Freelance Web Designers<\/h3>\n
Professional Designer<\/h3>\n
Design Best Practices<\/h2>\n
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What content do I need to put on my website?<\/h2>\n
Content for Customers<\/h3>\n
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Content for Search Engines<\/h3>\n
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Where else can I publish my content?<\/h3>\n
Actionable Steps<\/h2>\n
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