One of the biggest obstacles to launching a business website is a lack of planning. Think about the layout and what functionality you want on your site in advance. If you\u2019re a visual planner, map it out on paper, or with index cards that you can arrange on a board. Name each page and break down what needs to be on it. From services to resources, the more you can nail down a framework for your content, the faster it\u2019s going to come together. If you\u2019re in doubt as to where to start, look at your competitor\u2019s sites and make notes on the items and features you like. This will come in handy, especially if you\u2019re working with a web designer. After all, the first thing he\/she is going to ask you is \u201chow you want your site to look,\u201d and it\u2019s always good to have concise answers. Collect product images, copy, and other content prior to starting and the process will go much more quickly.<\/p>\n Decide what you want your website to do. Are you after sales conversions or are you collecting leads? Is it just about boosting brand awareness? Do you need to integrate an app or two? The answers to these questions will help define the tone and functionality of your site. If you run a real estate brokerage, for example, it would be helpful to have maps integrated into your listings, and maybe a search module that allows potential buyers to find out what\u2019s available in their ideal location. Restaurants should have menus and event calendars, but not necessarily eCommerce. Look at your website as a visitor would. What functions and features will bring them the greatest satisfaction? Do you intend to include a blog? Some features are as simple as integrating a widget. Others may require some custom coding. Make a list of the necessities and a separate list of the \u201cnice to haves.\u201d Discuss the specifics with your web designer to see what will best suit your budget.<\/p>\n Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, is one of the most important components of doing business on the web. SEO helps to boost your visibility with search engines and drive \u201corganic\u201d (unpaid) traffic to your site. A good SEO strategy will bring remarkable value to your marketing efforts, so understanding what it can (and can\u2019t) do, is always a good idea. Do targeted keyword research by using Google Keyword Planner<\/a> or Keyword Tool<\/a>. Finally, read up on current SEO trends to find out about the specific do\u2019s and don\u2019ts of SEO. They change frequently, so it\u2019s always a good idea to stay current. Not having an SEO strategy is akin to having a bad SEO strategy, and not knowing about the elements that could potentially tank your ranking will probably harm your business in the long run.<\/p>\n In order to stay on top of trends in your industry, you need to know what your competition is up to. You know this from a marketing standpoint already, but web trends are no different. Look at your competitor\u2019s sites and take a page from their book. If there are features you like, chances are others will like them too. You don\u2019t have to steal design elements directly (and you shouldn\u2019t), but there\u2019s nothing wrong with emulating certain features and functionality. What works for them can definitely work for you.<\/p>\n WordPress<\/a> is one of the most powerful open-source CMS\u2019s (content management system) on the web. The advantages to using an open source CMS is that there are thousands of developers all over the world who can work with it, so you\u2019re allowing yourself lots of flexibility at the outset and going forward. Whether you want to build your own website yourself or hire a professional web designer, WordPress is one of the best ways to go. Even if you start with one web design company or designer and move on to another at some point in the future, you won\u2019t have to go through the hassle of finding somebody who knows your system. WordPress is the most commonly used CMS on the web so there are plenty of designers and developers that know how to work with it. WordPress is also easy enough to learn by yourself. You will need to purchase web hosting and install WordPress onto your web hosting account. Web Hosting Hub<\/a> is a great choice for hosting WordPress and you can read my full review on this host here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You may come across the term \u201cresponsive web design\u201d here and there, which basically means that your website will need to be mobile friendly and be properly viewable on any device. Why does this matter? The majority of people today access the web from their mobile devices, and use them for everything from research to purchasing products. Search engines favor mobile-friendly sites, so it\u2019s to your distinct advantage to make sure that your site is mobile-ready. Most CMSs like WordPress offer responsive themes\/templates. If you are working with a web designer who is building from scratch, they will more than likely have the responsive end of things covered, but it\u2019s worth making sure. During the design phase, always check your website on all of your mobile devices to make sure it looks great and functions as it should.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re browsing open-source platforms, templates, and various different web design tools \u2013 and realizing that this is going to take time and effort \u2013 you might be tempted to hire a web designer. When you\u2019re deciding on a web designer, make sure that you\u2019re impressed with the work they\u2019ve done in the past. Ask your colleagues for recommendations (if you like their sites, of course), or browse freelance sites such as UpWork<\/a>, Freelancer<\/a> or Fiverr<\/a> to get the job done. If you are looking at creating complex web apps, you might want to hire a specialist, but for most basic design and content creation services, there are plenty of cost-effective options out there, and hundreds of talented designers, coders, and copywriters that are ready to work when you are.<\/p>\n While one person\u2019s idea of \u201ca lot of money\u201d will differ from another\u2019s, it is good to keep in mind that you will need to plan out a budget. Know that you will have to pay something \u2013 nothing good comes for free. If you\u2019re building a website yourself, then you can literally save thousands. You will need to purchase a good WordPress hosting plan<\/a>, a domain name, and likely a premium WordPress theme<\/a>, which totals a couple hundred dollars at most. However, hiring a professional web designer, will cost a considerable amount more. You will need to shop around and determine whether you can afford hiring a professional web designer or not. If you go into the process with a budget in mind, you will more than likely be able to stick to it.<\/p>\n Flash is a proprietary compressed animation technology that was developed by Adobe. It\u2019s pretty slick and cool, but sadly it isn\u2019t compatible with many devices, especially iOS (Apple, iPhone, and iPad). It is considered a dead technology. Many people have Flash disabled on their devices or computers, so don\u2019t use it. Avoid Flash at all costs. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to create movement on your home page that don\u2019t involve Flash, such as using full-screen video.<\/p>\n There is nothing that looks worse than a busy, cluttered site that makes it impossible for the user to find what they are looking for. The last tip in this article is to make sure your website has a clean, easy to navigate design. Your site navigation should be at the top of the page, your contact information should be in the footer, and whatever your product or service is should be clearly<\/em> represented on the home page. Keep it as simple as possible and let your business speak for itself.<\/p>\n Guest Post by Jay Douglas of Howtogetonline.com<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019re a business professional, a savvy entrepreneur, who knows how to make things happen. One of the first orders of business will revolve around creating and launching your first website. The good news is, even if you don\u2019t know much about web design or coding in HMTL, you can still build your own website. 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<\/a>You\u2019re a business professional, a savvy entrepreneur, who knows how to make things happen. One of the first orders of business will revolve around creating and launching your first website. The good news is, even if you don\u2019t know much about web design or coding in HMTL, you can still build your own website. Although it does take time and it does take effort, it is doable. Here are\u00a010 tips to help you get your first business website successfully launched and off the ground.<\/p>\n1. Plan Your Website Before You Start<\/h2>\n
2. Set Realistic Goals<\/h2>\n
3. Start Learning About SEO<\/h2>\n
4. Check Out the Competition<\/h2>\n
5. Use an Open Source CMS<\/h2>\n
6. Make Sure You\u2019re Mobile-Friendly<\/h2>\n
7. If You\u2019re Using a Web Designer\u2026<\/h2>\n
8. Plan Out a Budget<\/h2>\n
9. Don\u2019t Use Flash Intros or Music<\/h2>\n
10. Keep It Simple<\/h2>\n