Your website is the online shop window for your small business. It’s the easiest way for customers to find you wherever they might be in the world.
But a study in 2017 showed that 29% of small businesses didn’t have a website. Does that include your business?
Don’t worry. Web design isn’t as scary as it used to be. You can create a simple website yourself. And you won’t need to know any code.
So if you’re looking for a simple guide on how to build a website for dummies? Read on!
1. Choose a Good Website Host.
Not all web hosts are created equal. While some may offer cheap hosting plans, beware. These cheap plans usually put your website on a shared server.
If someone else on that server gets a spike in traffic, your site slows down too.
Choose a host that offers good speeds, solid security, and 24/7 support. Many hosts also sell domain names so you can keep everything in one place.
2. Pick a Platform.
Not every business website needs a blog. If you do, then it’s best to go with a website platform that includes a blog. Squarespace and WordPress both offer blogs within their website functions.
If you don’t want a blog, then you can use platforms like Wix or Weebly. These platforms offer drag-and-drop functionality. You can create a business website within a few days.
Any of these platforms save you from having to write any website code from scratch.
3. Check out Good Websites in Your Niche.
You need to know what websites in your niche feature. Do your research and look at good websites.
Not sure how good a website is? Ask a friend outside of your niche to browse a few. If they can find their way around without knowing the terminology, it’s a good website.
Learn what the bare minimum is for your industry. What kind of images do other businesses use?
Plan to have;
- a home page,
- an about page,
- a contact page,
- and a page to highlight your services.
If you sell products, you’ll need pages for those too.
4. Optimize Your Website.
Even if you don’t know what the terms mean now, learn how to optimize images. Putting a 300dpi image on your website just makes it slower to load.
Choose colors and fonts to match your brand. Visitors need to know they’re in the right place.
Use text for navigation links, not buttons – check this website as an example. Add ‘alt tags’ to images for visitors with impaired vision.
And sprinkle industry-specific keywords throughout your site so Google can find it and start sending traffic your way.
That’s How to Build a Website for Dummies.
There’s a lot more to creating a website for your business. But this guide should give you enough pointers to get started.
Once you get a site online, you can add more content as you go.
Bookmark this page to find your handy guide to how to build a website for dummies. Check out our articles on web design for more ideas as you create your site.
