Can anyone direct me in how to start building a website for a small business?
My husband and I have a small business. We’ve had many requests for a website. I would very much appreciate If someone could direct us on where to begin. I see so many offers on the internet,but I don’t know anyone who has used one of them. Thank You
Tagged with: small business
Filed under: Website Business
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There are some very good answers here on this post already and I highly recommend going through them all as you will gain a bit of good advice from each. BUT, as a whole, each answer I’ve seen posted here is incomplete because they really don’t have enough information from you to give a direct strong answer. Knowing what kind of business you do is a key element in getting the right advice.
Here are the best steps I can suggest as a small business web builder based on what information is given in your question.
1. Although this first step may seem as an odd step, it’s of vital importance. FIRST and foremost, identify the niche your business operates in and do a little research as to what people are searching for the internet who use your services. Try to then find a domain name that you purchase that has the keywords that Google users search. This will help immensely with your site being found in Google and help your business in general.
2. Find a good host provider that has an easy WordPress installation. I personally like Bluehost as a web host, but there are many good ones out there.Wordpress is a free blogging software tool and the #1 choice among top internet marketers for too many reasons to list here. Just know that it is fairly easy to learn, very Google friendly, and makes your website easily accessible to edit from any computer hooked to the internet. Although it was made for blogging, it can easily be used to be a business website as well.
3. Do a little research on some good WordPress templates or look into purchasing a WordPress template maker like Artisteer.
4. If you know someone who knows WordPress and is willing to help you, use them to give you a personal rundown of WordPress and how it works. If you don’t, finding a local meetup group at meetup.com can be helpful as well. If not, then look online for WordPress tutorials, there are a ton of them on YouTube and in other places easily found by doing some searching.
This answer is presuming that you want to build the site yourself. If you are looking for a place to hire your help, make sure that you find someone that will give you references and does updates quickly.
Here is a list of things I strongly believe about small business websites that you may want to keep in mind:
1. A simple, basic, and informative website should not cost you thousands.
2. Simplicity is best. Clarity is key. Cleanliness is a necessity.
3, Your website is a direct reflection of you. You should look good.
4. A website is a waste of money if you’re the only one who knows how to find it.
5. If you want to edit small things quickly, you can.
6. Small updates should not be a big ordeal.
If you have a small business, then you should have a website
There are many ways to go, however, I always recommend to start small and as your income grows then you can upgrade your site.
You will need a domain name to start. I suggest GoDaddy as one site to get your domain name. They also offer free websites, however I recommend WebStarts because their free site is much more user friendly – it is really a copy, paste, click application. Their paid version is very good too and it doesn’t cost that much.
Next you will need a PayPal account so you can then generate Buy Now buttons. Then you add your products or list of services onto your website, copy and past the Buy Now buttons. Be sure to add good product descriptions, take some good photos, your contact information, about us, return policy should also be included in your website.
Then start broadcasting your new domain / website to everyone you know. Put your website on your business cards and be sure it is in your emails, on your facebook page, etc.
Have fun with it and best to you, your business and to your success!
I hope I can help you, because I don’t know what you are looking for. If you need a normal website for your business then you can try the CMS web to date, because it’s made for small business and daily use. For example it is very easy to insert a favicon or customizing a design and no html skills are requiered. The creation of content is simple, too. So you can use many Plug-ins like Google Maps, Youtube, Lightbox, Fotogalleries… but the software is unfortunately not for free. I work about 4 weeks with web to date and I think it works quite good. More Informations: http://www.todate.com/website-design-software/software-features/index.php
Domain Name + Web Hosting + Content Management System = Website
A web domain is the url or web address of your website (IE example.com) and directs web browsers to the web host containing your website files. Many web hosts will provide domain name registration as part of their web hosting package.
Web Hosting is where your website files (IE Content Management System or CMS) are hosted and served to visitors of your domain name.
A Content Management System is the software that runs your website. This software is stored and runs on the webhost. An excellent and easy to use CMS is WordPress, which has a common 1-click installation on most web hosts.
Since this is a new website for a small business, I would recommend a low cost solution such as InMotion Hosting. They have excellent service and in my opinion, the best customer support in the business.
Once you have selected a Domain Name, a Web Host, and a Content Management System, it is up to you to supply the website with the content of you product or service.
If you are interested in online sales, I would highly recommend researching PayPal or Google Checkout.
Good luck in your online business endeavor!
It definitely makes sense to start a website for your small business.
Beginners in website creation can usually very easily get cheated on the net, so its good that you exercise some caution along the way. Here are some tips
- Register your domain name yourself, don’t allow anyone else to do it. Make sure you OWN the domain name by giving your details as the owner and contact details properly.
- Stay off from cheap web hosts and unknown domain registrars.
- Stay off from "top 10 web hosts" type of websites because they usually promote businesses that they are connected in some way. Forums are a better place to get your reviews than "review sites".
Here is a link to help you get started:
http://hosting4beginners.webnode.com/how-to-host-a-website/
That will tell you step by step the things to do to get your website setup from domain name registration to the final thing.
You can use the site builders to create very professional looking sites. For a small business, I’d highly recommend Inmotion business plans for web hosting (under the reliable hosts article on that link). You’d have to integrate credit card / paypal integration on your site if you sell something on your site. All those hosts support all that.
All the best for your small business. If you have more questions ask on Yahoo!
Most "home-made" websites look home-made therefore i would recommend hiring a professional marketer.
P.S. i found that they gave the best bang for my bucks