How to Design a Website
That Attracts New Customers
Is your small business operating without a website at this time? If so, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity.
Studies have shown that more than 40% of small businesses don’t have a website right now. So you can get a huge leg up on your competition by putting a website for your small business into place.
You should learn the keys on how to design a website before you get to work, though. The last thing you want to do is spend a bunch of time and money creating a website that does more harm than good.
Don’t know the first thing about how to design a website layout that will work well for your small business? No worries! Our web design tips will lead the way and leave you with a website that you absolutely love.
Check out how to design a website from start to finish below and then get down to business.
Start by Taking a Look at the Websites of Your Closest Competitors
First things first: Before you can begin working on your website, you should see what kind of websites your closest competitors are working with. Visit each of them and spend 30 minutes or so poking around on them.
By doing this, you can see what works well—and what doesn’t—for your competitors when it comes to their websites. This should give you some ideas as far as what you’ll want to include on your website and what you’ll want your website to look like when it’s all finished.
Decide Which Features You Want Your Website to Have
Just about all small business websites have the same basic features on them. This includes a:
- Homepage
- “About Us” page
- Contact page
You should be sure that your website has special sections set up for each of these things. But you should also try to come up with some other sections that will set your website apart.
For example, you can create a blog on your website that you can use to keep fresh content around at all times (more on this in a little while!). You can also create a shop where you can sell some of your company’s products and services.
You don’t want to cram too much stuff onto your website. But you should have plenty of things for your customers to check out when they come to your website.
Figure Out Whether You Want to Use a Template for Your Website or Build It from Scratch
While you’re in the process of figuring out how to design a website, you’re going to find that you’ll have two basic options with regards to actually creating it. You can either use a template to set up your website or build it from the ground up.
If you decide to go with the first option, you might be able to create your website without the help of a professional. But if you’re going to start from scratch when creating a website, hiring a professional to assist you is really going to be a no-brainer.
It’s going to be pretty much impossible for you to build a website from scratch on your own if you don’t have any experience doing it. It’s why you’ll want to find a web designer to lend a helping hand.
Bring a Web Design Company on Board to Help You Out
If you decide that you’re going to hire a web design company to help you out with your new small business website, it’s important for you to select the right one. Fortunately, there won’t be any shortage of options.
There are more than 80,000 web design companies scattered throughout the country at this time. There should be at least a few terrific choices in your immediate area.
Look for a company that has the experience and the expertise that it takes to bring your ideas for your website to life. This web design company would be one of your best options at this time.
Tinker with Different Looks for Your Website to See What Works Best
One of the things that a web designer should be able to do for you is mockup a bunch of different looks for your website at the start. They can show you what the possibilities will be for you and let you tinker with whatever it is that they’re able to create.
Take full advantage of this by picking and choosing different aspects of a web design company’s designs to include in your website. You should be able to piece together something that’s going to give off the appearance you’re going for with your website.
Add the Right Content to Your Website
You can spend all the time you want designing a website that looks flawless. But if it doesn’t have enough content on it? Good luck getting people to stick around long enough to check it out!
You should stockpile your website with lots of content on each and every page that you put up. It’ll work wonders for your website’s search engine optimization and get your site the recognition that it deserves right from the start.
You can also build on your initial SEO efforts by implementing a blog into your website design. Creating a blog and updating it accordingly is a great way to get in good with Google and the other search engines.
Learn How to Design a Website Before Getting Started
If your company is going to be creating a website, you don’t want to rush into things without having a plan. You should start by learning about how to design a website and then go from there.
More often than not, your best bet will be to work with a web design company while designing your website. It’ll leave you with the best possible website in the end and drum up plenty of interest in it among people.