Most of your customers – existing and potential will expect you to have a solid digital presence. A business website is the first thing they would look for, before and sometimes even after making a purchase.
Despite the websites being around for a long time, the most frequently asked question that pops into a small business owner’s mind is how to create a website!
Before we move ahead and discuss the process of creating a website in detail, let’s first discuss the reasons why you need a website and the important points you must bear in mind when creating a website.
Why do you need a website?
Yes, websites have been around for a long time. However, there is still a lot of resistance in the small business community when it comes to making a business website. Some are deterred by the added expense, while others are satisfied with the business they already have through traditional methods.
There are many reasons why you and your business need a website. Let’s take a look at all the benefits of a website for your business.
- Attract more customers & make money
81% of people research online for a business before making a purchase decision. If you don’t have a business website, you will miss out on this entire chunk of the market. The more customers you can appeal to, the more would be the conversions!
- Add instant credibility to your business
How would you feel about a business if you could not find them online? Having a well-designed website increases the customers’ confidence in you and your business.
Most first-time callers have similar concerns and queries about a business. With a website in place, your customers can find all the information in one place without taking up your productive time. With all your contact details, step-by-step directions, product listings, pricing, and other critical information on your website, your customers can make an informed decision without having to call in for every small thing!
- Be available around the clock
A website lets people access information, leave their query for you, offer a quote, and do a whole lot more, irrespective of the time of the day. This means your business is always open, whether it is your business hours or not!
Having a business website means your audience will have a convenient mode of communication. The millennials specifically enjoy digital channels of communication more than telephonic communication. Add a chatbot or a form to your website and let them get in touch with you in the way they feel comfortable.
Things to remember before creating a website
So, it is exciting that you have gotten this far ahead in the article. You know what a website can do for you and your customers. It is time to start creating a website, or is it?
Before we dive into the website development process, we must first make sure that we have a plan. A well-planned project is bound to fare better in the real world, so let’s discuss a few things you must remember before creating a website.
Building a website involves some investment of time and money or other resources. Hence, it only makes sense that you have a clear revenue model to make sure that all your investments are worth it! If you do not have a way to make money from your website, what will motivate you to keep running it?
Your website will have not only your data but also your customers’ sensitive information, especially if you are selling products or services through your website. Get SSL certification, so that if users want, they can check your site URL on an SSL checker and rest assured of their data security!
How many weeks are you going to spend on testing your website? Will it just be alpha testing or you have thought about getting some beta testers onboard? Don’t skimp out on testing your website properly. A website that keeps crashing or has multiple bugs, is not going to amount to much.
- Technology – coding, low-code, or no-code
There are many paths to take when you are deciding on the technology you want to use for your website development process. There are three ways to go about it
- Coding – the traditional way to build a website is through coding. However, it requires you to hire a coding expert and invest a lot of money. On top of it, you may have to chalk in months of development time.
- Low-code – developers use low-code development to create websites through a graphical user interface instead of traditional hand-coded computer programming. It makes the development process faster and much cheaper.
- No-code – anyone can create a website with no-code technology. Based on block architecture, no code technology lets anyone create a website in minutes, that too for a fraction of the cost of traditional web development.
An important part of planning is putting a timeline in place. Without a proper timeline in place, your project will only keep getting delayed. Give yourself a deadline for the launch and work towards it.
How to create a website without coding
Enough about SSL checkers and beta testing, right? Here comes the fun part! It is time to bring your web development plans to reality with no code website development.
- Register a domain name for yourself
Choose the right domain name that represents your brand. Read the domain name out loud to know how it sounds. The domain name should resonate with your audience and your product line. A good domain registration site will help you with great options for domain names that are available for your favorite keywords.
A web hosting company helps you get your domain on the internet. Most of the major internet service providers offer web hosting services as well. You can also get matching email addresses to go with your domain name. The hosting fee depends on the size of your website and the number of visitors you get.
Next step is to create all the content you want to add to your website. This may include the ‘About Us’ section where you introduce your business and the team, product and service listings, short articles or long-form blogs, etc.
Creating your website without coding is super simple using a website builder. A no-code website builder is perfect when you have a small budget and limited time at hand. All you need to do is choose a design layout, tweak it to your liking and launch it for all your customers to reach out to you!
Conclusion
A website is one of the most important channels to attract customers and increase your sales. There are multiple benefits to creating a website for your business, however, there are a few things that you must keep in mind before you start the development process like security, testing, launch dates, monetization, and more. Eventually, it will only take you a few minutes to get your website up and running! What are you waiting for? Get going now!