Planning a website for your business can be a daunting job. Often, it’s a “bottom of the pile” task that can get delayed for years! Many business owners are put off by;
- web designers who talk over their heads
- the belief that it’s really difficult
- misconceptions about high costs
- lack of understanding of what is needed
- worries about it not working”
Today I’m going to explain the very basics of what is required to have a business website. There are only three things!
1. A domain name
This is your website address. You can register one yourself or your web designer can register it for you. Normally, it will need to be renewed every year unless you choose to register it for longer. Generally, it should not be too long. It should be easy to spell and easy to remember. If you can’t get your company name or don’t want to use it, try to get a domain that contains keywords relating to your business.
- Read another article about how to pick a good domain name.
2. A web host
This is where your website is stored so that it can be viewed on the internet. Your web designer will often manage the hosting for you. The advantage of this is that they will be familiar with the hosting company, have 24-hour access and will be more readily able to manage any problems that may arise in future. They can also set up additional services for you, such as email accounts and website statistics.
3. A web site
For a serious business, a website should be professionally designed. A good web designer should be able to offer you some helpful suggestions about the best way to market your business on the internet and add value beyond just building a few web pages. Just remember that choosing a web designer is not like choosing a painter. You won’t need to see the painter for years but your relationship with your web designer will be on-going, so ensure you get on with them!
Simple and to the point… these steps are great.
Something else to keep in mind before choosing a host & designer is deciding how you are going to keep your website up to date and relevant.
Often businesses (and other website owners) will spend a small fortune on a professionally done website only to find out they have to continue to spend another small fortune every month to keep it up to date. And as there is no way to make the changes themselves, they are completely dependent on the designers… costing them days, and even weeks in delays if the designer is backed up or out of town.
To avoid this dilemma, find a company (with a great tech support team) who will build your “professional” website on a user friendly software system that allows you to make simple updates whenever you want.
Finding a good company like this will make you wander why you didn’t start sooner.