How to Create a Small Business Website | (Guide for 2024)

Today, it is impossible to imagine a small business operating without a website since the internet has become the most popular medium. If you have never had a website for your small business, then you may be leaving a sizeable market untapped.

Over 4.5 billion individuals across the world search online for different types of products and information. Hence, it proves that online search engine is the only way people rely when it comes to searching for their preferred products and services. The days have gone when customer decisions were solely based on TV ads, flyers, newspapers, etc. Now the internet is revolutionizing the way a user feels, searches, and buys products and services.

However, getting a website created does not seem easy for some small business people. Where do you begin? What technical expertise is required? This useful guide will walk you through the steps from defining your website goals to launching your digital storefront. Let's begin.

1.) First of all, Know your Website's Goals and Target Audience

In the first step, you should start the process of creating a website with an open mind and plan your steps ahead. The initial step in this process is to outline the objectives of your website and the audience you are targeting, which form the foundation of any successful website.

Website Goals:

Your website acts as a virtual hub for achieving multiple objectives. However, it can serve a multitude of purposes. Here are some common website goals for small businesses:

• Lead generation: Gain leads from potential customers by offering them rewards to provide their contact details or subscribe to your mailing list.
  
  
• Offer your services: To be able to sell your services, you need to explain them in a clear manner and also point out to the potential customer the value that will be received from your services.
  
  
• Establish brand authority: Win the trust of your audience by posting useful content that illustrates your skills and knowledge and gets good reviews from previous clients.
  
  
• Boost online sales: If you are selling products, have a well-structured online store where customers can easily make a purchase.
  
  
• Provide customer support: Provide customers with a knowledge base or FAQ options to enable them to seek answers on their own.
  
  

Target audience analysis:

Like a ship in the ocean needs a clear destination, your website needs to have a clear target audience. These are your target customers for interacting online. The analysis of demographics, interests, and online behavior allows one to develop a website that resonates with them.

2.) Pick a Domain Name and Select Web Hosting

Just like any home needs to be constructed on some foundation as well as having an address, your web page also needs something to rest on. This step focuses on securing these crucial elements: your domain name and web hosting.

Your domain name is your virtual persona

Your domain name can be described as the specific address of your website on the internet. It is the sequence of characters that people enter in their browser in order to get to your site. Here's why a well-chosen domain name matters:

• Easy to remember: A clearer, more concise, and brand aligned domain name has greater recall and is hence more likely to be remembered by users, making it easier to associate with businesses.
  
  
• First impressions: Normally, a domain name is the first contact between the outside world or prospects and you. At first sight, visitors being presented with a professional looking domain name will create an impression on their minds.
  
  

Check out if your desired domain name is available using a registrar’s tool to search for domain names. Some common TLDs include .com, .net,.org. Among others .com extension is highly preferred due to its popularity among various businesses and people.

Web hosting: The Foundation of your website

In simple terms, web hosting is where the files of your website are stored and from where users access it through the internet. For beginners who are small business owners, there are many options for web hosting plans, but affordable ways to host a website, like shared hosting plans, should be among them. It is a web hosting plan where your website and other websites are hosted on the same server. It is a very cost effective web hosting plan.

As your website traffic and complexity grow, there are other options, like dedicated hosting or VPS hosting, available to get more performance and security. But by the time you set up your site, a shared hosting plan can give you an excellent starting point at an affordable cost.

3.) Design Your Brand Logo

Another essential of a website component for growing as a brand is its logo; this is the visual mark that will be associated with your business. The logo will appear on your website, flyers, newsletters, posters, and social media accounts, indicating that it must look nice. One must consider a logo:

• Simple and memorable: Design a logo that is clean, simple, and easy to remember. More complex designs may not easily make sense to users about what you do in business and, hence, fail to resonate well with them.
  
  
• Aligns with your brand: Make sure your logo reflects the personality of your brand or company. It is important that you choose your color scheme, fonts, and any image that you will be putting on your site in relation to your target market.
  
  
• Versatile: Your logo should look good in various sizes and formats, such as on the internet, on your letterhead, on business cards, etc.

4.) Choose Your Website Building Method: (2 Available Options)

Hence, having established your vision, mission, goals, and objectives and registering your name and getting your domain, it is time to construct the house, or, in simpler terms, build a website. This step explores the two main methods of website creation: website builder platforms and custom website design. Knowing the benefits and issues that surround each is important in order to make the right decision for the specific situation.

(Option 1): Website Builder Platforms: Build It Yourself

Website builder platforms make it easy for a normal person to create an attractive and functional website with little experience in coding. Think of it like an online app where you can ‘drag and drop’ features that are already developed. It makes the task of building a website simpler for a beginner as well. There are plenty of website builder platforms available, like Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, etc. It is up to you which platform you select after analyzing your business needs. The main two benefits of using them are:

• Easy usability and cost effectiveness: Nearly all platforms have a user-friendly graphical interface along with visual editors, so everyone can create a website without knowledge of web design. Website builder plans are usually cheaper, with more options for all types of budgets.
  
  
  
• Templates and features: Website builders are easily accessible online and are designed to offer a variety of pre-designed templates and in-built tools for use when developing the site.

However, there are also limitations to consider:

• Limited customization: On the flexibility aspect, templates provide a limited scope for customization; however, extreme design and functional customization might not be possible. Achieving a truly unique brand identity can be challenging with a template-based approach.
  
  
• Scalability Limits: For example, complicated or particular functionalities or aspects could be hard to find in web builder platforms. There are disadvantages; if your site is highly specific and needs to be customized, you might face some issues.

(Option 2): Custom Website Design: Partner with an Agency

Custom web design is the ideal solution for any business that requires a website with its own particular brand personality and that has specific needs that cannot be met by a template-based solution. Partnering with a web design agency allows you to:

• Achieve unique design and functionality: A web design agency or company will take their time and be precise when designing your website, and they will make sure that the website has all the features you need to be unique and has the integrated features that are required for the specific needs of your business.
  
  
• Benefit from SEO expertise: A reliable web design partner can optimize your website for SEO, which will help improve the site’s ranking in search engine results and will attract people who search for specific services on the Internet.
  
  
• Support and maintenance: Maintenance and support services can also be offered to guarantee the continuity of your website, besides fixing errors and adapting to newer technologies.

While custom design offers significant advantages, there are also one factor to consider:

• Technical expertise required: Effective communication of your vision and close collaboration with the agency’s designers and developers are necessary to get an effective masterpiece.

5.) Focus on User Experience and Visual Appeal

User Experience (UX)

The user experience (UX), on the other hand, is the level of comfort that visitors find themselves in while using your website. An easily navigable website makes visitors spend more time on the website and visit it again and again.

Ensure that you make it easy for your visitors to locate the content they are looking for by implementing a well-designed sitemap, and on the other hand, make sure your website is responsive, which means that it is properly displayed and works correctly on all devices: PC, tablet, or smartphone.

Visual Appeal

Using vibrant visuals like images and videos is helpful in grabbing attention and convincing your customers. You should choose images and visuals that align with your brand and that your target market will resonate with. Keep in mind of basic design principles like color schemes and typography also.

A proper choice of colors can trigger emotions and influence user behavior, while the choice of clear and readable fonts can improve the overall look of the site and its credibility.

6.) Add Valuable and Engaging Content to your Website Pages

Content is the lifeblood of the website. Informative and engaging content is of utmost importance for attracting users, as well as in terms of SEO. Think of your website as a house; content decorates it, making it useful and comfortable.

There are various types of content that work well for small business websites:

- About Us: Advertise your product, present your team, and gain the confidence of your prospective clients.

- Services: Describe the services offered, emphasizing their purpose and why they should be purchased.

- Blog: Introduce yourself as an industry expert and provide your target audience with helpful, interesting articles.

Boosting visibility:

The use of main page specific keywords in the content is a primary rule of search engine optimization (SEO). Your website pages should be properly optimized for Google search, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines. SEO helps your website be easily found on the internet by your targeted customers, ensuring that it is on the easily searchable pages of the search engine.

7.) Now Launch your Website with Continued Care

Finally, before publishing the site and making it live, it should be tested very well. This means checking website functionality and responsiveness across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Once those are accomplished, it only takes one button click to go live. If your goals or visions widen in the near future, you can scale your website to a web portal that will allow you to offer more services such as user accounts, forums, advanced search features, and a broader range of content to better serve your audience.

You must remind yourself from time to time that your website is a living entity and not a static brochure. Ongoing maintenance is crucial. It is also important to update the content on a regular basis to ensure the information on the website is up-to-date, to fix any bugs that may arise, and to ensure that the website analytics are checked regularly to understand user behavior and identify areas for improvement.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned about the 7 key ways to lay a good foundation when constructing a small business website. Just a last reminder: you have created a website roadmap; now it is high time to put the charm into your project!

For businesses or individuals looking for a unique and customized online presence, we provide customized web design services. Our team is ready to help businesses with their new website launch journey. We will build a website that represents your brand accurately and delivers you a beautiful, modern website that fulfills your online goals. Contact us now for a free consultation, and let's build a website that boosts your business's success.