This post will cover the basic steps of creating a website.
If you have not yet read Small Business Website Essentials it covers information such as why you want a website.
Pick a name
The domain name is how your site is identified. You can choose any name that is still available and choose from several different “top level domains” such as .com or .net.
Your business name is a great choice if available. If not, something relevant to your business or industry. You can almost always register a domain through your website hosting platform. See below for more information on hosting.
Some tips:
- Make it reasonably short
- Easy to spell
- Try to avoid abbreviations and acronyms
For more tips, read the article from godaddy “How to choose a domain name”
You can almost always register a domain through your website hosting platform.
Choose a website builder
A website builder is a tool to help create a website without needing to code it. These usually have either drag and drop or use blocks to setup the page with certain modules that are setup to contain headers, text, images, or one of many other types available.
Some of the options you’ll have are WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix.
Choose a website host
This is simply the company that owns the servers and networking equipment to store the code and to allow people to get there. There are many options for hosting.
If you pick Squarespace or Wix, they are also the hosting platform. For wordpress, there are a lot of companies that offer hosting. For the most part, hosting is a commodity. Pick a reputable company that offers good prices and features you need and you should be ok. Here are a few options and some basic information about them.
Shared
Shared hosting option means your site is on the same server as other websites, which technically could affect your sites performance.
Virtual private servers
Virtual private server can get pretty technical using virtualization but it really means you have a dedicated piece of a shared server. Your site will always have a certain amount of processing power and other resources.
Dedicated server
With a dedicated server, you’ll have a full server which should mean the most predictable performance for your site.
There are a lot of hosting companies. For the most part they all have the same options so just find one with the features you need at a good price point with good reviews.
Compare some of the top WordPress hosting options
Click Here to readSet up content
It’s time to setup your site! As a reminder on what every site needs, you can check out this article Small Business Website Essentials.
Populate your page with information aboutyour business and services. Include your logo and relevant images. You’ll want a navigation menu so people can find other places on your site. Even if you have a one page site, a menu can send them to certain areas of the page using anchor links which are a bit more technical and might be different to create depending on what site builder you use.
Put your website to work
Now that your website is ready to show your prospective clients who you are and what you offer, it’s time to get people to your site! Look into options for digital marketing or SEO.
