5 Insider Tips to Setting Up a Business Website Oct 4th
From selecting a website hosting platform to establishing eCommerce, there are a number of important steps businesses should take when looking to create a successful website.
Chris Danks, an expert in website hosting, security and development, knows exactly what you should and shouldn’t do when setting up a business website.
Avoid Free Website Hosting
When producing a business website, there is always a temptation to use free website hosting instead of a paid service. For business owners, though, this is a big mistake.
For small time, personal bloggers, free services are great. For businesses who need a reliable, quality service, website hosting is a service you must take seriously.
Free web hosting services don’t provide basic elements required for successfully running a business site. They don’t offer:
- Unlimited bandwidth: restricting visitor numbers
- Dedicated technical support: meaning if your site is down, you’ll have to wait for it to be put back online
- Ability to edit site code: limiting your ability to use plugins and specifically designed code
- Personal advertising space: often resulting in uncontrollable ads appearing on your site, potentially leading to you promoting a competitor
- Credibility: free hosting platforms often come with unpersonalised web addresses, such as yourwebsite.wordpress.com. These unprofessional looking websites can damage your reputation as a legitimate business
- Scalability: a free web hosting service often means limited resources in the amount of web pages, storage and emails that you can have attached to your website. This means your site has limited growth options
While you may not want to spend money on your business website, the small investment required to acquire high-quality web hosting is well worth it in terms of returned benefits.
Utilise eCommerce
It is predicted that by 2021, online shopping in all sectors will be higher than that of high street stores.
Online sales are already worth billions to the UK economy, as more and more people switch to eCommerce purchasing.
Business owners creating a website for their company, especially those working in retail, should consider installing eCommerce capabilities from the word go. Online sales offer a unique way of reaching an untapped audience, such as international buyers or those outside your local area.
Not sure how to implement eCommerce on your website? Forbes have written a simple guide.
Don’t Ignore Cyber Security
Cybercrime is on the rise. In 2015 alone, over a 1 billion worth of damage was caused by cyber criminals damaging websites and stealing data.
Many business owners become complacent with website security. After all, why would cyber criminals attack your small, humble website over the big guns of the web? Well, no matter the size of your business or website, the importance of website security is non-negotiable when you’re wanting to keep data private and secure from unauthorized persons.
Just as a thief may well break into your small business store on the high street instead of a heavily secure bank, cyber criminals could seek out and attack your small business website in the hopes of an easy score.
Small business websites don’t have to be easy prey for hackers, though. As you develop and build your website, ensure your security systems are intertwined into its structure.
Investing in security software, encrypting data and regularly changing passwords are just a few simple steps you can take to keep your website secure, your profits up and your customers happy.
Invest Time in SEO
SEO is one of the most valuable marketing tactics in a business owner’s arsenal, but so rarely is it fully adopted into a website creation strategy.
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is a method in which website owners perform a series of one-off or regular tasks to ensure Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines notice their site.
The benefits are simple.
The more search engines notice your site, the higher they will rank you for user searches and the more traffic you’ll receive.
When setting up a website, invest time in quality, legitimate SEO tactics. Entrepreneur magazine has a great article detailing the basics of SEO.
If you are looking for more advanced digital marketing advice, there are a number of blogs available from SEO experts.
Use Smart Web Design
The average internet user is impatient.
We live in an age of instant gratification, where jumbled web design and slow load speeds are unacceptable.
If your web page doesn’t load fast enough, your potential customer might leave. If your design isn’t easily interpreted and doesn’t offer information on your website’s identity immediately, they might leave.
Sometimes, load speeds are down to poor-quality website hosting, but they can also be down to your interface design. A landing page with too much data stored on it can lengthen loading time, significantly increasing bounce rate.
To stop users clicking the back button when they land on your site, you must consider smart design techniques. Users need to be able to gather information quickly, allowing them to understand what your site is offering them and if it is something they are interested in pursuing.
If a user can’t interpret your site immediately, even if they are a potential customer, they will leave in search of a website that’s easier to understand. Tips for smart website design include:
- Minimalist design: Use plenty of white space (blank areas without text or images) and keep what is on the page simple. Use menus and sidebars to break up content.
- Use images: Pictures say a thousand words. Use visual cues, not bulk text, whenever possible.
- Keep text simple: Sometimes, text is required. Keep your language free of jargon, explain what you offer in a succinct manner, and keep everything short. Think in sentences, not paragraphs.
- Make your selling point clear: Ensure that the user knows exactly what you are selling as soon as they enter the page. If you sell website hosting, for example, make sure they know it.
Oct 4th
From selecting a website hosting platform to establishing eCommerce, there are a number of important steps businesses should take when looking to create a successful website.
Chris Danks, an expert in website hosting, security and development, knows exactly what you should and shouldn’t do when setting up a business website.
Avoid Free Website Hosting
When producing a business website, there is always a temptation to use free website hosting instead of a paid service. For business owners, though, this is a big mistake.
For small time, personal bloggers, free services are great. For businesses who need a reliable, quality service, website hosting is a service you must take seriously.
Free web hosting services don’t provide basic elements required for successfully running a business site. They don’t offer:
- Unlimited bandwidth: restricting visitor numbers
- Dedicated technical support: meaning if your site is down, you’ll have to wait for it to be put back online
- Ability to edit site code: limiting your ability to use plugins and specifically designed code
- Personal advertising space: often resulting in uncontrollable ads appearing on your site, potentially leading to you promoting a competitor
- Credibility: free hosting platforms often come with unpersonalised web addresses, such as yourwebsite.wordpress.com. These unprofessional looking websites can damage your reputation as a legitimate business
- Scalability: a free web hosting service often means limited resources in the amount of web pages, storage and emails that you can have attached to your website. This means your site has limited growth options
While you may not want to spend money on your business website, the small investment required to acquire high-quality web hosting is well worth it in terms of returned benefits.
Utilise eCommerce
It is predicted that by 2021, online shopping in all sectors will be higher than that of high street stores.
Online sales are already worth billions to the UK economy, as more and more people switch to eCommerce purchasing.
Business owners creating a website for their company, especially those working in retail, should consider installing eCommerce capabilities from the word go. Online sales offer a unique way of reaching an untapped audience, such as international buyers or those outside your local area.
Not sure how to implement eCommerce on your website? Forbes have written a simple guide.
Don’t Ignore Cyber Security
Cybercrime is on the rise. In 2015 alone, over a 1 billion worth of damage was caused by cyber criminals damaging websites and stealing data.
Many business owners become complacent with website security. After all, why would cyber criminals attack your small, humble website over the big guns of the web? Well, no matter the size of your business or website, the importance of website security is non-negotiable when you’re wanting to keep data private and secure from unauthorized persons.
Just as a thief may well break into your small business store on the high street instead of a heavily secure bank, cyber criminals could seek out and attack your small business website in the hopes of an easy score.
Small business websites don’t have to be easy prey for hackers, though. As you develop and build your website, ensure your security systems are intertwined into its structure.
Investing in security software, encrypting data and regularly changing passwords are just a few simple steps you can take to keep your website secure, your profits up and your customers happy.
Invest Time in SEO
SEO is one of the most valuable marketing tactics in a business owner’s arsenal, but so rarely is it fully adopted into a website creation strategy.
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is a method in which website owners perform a series of one-off or regular tasks to ensure Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines notice their site.
The benefits are simple.
The more search engines notice your site, the higher they will rank you for user searches and the more traffic you’ll receive.
When setting up a website, invest time in quality, legitimate SEO tactics. Entrepreneur magazine has a great article detailing the basics of SEO.
If you are looking for more advanced digital marketing advice, there are a number of blogs available from SEO experts.
Use Smart Web Design
The average internet user is impatient.
We live in an age of instant gratification, where jumbled web design and slow load speeds are unacceptable.
If your web page doesn’t load fast enough, your potential customer might leave. If your design isn’t easily interpreted and doesn’t offer information on your website’s identity immediately, they might leave.
Sometimes, load speeds are down to poor-quality website hosting, but they can also be down to your interface design. A landing page with too much data stored on it can lengthen loading time, significantly increasing bounce rate.
To stop users clicking the back button when they land on your site, you must consider smart design techniques. Users need to be able to gather information quickly, allowing them to understand what your site is offering them and if it is something they are interested in pursuing.
If a user can’t interpret your site immediately, even if they are a potential customer, they will leave in search of a website that’s easier to understand. Tips for smart website design include:
- Minimalist design: Use plenty of white space (blank areas without text or images) and keep what is on the page simple. Use menus and sidebars to break up content.
- Use images: Pictures say a thousand words. Use visual cues, not bulk text, whenever possible.
- Keep text simple: Sometimes, text is required. Keep your language free of jargon, explain what you offer in a succinct manner, and keep everything short. Think in sentences, not paragraphs.
- Make your selling point clear: Ensure that the user knows exactly what you are selling as soon as they enter the page. If you sell website hosting, for example, make sure they know it.
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