Today, a website is an important aspect of doing business. It’s an easy and affordable way to reach new customers and gives you a platform to showcase your products or services. But before you can launch your website, you need to answer a few important questions.
One of the most important is: should I build a website myself, or should I hire someone to do it for me? If you are thinking about building a website, then this article is for you. In it, we will answer the question: should I build a website? We will also provide a simple guide on how to build a website.
What’s the Purpose of a Website?
Most websites serve three primary purposes: increasing awareness, increasing sales, and providing helpful information. A website has three primary goals.
Awareness
How do we define awareness? You should create a blog for your new website that shares long-form written content. When you register and share blog posts, you create awareness about a specific topic. You want to generate awareness online for your new product or service. How do you do it?
Sales and Conversion
The main purpose of a website is to increase traffic and sales. A business website that sells products or services is usually the best choice. For your business to generate traffic, you must create targeted landing pages and email option magnets and nurture them through your email marketing channels. Informational content can help attract the right type of customers.
Information
The purpose of a website is also to share information. You can use Wikipedia, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. In each case, a great deal of information is shared regularly. Online searches often lead you back to them. You could also curate a blog. Flux is one of the many design blogs that create content to help designers (including yours truly).
Which Thing to Know Before Creating a Website?
You must be aware of three essential elements to get started with your first website – the website building platform, the web hosting, and the domain name – to ensure your website is successful.
Choosing the Right Platform
A website is typically built using one of two platforms: content management systems (CMSs) or website builders. Choosing the right platform for your needs will significantly simplify the website-building process. It is important to research your options before making a final decision.
An online content management system (CMS) allows web designers to design, manage, and publish website content. Alternatively, you can use a website builder to simplify the process of making a website even further. The different website builder offers high-quality templates and a drag-and-drop user interface, making it one of the best platforms for building a website.
Although both platforms allow you to create a website without any coding, they differ in some ways. The cost of building a website is the first factor to consider when choosing a website builder. Choose a platform that fits your budget. It is true that some platforms are more functional than others.
Choose a platform that provides the tools and features you need to create your envisioned website. It is easier to learn some platforms than others. Make web development more manageable by considering your coding and technical skills.
Find the Web Hosting Plans
Web hosting is the service that allows you to store your website on a server and get it accessed by visitors. The hosting service will provide you with basic features like space, bandwidth, and other technical requirements for your website. It will also help you manage your domain name, emails, DNS settings, etc.
Before selecting a hosting plan, make sure you decide which web host will suit your needs. If you use a CMS platform such as WordPress, you may be interested in CMS web hosting services that offer customized solutions for CMS websites. Because most website builders provide their hosting services, this can be the case. If you use a website builder, move on to the next section. If you are creating a website, consider the following elements when choosing a web host such as:
The cost of hosting varies from host to host. Budget your hosting price accordingly. Before choosing one, you should consider the amount of storage and bandwidth available from a hosting provider. Make sure your website has a secure SSL certificate.
Select Domain Online
An address for a website is called a domain name. It is typically composed of numbers and words telling visitors where to find a website. The domain name of a website is not only crucial for helping visitors see it, but it also contributes to its branding. Domain names can also boost organic traffic.
If you want to choose the right domain name for your website, you should consider the following factors:
Ensure the domain is short, clear, and easy to pronounce so visitors can correctly spell it. Use the domain availability checker to make sure that the domain name you want is available.
What Does Domain Lock Mean?
You can only update or transfer your domain name by first unlocking it from within your account, which is called Domain Lock.
Your domain name settings screen (if domain locking is available for your domain name) will tell you if domain locking is enabled for your domain.
Adding Domain Update Lock to your account provides the following security features:
- Ensures that DNS changes are protected and the authentication code is updated. This status lock includes domain names in zone files, allowing them to be transferred, deleted, or revoked.
- A mechanism that prevents unauthorized transfers between our system and another registrar. It is possible to update, delete, and renew a domain name with this lock.
How Do You Build a Website?
Plan Your Website’s Goals and Requirements
It would help if you started building a website by deciding what it should accomplish or serve. What are you hoping to accomplish? Will you offer products or services? Are you interested in showcasing your portfolio? Is your website solely for branding purposes?
The answer to this question will help you determine the following:
- Which pages should you publish (portfolio, about us, and pricing page)
- What kind of content should you include ( articles, videos, and image gallery)
- Furthermore, you’ll want a solution that integrates with email marketing or live chat.
After this, you can research your competitors and market, for example.
Competitors and Market Research
It would help if you researched your audience and competitors with your goal in mind. Ideally, you’d like to know: In what kinds of information do your potential customers interest you? What type of content does your competition publish to capture your audience?
One of the best ways to find out what your competitors are doing is to manually go through social media groups, competition websites, forums, and Q&A websites, – and note down all relevant information like topics covered, questions asked, and types of content that you encounter.
Find Out What Visually Appeals to You
When you’re happy with the content you want to include, it’s time to focus on the look and feel of your website. To begin, you should research your competitors, browse various website templates, and browse Pinterest.
You must keep your website’s goal and target audience in mind during this step. Your website’s layout should be determined by these two factors (for example, building a one-page or multipage website).
To run a small local business efficiently, you should only spend a little time looking at global companies’ websites. In addition to having different goals, such companies will likely have a larger budget and a whole team of designers and developers.
Select Website Builder
You can choose from a variety of website builders. An excellent place to start is by asking yourself what features you want on your website and how much of a budget you can afford. Here are some of the most popular options:
- WordPress – This open-source content management system (CMS) is used by millions of websites worldwide. It’s easy to use and has many plugins that make it easier to build your content. WordPress also has themes and widgets, so you can customize your site as much or as little as you want.
- Wix – Wix offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface and a wide range of free templates that make it easy for anyone to create a professional website. The platform is also fully responsive and looks good on any device or screen size.
- Weebly – Weebly has a drag-and-drop editor that lets you quickly set up your site without having any coding knowledge. You can also choose from over 100 themes and add custom functionality via its API. An attractive pricing model makes it easy to start without breaking the bank.
Choose Web Host
The place where you will store your own website files will also be necessary to select when building your site from scratch. It’s essential to choose a web hosting provider wisely for a few reasons:
- A slow website can have an impact on search engine rankings.
- Your business online site is more likely to be secure and able to withstand any potential threats with its help.
- It helps you back up your files and site so that nothing gets lost.
- The web host will also provide different levels of customer support to modify your website settings (such as DNS settings).
The web hosting company plays a huge role in the effectiveness of your website and how others view your small business. Most popular web hosts can handle millions of visitors per month, so more prominent companies will notice the difference between them.
Select Your Perfect Domain Name
In this case, the domain name identifies your website in the URL—for example, https://www.metabydomaion.com If you sign up with a website builder, they will register them for you, though you can do it yourself at domain.com. It’s free for most (at least initially), while some charge a fee.
Making a domain name count is one of the most important aspects of a website. Choosing a domain name involves following a few rules of thumb.
When visitors visit your site, your domain should match what they see. Choosing a lengthy domain will make it hard for people to remember your site. In general, domain names should not contain numbers. People tend to forget about it, as it looks unprofessional. Take a domain name that does not exist on the internet.
Get a Design Template
Okay, so you set up a domain, selected a website builder, and signed up for a plan. You are ready to build a website. The website builders help you through this process rather than leaving it to you to figure it out on your own.
Using templates, you can build your website framework – a canvas upon which you can paint your content. Using them allows you to create a beautiful site without hiring a designer.
The design templates available to you within any website builder will be extensive. Generally speaking, if you choose a better plan, you will have access to more templates. In addition to hundreds of templates, the top builders offer dozens of categories. A template will be available for whatever focus your site has.
Customize/ Create Your Template
An essential aspect of templates is their ability to provide a framework. A few websites out there are likely using the same framework as yours due to the popularity of builders nowadays. In any case, you’ll need to fill the template with your content. To stand out, you must customize your website.
How does a website get customized? The choice is primarily yours. These days, website builders offer a lot of flexibility. It can include:
– Adding new navigational pages
– Resize, color, and change the font of the buttons
– Customize Your Template Design
– The addition of contact forms and menus
– The homepage gallery: editing images
– Select a different color palette
– Social media integration/linking
Upload Your Content
You need to add your content, which includes images, videos, and text, once you’ve completed the layout and colors of your website. If you use a drag-and-drop builder, you can easily replace ‘placeholder’ content and move text and image boxes around.
Quality is crucial when choosing pictures for your website. It is impossible to produce blurry images. Some website builders offer free images. Unsplash and Pixabay are two of our favorite free image sites.
Choosing and Downloading Apps
There will be an app for whatever you want your website to do. You can easily integrate forms and social media into your site with their help.
Visit your builder’s App Market (or equivalent) to install these apps. You can also check the user ratings, what the app does, and how much it will cost, just like the App Store.
Test Your Website
After customizing your template, you might be eager to publish and launch your website. Slow down! You can make a website with knowledge, but if you publish it blindly, it will be a disaster. It is always a good idea to preview changes before posting them. Everything must work for desktop and mobile!
Publish Your Website!
Are you done? Click “Publish”! Let your friends know, shout it from the rooftops, hire a blimp – let everyone know about it. The world can now see your site. After you publish your site, you can easily make changes. Some builders will not allow you to change your template after your site is live.
Why Should You Build a Website?
The value of a website can be seen in many ways. From your first impression of a potential customer, how they interact with your site, and how they feel about your brand. Here are reasons why you should build a website and why it’s vital for your business:
- Credibility: Building a website is the first step towards your business success. A well-built website will help you to establish credibility, trust, and authority in your industry, and this will help you to dominate your market.
- Brand: Your brand is what people see when they look at your website, and they need to know about it before they make a purchase. If you have built a good-looking website, it will help you get recognized as an expert in your field, giving you an edge over other competitors.
- Leads: When someone visits your website, they are more likely to purchase if they see products or services that interest them – this is known as conversion rate or CTR (click-through rate). A well-designed website will also increase brand awareness among potential buyers, making it easier to generate leads.
- Marketing: You can use the site to promote products or services that are available online. You could even post articles or other content on the site to help people learn more about what you offer. The website can be used for driving traffic through Digital Marketing.
How Complex Should Your Website Be?
It is essential. You can do your one-page website if you only need a professional email, phone, and business address. A website builder or one-page template will help you get started quickly.
You may also see advanced functionality on business websites, such as e-commerce, appointment scheduling, complex forms, a support library, etc. Finding a plugin to set this up for you may be possible, or you can hire someone to do it for you.
What Is Your Timeframe for Building a Website?
There is a dual benefit to this aspect that can work in either direction. It may be a good idea to do it yourself if you’re looking for an essential one-page website. On the other hand, hiring someone if you need your website up quickly and with a lot of functionality would be a better choice.
The main benefit of having more time is that you can do two things. The first thing is the ability to build it yourself and take it slow. This way, you can produce a more complex site without rushing. Also, it will be cheaper if you hire someone to do it, even if you have to pay them since anything that needs to be done rapidly is more expensive.
How Do You Consider Your Website to Be Crucial to Your Business?
A website is a must for every business. The mission-critical nature of your website may depend on the type of business you run. It is less risky to build your website if it is more for marketing purposes than for selling goods directly.
You should hire someone if you want your website to be a 100% uptime conversion machine. It is common for beginners to overlook critical aspects of a website’s performance, such as slow loading times, 404 errors, security issues, certificates, and other vulnerabilities. Remember to get an SSL certificate when building your website.
How Much Should You Spend on Building a Website?
Many people believe that website development is expensive. Today, getting a personal or business website online is easier and cheaper than ever. Building a website can cost as low as five dollars per month with website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. A more expensive platform, like Shopify, offers many more e-commerce features but costs $30 per month.
It is still significantly cheaper to use templates as a base than to build something from scratch, even if you hire a developer. It’s good news that thousands of templates are available for Shopify, WordPress, and Drupal. So you can start from scratch.
Final Thought
If you’re wondering whether you should build a website, the answer is usually yes. A website is a great way to promote your business or personal brand, and it can also be a valuable tool for connecting with customers or clients. If you’re ready to build a website, our simple guide will walk you through purchasing a domain and hosting your site.