How Much Does it Cost To Build a Professional Website for Your Small Business

Introduction

Starting a small business is hard, and while many components of startup processes are unpredictable, one thing that is pertinent in the modern world is creating and maintaining a website. Much of a small business's success can heavily hinge on its website, so it is important that entrepreneurs understand the steps and costs associated with creating a website. From choosing a topic to ensuring domain security, the various aspects of creating and designing a small business website can be daunting, but do not fret! Below you will find steps and considerations to help guide you through this process and create a stunning website for your small business.

Choosing a Niche or Topic

Choosing the right topic or niche for your website is incredibly important in showcasing your small business's brand and ideals. Before choosing a topic, it is important to think about the goals of your website. Are you looking to bring in new sales? Are you hoping to simply inform potential customers about your product or service? Are you seeking to build relationships with customers? Answering these questions will help you determine what topics and content to include. It is also important to think about what sets your small business apart and showcase that on your website. Take the time to think deeply about the topic of your website and how it will represent your business.

Domain Name Selection

After determining what topics you will include on your website, it's time to choose a domain name. The domain name is the catch-all name in which someone can identify your business, and the domain name should be reflective of your brand. Therefore, it is important to select a domain name that is memorable, retail, and easy to pronounce. Additionally, the domain name should be applicable to the topic or type of business you are creating the website for. If possible, it is important to also check to make sure that the domain extension is available. Generally, domain extensions such as .com, .org, .net, or .io are best.

Web Hosting Options

When it comes to web hosting there are many options available to small business owners. The three most popular options are paid hosting, shared hosting, and virtual private server (VPS) hosting. Paid hosting is the most expensive, but is ultimately the most reliable and secure. Shared hosting is less expensive, but has less resources and support and can be vulnerable to DDoS or other malicious attacks. VPS hosting is in between both of these options and allows for more control over the hosting of your website and is generally more secure. The right option for your small business will depend heavily on your budget and the type of website you are looking to run; all of these options can be explored in more depth below.

Website Building Platforms

Once you have chosen your web hosting provider, it's time to choose a website building platform. There are many types of website building platforms ranging from free to enterprise-level, and the right platform for your small business will depend on your individual situation. Some popular free or freemium website building platforms are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, and may be able to offer many features to help create a stunning website. It is also important to note that some hosting providers may offer their own website building platforms that are free or discounted for those hosting with them.

Website Design and Layout

Now that you have chosen your topic, domain name, hosting provider, and website building platform it is time to focus on the overall design and layout of the website. The website must be designed in such a way that the content is easily seen, found, read, and interacted with. This requires special attention to be paid to the look, feel, and navigation of the website. The overall layout must be aesthetically pleasing to attract viewers and users while also allowing for easy transitions between pages. It is important to remember to keep the layout simple as too many bells and whistles will confuse viewers and detract from the website purpose.

Content Creation and Writing

Alongside the design and layout of the website, content is a crucial component. Creating the content for the website is arguably the longest process, but also one of the most important. It is important to ensure that all content is relevant and useful to viewers and that each page has an easily identifiable purpose. Content should be written to be easily read and understood by all viewers and often should be supplemented with multimedia. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the content is linked within the website, so viewers can easily find their way to each page.

Basic HTML and CSS

Once the website has been designed and the content is created and written, it is essential to ensure that it is properly coded and marked up with HTML and CSS. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are both coding languages that are used to create the overall design and look of the website. This is generally done by a developer, but for basic websites, the content creator may be able to provide this themselves. It is important to ensure that all HTML tags and CSS instructions are properly written and placed in the right areas as errors in either of these areas can lead to a poorly functioning or looking website.

Image and Multimedia Integration

Alongside basic HTML and CSS, images and multimedia are important elements that must be incorporated into a website. Naturally, humans are more likely to pay attention to and enjoy viewing interesting images and videos rather than long blocks of text. However, it is important to ensure all elements are integrated with the correct HTML tags and are accessible to viewers. This means images should be properly resized, have alternative description tags or text included, and be inserted with proper HTML tags. Additionally, this also goes for videos or audio clips that are embedded onto the website.

User Experience (UX) and Navigation

A great website design is nothing without navigation and a great user experience (UX). Each page of the website should have clearly identifiable navigation elements or links that can be easily seen and clicked. Additionally, the navigation between each page should be simple and direct-to-the-point. If necessary, icons or images should be included on the website to supplement navigation. It is also important to ensure that an individual can move from one page to another without difficulty. This will ensure that viewers spend more time on the website, which will boost the website's visibility.

SEO Fundamentals

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an incredibly important tool to ensure that your website is seen by potential customers. Without proper SEO the website will not rank high in search engine results pages, meaning individuals may have trouble finding the website. The most important aspects of SEO are the title tags, meta tags, keyword usage, and headers. Additionally, it is important to create original content and include outbound and inbound links to other websites. Using SEO fundamentals such as these, along with SEO tools, can help make sure your website is seen by individuals searching for your product or services.

Mobile Responsiveness

With more and more people relying on their phones for web browsing, it is important to ensure the website is mobile responsive. Mobile responsiveness simply means that the website looks the same, if not better, on a mobile device as it does on a desktop computer. This means that images, videos, and text must all be properly resized in order to fit correctly on a mobile screen, no matter the size. It is important to also consider navigation elements as well, as some of the navigation from a desktop website may not be as necessary on the mobile version.

Social Media Integration

In the modern world, many people have become reliant on social media. It is important, then, that websites should be easily accessible from all social media platforms. This can be done by creating custom pages, profiles, and accounts with each platform and including links to the website. Additionally, it is important to ensure that content created for the website can be easily adapted to each platform in order to direct people to the website. Having accounts on different platforms also opens up opportunities for advertising and promotions, which is also advantageous.

Website Security

Security is becoming increasingly important in the present day when it comes to computer hardware and software. This is especially true for small business websites; if data or information on the website is lost or stolen, it can be costly to replace or fix. This is why it is important to ensure that the hosting provider you have chosen has a good security protocol and will be actively monitoring for any malicious programs or attackers. Additionally, for storing any personal information, it is vital that the website use an SSL certificate in order to create a secure socket layer that encrypts any data passed between the website and user.

Analytics and Tracking Tools

Once the website is live and receiving traffic, it is essential to track how viewers are interacting with the website. This way, you will have an understanding of which pages are the most visited and what is working and what is not. There are many tools available for tracking website activity, ranging from Google Analytics to more focused software, and your choice of software will likely depend on the hosting provider you have chosen. Generally, it is best to choose software that best fits the setup of the website.

Final Notes

Creating a website for a small business is a long and occasionally frustrating process, but it is also an incredibly rewarding experience. Paying attention to the various aspects of creating a website, from selecting the niche to ensuring website security, is essential. However, with proper guidance and planning, the website creation process will become much easier and the result will undoubtedly benefit your small business.