Getting Started - How To Build A Website

Ready to build your website? The following is a simple overview of what you need to get started.

You need a domain name

A website’s domain name is its literal online address. It is what you and your visitors will use in tracking down your page. An important tip is to pick an address that people will remember. It is also a good choice to pick one that they can connect with. It should short simple and memorable. Don’t use complicated words that people will forget. Think of the most popular websites in the world. Yahoo. Google. Facebook. Those companies have domain names that are simultaneously concise and unforgettable.

Click here for more info about Domain Names

Find the right web hosting provider

The next step to building your website is deciding on a web host provider. The web host service that you choose will be responsible for airing your website online. Its facilities will affect the site’s speed, downtime, and security. Look for hosting services that offer you useful tools and utilities that will assist with the growth of your site. You should also review the support being offered by the company—will you be able to get assistance whenever you need it?

Click here for more info about Web Hosting and our Recommended Hosting Companies.

build your website

There is no magical shortcut to creating a great website. It involves a lot of effort and time—ensuring that the site layout is simple and easy to use. The following, however, are some basic rules that can ensure that you get the best outcome with your website.

Optimize your website for speed. There is nothing as frustrating as waiting for over a minute for a page to load. Your visitors are more likely to switch to a faster page if yours is taking too long to open.

Keep your content short but creative. A web page isn’t like a magazine or newspaper. It is no place for a 4000-word article. If you must have that much content, try breaking it into multiple tabs. It will keep your readers more engrossed.

Use Effective navigation methods. Put yourself in the position of your visitors and imagine the kind of navigational support that they might need. Do everything you can to make your website an easy place to visit.

Avoid overly complex images. Those will only slow down the loading speed of your website. Again—No. A slow website is not a good thing.

Choose colors that accurately reflect the theme and style of your website. There’s a reason why hospital sites are not colored a rich purple. Use appropriate colors that surfers can relate to.

Write locally but think globally. Pay attention to your local audience when you create your website, but do not forget to consider the global market as well. Be sure to check your spelling. Those can be very irritating.

Hiring a web developer or web designer is an important step in building a website. A web designer or developer will be able to make recommendations as to the layout of the website, and assess the level functionality that will be needed. Every website has different needs. An e-commerce website may require multiple pages and a payment processing system, while a personal blog may only consist of a single page. The web designer or developer should be able to provide examples of website design options that will help you make better decision on how your website will look and function.

A web developer can also help you choose a way of managing the content if that is needed. Several popular content management systems allow users to easily edit content, add images, and create pages, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. The developer will be able to show you the steps that are needed to adjust the pages. Of course, significant changes to the website design will still require the assistance of the web developer.

Market Your Website

Building a website is only half the project. A website is only as good as the number of viewers it attracts. If you built your website correctly then you are guaranteed a steady stream of organic SEO traffic. However, you can further increase the number of visitors your site receives by marketing your product on social media network and blogs. Improving your online visibility will enhance the reputation of your website as well as its appeal.

Maintain your website

Your website also need some love and care from updating plugins, adding new content, building links, to improving pages for seo & ranking. Website security, monitoring your website performance, and web analytics is also needed. Websites are never done for the simple reason that the internet never remains the same. New technologies and tools are introduced every year which affects the way people interact. As well as monitoring the different technologies on the web, be sure to review the performance of your website. Use analytic tools to gauge the success of different keywords to determine which of your marketing efforts are more successful and those that need to be reviewed.

So you’re all set?

There is a lot more involved in getting a great website. But with these steps, you’d be on your way to creating a strong site with great potential to attract new customers. And we can help you get over roadblocks that you might run into.