Small Business Websites - Do You Need One And What It All Means
If you are starting a business or have been in business for years, one of the things you need is a website. Is it overwhelming to think about? It was overwhelming for me when I started my business 3 years ago, but how else was I going to show what my business was all about? I was able to build my own website, which a lot of people choose to do, but without a background in website design and strategy, could I have done it all by myself? Probably not. If you are planning to build your own website with a website builder that makes it easy for you, or even hire someone to build your website for you, there are some things you need to know. Here are 10 things you absolutely need to know when you are starting your website building journey. Don't be overwhelmed, be over-prepared!
10 things to know when you are thinking about building a website!
Facebook Isn't Enough
Your business needs a website! While social media is essential, a website provides a centralized hub for your business, complete with detailed information, contact forms, and a sense of legitimacy. The last thing you want is for someone to hear about your business and want to give you their money but they can't figure out how to get ahold of you or they can't see examples of your work or schedule an appointment with you because you don't have that info on your social media. People do business 24 hours a day and a great website is open 24-7 to help you build your brand and your business.
Own Your Site, DON'T Rent It!
This is my biggest piece of advice to a small business. What I mean by this is that your website needs to be hosted in your name, not hosted by the company that built the site. When someone builds your site and then charges you monthly/yearly to keep it online, generally, they own it and if you decide to stop paying them every month, you no longer have access to your site. In this case, you may get to take your domain with you, but you will need to get another website built. Sadly, we have rebuilt as many sites as we have made for new businesses. Do yourself a favor and only let companies build your website if it is owned by you!
Not All Website Builders Are Built The Same
And that's a good thing! These days, the popular opinion is that Wordpress is the gold standard for small business websites. I like Wordpress just fine, but it takes a lot of upkeep to keep it working and isn't as easy to make changes to for a business owner, so you tend to have to pay someone to make your website changes every time something needs updated. Over the last couple of years, I have designed websites on several boxed website builders that make it easy for almost anyone to build a site as long as they have the time, patience, and design skills. My favorite of these is Squarespace. I love Squarespace because it's easy for clients to make changes to, it looks great on mobile devices (which is where over 60% of people look at your website), it needs no upkeep to keep it online and they have a lot of great templates and design options. You can decided where you want your website, but I built mine on Squarespace and have been happy with it every day since! Another place you can build a website (really a landing page) is Canva. This is an extremely controversial topic among the website designer community, but if it's either a Canva website or no website at all, I would go Canva website all day! We have really gotten into Canva websites over the last 2 years because they are perfect for getting a site up quickly for very small businesses. The hosting is free and they can have almost any design you want because Canva is amazing!
Google Rewards You For Having A Great Website
If you have a Google listing but no website attached, I'm sorry to tell you, but Google isn't going to prioritize your listing. Google listings need a few things to be taken seriously by Google - complete business information & correct categories chosen, accurate location information, customer reviews & responses to reviews and a website linked. These are all needs for your listing to be seen, but Google also ranks you using other factors and one of those is that your website is well-designed, user-friendly, and contains relevant information. Just having a website attached to your Google listing isn't enough, make sure it's a good one!
Choose Your Website Designer Wisely
If you don't think that designing your own website is something you want to do, there are a lot of people and companies out there that would love to help you, including me! However, everyone has different pricing, portfolios of work, and work ethic. This is an investment in your business and I recommend you take it seriously and do some shopping around before you make any decisions. I recommend getting multiple quotes on pricing first and foremost. You will find that some people overcharge and some people are much more affordable. You are going to naturally want to go with the cheapest option, but this is not always the best option. Second, you need to ask for a portfolio of websites they have designed. This will tell you if they make quality sites and if their style will mesh well with your own. Last, call or message the contacts on the websites they show you. You need to know if it was easy to work with them, if they met all deadlines set for the site, and if they were happy with their finished site. I have worked with clients who came to me because their website designer had taken over a year to build their site and they still wouldn't make it what they had requested. Building a website with the right designer shouldn't be stressful, but a smooth, quick process. If they can't give you that, they are doing it wrong.
What You Put On Your Site Is So Important
When I started my business and sat down to make my website I was lost. It's so hard to think about everything that needs to go on your website, especially when you are still trying to make your full business plan. My advice is to write out lists of everything your business does, who you help or who your product serves, all contact info, what people will be going to your website for, what you want to automate so you don't have to do it yourself anymore (example: registration and payment for classes/coaching sessions), any and all frequently asked questions people ask you and what people are saying about your business (testimonials). Basically, your website should be able to completely describe your business and do everything to answer questions people might have if they can't talk to you directly.
Make Your Website Mobile Friendly
Like I mentioned before, a significant amount of your website traffic will come from people on their phones. When you build your site, you are generally going to build it for the computer, but that's not how a majority of people are going to view it. Last year, my website was viewed on the desktop by 36% of people, on the phone by 63% of people and on a tablet by 1% of people. This isn't going to change how I build websites desktop first, but I am definitely all over the mobile version as well to make sure that it looks perfect for the majority of my visitors. I have noticed that some website builders aren't as mobile friendly and that has been a big reason for my switch to Squarespace for most website builds.
Getting A Website Doesn't Mean Anyone Will See It
When you first launch your website, no one will see it unless you tell them about it. Once your website is perfect and online, you need to add the link to your Google listing. Next, update all of your social media/LinkedIn profiles with your website link and you need to link your website in every post for awhile. You also need to put your website on all of your marketing materials like your business card, flyers, post cards, etc. I love to put QR codes linking my website on all print materials because it is easier for people to scan it and go straight to your site than to try and type it in. You can also send out an email to all past clients and contacts announcing your new website. All of these steps need to be taken and you will start to see the traffic to your site and your business will grow!
Let's Keep People On Your Site
Once you get your potential clients/customers to your website, it's important to make it so they stay awhile and find exactly what they need to convert into a lead or sale. A well-built site will have calls to action that get people from the homepage to where they need to go easily. I think the number one reason people leave a site is that they can't find what they are looking for quickly. If they are the type to scroll the homepage looking, they have to be able to find how to get there. If they are the type to use the tabs to locate where they are going, those need to be clear and organized. The other main reason people leave a site is that it's too wordy. Long paragraphs, especially on the homepage, will get people moving on to another site quick. Be concise and have lots of calls to action and people will stick around.
Your Domain Matters
It is so important to have a custom domain name that reflects your business and matches your business name. This is imperative because it is one of the first impressions people have of your business. It is also so important for search engine optimization, email credibility, and ownership of intellectual property. A couple tips I have for your domain are to get it from GoDaddy or Google Domains. These are reputable domain sites that make it easy to connect your domain to any website builder/host. I have had trouble connecting websites to domains with some of the less known domain sites. Also, make sure you get a .com. Example: My business name is Essential Marketing Group. My domain is essentialmarketinggroup.com. Most people would look at my business name and assume that is my domain to visit my site. If I had made it essentialmarketinggroup.co or essentialmarketinggroup.net, or even added a dash somewhere in the domain name, I may have missed out on some website visitors and potential clients. Lastly, domains are usually $20 per year or less. If you look up a domain and it says it's $2,500, someone owns it and is trying to sell it. This isn't a great investment in my opinion. I would look up domains that are available while you are in the process of naming your business so you don't run into these troubles.
We know that having a website is a non-negotiable in today's business world and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to do this with any size budget. If you can take these tips we talked about and make your own website, please do it! If all this did was overwhelm you more, we are sorry, but happy to answer any questions you have. Just leave a comment and we will get back to you.
If you are interested in seeing some of the sites we have built on Squarespace & Canva to see if either of these are a good builder for you, check out our Website Portfolio. And if you think you can do a Canva website yourself, but want to start with a great template to make it much easier, check out our Etsy Shop!
