Websites for your local business: How do you get started?

Having a website for your business is crucial in this day and age. But how do you do it? We know it can be daunting to try to figure out what to do, but we’re here to help!

Here are some basic steps for getting your business off the ground and onto the Web.

1) Define your purpose or goal

Why are you creating a website (aside from the reasons listed above)? As with any form of communication, your website needs to have a purpose for your customers. Are you promoting your products? Giving information on your services? Building a community around your brand?

2) Put it online

A purpose is good, but first things first, you need a domain name. What’s that? It’s what your web address would be, e.g. coolbusiness.com. For more on domain names and tips for picking a good one, there is some helpful information here. Hosting your domain (which might sound scary but isn’t) also allows you to create an email address using your domain name (e.g. info@coolbusiness.com) to give added credibility to your website and to your business.

3) Design it

When in doubt, keep it simple. An overdone site isn’t much better than no site at all. If you’re not sure about designing your own website, hire someone to do it. It’s not always expensive, gets the job done, and ensures your site looks professional.

4) Create content

Having a website is great, but you need to write great content to put on it. Make sure your site is fulfilling its purpose. Have (at least) a homepage welcoming/introducing the viewer to your business, an ‘about us’ page explaining who you are, a products/services page detailing your offerings, and a contact page with as much contact information as possible both for the benefit of your customers but also for SEO purposes.

5) Get listed

Claim your business listing across review and directory sites like Yelp!, Google, and many more to ensure your information is published and correct. (Want help with this? Check out PropelList!)

6) Market!

Marketing your new web presence is sort of an optional addition to the process of getting started, but it is the next step in getting your name out there and creating brand awareness.

Check out part 2 of this series: 7 must-haves for your business website.