Once you have your carefully chosen domain name you can plan your website and web design. It cannot be stressed highly enough that this is where you can make or break your web presence. Like all business decisions, spend some time considering what your business needs, your budget and future plans. This should integrate with your business plan and the web design can influence how you promote your business, generating enquiries and income.
Do you need a website at all?
Some think their business doesn’t need a website at all. This may be ok for say start up social media influencers or micro businesses, but all businesses of any significance will need a website and domain name.
For example relying on just social media account leave you vulnerable to the whims of the owners and changing fortunes of these sites. The recent changes at X, formerly Twitter have resulted in a site that is now a bin fire of extreme views and conflict. The owner Elon Musk, probably paid well over the odds for the platform and may cut his losses and sell it on leading to more uncertainty on the direction of that platform.
Facebook has seen the demographic of users change over time as young adults prefer other platforms which don’t include their parents.
All this boils down to serious businesses needing a website, where you have full control over the content, branding and features. Choose well and you have a cost-effective promotional tool that builds trust and generates income.
Web design options
Now that you are convinced that you need a website, you next need to work out what features you need and your budget. We are assuming that you already have a professionally designed logo and branding.
At this stage it would be worth having an initial discussion with a web designer. They will be able to describe different features of a website, what is possible and how your website could develop over time.
Your website might only need to be a very simple web presence, with information about your business, branding and contact details. Part of the web design should include consideration about search engine optimisation (SEO) but this is often best treated as a separate project.
There are many other features that could be included and options to consider. For example, is your website simply a web presence or do you need specific features that help promote your business:
Here is a list of typical features that you should consider for your web design:
- Calls to action – contact information and contact forms so anyone interested in your business.
- Website content that is interesting and engaging – people aren’t necessarily visiting your website for entertainment but use rich media such a pictures, and video, to engage and encourage interaction.
- How you are keeping the content up to date and accurate – you might have a maintenance agreement for a simple HTML website or use a Content Management System like WordPress.
- E-commerce – selling products online.
- Private pages – do you need sections of your website that is only accessible by registered users.
- User generated content – for example discussion forums, comments etc.
Once you have devised your plans, the next stage is get your website designed and coded, hosted and then made live. It isn’t necessarily straightforward, but there are huge rewards when you get it done properly. Web design is a generic term for everything that goes in your website and encompasses technical, business and branding. Talk to us!
Get in touch with Dinesh on 07941 686113 or contact us if you need help on web design, web hosting, SEO services or domain names.
