Every business needs a website. In the modern age, there's no question about it. If you want people to be able to quickly and easily find your business and find out all about you, a website is essential. But if you don't already have one, you might feel unsure about what you need to do to build one. Some people's businesses are built around their websites, but for others, it's just another marketing tool. Do you need to spend a lot on your website? What should it look like? Here are some of the things you should consider before you start on your new website if you want to get it right.
Do You Need to Build Your Site from Scratch?
Knowing whether you need a website that's built from the ground up can be hard. There's one thing you need to ask yourself to help you figure it out: what does your website need to do? If it needs to have its own e-commerce system, CMS, databases, and lots of complicated features, taking the quick and simple route might not be ideal. However, many people don't need anything complicated for their small business. Taking a look at some of the options on
could help you find the right solution. You can save time and money by using a website building instead of starting your website from scratch.
Defining Your Brand
Before you get started on your website, you need to make sure your brand is well-defined. It's going to influence a lot of things about your website, from your domain name to your graphics and the content you use too. Even if you already know your
inside and out, you need to think about how that's going to translate to your website. How are you going to talk to the people who visit your site? What colors are you going to use? What sort of content do your customers prefer? There are lots of choices to make, and your brand should influence them.
Competitor Websites
Taking a look at the websites you're competing against can help you define what you want your
to me. You won't necessarily try to copy your competitors' sites, but it helps you get a feel for what they're doing. You might decide to go in a different direction on some things so that you can offer an alternative to your target market. But it's also important to note what's working for your competitors so you can learn from them.
Making Your Site Work for Everyone
Having an accessible site means a few things. Your website should be easy to use across a range of devices, both desktop and mobile. It should also be accessible for people of all abilities, including those who have vision impairments. You can do things like using the right colors to make your site readable and making sure to include descriptions in the alt text for images. Overall, your site should be easy to navigate. Learn more about making your site accessible at
. Don't start building a website for your business until you've outlined some of these important points. You need to have good reasons for making all your choices.
