If you’re a business owner, you’ll want to know how to create a commercial website to promote your services and products. While it’s possible to hire someone to do it for you, if you’re just starting, you might want to keep your expenses low by doing it yourself.
The idea of creating a website for your business may seem a bit scary, but it doesn’t need to be. There are ways to build a website without having coding experience. This article will show you how in five easy steps.
Deciding on an affordable and high-quality hosting plan is the first crucial step in any website project. Your website will need excellent uptime, storage amounts, bandwidth, etc. But what exactly is web hosting?
Web hosting, simply put, is a service that puts your website on the internet. There are different hosting you can choose, like shared, VPS, cloud, WordPress, and dedicated hosting.
Hosting varies in what services they offer and their prices, but when you are just starting, using shared hosting is recommended. It’s the most inexpensive of the bunch because it shares a server and its resources with other websites. It’s also easy to manage and is scalable, should your website expand in traffic.
When evaluating your hosting provider, take into account the quality of their customer service, pricing plans, security, and product performance. Chances are, you’re going to use their service for a long time, so make sure it’s the most convenient for your business and is dependable.
A domain name is the address of your website. This is what customers will type into the URL to reach your site.
Before you host your website, choose the best domain name that reflects your brand and niche. Keep it simple: try to make it clear, brandable, catchy, and easy to type. Avoid using hyphens, numbers, and punctuations.
If you have no idea how to create your perfect domain name, you can use a domain generator to help you out. It’s good to include relevant keywords in your domain name to give your visitors a general idea of what your business is.
Another thing you must consider is the domain suffix. This is the end of your domain name and is also called the top-level domain (TLD). Your TLD can be a common suffix (i.e: .com, .org, .net) or a country code (i.e: .uk, .ru, .us).
While most people choose .com for SEO purposes, don’t be afraid to try out alternative extensions if it fits the purpose of your website. For example, businesses can use .biz or if geolocation matters to your business, you can use a relevant country code.
Last but not least, make sure the name is available by using a domain checker. It’s good to check the availability of the name on social media accounts as well. You can often buy a domain name with your hosting provider, as a bundle, or from third-party registrars.
Now you are ready to build your website. Luckily, there are plenty of free and premium options to help you. You can use a content management system (CMS) or a website builder.
WordPress is the most popular open-source CMS. Powering over 35.4% of websites on the internet and is known for its versatility and customizability. Also, it has a large community of experts and online forums, where you can learn new tricks and tips.
On the other hand, a website builder is also convenient. These come with customizable and stunning templates, as well as drag-and-drop features, which allow you to customize your images, content, etc. You will have to pay for a premium version if you want to unlock more features.
Regardless of your choice, pay attention to these aspects when designing your website:
The internet has plenty of resources that can help you if you’re stuck. You can also reach out to online communities or other website owners for some tips.
Now that you have the essentials, it’s time to fill your site with engaging content. Draft your website copy and choose captivating images. In general, your website should have:
Once your website is up and running, SEO-proof your website so you can bring in more traffic. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is a method to improve your site’s search engine rankings. This is done by utilizing SEO practices like using relevant keywords, meta tags, title tags, and more.
Last, run regular maintenance on your website. Ensure all software and extensions are up-to-date, create backups, and fortify your security. You can assign this job to a more qualified employee or hire a freelancer with that skillset.
Having an optimized website is the first step to establishing an online presence. This is one reason why you should invest time and money in creating a captivating website. Remember, building a commercial website doesn’t have to be tricky. Take advantage of the convenient tools out there and have fun!
