Are you an entrepreneur considering developing your website? Have you been looking to expand your brand and get your product or service out to the world?
Well, you’re on the right track. Developing a website will boost your brand reach. It is a sure way to get more ‘eye’s on your brand/service/product.
However, don’t just jump right into it. To launch a purposeful and successful website masterpiece, you should first identify the following:
What Is Your Goal?
Why a website? Is the intention to spread brand awareness by promoting to the world that your business exist?
What is the next step you would like visitors to make when they land on your website? Purchase? Connection? Subscription?
Perhaps, your website is not for commercial purposes; instead, you are interested in just featuring your work? More like a web portfolio?
It is imperative that you define a clear website purpose, which will focus your digital marketing efforts. Not only will this enable you to take effective action, but your visitors will understand what your brand is about and the value you are offering.
Know Your Target Market
Before website launch, determine your customer/visitor demographic. Having a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is will influence your website’s structure, design, look-and-feel, content strategy, and ultimately improve results.
To put it in more straightforward terms, every step in the launch of your website revolves around your targeted market.
Do As Much Pre-Launch Research As Possible
Conduct a competitive intelligence survey. Who are your competitors? What are they offering? How can you rise above with a unique service?
Analyze different sites in your field. Distinguish those you like the style of and take notes — what is it about their website format and structure that works?
Read blogs and informative articles (such as this one) before you execute your next step.
Pick A Domain Name
What is a domain name, and where do you get one? A domain is the name of your website, but more accurately, it is your website address.
Choose a domain name that helps you project the brand you seek to promote, and that is also keyword friendly so that you rank better in search engines. In other words, you need an SEO-friendly domain.
The website domain is the first fact that your visitor will know about your company; therefore, make sure it is projecting the right message.
If you have decided on using a catchy, on-brand domain name but would like to still benefit from an SEO-friendly domain name– you can try and domain map it. Read more on that topic here.
Where Can You Get Yourself One Of These Nifty Domains?
You can register your domain online. There are several well-known domain name suppliers. I personally like GoDaddy.com and NameCheap.com. Prices range between $10 — $20 per year (annual renewal).
Website Building Software
Website builders are platforms you use to assemble your site. Some of the more well-known website building platforms are WordPress.com, Wix.com, Squarespace.com, and Weebly.com. These website builders are easier to use because they are hosted (not self-hosted).
Hosted Sites: Offer easy launch process and a one-stop-shop. Extracted from https://trevellyan.biz/hosted-vs-self-hosted/:
“Hosted platforms are an all-in-one buy. They usually provide simple propriety software to build your website and the computer storage space where that site will live. (WIX, SquareSpace, and Blogger are three popular hosted platforms that you may have heard of.) When you use a hosted platform, the hosting company handles all the software updates for you, and this can contribute to a low maintenance burden.”
Web Hosting
If you decide to hire someone to build a custom website, then you will probably need to go the self-hosting route. Hosting providers are businesses that offer you the technology and services to place your site on the Internet.
There are numerous web hosting providers. See the following list of top hosting providers.
Set Reminders, Deadlines, And Keep Pushing!
Always remember that creating the perfect website can take a more considerable amount of time, effort, and energy than what you had anticipated. Sure, you can be up and running with a website in minutes — as many companies advertise, but will it deliver the results you seek?
Well-planned sites take weeks or months to develop and even longer to get indexed in Google (which another topic for another post).
Bottom line: Plan, research, focus, and then execute. Make a launch date with milestones and stay on track
If you find the entire process overwhelming, contact us at 321.704.7209 for assistance. We offer website development packages to meet small and large budgets.
We also offer website development consulting services.
Rosa Elizabeth Vargas 