A business or service or an organization can exist and be known without a website. However, in our digital world, a potential new customer will check to see if you have a website or appears in a web search to validate that your business is legitimate. Even individuals sometimes want a website to showcase a hobby or passion. Websites can give you credibility and can help market your business.
Creating this online identity involves some thought:
- You need to find an available domain name for your web, locate what service you will use to “host” the website.
- You must determine how you will get it “coded”, and what content will be most useful for your viewers.
- You must choose whether you will offer products and services that can be purchased online.
- To help your website and business information appear on search engines there are services called “Search Engine Optimization” or SEO.
- All these decisions are anchored in what the purpose of your website will be.
- Your web must be “managed” over time.
Serious Pursuits web management and design services can help you navigate any or all the steps needed to create a strong website and begin to have an online presence!
Objectives
Purpose of web: Are you trying to provide information about your business? Are you trying to differentiate your business or organization competitively? Are you trying to provide information about your area of expertise? Are you trying to encourage others to contact you? Do you want to offer a product that can be purchased online? What is unique about your business services or potential website offerings?
Graphics desired: Do you already have graphics already created such a logo’s, location photos, product graphics, principals and employee photos, videos, and various social media presence?
Ongoing blog or articles: Will you want to have a “blog” which features regular expert articles served up on your website relating to your services to help attract visitors on a regular basis or through searching? How will you create these articles and how often?
Domain Name
A domain name is your basic web address, e.g., sharontech.info or seriouspursuits.com, and is your first step in creating a website. You must pick a domain that is not in use. You “lease” this address annually or over multiple years. Each name averages around $40 per year plus privacy protection costs. Domains do not have to be a “.com” or “.org” – there are many, many “top-level” options varying in price such as “org,” “biz,” “info,” “healthcare,” etc. Some names require certification, such as “law.” Domain names are made available and assigned through an international organization called ICANN but there are many licensed providers. You create an account with your domain provider also has tools to help manage access to your domain when you have a website and/or email using your domain name.
Web Hosting
Your web needs to live “in the Cloud” on a server location that can be summoned with your domain name. This is called hosting. (You usually can obtain your domain through your host.)
The easiest solution is to hire a service to do everything for you: host your website, create content, and manage your web. However, you may have limited access to the web content or the hosting service unless it is set up intentionally to give you this access, and there may be difficulties migrating this website to another host.
Otherwise, you and/or your consultant will need to pick a hosting company where you will have an online account that can be accessed by those to whom you give privileges so you can change vendors.
A small business or individual will almost always obtain hosting from a company that provides server space (called a “managed website” or “shared hosting”). Depending on variables such as the amount of storage required, ecommerce functionality, and the number of websites being hosted, you will spend an average of $80 to $250 a year for a modest sized platform subscription. The way in which you are creating content will also influence the hosting company choice. Choices of add-on services such as additional security will influence costs.
Selecting an appropriate hosting site within your budget can be complex, and if you do not have experience, consider paying a professional to assist you and to help secure your domain.
Web Content Platform
There are some “free” hosting services with limited capabilities and have drawbacks such as a domain name that is attached to theirs and advertising that will appear on your web. Lots of other problems can come with these sites, including malware. Here is an article explaining the problems: https://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/36-reasons-why-having-a-free-website-is-a-bad-idea/
Good hosting at the time of this publication on a reputable server will cost you at least $6 a month and that is before you have added services you sometimes need. Do not be fooled by the intro offer – these $1 per month introductory offers do not represent what it will really cost and then will probably increase dramatically in the second year. The first year may include the cost for your domain and security socket called an SSL that you must have.
Content Creation Platform
You will need to create web content! Since this involves design, graphics and usually photographs, frequently you find you want to hire a professional web designer. Unless your web will be a simple single page, the cost for this service will probably begin at $500 to $1000.
Web content is created so that it can be accessed through a browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. In the early days of the World Wide Web, content was created by coding in html and other programming languages – and still can be. Most web designers will also augment content creation with a “content management platform” that does not require web programming knowledge. The most ubiquitous is the very capable WordPress which is offered on many hosting sites. But some hosting sites offer other platforms, notably those with ecommerce options like Squarespace or Shopify. Some offer lower prices for a less robust “toolset” to accomplish your website’s look or capabilities. Your web designer may not know how to code in multiple platforms. Since platforms differ in what they can do, it is important to define your goals and needs before you select a platform and host (and even designer.)
Some platforms are easier to learn than others, but all of them require an extensive learning curve.
Storefronts, Email and Other Services from your Host
Ecommerce: If you wish to have an ecommerce site, this will influence your choice of host and content management system. WordPress does have many tools to create a storefront. If your site revolves around creating an ecommerce site, you might choose one optimized for this purpose – see: https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/small-business/e-commerce/. A simpler choice is to join a business commerce service like https://etsy.com and forgo building your own website.
Email: When you have a domain, you can have an email using your domain – such as sharon.sherman@seriouspursuits.com. Your hosting service might provide hosting for several emails connected to your domain, but the storage, security and email services will be limited. You can also pay for separate email hosting for more security, stability, and storage. There are technical steps required, so you may want to engage your web consultant or designer to help with this. This email would be incorporated into your other marketing materials like business cards.
Other Services: Other services provided by your hosting company/domain provider might include domain protection, ecommerce features, web security, additional SSL “sockets” that are essential to display your pages in today’s browsers, third party products like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and consulting. You may choose a provider that offers ALL services in a one-stop-shop for convenience, or you may shop for them independently to save money or because you prefer the service offerings.
Search Engine Optimization and Branding
Your web designer or SEO consultant, at the minimum, should make sure you have implemented SEO options via your content management platform and have “indexed” your website in the major search engines, especially Google. A Google Business Profile may be strongly advised. You will need to consider whether to be involved in social media sites and to examine whether it is important to be part of industry relevant directories. Yelp.com is an example of a business directory service. SEO is complex!
A website markets you – and part of your branding. “Branding” is the creation of your “identity” such as your name, service offerings, logo and visual identifiers that distinguish you. Ideally you have a name or a “doing business as” or “dba” name, logo and domain name that help the user identify your business services; a logo graphic can help tie this together. And the look and feel of your website should reinforce this identity and your business offerings.
Serious Pursuits Web Services
We can make this simple and guide you through the process and then manage your website. Give us a call to find out the ways in which we can help you have a stronger web presence! Contact https://sharontech.info/contact-me/
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