If you had a fantastic business idea and after some initial research, it does look doable and you are already halfway through the business plan, this is the perfect time to consider the company website, which is more than just a portal to the digital world, it is also a reflection on you and the organisation. Of course, a lot depends on your budget and there are providers with a one-stop solution for all your web needs. A basic text-based website can be built with WordPress, which is a very user-friendly web-building application, while more complex platforms demand more powerful programs.
Multi-Step Process
Designing & building a business website involves all of the following;
- Domain name acquisition – You choose a suitable URL and if no one is using it, you can register the domain name for 2 years. This costs a few dollars and the web developer can handle the acquisition of a suitable domain name. You have a choice of suffixes: .com, .org, .net are just a few examples; try and find a URL that is short and easy to remember.
- Web design – Time should be spent at the design stage and the developer can produce a few graphics to illustrate how a website will look to the user. Design is important; an early learning kindergarten website would look very different to an auto repair website and whatever company colours you have, they can be incorporated into the design. Simplicity is important and rather than filling the pages with flashing graphics, keep things minimalist and easy to navigate; once the website is online, you can analyse the site traffic data and make site improvements.
- Web hosting – Your website needs a host and the web developer has you covered, offering a range of web-hosting packages with varying bandwidths. There are optional extras such as website management, whereby the agency acts as webmaster, managing the platform and uploading new content. If you are planning on a site with lots of hi-res graphics and video, we recommend a high bandwidth hosting package for super-fast page loading.
- The build – Armed with the data they need, the web development team take the approved design and starts writing front & back-end code. Using a top web-building application such as React, Sydney business owners can expect rapid development, which helps to keep costs down. The agency works to the project timeline, ensuring that your website goes online at the right time.
- Site management – The developer can act as a webmaster, overseeing the platform and adding content as it arrives. Some small business owners prefer to self-administer the site, which is fine if you have the time and should you encounter any issues, the developer has your back. Here are a few Instagram marketing hacks to boost your social media following.
- Cyber-security – The developer makes sure that your site has an approved SSL Certificate and security patches are automatically applied; your customers will expect a secure platform, especially if you receive money via your platform. Here is a glossary of cyber-security terms that you may not know.
You do need to sit down and work out what your objectives are regarding your business website and this information helps the developer to understand the type of platform you need. Together you can collaborate and add powerful features to improve the UX and your site will be a work in progress, constantly developing and growing in size. Web design companies can help you create a business website that is both visually appealing and effective at promoting your business.
Wide range of web-building applications
While there are quite a few web-building applications available, the top developers use ReactJS, which is an open-source JavaScript application with a huge library of design templates. It does depend on what you expect from your company website; are you planning to sell products via the site? Is the platform more of an information database regarding your products or services? Are you planning a shopping cart website? The answers to questions such as these will help you to list your major goals, which leads to the right design.
User experience
Known as the ‘UX’, the user experience is something to focus on; at the end of the day, the UX is what determines whether users return to your platform; pages must load quickly and by tracking the length of time a user stays on each page, you can make some content changes. Pages should be well laid out, with clear menus that make for easy navigation and take the opportunity to ask for user feedback, which is critical to the site development.