Benefits of having a business website

A compelling and informative business website may benefit your company in several ways:

• Effective advertising: A website optimized for search engines is more likely to appear when potential customers search for a product or service.
• Low costs: Displaying your entire product or service catalog on your business website is typically more affordable than printing magazines and brochures.
• Simple access: Customers can easily find your website by searching your business name or typing in your URL.
• Increased productivity: Your business website can act as a central information hub where customers can quickly find answers, potentially reducing customer service inquiries and freeing your employees to handle other tasks.
• Easy education: With a website, customers can educate themselves about your offerings without a phone call.
• Market expansion: If you sell products or services online, a website may help you reach customers worldwide.
• Ability to promote and sell: Your business website can be a valuable marketing tool. It can showcase features and benefits, share reviews from satisfied customers and present a compelling value proposition.
• Quick updates: Many website builders and content management systems (CMS) let you easily update product descriptions, pricing, availability and business information online.
• Simplified hiring: Post job openings and application details on your website to build awareness and reach potential candidates.
• Online identity: Your company’s website can help establish your brand identity.
• Customer service: When you add an online form, email address or live chat tool to your business website, customers can choose the most convenient option.

Related: 10 Steps to Starting a Business

How to start a website: The basics

When starting a small business website, you have two options: Build it yourself or hire a web designer to manage the process.

If the budget allows, consider hiring a web designer. A professional can ensure each piece of code functions efficiently, build in easy-update tools and create a custom design that reflects your unique brand identity.

You may not need experience in coding or web design to build your site. The best website builders offer no-code solutions and pre-built templates you can customize.

If you’re building a website, consider these steps:

1. Select your platforms

Choose a web hosting service to store your website files and allow visitors to access the site. Then, select a content management system (CMS). These platforms help you build a site using a visual editor that doesn’t require coding.

2. Obtain a domain name

Choose your domain name. This is the URL used to reach your website. You can buy your domain from your web hosting company or a different registrar. Some CMS platforms include domain name access.

Your domain name should be:

• Aligned with your business name
• Memorable
• Succinct

An exact-match domain—businessname.com—can make it easier for customers to find your website.

3. Choose your template or theme

Many CMS platforms come with pre-made templates and themes. When you activate a theme, the CMS applies the design to each new page for a cohesive, professional look. Some platforms and themes let you customize colors, fonts and other design elements.

Choose a mobile-responsive theme that doesn’t rely on plug-in modules. Simpler code often results in faster load times and less troubleshooting.

4. Create individual web pages

Use the CMS to build each page. Essential pages for business websites include:

• Home page: As your website’s main page, this should tell customers what your company does and direct them to key pages.
• Contact page: You might include your company’s phone number, address, email, contact form and business hours.
• About Us page: This page’s content is flexible. It typically provides additional information about the business, its history and its unique story.
• Products or services pages: These pages offer detailed information about your products or services. You may need category pages and individual product pages.
• Blog page: Each post is a potential point of entry to your website, so it can help increase traffic and brand awareness.

5. Proofread and review your site

Preview each page in a browser to:

• Proofread the text
• Verify images display correctly
• Check for consistency in text styles
• Test all links

6. Publish your business website

Publish your site to the internet. Enter your URL into a search engine to make sure the site is live and functioning properly. It takes time for search engines to index your website and show it in search results, but customers can visit immediately by clicking a link or visiting the URL directly.

Related: How to Write a Web Developer Job Description

CMS options and costs

Every CMS differs, and some require more web design knowledge than others. Here are several popular CMS options:

WordPress

WordPress is free and highly flexible. Building a custom site requires technical knowledge, but educational resources are available online. You can code your site or choose from a library of themes, many of which come with multiple templates.

While WordPress is free, you need to purchase hosting and a domain name separately. Unless you purchase a managed WordPress hosting plan that handles the technical side, you’re responsible for installing, troubleshooting and updating the site.

Squarespace

Squarespace offers professional, highly functional websites that require little design experience. Its drag-and-drop website builder makes it easy to build a custom site and add content. The themes are industry-based, adding relevant pages automatically for businesses such as restaurants, real estate agencies and nonprofits.

Squarespace offers four paid plans, each with a custom domain, hosting, payment processing and basic ecommerce tools.

Joomla

Joomla is a “free forever” CMS that provides ample design flexibility. It’s geared toward developers, so it may be a better option if you have technical employees on staff. The platform offers thousands of extensions that add functionality to your website, including payment systems and ecommerce integrations.

Joomla requires you to purchase domains and hosting separately.

Related: How to Hire a Web Developer

Wix

Wix requires minimal web design knowledge. Customize the included templates or make a design with the drag-and-drop builder. The Wix App Market lets you add apps that expand your site’s functionality.

All plans have hosting and a free domain for one year at various prices.

Weebly

If you need a simple website with a professional design, Weebly may be the right CMS. It requires little technical knowledge—you can build a site using the user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. This platform doesn’t have advanced customization options.

Weebly offers three paid plans on an annual contract. There’s a free version, but it includes Weebly’s branding and doesn’t let you connect a custom domain.

Features to include on your website

Whether you use a template or hand-coding pages, consider including the following key features on your business website.

Company branding

Employer branding can help your site stand out from competitors. Branding elements can give your website a cohesive look that aligns with your marketing materials. Business websites typically include:

• Company name and logo
• Brand colors and fonts
• Defined image style
• Header, subheader and link styles

Calls to action

A call to action (CTA) helps visitors understand the next steps. CTAs vary based on the section of your website. On the contact page, you might suggest customers call your business or use the contact form. Product pages could include an “order now” button, and service pages might ask customers to request a quote.

The homepage might include several CTAs:

• View our products or services.
• Learn more about the business.
• Check out our portfolio.

Navigation

Customers should be able to quickly find the information they need. Many sites include a navigation bar at the top of every page. The mobile version of your website should use navigation that’s accessible on a smaller screen—usually, a “hamburger” menu that extends across the screen.

Products and services

A business website generally aims to educate customers about company offerings. Include elements that can maximize conversions, including:

• Professional images and videos
• Pricing information
• Frequently asked questions
• Testimonials and reviews
• Online shopping system
• User guides and helpful resources

Related: Website vs. Mobile Apps: What’s Right for Your Business?

Best practices for creating a business website

When building your website, consider your company’s and customers’ needs. These best practices may help you create a positive experience.

Keep navigation simple

Website navigation should be easy to use. Instead of linking to every page from the navigation bar, you could include a small selection of high-level pages. When customers hover over a link, you can display a drop-down menu for sub-pages or categories.

Update hours regularly

Any time your hours change, update them immediately to keep customers informed.

Use a simple design

Your website is often the first point of contact for customers. You may increase usability and create a positive impression with a simple design that features:

• Ample whitespace
• One or two fonts
• Limited color palette

Create content

Publishing blog posts can help share your industry knowledge with potential customers. It may also increase the likelihood that your website appears in search engine results. Topics to consider include:

• Industry and company news
• Thought leadership pieces
• How-to guides
• In-depth explanation of product features

Customers often appreciate information designed to help them make a decision or get the most from their purchases.

Use analytics

Business websites generate data about site visitors. Products such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console capture and analyze that information, potentially revealing insights such as:

• Traffic levels by time and date
• Referring websites
• Bounce rate
• Visitors’ movement through your site
• Conversion rate

You can use this information to analyze your website’s success and make changes that may improve conversions.

Optimize your website

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of building a website to appear in organic search results for relevant queries.

Consider using these website SEO best practices:

• Include keywords customers are searching for.
• Add new content regularly.
• Improve website usability to increase the time customers spend on your site.
• Add hyperlinks to other reputable websites.
• Use appropriate header tags.
• Reduce page load time.

Include media

Photos, graphics and videos add dimension to your website, breaking up sections of text and making it more readable. Visual content tends to attract visitors’ attention and help them understand your products and services at a glance.

Link to social media profiles

Link to your social media channels so customers can continue engaging with your brand. Because social media is highly visual, it can help people build a more personal connection to the company, which may drive sales and repeat business.

Frequently asked questions about starting a website

How do I build my website for free?

Many CMS platforms let you make a website for free—however, you typically pay for hosting. Some platforms host websites for free, but you typically have to keep the provider’s branding and can’t connect a custom domain.

How much does it cost to start a website?

Pricing varies significantly depending on the platforms used to build your website. All-in-one services range per month for a domain, website builder and hosting.

CMS options may be free, with the exception of the domain name and web hosting. If you hire a designer or developer to build a website, you may spend significantly more.