Setting Up a Website Why would you Do that?
So you are looking at setting up a website or you have one already? The most important question to answer is what do you want a website for?
The 2 main responses from people are:
- Is to provide details to customers on products or services they provide.
- To sell products or services – some sort of eCommerce store
They are both pretty simple responses and both really good reasons on why you should set up a website.
Fu
nnily enough – I’ve had just as many people say why they should not have a website. “My business doesn’t convert online.” I’ve heard it all from all sorts of people, from lawyers to surveyors. I honestly think these are both opportunities missed or maybe squandered.
Your website is just another part of your marketing arsenal.
To really test if your business will not work online, have a look to see if anyone else has a website in your niche. You will be able to see what works and what mistakes they have made. Its not that hard to do – all you need to do is enter in a term that describes your business.
This will provide fantastic ideas and insight. This is one of the first things I do whenever creating a website – this is a golden rule! Remember this insider tip.
So What Should you Really Care about when setting up a Website?
Can people find what they are looking for easily? You should care about this one as it is one of the most important factors. Otherwise people will hit the back button or exit your site as quick as a flash.
The best looking websites are not always the best converting website sites. It’s important but not at the top on the list, not even close. Your website’s job is NOT to show case inovative design – unless you are a graphich designer or in that type of industry.
Should you go for WordPress or Drupal? I always recommend WordPress over Drupal but that is my preference. PS You don’t need to be able to code to use WordPress.
Use a standard looking layout and don’t reinvent the wheel as it costs time and ultimately money for no good reason.
Do differentiate your site with content and what people are actually searching for. Design and Functionality are important but content is king. The better your content is and the more relevant it is the more people will read and share it. As there is more than just Google to consider when setting up a website – you need to create it for humans not search engines.
So you still want a website? Jump in and start brain storming and checking out what other companies are doing to get started on setting up a website.
(Flickr photo by Dan Taylor)
