In this digital age, having a professional website is imperative for all businesses, regardless of size or industry. If you are a business owner and your business lacks a website, that needs to change. Research shows that approximately 90% of consumers research a product online before they visit an online or physical shop to purchase a given product. In addition to that, more than 60% of consumers prefer online shopping. This is why a website is now a must-have for businesses.
In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of having a professional website, how to choose the right website developer, and the web development process.
Let’s get started!
The benefits of having a website for your business
First of all, let’s look at the main benefits of having a business website.
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24/7 online presence
One of the top benefits of having a website is that your business will enjoy a 24/7 online presence. People will access your business anytime, anywhere, even outside your business operating hours. It offers users great convenience because they can easily access the information they need in the comfort of their homes.
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Improve information exchange
A website provides a quick and easy way to communicate with consumers. You can include your operating hours, contact information, images of your products and location, and utilize contact forms to aid inquiries from potential customers or current ones.
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Reduce cost
Other than displaying your information, you can also use your website to sell your goods and services directly to customers. This can help you remove the need for a physical shop which comes with plenty of operating costs, such as staff wages, utilities, rent, etc. Doing away with these overhead costs can reduce your expenses, offering your business a real competitive edge. Plus, it will be easier to maximize your profits.
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Establish credibility
In today’s world, reputable companies are expected to have some kind of online presence. If your contact information is hard to find online, consumers are more likely to distrust your business. Your website can alleviate that risk, plus help you answer all questions that your customers are looking for. In addition, having an easy-to-use website makes customers feel comfortable with your products and services because they will assume that you offer the same great experience in all areas of your business.
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Promote your business’s expansion
Since your site can be accessed globally, the ability to break through geographical barriers is much easier. Anyone, regardless of their location, will be able to find your company, making them a potential customer. So if you want to reach a global audience, having a website is a perfect way to achieve that.
How to choose the right website building platform
Before you get started building a website from scratch, consider using a website building platform, such as WordPress or Wix. These platforms are the easiest options to use, instead of having to understand coding and learn complex web design principles to build a good business website. Here are the factors to consider when choosing a website building platform.
Your budget
First things first, you need to determine your budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend on a website builder. Consider all the other costs involved in building your professional website. Your budget should account for domain registration as well as hosting. You should also invest in images and copy for your website.
While there are website builders that offer a free plan, it is not advisable to go for them. That’s because the free plans have limited features and may also compromise the security of your website. Prices for paid plans range between $5 and $40 a month, and paid plans provide a wide range of features.
Your needs and priorities
Before you choose the right website builder, it is good to have an idea of what you want your website to look like and do. This will help you clarify your priorities so that you know what to look for in a website builder.
User-friendly
Of course, the last thing you want to deal with is a website builder that is difficult to understand and use. An intuitive website builder with a drag-and-drop feature makes things much easier. The best way to find out if a website builder is easy to use is by reading reviews to see what people are saying.
SEO features
Once you are done creating your website, you want people to find it. That’s why you need to implement SEO practices when designing your website. A good website builder should have SEO features that promote on-site optimization.
Resources and support
Before you choose a website builder, make sure that it has plenty of resources to help you learn how it works. Even the best website builder still requires a period of learning. That’s why you need to pay attention to the website builder’s resources. Ideally, the website builder you choose will provide tutorials on how to use all of its features and how to make changes when designing your website.
The website development process
Once you’ve chosen your website builder, you are ready to begin the development process. Here are the most essential steps of the web development process that will end with a professional website for your business.
Stage 1: Project definition
The first stage of the website development process is project definition. Your website developer will start with some sort of questionnaire or survey to help them understand the aspects of your business and website goals.
They need to understand the details and goals of your business, your target audience, and the level of competition in your market. This can help them develop a website that will not only promote user experience, but conversion too.
Additionally during this stage, your website developer will address any questions or concerns you may have, as well as explain their website planning process since it generally varies from one developer to another.
Stage 2: Planning
At this phase, your website developer will define your website’s layout and core functionality. Based on the information they have gathered, they will create a sitemap — this is basically a bird’s-eye view of your website. It’s a map that establishes the list of pages, how they are placed, and their relationship on the website. The sitemap can significantly help in defining and organizing web content, thus allowing your web developer to go deeper into planning the feel, functionality, and the look for each page. It is also at this stage that the web developer creates a wireframe, or the layout of each individual page of the site.
Stage 3: Design
Your web design is a crucial component of the success of your online business. Your web design will be created based on your target audience. The design determines how unique a website can be and create an enjoyable user experience. To create an excellent impression on a user, the web design must be attractive. A good web design company can help you achieve that.
Stage 4: Content creation
This website development stage encompasses planning, writing, and editing numerous forms of website content, including:
- Product/service description
- Landing pages
- Testimonials
- Images
- Videos
- Case studies
- Blog posts
This stage requires you to work with professional writers who can create content that can grab the attention of visitors as well as help your pages rank higher on search engines. Remember that content is also an important element of your user’s experience just like web design, so you need to take it seriously. You can make good use of content marketing systems [CMS] in this stage if you want to get the most out of your content marketing.
Stage 5: Development
Once you have approved your final design, this is where the website development process starts becoming technical. This website development stage involves coding, and the agency’s job is to make your website function efficiently and effectively. The agency will create your homepage followed by other landing pages, depending on your website’s hierarchy.
Stage 6: Testing
Testing is a very crucial stage of the web development process. In this stage, the developers will check if all the elements on your website are functioning properly. The objective is to detect any issues that may affect the functionality of your website, such as compatibility with different devices and broken links. Testing is done both manually and automatically. Once that has been done, your website is ready to go live.
Stage 7: Maintenance
The last stage, which is also an ongoing part of the website development process, is maintenance. Once your website has gone live, you will still need your website developer’s assistance and support throughout the duration of your website’s life. You may need to increase the number of pages, functionality, or features as your business grows. You will also need to carry out certain tasks regularly, such as adding blog posts, editing existing content, fixing bugs and issues, installing plugins, etc. Your website developer can help you with all of these tasks.
Final thoughts
A professional website is no longer optional for businesses; it is essential. But creating one doesn’t need to be complicated. If you find a good website developer, like Mauka Digital, you won’t have to worry about every stage of the process or think about every single aspect. Contact us for help building your business’s polished and professional website.