10 Commandments For SMB Website Development

Running a successful small business involves having your own website. Even if you are offering a service instead of selling products, your customers need to be able to find you online. Today, creating a website is not a complicated process and thanks to a lot of website builders anybody can do it. However, before you register and start with the work, here is an overview of some basic steps that you should take before plunging in the world of website development.

Secure Your Domain

During the process of figuring out the name of your business, keep an eye on available domains. The same goes for social media – the idea is to have the same name everywhere so that people can quickly find you. Check out websites such as Name Mesh to help you.

Creating the Website

This is probably the trickiest part. You can approach this in two ways: either hire a developer who will make your website from scratch or check out the numerous website builders such as WordPress, Wix, Squarespace… They are relatively easy to get a hang of, so if you have enough time definitely go for it.

Seamless Design

Nevermind if your developer is in charge of your website or you are browsing themes in your website builder, the most important thing is that your website is not confusing. Choose easy to read fonts, make sure that your photos are compressed so that they can load faster. Put enough explanations and make sure that your call to action buttons are understandable.

Structure Your Website

Plan out the look of your website. Think about which pages you want there. Make sure to include the usual ones such as About Us page, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Contact page and a page dedicated to your products or service. You can also have a blog on your website. If you do, think about possible blog categories and tags.

Implement SEO Practices

When it comes to SEO (Search engine optimization), the main thing is to figure out your keywords related to your business. SEO also includes a lot of linking, between various pages on your website and between other online places. Having a fine-tuned SEO takes a lot of time, so it would be a good idea to find someone who can assist you in this matter. Try to not overlook this part since Google rankings are vital for your business.

Content Management System (CMS)

If you decide to implement a blog on your website, make sure to choose the right CMS for your needs. The most popular one is definitely WordPress, but there are countless other options. Do your research and check the advantages of each one.

Content Strategy

Content strategy is a must if you are going to run your blog. Regularly published quality content will do wonders for your rankings.

Prepare Photos, Video, and Audio Material

Prepare your content in advance. Make sure that anything you publish is of the highest possible quality. Whether it is a photo gallery or a podcast, start working on time and follow your content calendar. Churning out a lot of low-quality content will just do damage to your website. Plan ahead and leave yourself enough time to finish everything.

Customers’ Reviews

This one is self-explanatory. Collect your customers’ reviews and publish them on your website. This will give you credibility and visitors can see others’ opinions about your product or service.