Today every business needs a website. Sadly many people still don’t know how to create a website. You do have an option of paying someone to get your website ready but the cost can be too much if you are just starting your startup operations. There are things to know before building a website
Much of your marketing activities can be done with the help of a website. A website can act as a way of communication between you and your clients. You can explain your services to potential clients and also share your contact information with the help of a website.
Essential things to know before developing a website
Before you decide to make a website there are several things that you should keep in mind so as to increase the effectiveness of your website.
Domain name
You should choose a domain name which can be easily remembered by people. It should sound attractive and should be appropriate to your business. For example GoDaddy.
Hosting
Choose a dependable one and make sure to check the amount of capacity which is required.
Technology
There are many technologies that you can choose to develop a website such as JQuery, HTML5, PHP, Javascript etc.
Aim
You need to carefully decide a purpose of your website. For example, if the government is developing a website the purpose of this website will be e-commerce.
Color & Layout
No one likes to visit a website which has a weird layout. The improper layout makes it difficult for a person to explore the website. Always prefer a neat layout. Color also has an equal significance. Color affects the feel of the website. Make sure to choose a color which is not too bright and not too dim. For example color and layout of Amazon.in website.
Site map
It is a structure of website’s content which allows easy navigation for both users and search engines. A site map can be a list of hierarchical pages. Make sure to have a clear flow chart and site map.
Content
Your website’s content should be very informative to the users. More your content is able to solve users problems more they will visit your website. Try to use certain keywords which will help your website to rank high in search engine optimizations results. The form of content like video, language, picture etc has a clear impact on how slow fast a website can load.
Target market
It is very important to know who is your target audience. Once you are clear with it, you can easily prepare content that will attract them and solve their problems. Without knowing your target audience you will prepare a content which will be useful for no one.
Advertisements
It is always better to put advertisements on your website. You can explain your services offered with the help of advertisements. Many companies pay you to put their advertisements on your website which is a quick and easy way of earning money. But make sure not to put so many advertisements on your website. If it is not needed then just don’t put it. It should not happen that a user opens your website and all he/she can see are advertisements. This can be negative for your business.
Pop up messages
We all are familiar with pop up messages. It is that annoying window that suddenly opens up at the side or end of your website. Try to avoid such pop-up advertisements.
Design
Website design is one of the most important things that you should remember while developing a website. No one likes to visit a poorly designed website. It reduces the visual appeal of the website. Make sure that the design of your website is professional and simple.
Call to action button
Call to action such as buy now or download is created to cause an instant response among users. Due to its ultimate importance, the CTA button should be well designed. Use bright colors such as yellow or orange which is easily visible to the people. Since all your sales are dependent on that CTA button, try to design it as attractive as possible.
Background
The look and feel of website’s background are also very important. It should be as simple and attractive as possible. You can choose a bright background, a clear background or a patterned background. The choice is totally yours. At the end, it should look professional.
Image
A lot of thinking is required before you choose an image for your website. This is because the chosen image will have a lasting impression on everyone. So, make sure it is memorable and fantastic. For example, Indian government website having an image of Indian parliament.
Navigation
Every website should provide ease of navigation. A user should be able to easily locate whatever he/she is looking for. Few websites have so many filters and controlled navigation which makes it different for a user to navigate easily.
Innovative
Today there are so many websites available in the market. For instance for online shopping you have more than 50 websites but why will a user come to your website? What’s so different on your website? Many people are not able to differentiate their websites from others. If you want your website to stand out from others then you will have to bring something innovative in it.
Up to date
Make a point to keep your website up to date. Never linger on the information. People like to visit those websites which are up to date.
Optimize
Your website should be properly optimized which means it should be SE (Search Engine) friendly. It should be easy for a search engine to find your website.
Browser compatible
Your website should be browser compatible which means it should easily open up with any browser known to man, for example, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer etc. Few software websites are only compatible with certain browsers. Your website should not come under this category.
Resolution of screen
Screen resolution of your website is also important. Generally, web design is made in 980 px in width but with the help of responsive design, the website can be made in 1230 px in width.
Social sites
Social media is a great platform to market your products/services. Make sure to integrate your social media accounts (like facebook, twitter etc) with your website for easy content sharing.
Typography
It is appearance and style of printed matter. You should choose a proper typography for your website. Choose font and style of your printed matter in such a way which is easily visible to everyone.
Register
If a people have to register in order to interact with your website then give them some advantages in return. For example latest updates on your new products/services etc. One Plus uses the same technique. If you are registered to its website then you will be the first to get latest updates on One Plus new products/services.
Safety
A visitor will only drop his/her contact information and payment details on your website if you are providing some security in return. Make sure to install firewalls and other security measures in order to protect a person’s private information.
Analytics
With the help of this, you can easily track your website’s performance and optimize it to bring further improvements.
Footer
It is the least important thing on the website but an attractive footer can easily influence people.
Before developing a website kindly go through the above-mentioned things in order to make your website effective in the long run.