Have you just got a new name or brand? You will probably want to know how to build a small business website to start marketing it. This simple, plain English guide will show you the basics of how to get started.
Check out our post which explains how to do this. We recommend visiting Crazy Domains to get started with purchasing your domain name.
Once you’ve got your domain name, you’ll want to host it somewhere. We recommend Ventra IP for Australian website hosting. Their Starter package should do the trick if you’re a sole trader with a basic website, otherwise consider their Freedom website package if you’re running an eCommerce website or a high traffic website.
As soon as you have your hosting setup, you will want to point your domain name to the hosting. This is done through something called “DNS” settings. Our blog post explains what this is all about.
Once you’ve got your hosting sorted you’ll have access to something called “cPanel”. This is the web interface that will allow you to install your website software. The software of choice is WordPress – used by around 80 million websites around the world.
To install WordPress, log into your cPanel and then look for the WordPress icon.
Be careful, it could sit under something called “Softaculous”.
You will normally choose the default options for your WordPress installation.
Once this is installed, you will have a basic website. Try typing in the domain name to your browser and see what is shown. At the time of this writing, the default installation will show a picture of a pot plant.
Once you have a basic website installed, you will want to change what the website looks like. This is known as the theme. There’s tens of thousands of website themes out there, most of them are paid.
If you want a free option, just login to your website and jump to Appearance > Themes. WordPress lists a lot of themes. If you’re just starting out with a basic website then the free themes might be sufficient. If you’re after something more robust then go with a paid option. Some great paid themes can be found at Themeforest.
After you have selected a theme you will want to jump to the theme’s options to brand the website for your business. This includes:
Once you have completed setting up your theme you will want to add content. Content includes:
For a basic website, you will need:
An example of a basic website can be seen in the demo of our Online Presence package website.
Once you’re happy with the content, then test the website. Testing will include:
Spread the word through your networks that your website is live! If you’ve got a big network, then host a launch party!
Spreading the word can include telling people via:
A website is part of your marketing team. It needs attention and feedback.
We recommend running tools like Google Analytics and Inspectlet to learn how people are using your website and where it can improve.
This article covers the basics of how to build a website BUT there’s way way way more to it than this.
We’ve put together an online training that covers, step by step (with my expert’s tips) how to put a proper business website together from scratch AND how to make sure brings money back into your business.
Interested?
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