If you have a business, you need a website. Furthermore, you need an eye-catching, easy-to-use, SEO-optimized website. If a customer is Googling your company’s name and your website isn’t coming up, they’re going to move on to a competitor.

Building a website should be one of the first steps in your strategic marketing plan. It isn’t as hard as you might think, but it may take some time. Here are some beneficial resources to help you easily create a modern, user-friendly website.

5 Terms to Know

If you aren’t familiar with website terminology or you need a quick refresher, here are five terms you should know before you start building a website.

1.)  Content Management System (CMS) – A software system that allows you to easily edit your website without knowing HTML or coding. (Example: WordPress)

2.)  Domain – Where you’ll tell customers to go to visit your website. For example, our domain name is creativespot.com.

3.)  Hosting – The server where your website “lives” and is maintained.

4.)  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – If your website is properly optimized, your website will rank higher in search results (like Google), so more people can find your company.

5.)  User experience – How visitors interact with your website. You want to make the user experience simple, useful, and engaging, so they’ll be likely to come back.

If you need to brush up on more terms, check out these 25 terms to know.

Buying a Domain

Before you begin creating your website, it’s important that you have a professional domain that aligns with your company’s name. If the domain name you want is already taken, you’ll have to come up with a variation. For example, if creativespot.com was already taken, we may have chosen creativespotagency.com.

Many website builders sell domains, but you can also find a cheap domain elsewhere and then connect it to your website. GoDaddy is one of the most popular, inexpensive options for buying a domain. However, you should do your research and read these 10 helpful tips before you purchase your domain.

Building a Website

Did you know you can build a website without ever learning how to code? Companies like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress make it easy to drag and drop templates and customize your website. You’ll simply create an account, purchase or link your domain, and choose what yearly plan you want to buy. Then, you’ll be able to choose a template and customize everything from the colors to the photos.

Of course, you may decide to work with professional designers to create a more intuitive and interactive website for your customers. However, if you’re looking to quickly create a website on your own, check out the resources mentioned above.

For tips on what pages and information to include on your website, read this helpful article.

If your small business has an outdated or nonexistent website, make it a priority to revamp or create your own before the end of 2018. You’ll be glad you did!

Creative Spot is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Columbus, Ohio. If you would like to learn more about how we can help your organization create a website with a great user experience and stunning graphics, contact us.