12 Things To Consider When Creating A Business Website.

[Trade Host]

1. Make sure that your business website is designed in such a way that it looks great on "all" devices, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets and Phones.

2. Try to specialise with your products/services, don't try to provide everything.

3. Mention keywords and keyphrases within your text content that best describes your business products and services (Don't stuff your page with keywords as Google doesn't like it and may penalise your website.

4. Make sure you include relevant keywords and phrases in your title, description, and alt tags.

5. Optimise the images on your website, use an image optimiser to bring down the size of your images.

6. Include relevant keywords when naming the images you use on your website.

7. Remove anything that slows down the loading of your website. Remove any unnecessary fluff, especially bulky files that take too long to load.

8. Use natural speak when including text copy on your website (try not to sound robotic)

9. Make sure that every page of your website includes a minimum of 300 words in your text copy and use your focus keyword or phrase in the first paragraph.

10. Make sure your website is indexed in all the major search engines, Google, Bing and Yahoo etc.

11. Promote, Promote, Promote. Do everything you can to get the word out about your business and your website.

12. Use Social Media and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to drive organic (non-paid-for) traffic to your website. If your marketing budget allows, use Google Adwords (pay-per-click) to drive instant targeted traffic to your website and make sales.

James Webb
Trade Host Digital Services Ltd

 

[STDFR33]

13. Spam internet forums.

If anywhere, your post should be here:
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/xfa-blog-home/

 

[Trade Host]

Steady on there, I am new to this forum and still finding my way around. My post is just a guide to help those who are thinking of creating their own business website. But I do take your point that the blog section would be a better place for this post.

 

[EC1 Solutions]

Actually @Trade Host its very pertinent, and worthwhile advice, albeit in the incorrect forum.

 

[STDFR33]

Steady on there, I am new to this forum and still finding my way around. My post is just a guide to help those who are thinking of creating their own business website. But I do take your point that the blog section would be a better place for this post.

We get posts like this all time, and in the main, they turn out to be spam.

Welcome to the forum. Happy contributing!

 

[fisicx]

@Trade Host

That list can apply to any website not just a business website.

What is missing from the list are the most important things: provide content that meets the needs of the visitor and give them something to do once they have read it.

Google says: 59/100 with a 1.7Mb homepage and 119 server requests so your number 1 and 7 might need implementing

 

[Alan]

Number 0 - Fully understand what part a website is going to play in your business strategy, by understanding the ( planned ) contribution, then you can devise a budget, as without objectives, plan and a budget you have already failed.

 

[Trade Host]

Very good point fisicz, I will add similar to my list.

 

[fisicx]

And I'd add you need a marketing budget before even thinking about a website. If you don't have the funds to promote the site there's no point in building the site.

I've got a client with onepage site (not responsive, almost zero content and a just contact form) but they get loads of work because they are really good at marketing.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

I'd like to also add...

If you're outsourcing your website - make sure you do your due diligence - check up on the "SEO Expert" / "Website Designer" don't let them convince you that they're the best without checking up on their "expertise"...

 

[AllUpHere]

And don't pay a monthly fee for a Wordpress site. Especially if that monthly fee happens to be anywhere near 50 quid per month (or God forbid, over 100 quid per month).

 

[Alan]

And don't pay a monthly fee for a Wordpress site. Especially if that monthly fee happens to be anywhere near 50 quid per month (or God forbid, over 100 quid per month).

Why not? If you want someone to maintain your WordPress site, ensure it is backed up, , proactively monitor it, recover it from hacks, deal with incompatible plugin upgrades and have a 'developer' on tap £50-£100 a month is a reasonable amount to pay. Put it this way, anyone charging less for those services are undervaluing their skills.

Of course you can run your own WordPress site for approx £10 per month hosting fee and manage your own backups & upgrades simply enough if you are disciplined enough, and 'pay as you go' when you get problems you cant't solve.

I have clients on either 'contract' or 'pay as you go' and indeed the 'pay as you go' end up paying more overall - just like phones really.

Generally 'real businesses' seem to prefer 'contract' as then they don't have to get distracted with technology management and can get on with what they are good at.

 

[Trade Host]

Couldnt have put it better myself Alan, thank you. On top of that they get their website designed as well, with no upfront fees.

 

[Dewlance]

Nice topic and tips but finding a good keyword for each page is very hard.

I think doing a SEO of whole website is very hard. Its not so easy but still better than offline work.

 

[AllUpHere]

Why not? If you want someone to maintain your WordPress site, ensure it is backed up, , proactively monitor it, recover it from hacks, deal with incompatible plugin upgrades and have a 'developer' on tap £50-£100 a month is a reasonable amount to pay. Put it this way, anyone charging less for those services are undervaluing their skills.

Of course you can run your own WordPress site for approx £10 per month hosting fee and manage your own backups & upgrades simply enough if you are disciplined enough, and 'pay as you go' when you get problems you cant't solve.

I have clients on either 'contract' or 'pay as you go' and indeed the 'pay as you go' end up paying more overall - just like phones really.

Generally 'real businesses' seem to prefer 'contract' as then they don't have to get distracted with technology management and can get on with what they are good at.

Is WordPress the best solution with an annual spend of over a grand?

 

[fisicx]

Nice topic and tips but finding a good keyword for each page is very hard.

Instead of chasing keywords, start providing answers. This will give a you a range of related keywords on a single page. The old idea that you had a page per keyword went out the window years ago.

 

[Alan]

Is WordPress the best solution with an annual spend of over a grand?

I don't understand the question really. Solution to what problem?

• Do you mean, are there ways of getting a basic website as a place holder / brochure site for your business with lower running costs - sure there are static HTML sites for instance, and a whole host of 'website builders', which despite their limitations could be a 'solution'
• But if your problem needs a 'solution' such as a CMS that allows your to easily update content, with multi user logins with different authorities, perhaps automated feeds from external systems, perhaps membership area, perhaps some e-commerce thrown in and other features that WP can provide with addons that are extremely low cost ( due to the volume of sales ) and you want all that complexity supported by a professional then a grand a year isn't ( or shouldn't be ) a big deal for a real business. If it is a problem then frankly that is what they call a champagne taste on a beer budget.

One issue is indeed WordPress has been adopted by many that actually don't need the power it can provide.

 

[Marty101]

Couldnt have put it better myself Alan, thank you. On top of that they get their website designed as well, with no upfront fees.

A website, designed and maintained for £50-£100 a month? Maintained maybe but built also with no up front fees, I highly doubt it or I would be questioning the designer's ability.

 

[fisicx]

So you can build me a site to rival Amazon and I pay you nothing except a monthly fee. Sounds like a bargain.

 

[wevet]

Once you get the customer to your website you have less than 30 seconds to grab the visotr's attention. So,I would concentrate and test the content on friends/family/customers.

The first 50-100 words are what determines whether the visitor stays or bounces off.

Whatever you do, NO SPLASH PAGE!!!

 

[fisicx]

Whatever you do, NO SPLASH PAGE!!!

Unless you are selling diving boards

 

[Alan]

So you can build me a site to rival Amazon and I pay you nothing except a monthly fee. Sounds like a bargain.

No problem, in fact you can have a site EXACTLY like Amazon for just £25 a month see https://services.amazon.co.uk/services/sell-online/pricing.html

p.s. I never mentioned build & design fees in my defence for £500-£100 a month WordPress services. That was added in later by @Trade Host.

 

[Navitasmu]

Interesting conversation going on here... You are righ Wevet, we don't have a lot of time to attract visitors' attention and everything should be in the above-fold. That's why we always need good quality content on the website.