If you are considering building your very own website you have come to the right place. While millions of people have the desire to get started online, very few of them actually know how and where to start.
With this article we are going to cut through the nonsense and tell you the 5 things you need to start a successful website. If you follow these tips you can have your website up and running today!
1 – A Clearly Defined Goal
Being that you want to start a website we will assume you already have an idea of what type of product or service you want to sell. Before you take the next step you must first clearly define your goals.
What is it that you hope to accomplish with your website? If you will be selling services on your website your goal could be to get more clients. To make this happen you will need to make sure all content clearly communicates what you have to offer, how your services can help potential clients and why they should work with you.
If you plan on selling products your goal could be to get as many people as possible to not only add products to their shopping carts, but to also complete the checkout process.
Whatever your goal, make sure it is clear before you get started. If you just set up your website without having a clear goal you will find yourself spinning in circles and never really getting it off the ground.
2 – A Good Name
While this step is considered extremely simple, for most people it is the most difficult part. When choosing a name for your website its not about being the most clever. Instead you want to focus on coming up with a name that is simple and easy to remember.
One method you can use to come up with ideas for a name is to check and see what domain names are currently available. Type in your chosen name and see what comes up. Generally speaking the domain register will show you various options that are available based around the words you typed in.
While this step will more than likely slow you down, don’t let it stop you from moving forward with your project. There is no need to get this 100% perfect. If you don’t like the name you can always change it later on down the road.
3 – Web Hosting & Design
The good thing is you can register your domain name and get web hosting all in one simple transaction. Some hosting companies even offer a free domain with the purchase of hosting.
When it comes to choosing the right type of hosting you might feel a bit overwhelmed due to the number of options. At Skygrace we try to keep things as simple as possible by offering four hosting plans that grow with you as your business grows.
If you are just starting out the personal plan will provide you with plenty of resources to get going. You can always upgrade at anytime in the future.
Once you have your hosting setup you should turn your attention to design. While you don’t need anything fancy, you do want to make sure your website looks decent.
When it comes to designing your website you have two options. You can either hire someone to do it for you or you can do it yourself. The latter option is of course the more affordable option.
At Skygrace Hosting we offer a simple drag and drop website builder that allows you to design your website with a few clicks of a button.
And once again, don’t get caught up in perfection. Just get your website designed and launched as quickly as possible. You can always go back and upgrade it later.
4 – Content, Content, Content
Chances are you’ve heard the saying, “content is king”. The term was first coined in 1996 by Bill Gates and it still rings true two decades later.
Content is the new currency. When people get online they are looking for content that can help them solve their problems. If your content solves those problems your readers will start to trust you and may eventually invest in the products and services you are recommending.
The problem is creating good content is not easy. Especially if you are not someone who enjoys writing. If you fall into this category your best bet is to hire a content marketing specialist to create all of your content for you.
You can find affordable content creators on freelance marketplaces such as Upwork.com and Guru.com.
5 – A Traffic Generation Strategy
Most people think they can just set up their website and the people will come. This however couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is setting up your website is the easy part. Getting potential customers to visit your website on the other hand, now that can be one of the most difficult things you ever try to do.
When it comes to traffic generation you will either have to pay to play or you will need the patience to implement a long term strategy. Content marketing is a very effective long term strategy that can lead to thousands of unique visitors per month when done right.
When creating content, always remember your number one objective is to provide value. As Jim Rohn once said, “You can have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.”
Everything you do as far as marketing goes should be centered around helping people reach a particular goal. For example, if you are a fitness expert, every piece of content you publish should be helping people along their journey to a stronger, healthier body.
When you focus on providing consistent value you will be able to build a strong relationship with those who visit your website. Once your visitors start to trust you they will opt into your sales funnel where you will be able to nurture them with the hope of them eventually turning into a paying customer.
Are you ready to get your website up and running? If so check out our affordable web hosting plans and get started today!