I Know I Need a Website – Now What?

If you’re struggling to come up with ideas for your new website, here’s your chance to learn how, step-by-step.  Many people know they need a website, but if you search for something as common as “web design”, you’ll find hundreds of thousands – even millions of results, with no real clue as to where to start!

Fortunately, if you follow these easy steps, you’ll be well on your way to mapping out a simple but highly-effective “website plan” in no time.

1. First, who are you building the site for?  “I’m building it for my business!” you might say.  But actually, you’re building it for your audience. 

For example, when I built my custom web design site at iElectrify.com, I did so for the small-medium size business owner looking for an easy, hassle-free and affordable way to get a website that doesn’t include monthly or hidden fees.  I wanted it to be straightforward, no-nonsense and show them exactly what they’d get by working with me.

Ask yourself who you’re creating your site for – people who love dogs?  Single working moms?  Golf enthusiasts?  Imagine your ideal customer and think about their plans, goals and ideas when you go to create your website.  It will go a long way in helping you target your site to be just what they were looking for!

2. Next, ask yourself what your site will do for people.  Will you sell one product or several?  Will the site provide information in exchange for a person’s contact details (name and e-mail?) or will it offer a free trial for a more expensive product?  Will your site be targeted to the local community or welcome worldwide inquiries?  Write down what you plan to do with this new website.

3. Now, where will your site be located online?  For beginners, this seems like a confusing question.  By location, I mean the two things necessary for any website to exist:  web hosting and a domain name. 

Web hosting is where the text, images and pages are stored that make up your website.  A domain name is typically your “.com” name – as in www.example.com that people will click on in the search engine results or type in directly to find your site.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a computer genius to set up either of these things.  A domain name can easily be had from 1and1.com for $6.99 per year, and reliable web hosting can be bought from Site5.com for as little as $5 per month.

4. Lastly comes the “how” of your website plan.  How will you create your site?  Will you try to do it yourself, or will you hire a web designer to build it for you?  Both of these decisions have their own set of pros and cons – and knowing what to expect will make the decision much easier in the end. 

If you’re interested in getting a website designed by a professional and would like to know how much it would cost, as well as how long it would take to be up and running online, please click here to get a free quote from iElectrify.

Recommended Tools and Resources

• Add Audio to Your Website
• Wordpress Tutorials