Building a Website for My Business: Tips for Small Business Website Owners

Before we dive into the technical stuff, let's talk about why you want a website in the first place. Determining your goals and intentions will inform so many choices as you build out your site.

Think about - what do you want your website to accomplish for your business?

Some common goals include:

• Generating leads and sales for your products or services
• Providing detailed info about your business offerings
• Sharing your expertise through blogging and content
• Allowing customers to schedule appointments or bookings
• Building trust and credibility for your brand
• Showcasing your portfolio as a freelancer

Knowing your core objectives will steer decisions like design, content, features, and more.

For example, if you're focused on ecommerce sales, your site needs robust product pages, clear add-to-cart buttons, integrated payment processing. If you mainly want leads through content, invest more in blog layout, email capture forms, SEO optimization.

My advice is to narrow in on 1-2 primary goals so your website stays focused, especially in the beginning stages. You can always expand functionality down the road.

So take a minute to think - what's most important for your website right now? What do you want it to achieve for your business? Once you've got clarity there, we can ensure every choice ladders up to accomplishing those goals.

Now that we've defined your website goals, it's time to pick the best platform or website builder to bring your vision to life.

There are a ton of options out there, but let's look at some of the most popular for commercial websites:

When evaluating options, look at available templates, features, scalability, ease of use, and cost. Determine what's most essential for your business goals and phase of growth.

For advanced customization, I typically recommend WordPress. But for many simple websites just starting out, user-friendly builders like Squarespace and Wix are great.

The key is choosing a platform that aligns with your current business needs while allowing room to grow. I'm happy to offer my insight if you need help deciding!

Once you've decided on a website platform, it's time to pick your domain name!

Your domain is your website address that people will type in to visit your site. For example - yourbusinessname.com.

When choosing a domain, aim for something short, memorable, and descriptive. The best option is to include your business name if available.

If your ideal .com is taken, get creative with variations using:

• Location - yourbusinessnameDenver.com
• Keywords - yourbusinessnameServices.com
• Industry - yourbusinessnamePizza.com
• Alternative extensions - .net, .biz, .store etc.

To check availability, search on domain registrar sites like:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• Bluehost
• Domain.com

Once you register your domain, you'll point it to your hosting account and website files. This connects your custom domain address to your actual site.

Choosing the right domain is key for branding and visibility. With a little brainstorming, you can find an available option that builds credibility and aligns with your business goals. Let me know if you need any help strategizing or deciding!

Now that we have the technical foundation, let's make your website really shine by building out your brand identity and visual assets.

Your brand identity is what makes a memorable and emotional connection with visitors. It's conveyed through:

1. Logo - Keep it simple yet distinct. Online logo makers like Canva or Looka can help.
2. Colors - Limit to 2-3 colors that align with your brand personality. Use color psychology.
3. Fonts - Choose 1-2 complementary, easy to read fonts. Sans-serifs typically look modern.
4. Images - Use high-quality photos and graphics that feel cohesive. Stock sites like Unsplash offer great options, but nothing resonates with clients more than real images of your own business, products, and team.
5. Icons - SVG icon libraries like FontAwesome provide stylish icons to enhance your pages.
6. Guidelines - Create a brand style guide documenting colors, fonts, logo usage, voice, etc. to inform all design elements.

When designing your brand identity, draw inspiration from competitors and websites you find visually appealing. Craft something memorable that wows visitors and builds an emotional connection.

Having a strong brand presence online differentiates you from competitors and makes a great first impression. It's worth investing time to get it right! Let me know if you need any help with your logo, visuals, or defining your brand style.

Alright, now that we've got the tech stuff handled and your branding is on point, let's talk about designing a website layout that rocks your online presence.

A site's layout has a huge impact on how visitors feel navigating around. Follow these tips for smooth sailing:

1. Easy navigation - Make important pages and call-to-action buttons super obvious in the header and footer menus. Breadcrumb trails are handy for wanderers.
2. Logical page flow - Organize pages in an order that makes sense. Group related stuff together, like having individual Service pages link from a main Services page. 
3. Standout CTAs - Calls-to-action should yell “Hey, click me!” with contrasting buttons, colors, placement by headlines. No sleepy “Contact Us” buttons - give them something catchy like a prominent “Get Quote” CTA.
4. Quality visuals - Include engaging photos, graphics, videos. Optimize file sizes so pages load lickety-split. Don’t bog things down with massive images.
5. Simplicity - Avoid clutter. Use white space effectively. Make buttons and clickables obvious through shadows, colors, animations. If it feels busy, toss it.
6. Mobile magic- Site needs to work like a charm on any device - desktop, tablet, phone. Content shouldn’t get cut off or overlap awkwardly on mobile.
7. Access for all - Design your site to be usable for every visitor, including those with disabilities. Add alt text, ARIA labels, captions, keyboard shortcuts.

There are tons of pre-made themes and templates that follow web best practices. Or hire a designer to create a fully custom layout.

The goal is a website layout focused on an intuitive experience that aligns with your brand. Let’s showcase your products, services, content, and offerings through smart design and placement.

If you'd like to see some real-world examples of effective website layouts, feel free to check out a few website design case studies from our past projects. Getting inspiration from other small business sites can be helpful as you start planning out your own website's layout and structure.

Now that we've covered the structure and design of your site, let's focus on filling it with stellar content.

The words, images, videos and other elements on your pages bring your brand to life while encouraging visitors to convert.

Here are some tips for creating compelling website content:

1. About Us - Share your business origin story and team bios to create trust. Be transparent and personable.
2. Services/Products - Thoroughly explain what you offer. Include features, pricing, images, reviews and options to contact or purchase.
3. Blog - Publish educational blog posts around topics relevant to your audience. Promote posts on social media.
4. Contact - Make it very easy to get in touch via phone, email, contact form, live chat.
5. Calls-to-Action - Every page should have clickable CTA buttons or links leading visitors to desired actions.
6. FAQs - Answer common customer questions to create trust. Also helps with SEO.

When writing any website copy, use clear language tailored to your target customers. Keep sentences short, scannable and conversational.

Remember, content brings your brand personality to life! Let me know if you need any help brainstorming or crafting compelling content for your site.

An important element of website content is calls-to-action (CTAs). These are clickable buttons, links or images that encourage visitors to take a desired action.

Effective CTAs help convert your website traffic into leads and sales. That's why their placement and design is so important.

Here are some tips for optimizing your website's CTAs:

• Place a CTA in your header/footer navigation so it's visible across all pages.

• Include CTAs above and below page folds to catch attention.

• Use CTAs in popups or slide-ins when visitors scroll past key content.

• Position CTAs near page titles, paragraph headers, image captions.

• Make CTAs stand out visually with contrasting colors, borders, animations.

• Show social proof like "Join 1,000+ businesses who use..." next to CTAs.

• Tailor CTAs based on the page. For example, use a contact form CTA on product pages, an appointment booking CTA on service pages, etc.

• Only use relevant, targeted CTAs. Don't distract visitors with too many options.

Strategically place CTAs at different touchpoints in the visitor journey. Track performance to optimize. Compelling calls-to-action will boost your website conversions! 

In today's world, a website's speed and performance is make-it or break-it. Faster loading pages make visitors happy, lower bounce rates, and boost SEO.

Here are some tips for giving your website a speed boost:

1. Compress images - Use tools like TinyPNG to shrink image file sizes without losing quality.
2. Minify code - Minification removes unnecessary code to streamline HTML, CSS and JS files. It's like a digital diet for slimmer code.
3. Cache static files - Caching stores static file copies to serve pages in a flash. Use a CDN caching service for lightning speed.
4. Upgrade web hosting - Invest in faster hosting with SSD storage, CDNs and caching built-in.
5. Defer non-essential scripts - Only load crucial scripts immediately. Defer/async others to prevent bottlenecks.
6. Optimize databases - Clean up inefficient database queries slowing things down. 
7. Improve code efficiency - Keep code lean, efficient and updated to current standards. 

Test your website speed with Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix. Optimally it should load on desktop and mobile in under 2 seconds.

Fast performance provides buttery smooth, positive experiences for visitors. 

Building an email list gives you an effective way to nurture leads, drive repeat business, and stay top-of-mind with customers.

Here are some tips for seamlessly integrating email signup forms into your website:

• Offer an opt-in incentive like a coupon code or free tool to encourage signups.

• Place email signup forms in your header, footer, sidebars, popups, and at logical content touchpoints.

• Use a dedicated email service like MailChimp, Constant Contact or AWeber to manage lists, automate sequences, track performance.

• Send regular newsletters with valuable content to build relationships, promote products, share updates.

• Segment your list by customer lifecycle stage, interests, location etc. to send tailored content.

• Make it easy to unsubscribe and honor email preferences. Follow CAN-SPAM guidelines.

When done right, email marketing integrates beautifully with your website to capture more leads. 

Now that we've covered website build essentials, let's discuss search engine optimization (SEO). SEO helps people find your site when searching for related topics.

Here are key elements for optimizing SEO:

1. Quality Content - The most important factor. Create content that directly answers search queries.
2. Metadata - Craft SEO-optimized page titles, descriptions and headings using target keywords.
3. Site Speed - Faster sites are rewarded in search rankings. Follow the performance best practices discussed earlier.
4. Mobile Friendly - Ensure your site is responsive and mobile optimized. Audit with Google Mobile-Friendly test.
5. Backlinks - Build quality backlinks from industry websites and citations to boost authority.
6. Local SEO - Fully complete your Google My Business listing if running a local business.
7. Technical SEO - Ensure your site has secure HTTPS, structured data, sitemaps, etc.

Optimizing for SEO is an ongoing process. But following core web standards will improve search visibility and help customers find your business. 

Understanding how visitors interact with your website is key for driving growth. That's where website analytics come in.

Here are some of the key reports to understand:

1. Traffic Sources - See where your visitors come from - directly, organic search, referrals, social etc. Identify top-performing channels.
2. Top Pages - Find your most popular pages to highlight in navigation and optimize further. Identify underperforming pages to improve.
3. Bounce Rate - High bounce rates indicate opportunity to improve content and user experience.
4. Behavior Flow - See how visitors navigate your site. Identify common paths and pain points.
5. Conversions - Track form submissions, downloads, purchases, email signups and other goals.
6. Location - Analyze visitor demographics and behavior by country, city, language etc.

Regularly monitoring your website analytics provides tangible data to inform optimization. 

You've put in the hard work to build an amazing website. Now it's time to spread the word so people can find it!

Here are proven strategies for promoting a new website:

1. Submit your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing.
2. Update online directory listings like Yelp with your new website URL.
3. Share your site on social media and run paid ads pointing to it.
4. Add website links in your email signature and anywhere else your business is mentioned online.
5. Create link-worthy content and outreach to relevant sites for backlinks.
6. Produce and distribute a press release announcing your new website launch.
7. Let your current customers know about the updated website through emails or notifications.
8. Continuously add fresh, engaging content to give visitors reasons to return.
9. Monitor analytics to identify successful referrals and capitalize on what's working.

With ongoing promotion and execution of all we've discussed, your new website will work hard to build awareness and generate leads and sales! Let me know if you need help brainstorming creative ideas to get the word out.

We've covered a lot of ground in this complete guide to building a successful website for your business!

The key steps we discussed include:

1. Determining your website goals
2. Selecting the ideal platform
3. Registering your domain name
4. Designing your brand identity
5. Creating an effective layout
6. Writing targeted, engaging content
7. Optimizing website speed and performance
8. Integrating email marketing
9. Improving SEO visibility
10. Tracking analytics
11. Promoting your new site

Following this comprehensive process will empower you to launch an effective website that sets your business apart online.

I'm excited to help you continue bringing your vision to life! Feel free to reach out anytime if you need help or have additional questions during your website build journey. I'm always happy to offer my expertise and support fellow business owners.

Here's to the successful launch of your new website - a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy! Let's get your business found online and connected with customers. The sky's the limit when you have an amazing web presence.