Everything You Need to Launch a Successful Website!

To launch a website can be an overwhelming process! In this article we aim to give you some guidance.

We look at:

Registering a Domain
Choosing a Web Host
Finding a CMS
Creating a Website

Registering a Domain

Why You Need a Domain – Similar to your home address, a domain is your website’s ‘address’ on the Internet. Without a domain, the website can’t be found via browser searches.

Choosing a Domain Name – This can be a difficult process as you will soon realise that most of the names you think of are already registered! Luckily new domain extensions offer some assistance.

Other than:

.com
.org
.net

there are more creative extensions to choose from!

Be aware of trademark infringement.

Consider that generic terms may get your website confused with another.

There are online sites to help you, such as Namemesh.

Think about how Internet users will pronounce your domain name, should they use voice search – this is the future!

Customize Your Domain Name – Remember that your domain name is similar to a personalized number plate. Customization forms part of your marketing and branding strategy and therefore needs to uniquely represent YOU and your business!

Choosing a Web Host

Uptime – Make sure the web host you choose has the necessary systems and infrastructure in place to ensure your website is visible 99.9% of the time. Web host down time = Website down time … and no one can find it when searching the Internet!

Security – Cybercrime, Hacking, Malware … these are all real security risks you face, should your web host not have the necessary security in place on their servers. Make sure you understand what the web host provides and ask for recommendations for what measures to put in place on your end.

Support – Good customer service is ultimately what makes for great user experiences! NO ONE wants to battle with a problem. NO ONE likes to be frustrated. Also, if the problem you are experiencing is affecting the smooth running of your website, you are possibly loosing visitors and even worse – potential customers!

Storage Capacity & Back Up – Different websites need different storage capacity and back up frequency. If you offer a media library with photos, videos, podcasts or music, you will need more storage capacity. Make sure your web host offers sufficient resources to ensure your website functions at a high level.

Read more about choosing a web host in our previous article – Choosing a Web or Blog Host: These are the MUST-HAVE features

Finding a CMS

What is CMS? A Content Management System is a software application used to create a website. Unless you can code and write a program from scratch to create your website, you WILL need a CMS! There are many CMS applications to choose from and mostly everything you need is available in one place. Find a CMS that offers you mobile-friendly options – this is very important!

WordPress – is one of the market leaders when it comes to CMS’s! It is user friendly, offers more than enough variety to suit just about everyone’s needs and is very cost effective! WordPress.org offers their source code at NO COST! The user interface is super easy. There are plenty of free stuff on offer. Entire communities of users are available to support you!

Themes – First impressions count! The overall ‘look and feel’ of a website is very important. Many different elements come together to create the aesthetics of a website. Choosing a CMS that gives you hundreds of choices that are easy to apply is a winning combination. Our article – WordPress Themes – gives you more information.

Plugins – Plugins add specific features to your website. You will need some plugins immediately, for instance, for security reasons. Others may only become necessary at a later stage. Maybe you want to add a media library or online store to your website as your business grows. Plan ahead if possible to make sure you choose a CMS that offers plugins you may need in the future.

Creating a Website

Website Pages – All websites consists of multiple pages.

There is the:

Home page
About Us page
Contact Us page

Many other pages may be necessary depending on your business. The CMS you choose should make it quick and easy to add more pages as and when you need it.

The Blog – There is a lot of research proving the value a blog adds to a website and a business. We have written extensively about blogging and you can read more about it in these articles:

An Online Store – 2020 and the global Coronavirus pandemic certainly pushed more businesses into this space! Being able to offer your products 24/7 on a global scale is a no-brainer! Social media is also making it easier than ever before by allowing customers to shop without having to log out of the the social media platform and into your website / online store.

Landing Pages – In our article – A Website Deconstructed – we discussed the purpose and value of landing pages. Landing pages are used to convert visitors into leads. It offers something in exchange for basic contact details. It is a MUST-HAVE when planning a campaign or general marketing strategy. ‘Subscribe to’ or ‘Sign up’ are some of the CALL TO ACTION phrases used on landing pages.

There is more than this to consider when you really get stuck in, but we hope that this article will point you in the right direction! Now – GO GET STARTED!!!