5 tips for creating a website on a smaller budget
When you start your own business, you have a lot to think about. The marketing budget is often tight and creating a website seems unaffordable.
However, the world is becoming increasingly digital and potential customers are using their computers or phones to search for services and products. For this reason, it is extremely important that every company and every freelancer, no matter how small, has its own website.
But a new website doesn't have to drain your bank account. Here are my 5 tips that can help you get a website without spending a fortune.
1 Domain & Hosting
What should the address for your new website be called? The name of your website should be original and impressive and have a good recognition value.
Create a list of keywords that describe your website and play with these words. You will see how you can find a suitable name for your company and your website.
If you want to reach a global audience, then you should opt for a .com domain. There are many 'new' domain extensions available now and while they may seem fun and impressive, nothing beats a prominent and easier to find .com domain.
If it is a website for your company, then use your company name.
Keep it simple! You want the website to be found quickly. A complicated name that is difficult to spell will not help you achieve this.
Choose a name that sticks. You should be remembered quickly and easily!
Avoid numbers and hyphens.
You need a good domain provider to register your domain and for hosting. You can find a comparison of domain providers in Germany at Netzsieger.
2 Use a Web Builder
Using a web builder helps with technical difficulties and reduces financial risks.
When looking for a suitable web builder, it is important to find the right mix: it should have a wide range of functions and at the same time be easy and intuitive to use.
A good web builder should:
help you choose a domain name
have a large selection of possible templates
have functions for mobile design
Make uploading photos and galleries easy
offer a small store
Give you the ability to automatically connect to your social media accounts
have search engine optimization functions
have access to attentive customer service
3 Keyword research 'Keywords'
The first step to writing good content for your website is to do thorough research on what keywords your target audience uses to find your services or products. There are free programs that can help you with this research:
If you know what the most important keywords are for your website, use them again and again in your text. It is very important to use the words 'natural', as search engines can also penalize your website if you stuff the text with keywords in an unnatural way.
4 Contents
Content marketing - content marketing - is there to create added value for the consumer through free and informative content and thus appeal to potential customers.
This can be achieved in various ways, such as blog, social media, videos, newsletter, podcast, etc.
Good content creates trust
Content is extremely important for search engines
Content plays a major role in brand awareness
5 photos
Photos on a website do more than just look good:
Photos bring your website and brand to life
Photos are viewed much more often
Photos appear in the search engines
Photos are shared on social media accounts
That is why it is all the more important that you use good photos.
You should always use a professional photographer for photos of you and your team. This is the only way to achieve the right results and portray your corporate culture and consistency
When using stock photos, you should look for individual and appealing photos that relate to your brand and don't conform to a typical cliché. There are some very good free stock photos on Unsplash.
Conclusion
It can sometimes be very overwhelming and frustrating to create a website. Especially when it's your first time and you have a million things and concerns running through your head.
As with any large project, start with small steps to minimize the adverse risks.
Under Website Management, I also offer training and help with creating Squarespace and Wix sites. So if you need help, please give me a call.
