Small Business Website Design: Your First Website
by Bobette Kyle

You know you need a Website to help promote your small business, but don’t know the technical details to make it happen. Relax, creating a basic small business Website isn’t as mystical as it seems. There are four steps you’ll need to take in order to get a Website designed and "live" on the World Wide Web:

1. Register a Domain Name
2. Write and Develop Your Website Content
3. Hire a Website Designer or Developer
4. Sign Up for a Hosting Plan

Register a Domain Name

The domain name is the address you type into your browser: www.YourWebsite.com. There are several domain extensions to choose from. (.com, .us, .net, etc.) You will generally want to register one or more .com domains. Many businesses register versions of their own names (including common misspellings) as well as their brands.

You must go through a registrar (or one of a registrar’s affiliates) to register domain names. A domain costs from approximately $7 to $35 per year, depending on the registrar and current discounts. For a list of accredited domain registrars, type domain registrar into any search engine or visit: http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html

Once you’ve chosen a registrar, search to see if the names you want to register are available. If they are not, the registrar will often suggest alternatives. After deciding on your domain names, purchase them by following the on-screen instructions.

Write and Develop Your Website Content

You will be responsible for Your Website’s content -- the text, pictures and logos. You may hire one or more copywriters, editors or graphic designers to help with the work. But, you and others in your company are the ultimate experts on your business, so must be intimately involved with content development and design elements.

To generate ideas and get your "creative juices" flowing, start by exploring Websites of close competitors and other Websites you find appealing. Make note of features you’d like to include or offer on your own site.

Other things to consider when developing Website content:

- Overall structure (i.e. which pages you will have in your site and how they fit together): Structure will be driven primarily by your site objectives. A Website that sells a product, for example, may have these pages: About the Product (as home page), About Us, Contact, Purchase, and Privacy Policy - Text on each page: On the Web, short paragraphs read better than long ones. Experts typically recommend 250 - 1500 words per page. - Call-to-action: Know what you want to accomplish with your Website and what actions you want visitors to take (read about your product, buy it, contact your sales people, etc.). Encourage visitors to take action with links in the navigation, within text and near the top of pages.

Hire a Website Designer or Developer

Website design and development involve putting together your Website’s overall structure and artistic look. There are several ways to accomplish this. You may find, for example, that your registrar offers an inexpensive site builder program that allows you to build your own Website step-by-step online. Site builders, however, rarely live up to expectation and/or meet your needs. Some common issues: frequent "glitches," slow program response, minimal directions or customer support, poor search engine optimization features and inflexible or limited design options. I recommend you avoid these site builders. Instead, hire a Website design firm or individual developer to help with your Website.

For a higher-end site you may want to hire a firm to create and develop your Website around a custom design. A lower-budget alternative is to forego custom Website design and hire a developer to create your site around an existing Website template. Some Website developers offer their own pre-made templates as part of their development packages. Others develop around a purchased template.

Website Design and Development Costs

Design and development costs for your Website can run the gamut from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on Website features, quality, size and design. In general, the more pages and the more custom graphics and design in your site, the higher the cost.

Finding Developers and Templates

Many people find a Website designer or developer through word of mouth. There is also a list of some St. Louis area firms here: http://www.marketingtool.com/channel/webfirm/b.435.g.6579.html (Other metropolitan areas are likely to have similar lists. Type your city’s name and "Website Development" into any search engine to find developers/designers in your area. Also note that because of the nature of the work, your Website developer does not need to be located near you.)

If purchasing a template, expect to pay anywhere from zero (for a very basic, one-page design) to a couple hundred dollars (for a multi-page, high-end site design). Type Website template into any search engine to find a variety of template options.

Sign Up for a Hosting Plan

A Website host "rents" file storage space to you on a Web server, generally provides email services (so you can have "@MyWebsite.com" email addresses) and takes care of the technical aspects of making your Website visible on the World Wide Web.

After choosing your approach to Website development and working with your developer to decide features, you have enough information to look at Website hosting packages. Most hosts charge a monthly fee, which varies widely depending on features and account size. Your Website developer or designer can help you choose a host and plan that fit your needs. You can also research numerous hosts at www.websitehostdirectory.com.

You know you need a Website to help promote your business. Now you know how to get one!

About the Author

Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience; online marketing and Web development experience; and a marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing and Website services. Bobette is also author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business." Additionally, she offers starter Website development services. For more information, visit: http://webmarketingplace.com/startersite.htm