A website launch is an important milestone, especially for businesses building their first site. The first step into the online world full of possibilities can be exciting and nerve-wracking for new website owners.
So, what does it take to build a good website that can consistently engage people’s interest in this age of short attention spans? Is it good design, catchy content or bucketloads of new functionalities? Actually, it is an optimum mix of all three. But a website is like an iceberg. A lot is happening below the surface that the users can’t see. Whatever happens behind the scenes is crucial to keep the site functioning smoothly.
Make a checklist!
Like any task involving multiple steps, the best way to stay on track while starting a new business website is to make a checklist. List out all the things you need on your website and schedule the tasks that need to be done, in the order they must be done. The checklist will ensure that you do not miss out on any essential steps. Take your time while making this list because it will save you a lot of time further down the road.
So what do you think you should include in your checklist to create a good-looking, interactive and user-friendly website? Let’s get you started in making the checklist that will take you through all the steps necessary for making a good website.
Business Website Checklist to Follow When Starting a New Website
- Select your domain name:
Your website’s domain name will be its address and identity over the Internet. Give it some thought while selecting your domain name because once you select a domain name, you cannot change it. Well, you can but it will be considered a new website and also confuse your existing users. Consider the following tips for selecting your domain name.
- Keep it short; as people might find it difficult to remember long website names. But more than that, there’s a possibility of typos diverting users away from your site.
- Match it to your company name. Potential customers will find it disconcerting if your site address doesn’t match the name of your business. It may lead to confusions and lower your brand awareness.
- Pick a name that indicates what your business is about. An intuitive domain name will bring in more users to your site.
- Avoid hyphens in the domain name as they may confuse potential customers.
- Do not change spellings unless done to match your company name. For example, if you name your site www.xcitingtravls.com, people will confuse it with www.excitingtravels.com.
- If you find your chosen domain name available, buy it immediately or risk losing it to somebody else.
- Choose your web host
The choice of your web hosting provider will also affect your website’s performance, and consequently, success. If your web host is providing substandard service, it will impact your site’s performance and usability. Users won’t visit a website if it goes down frequently or doesn’t perform as expected. Studies have shown that if a website doesn’t load in 3 minutes, 53% of the users won’t stay back. Check a hosting provider’s performance before signing on. User reviews will give you an indication of what to expect after you buy hosting.
- Select the plan
Once you have chosen your provider, it is then time to select the hosting plan. You will find a wide selection of plans with varied offerings. You can start with the lowest plan if you want to test the waters. But we’d recommend you to buy a medium-sized plan that doesn’t cost too much, and offers the best value for money. You can upgrade your plan once your website starts growing. Shared Hosting is a great option for new websites. It is one of the most affordable hosting solutions and offers viable features and benefits for a new website with basic hosting requirements.
- Design a good website:
Design and development are the next steps in creating a website for your business. This is where you get to decide how your website looks and behaves. You give your specifications, and the developers do the rest. Once your website is created, tested and ready to be launched, your work begins. All the decisions you take at this stage will decide how your website fares over time.
- Optimise your website
It’s a simple equation. The more optimised your site is, the better it will perform. Get rid of unwanted and unused code, minify your scripts and compress your images. You will find online tools that will compress your scripts and shrink images, for free. Use caching to reduce the load on your server. Better yet, deploy a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that will improve your site’s page load speeds. All these measures will also help improve your SEO score.
- Get those add-ons
Add-ons offer an extra bit of functionality and will make your site easier to use:
- A security suite like SiteLock will proactively protect your website.
- Use CodeGuard to back up your site data automatically.
- Get an SSL certificate to secure your data against hacks and earn a seal of trust.
- Finally, invest in Business Email Hosting for a credible communication medium with your customers.
- Let the world know
By now, your website is ready to be launched to the world. However, before you launch, build up the interest in your site. Use social media to drop teasers, leading all the way up to the big day. This way, you’ll be assured that the world looks forward to your website’s launch
Summing Up
Follow this checklist in the given order, and you will be able to start your business website without hassles, and without wasting any time in between.
If you are looking for affordable hosting solutions for your site, HostGator’s Shared Hosting plans include site builder and advanced programming support along with an intuitive cPanel. Enjoy lightning-fast websites, single-click installations with Softaculous, robust SSD (Solid State Drive) storage and dedicated 24×7 expert support. Complete your business website with attractive add-ons like professional Email Hosting, SiteLock’s security, CodeGuard’s reassurance and trusted Comodo SSL certificates.
To know more about the other web hosting categories and to choose the right option for your business, visit our Hosting Blogs Category.
