Business Websites For Beginners

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Indeed, regardless of the scenario, it's certainly true that first impressions count for a lot and it is often the only chance a person has to create a positive, lasting impact.

The same can be said for businesses too. With so much competition existing in the 21st century business world, it can often be the little things that sway a customer into deciding which company's services or products to go for.

Indeed, with the advent of the internet era, the importance of a company website cannot be overstated. It is often the first place a customer will look when researching their desired product and if they can't find the information they are looking for easily, then they could opt for a competitor instead.

Any new business should take great care with all web-related decisions, as it is essentially the company's public face and therefore should reflect what the business can offer clearly and effectively.

Whilst it would be great to use the services of a talented web design company - tapping into the expertise of programmers, graphic designers and copywriters - it isn't always necessary to do this. In fact, it can be far more cost effective in the long-run for small businesses to create a website 'in-house' from the very beginning. Not only can this provide you with the necessary know-how to develop and update the website yourself, but you will also save a lot of money too.

There are many software packages available that can do all the behind-the-scenes 'coding' and they even provide standard design templates, which really just leaves the user to write the content and create their logo and any other accompanying graphics.

And this is where it pays to do a little bit of homework. It's important to only use images and graphics that are relevant to the content; if they don't augment the textual content, then there is no point including them on the site. Furthermore, try to limit the use of flashing images and adverts, as these tend to irritate the visitors, whilst also distracting them from the useful content on the site. It's always best to keep things simple and refrain from bombarding users with too much information. The most important rule of thumb for any budding business is 'if in doubt, leave it out'.

Of course, the whole process starts with choosing a domain name. Ideally, this should be the actual name of the business, as it will help users to remember the website address. Registering domain names is a very simple process and as part of an overall web hosting package, can cost a very small yet reasonable amount per month, which really is a drop in the ocean considering the overall value it will add to a company.

And in an age which has seen the internet become ubiquitous in all walks of life, a useful and informative website will go a long way towards creating that priceless positive first impression.

Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.