You really should consider building a website for your small business, as no matter what industry you’re in, it’s essential in the modern-day to have a web presence.
More people than ever before will find the service or product they’re looking for through a search engine such as Google. It’s a common misconception to assume that if you’re a plasterer for example, that you don’t need a website.
However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It can be a brilliant way to showcase your work and impress upon potential customers the quality of your work
Building a website does not have to be expensive
Another big misconception is that if you want a website that you have to be technically-inclined and know how to code a website from the ground up.
This, again, is far from the truth, there is an abundance of what is called ‘content management systems’ that allow you to design your website without the need to know how to code.
On top of this, the interface is extremely user-friendly allowing you to drag and drop as well as inputting content in a simple text editor.
Best website builder
The most popular CMS to use to build your website for your business is WordPress. According to WordPress themselves, they power around 26.4% of the entire web. And every month over 1.1 million new domains are registered to the service.
So why is it so popular?
First and foremost, the price. Compared to paying £500 or more for a website created by a designer, you’re instead looking to pay £50-£150 maximum for a theme that allows you to customise your website to how you would like.
Next, as we’ve mentioned already, it’s extremely user-friendly and has allowed the everyday person to create a website.
Another big plus for choosing WordPress is the huge library of plugins you have access to. There are plugins, both free and paid, for anything and everything.
If you need help with your SEO, there’s a plugin for that, need a PayPal getaway set up? There’s also a plugin for that.
Making the most of these plugins will help you tidy up your site and start generating traffic and visitors.
How to get started with WordPress
Building a website with WordPress can be done within an hour. Firstly however you’re going to need to get yourself a domain name and hosting.
You’ll then want to install WordPress through your hosting provider, which will typically be on the respective marketplace.
Now you’re going to want to choose a theme for your website. There are free themes available on WordPress.
However, if you want something a bit more bespoke or you want to set up an online shop it’s advisable to look at one of the more premium themes.
Which can cost between £49 and £159. From there once your theme is set up, get your menus set up, your pages set up and get filling it with content.
I really struggled with wordpress when I first started out and for months i would not go near it. I tried to get by with the free builders but I couldn't do anything productive with them.
Then I stumbled across a community that taught me step by step how to build a wordpress website from the ground up, best of all it was free to start, and they gave me a website too.
If you want to know more you can take a look here