You want to grow your business. Your customer-base needs to spread beyond your immediate locality. You know that owning a business website is important. That it will cost some money is stale news already. But the question that nags the minds of most business owners like you, especially in Nigeria, is this; “How do I get a professional website for my business?”
So, in few words today, we will be exploring answers to the question of how you can get a good website running for your start-up, medium size or large commercial venture.
Ride on.
How to get a Professional Business Website
OPTION 1- DO IT YOUR SELF!
This is perhaps one of the least popular options on the internet today. Most folks want you to hire them to do the job. They want to present a website as one big gigantic platform that only professionals can do. Well, while it may be true that some aspects of the job require a level of specialized expertise, you can also design your own simple website yourself. Just follow the following steps, else Skip to Option 2:
#1 – Select a Domain Name
Every business is registered with a name. In Nigeria, when you go to Corporate Affairs Commission to register a business, the first thing you do is to provide a name. Now the name serves as a primary means of identification for your enterprise. Likewise, every website needs a domain name.
A domain name is the name given to your website which is reflected at the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) E.g “yourbusinessname.com”. It serves as the virtual identification means for your intended internet platform. For more on this, kindly refer to our earlier post on what it will cost to create a website as at 2018.
Tips for Finding Business Website Domains
If your business name is taken, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you search for alternate names:
- Domain names are important for search engines, like Google. Consider including words that people are likely to use when searching for your business. “ProStar Lawncare” is probably better than “ProStar USA.”
- Domain names should be easy to pronounce and remember. Keep your name as short as possible and avoid punctuation like dashes. As a simple rule of thumb, make sure somebody can find your domain if they hear it spoken out loud.
- Use location to find a unique URL. If all other options are taken, add your city/area name to the domain. For example, a company called Smith Plumbers based in Albany, NY, could try www.smithplumbersalbany.com. This, again, can help your website appear in Google since customers are likely to enter their city name when searching for a service.
#2 – Choose a Hosting Server
A hosting server is the cloud space in which your website is published. The cost usually vary based on how stable the server is and how many users your website will be allowed to have at a time. Read my post on what is the cost of creating a website to learn more
There are thousands of hosting providers, such that by just typing “Hosting providers” on Google, you would be overwhelmed by the results. You should choose your hosting plan based on the your needs and budget.
#3 – Build your pages
A good website is more than a static home page. You’ll want to create multiple pages dedicated to different aspects of your business, such as a detailed catalog of your products or services, or a blog section for company updates. As for your overall website, you want to be sure each page supports the primary goal of the website, has a clear purpose and includes a call to action (e.g., learn more, sign up, contact us or buy this).
So, you will want to design very catchy website pages that reflect the overall goals and ideas of your business.
A contact page, your customers’ direct link to you, is one of the most important sections of a website, so make sure you include as much information as you can (phone number, email address and physical location, if applicable). It’s also a good idea to include information about the founding team or staff on an “About” page to help customers put real names and faces to your brand.
If your business doesn’t already have a logo, hire a graphic designer or create a logo yourself to use on your website, business cards and social media profiles. This will help your clients identify your company quickly and easily on the web.
#4 – Test and publish your website
Before announcing that your site is live on the web, make sure it works on all major browsers, like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Click through each page and feature on every browser to ensure images show up, links are correct and the format looks smooth. This will take some time, but the effort you put in now will save future complaints from visitors who can’t access certain features.
OPTION 2 -HIRE A FREELANCER
The truth is that for a person who is neither ICT compliant or free to acquire the skills, designing a website can be quite challenging. If you fall within this category, then you may need to engage the services of a freelancer. You can do this either physically or on the internet.
Both options are valid but look at their few differences.
Hire a Freelancer Physically
You can get a good freelancer around your locality, especially if you are resident in the metropolis. You could engage a friend, a neighbor or an ICT guru within your area.
The only challenge of this option is that you may end up getting lesser value for your money. We have recorded instances such as that of Mr. Jackson, who contracted a friend to design a website for him. At the end of the day, he neither got his website nor a refund of the N40,000 which he had paid in advance, you can read more here.
Hire a Freelancer on the Internet
A wiser option probably, would be to hire a freelancer online. There are several websites where such jobs are advertised around the world. But for Nigerians, Miduman.com provides a Simple and Secure platform for hiring freelancers and offers 100% Money back guarantee should the freelancer fail.
The comparative advantage that this has with getting someone from your neighborhood is that you can get full value for your money. You can get a refund if you are not satisfied and the inherent competition among the freelancers has a way of slashing the price for the service.
So you see, getting a website is not really as difficult as you thought. Create one today or hire a hand to help you do it.
You may also want to read up our posts on why your business needs a website and the financial implication of getting one.
Meanwhile, you should check out the prices for creating a website by Freelancers on Miduman and probably hire someone today. Click Here
Summarily, If you choose to Hire a freelancer to create your professional website, follow these steps:
- Create a Free Account. Click Here
- Search for a Website Midu. Click Here
- Order the Midu your choose.