You’re a business owner that’s decided to build a website for your small business.

You’ve heard about the benefits – aspects such as promotion, interaction with customers, and easy editing. You have ideas and a timeline – but how should you get started?

When creating a website for your business, there are several things you need to know before jumping in.

Take a look at these tips before diving in, so that you can maximize the benefits your new website offers while minimizing the time, money, and effort spent building it.

Know which platform you will be using.

There are dozens of free website building platforms available online.

Even more paid options and computer software programs. Depending on your level of experience with website design and programming, you may start with something as simple as WordPress. WordPress has pre-made templates which you simply have to insert your content. Or you can build your own website from scratch using programs such as Adobe Dreamweaver.

Make decisions based on affordability, number of features, and other usage factors.

Have a balance between design and information.

With free website templates and widgets, it can be easy to get carried away in the design of the website – you may want to attract the most attention possible or simply make use of every available tool. However, make sure that you don’t design a website that distracts from the information you present.

Keep your site informative and beneficial for users, and keep simplicity in mind.

Understand the connection between websites and social media.

You should know how you want to integrate social media into your website and vice versa; you can embed a Facebook or Twitter feed straight into your website, which will promote your social media account for visitors to your website.

Inserting “like” and “share” buttons does the opposite, promoting your website to your followers on social media.

Have a purpose in mind.

Understand whether you want to build your website to inform viewers, offer special deals, or provide an e-commerce option; then craft your website to fit specifically to the purpose you have set out. You can have any one of these purposes, or a combination.

Establishing what you’ll use your website for will also help you chose a platform.

Know who will be building the website, when, and for how much.

Set out a budget for your website building; even if you are using a free platform, you may want to pay someone to design and update it. If you are designing from scratch, know who will be taking care of the grunt work and when they will do it.

Make a schedule and plan your launching date, updates, and follow-ups.

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