How to Build a Website for Small Business

How to Build a Website for Small Business

Why build a website for a small business?

what is an online marketing businessA lot of small businesses would ask the question why do they need to have a website. And, of course, it’s a very valid question given the cost of running and advertising a business these days. This article discusses some options on how to build a website for small business in a thoughtful and cost-effective way.

 

But quite simply, a website will help them promote their business to the local, and wider market, in an environment where competition is fierce.

 

Do your potential clients know you exist?

 

As an example, in my local area, there are 15 hairdressers with a 250-meter walk from my house. Being new to the area, I googled “hairdressers near me”.

 

3 saloons came up immediately in google maps with another 10 showing up once I opened the Maps page up further.

 

Build a website for small businessIt was noted, there are at least 2 hairdressers who are not even in the running for my business. And I know that one of them is the closest to me.

 

Of the 13 that did show up in the google search, 4 of them did not have a website at all. So my immediate response was to skip them as they didn’t have an immediate phone contact or address.

 

So the point is, in a competitive world you need to have your face showing or you will have to rely totally on walk-in customers.

 

There are three different types of website requirements

 

  1. The CONTACT ME website – this is a site that will be used to let your customers know how to contact you. If you are a service related business (home services, plumber, electrician, consultant etc), you just might want people to know how to contact you and provide some detail about your services and differentiations.

 

  1. The CLICK ME website – this is where you might want to sell something online, allow your customers to buy from your site without needing to come and see you or contact you. These are e-commerce sites generally.

 

  1. The COME SEE ME website – this site is designed to show your customers exactly where you are and entice them to come to your store and buy something. Generally, a produce store, niche merchandise store, a hairdresser, butcher etc.

 

So, generally, what does it cost?

 

what is inbound marketing aboutBuilding a website for a small business does not have to be expensive. In fact, you can get away with paying less than your average phone book listing in most cases. You can get someone to do it for you or if you are confident that you have some skills you can even do it yourself.  I personally subscribe to a website building and hosting platform that costs me around $360 per year to run several websites.

 

If I were to create a basic site for you, it would cost you around $500+ depending on the work involved. But you need to remember that you will also have a cost for a domain name (Website name) and site hosting. These are reoccurring costs each year. Some developers will include these costs in a site build for you as a package.

 

If you wanted to have a go yourself, you could join a program that gives you training, website templates, hosting and support. Sort of an all in one program, so you save some time and effort by having all the tools in one spot.  This is certainly my recommendation as I have used this type of program myself.

 

Look for recognised tools and good support

 

Using recognised templates is a good way to go. WordPress is a good platform to use as it has a huge variety of website templates that interface with hosting sites and provide neat, professional looking results.

 

You can use free templates that work nicely especially if you are just learning. But you can also buy premium templates that allow a lot of customization of the website template, so you can really make it individual.

 

There are a few things you will need to get the ball rolling:

 

  • Website templates and building platform
  • Domain name
  • Hosting services

 

Other Things you might need:

 

  • Widget plugins
  • SEO plugins
  • Spam guards
  • Social media and email capture programs
  • Ecommerce plugins – if you are going down that track.

 

Look for “All In One” vendors

 

online business for entrepreneursAs I mentioned earlier, the more of these tools you can get in one place the better.

 

You can find some free information on creating websites at Wealthyaffiliate.com.  This site is primarily aimed at creating websites for making money through affiliate marketing. But they also provide a lot of information and training on setting up a website using the WordPress templates.

 

There is enough information there to show you how to build a website for a small business without actually paying anything initially.

 

Try Building Your Own

 

If you want to have a go at building a website for a small business you can also try connecting with WordPress directly and create a site using their builder programs.

 

This is an external link to a short coaching workshop on creating a profitable blog style website using WordPress. It is for sale, but has some great info on starting a WordPress Blog site.  blog kickstart workshop

 

Think About Monetising Your Website

 

Note that in creating a website for your business you should also not overlook the opportunity to profit from your website. Affiliate marketing techniques enable you to sell related products. However, you do not need to stock physical product or dealing with customers directly.

 

As an example, of you were a hair Salon you might also want to market a range of shampoos or hair brushes.

 

You can find these items on Amazon (just as an immediate idea). You can set up a merchant account with them and link their products to your website. Then you can earn a margin on sales without having to outlay for stock or arrange delivery.

 

So when you decide to build a website for a small business, knowing the type of site you need that will suit your requirements will help you to minimise costs and produce a totally functional, professional website.

 

 

AFFILIATEGOTO
I am a full time online and smartphone marketing business owner. If you would like me to help you set up an online business click above and create a free account and we can start from there.

 

./.

10 thoughts on “How to Build a Website for Small Business”

  1. Hi

    Great information on websites for small businesses.

    It is amazing how many small businesses do not actually do not have a website, and some are not even recognised on the internet.

    Your information is great for all those who might be lacking in getting an edge over their competitors.

    My cousin owns a pizza shop and says he could always use some more customers, so I will point him in this direction.

    Cheers

    1. Great stuff. Many small businesses don’t think that they need a web presence, but it can really make a difference for them – even if it is not realised immediately, over time it will help. Oh man, you said Pizza… now I need some.

  2. Hi there, I really like the fact that you clasififed websites into;
    – The CONTACT ME website
    – The CLICK ME website
    – The COME SEE ME website.

    I think as a business owner, it is important to know which website you want to build, because, different website will have different approach, its layout content and writing style will be different.

    Thank you for these great tips

  3. I never thought about different kind of sites, like “contact me”, “click me” and “come see me”, and I think it’s important to focus on what I wish to achieve with my site. I wonder if you think it’s still possible to combine, say click me and come to see me? I can see further down that you write about hair saloons that can sell schampo and so on and also have a saloon. So I guess my plan about contact me and click me might work to?

    I must say I enjoy your site and how it looks and feels, great work!

    1. Hi Linda, I’d would imagine that many sites will combine the different ‘types’ for websites, as you have suggested. Looking at the type of site you want to achieve is the key factor – it will save you time and money when it comes to putting it together. Incorporating some affiliate marketing in your site is a fabulous way to generate a passive income too.

  4. I personally know the value of a website and see it myself and agree with your sentiments. I find it gives the business a lot of credibility. You’ve made excellent points as far as making sure others know you exist.

    If I was in the small business persons shoes, not knowing any better, I would wonder what would having a website do for me that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, twitter, snapchat aren’t already doing?

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts

    Jessie

    1. HI Jessie, thanks for your comments. You make a really good point about social media V websites and, I really should have covered that in this article. But it is something I will cover next. Personally, I think that social media should be part of the whole marketing plan. Not just one or the other. YOu use social media as a marketing tool for your website. Your website is the professional face of your business – the business end. Thats how I describe describe it to clients.

  5. Hi, James and thanks for the clear and informative post about small business website building tips.
    Honestly, I have created a couple of sites for small businesses. One for wife’s manicure salon and the other for the friend’s small joinery business.
    Both of them more or less fits in all types you described, and after reading your post, I decided to make some changes for type number three. I hope it leads to more customers.

    1. Great stuff, glad this has been of use to you. building websites for small business is something that I am just starting as I see a need for it in my local area. Sometimes the website “types” cross over interact a bit… but the key is to plan and identify the real need of the business.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *