If you’re launching your own business, you’ll need to start thinking about a website. For many businesses, a website is one of the most important aspects of their marketing – providing a shop window for their products or services.
I’ve been helping business owners with their websites for more than a decade. In this blog, I’d like to take you through some of the main issues you’ll need to consider:
1. Build your own website or hire a website developer?
Many clients choose to build their own websites (using Wix, Squarespace or numerous other platforms) and others have invested in a website developer to take care of this work. Is one approach better than the other? Not necessarily. But building your own website is time-consuming and you’ll need at least some basic IT skills (and the support of a few YouTube tutorials and online research). If you don’t have these skills, it could take you 10x the time a developer would take.
I would recommend investing in a developer if you can. An experienced website developer can ensure that the right foundations are in place (with the site structure, technical SEO etc).
Hiring a developer doesn’t need to cost the earth. Mine cost around £1,500 – but I have the peace of mind that my site has been properly structured and built with technical SEO in mind. My developer also manages my website and domain hosting (another consideration) and he handles any technical issues that arise (which do occur every now and then). I pay around £10 per month for ongoing maintenance. Read this informative blog (by a fellow creative freelancer) about the technical aspects you need to consider for your website.
2. Have a plan for your business website
Before you start your website build or write any content, make sure you have a plan. I see far too many badly thought-through websites where businesses have just got carried away and piled everything (and the kitchen sink) onto their web pages. Think carefully about the structure and content on your website:
- How many sections/pages will you include? What will you include (home, services/products, about, FAQ etc)?
- How can you organise your website (content and navigation) to encourage readers to spend longer on the site?
- Are you addressing your potential clients’ pain points in the copy and how you can help them?
- What calls to action will be added to your main sales pages?
- Where will the calls to action appear to draw the readers’ eye?
- Are you promoting any special offers or discounts?
- How can you present your information clearly without overwhelming readers?
- Can you trim your content in any areas for brevity?
Sketch out a simple site plan on paper or your PC. Make some notes about what you want to include and play the devil’s advocate: will a user find the website easy to navigate? What would make them spend longer on your website?
As the website owner, it’s your job to make the task as easy as possible for readers – so they stay on your website rather than moving to a competitor’s.
Gauge some thoughts and feedback from colleagues and friends once you have a basic structure.
3. Hire a professional copywriter
You probably expected me to say that, didn’t you? But I really believe that hiring a professional will lead to higher quality and higher volume leads and sales. Businesses often invest significant sums in the design and technical build of their websites but then leave the copy to chance. Investing in a professional copywriter is a long-term investment in your business – ensuring that you’re conveying a clear and compelling message about what you offer. It’s incredibly difficult to write about your own business in any case – you’re just too close to everything. Plus, any professional copywriter (worth their salt) will ensure that your content is optimised for SEO – helping to drive traffic to your website.
There are lots of excellent website copywriters out there – at varying price points. Even if you don’t use me, please invest in a professional for your content.
4. Do you have professional images for your business website?
It’s important to think carefully about your website images and photos. Having worked on dozens of websites over the years, I would say that the quality of images you include on your website is vital. I see two main issues time and again on business websites. The first is using low-quality images that will inevitably reflect poorly on your company. You know the kind of thing – blurred photos…cheesy photos…inappropriate photos (the owner in his trunks on holiday).
The second mistake is that businesses often use many stock photos…lots of corporate images of business types grinning in open-plan offices. These photos often look bland, artificial and irrelevant. There are some good stock shots out there – but use them sparingly on your website and make sure the people represented reflect your workforce.
If you can invest in a professional photographer to take photos in your workplace, I’d highly recommend it. I spent £300 on some images for my website two years ago. I’ve been using these images across my website and regularly in social media posts so I consider that a worthwhile investment. I truly believe that the quality of the photos on my website has contributed to securing projects. So, the investment has paid off.
5. Keep reviewing your website
One of the biggest mistakes I see is that clients invest in a new business website and then leave it mothballed for months or even years. This won’t do your SEO any good in the long term. Google (which accounts for 90%+ of all search traffic) will see a neglected website as closed for business. To maintain/improve your search engine rankings, you should refresh your content regularly. One of the best ways to do this is through a regular blog. I recommend publishing a blog at least once a month (ideally twice a month).
Make sure you’re optimising your website content with appropriate SEO-rich keywords. So, if you’re running a loft insulation business, you could run blogs on different types of loft insulation, how to find the right loft insulation installer, the benefits of loft installation – you get the picture. Just make sure you’re optimising each blog for unique keywords.
But you should also be regularly reviewing your main landing pages – updating information, adding new client testimonials and case studies and new features. You could, for instance, add some free resources – such as guides and checklists. Think about the resources your customers might find useful.
If you’re looking to launch a new website and you’d like some advice, please get in touch. I have 20 years’ experience as a copywriter, working on both website copywriting and blog writing.
