Against the backdrop of the ongoing global financial crisis and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs each month from New York to Newcastle and Darwin to Delhi, many professionals are facing an uncertain future.
While they wait for the job market and employment prospects to improve, some people are taking the opportunity to explore setting up their own business. Whatever sector, they’ll need an online presence, but more importantly a website, which has now become an essential requirement of any business, no matter how small or large.
The new business owner then has the choice of either buying in the services of a web designer or agency or building a website themselves.
Professional website designers and developers create some of the most visually attractive and highly navigable websites on online. However, they may come with a high price tag, which may put them out of reach of small business owners on a tight budget.
For these entrepreneurs, the do-it-yourself option becomes very attractive. The question for many new online business owners is how to get started.
In the early days of the internet, someone would have needed ‘geek level’ knowledge to put together a relatively simple website. Fast-forward to now and things are looking very good for the entrepreneur who has a great idea for an online business and wants to get started immediately, but doesn’t know his ASP from his ADO!
More and more online business owners are building their websites using online ‘do-it-yourself’ website building software platforms. Many incorporate customizable, professionally-designed templates that enable people with no experience get online easily, with a fully-functional website. These website packages normally have a drag-and-drop feature in which users can move, resize or delete highlighted elements to change the design.
Planning and preparation are crucial for someone wanting to build their site efficiently. Choosing the right domain name should be high on the list of priorities. The website address should ideally reflect the type of products or services being offered. Choosing a ‘funky’ name is a hit-or-miss strategy and may require a lot of marketing spend to attract customers.
Sketching out the website’s layout on paper will provide an overview of the main menu headings and links to individual pages and content and include details on where to place text, images and video. It’s normally best to start off simply, with the most important sections, e.g. ‘welcome’, ‘about us’, ‘services’. The number of pages, sections and content can be increased over time. Some online website templates come pre-configured with designs and menus for specific products or services and a content management system which save time and money and allow small business owners access and control to their website twenty-four hours a day.
With all the preparatory work completed, the next challenge is to find a reputable online website building service which includes a wide range of professionally-designed customizable templates and elements such as a domain name and email feature, image, video and audio widgets, a shopping cart such as PayPal and the ability to integrate social networking. All of these features should be backed up by a comprehensive how-to guide and tips to help the new entrant to the world of online business familiarise themselves with the system.
There are thousands of firms offering online website building services with varying degrees of complexity. The best thing to do is to try a few out – many offer free trial periods – to see if there’s a perfect fit.
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