How to create a professional website?

Hello and welcome to our complete guide to creating a professional website for small businesses and freelancers. If you haven't done it before, creating a website can be a daunting task. But do not worry, we will help you choose the website that best suits your needs and possibilities and we will reveal the time and money that you will need to start it.

Let's start with the big question:

1. Why does my business need a professional website?

If you lived in the fifties, would you wonder if your store needed a physical location to sell things? It's easy to see that having a sign with your name on top of a storefront has a ton of benefits, regardless of the service or product you offer. Of course, you can rely only on word of mouth, starting with your customers, but if you want the business to really grow, you need a website, for several things, as before a counter and a showcase were needed:

· Clearly show what your business is about.

· It helps you gain visibility and customers.

· It's a great promotional tool that can be easily shared.

· It allows you to connect with your audience and your customers.

· Show your contact information so they can easily find you.

· It gives you credibility and professional image.

· It allows you to sell products online directly (when it comes to e-commerce).

·

2. Okay, I'm convinced! And now that?

It is time to decide what type of website you want. For simplicity we have divided it into two categories: the simple and the complex. Your choice will largely determine how much the site will cost you and how long it will take you to create it.

Site type Simple Complex

Number of pages 1 - 40 1 - 100

Templates Ready for use.Limited Several ready to use, plus

customization options. othersfully customizable.

Estimated time of 3 - 7 days Several weeks, or

completion even months.

Estimated budget From $ 7.50 US to $ 15 From $ 700 US to $ 1,500

US per month US if you hire a professional. And between

$6 US and $25 US a month

in hosting.

Hosting Included (cloud hosting) You need to hire your

ownhosting space

Suitable solutions Wix , Jimdo or Weebly WordPress , Drupal or

Joomla

As you can see, for a simple website it is best to use a website builder like Wix and Jimdo which are splendid tools for informational websites. Basically a page that shows what you do and where to find you, although they can also do a lot more. They are fast and very easy to use, among other things, because they allow you to buy domain name, hosting and professional email in the same place. Some even offer you "all-in-one" packages.

But you also have other solutions for more complex projects, these are Content Managers or CMS , such as the famous WordPress . These systems are best if you want to make an important site where you have complete control over the look and feel, the ability to expand over time, and other advanced options such as using multiple languages. Logically they require certain technical knowledge (or at least free time to seek help in forums).

3. I already have the list of things I need for my website. Can I add them?

Technically yes, but keep in mind that some solutions are easier and cheaper than others. We show you below the essentials to create a professional website(Squarespace Web Design in USA):

· Your own domain name (eg www.your-business.com).

· Email accounts (eg yourname@your-business.com).

· Designs with a professional look.

· SEO options (to improve web positioning).

· Templates that adapt to mobile devices.

· Contact Form.

· Integration in social networks.

· Technical support.

· Option to incorporate an online store.

Our review of the top website builders can give you an idea of ​​where to start.

4. Let's start creating our professional site. What is the best tool?

Let's see some of the most used possibilities. You will see that they all have pros and cons.

Wix

Wix: The most popular solution. Great templates and designs, with loads of them dedicated to various industries, also offering greater customization options than Jimdo or Weebly. Wix is ​​very oriented towards professional businesses, which is why it offers such attractive tools as Wix Bookings to accept appointments and online reservations, or the Wix Restaurants and Wix Hotels tools . Using your own domain name is very easy.

Jimdo

Jimdo: A great solution that is easy to use that comes with an online store, a blog system and a smartphone app . Jimdo packages are reasonably priced and the website structure has templates that are adaptable (responsive) to any device. However, the number of available templates is somewhat limited. You will also miss some extra functions and accessories since there is no official app store.

Weebly

Weebly: Clean and professional looking templates. They are customizable, although they do not offer as much freedom as those of Wix. They give you a domain name but it's free for the first year only. If you need a professional email address you can obtain it through Google Workspace (Google professional email addresses) that have an additional cost.

WordPress

WordPress: Best for complex websites of 40+ or ​​more pages (eg one in multiple languages). The service is free but you have to hire your own hosting . It requires technical knowledge and does not offer official support. If you spend some time learning how to install plugins and add-ons, you will have a more flexible system.

5. What about the legal issue?

We admit it, we are not experts in legislation, so if the subject is important to you, it is better that you consult an expert. But we can tell you that there are three things you will need when creating your professional website:

· Have a registered business. The easiest thing to do is to register as a freelance worker (or equivalent).

· Provide a Privacy Policy. The requirements may be different depending on the part of the world you are in, but the content will be basically the same: what information you collect (eg email from your visitors) and how you share it; how the information that users give you appears and how they can change it; policy date, description and updates.

· Offer clear terms and conditions. Explaining well what users can or cannot do. The keywords, the rights of the user and their responsibility when using the website are generally detailed. Although not legally required, this text may limit your legal responsibilities in the event that a user sued you in court.

6. Any other tips?

You are right! Since we specialize in helping people choose the perfect website builder for them, we've seen enough sites over the years to know what works and what doesn't.

· Make a professional website that stands out. If you do a little research on your competitors you will surely see that many professional sites look quite similar to each other. That's why it's a good idea to make your website stand out a bit.

· Brand is everything. And we are not just referring to a good slogan, you need a powerful image for your site based on quality photographs, a suitable typography and a professionally made logo.

· Show your human side. A photo of you or your team has more force than you think. Remember that you are building trust among your users and people like to do business with people, not anonymous brands.

· Offer quality content. Avoid technical verbiage and artificial-looking stock images. We know that it takes time and effort, but be sure to correct the texts and add images, videos, graphics, etc.

· Links on social networks and contact forms are very useful. They create trust and improve communication with the user.

· Test your site on mobile devices. In many cases, most of the traffic is coming from mobile devices (eg tablets and smartphones) so make sure your website looks good on these.

7. How can I attract visitors to my website?

Good question. In this topic there are many answers, although it could be said that they are summarized in two:

· With paid traffic: this is where the advertising appears. You can use Google AdWords, Facebook, or similar marketing services.

· Through organic traffic: this is how visits to your page from social networks, email marketing or SEO are known.

Oh, and since we talked about it, SEO is something very, very important in online marketing.