Here is a list of the top ten things to consider when making that move to setting up your first website:
- The purpose
Ask yourself why you need a website. What goals do you hope to achieve? Who is your target audience? The answers to these questions will ultimately influence the design and content of your website.
- Choose a domain
The domain name is the unique name that will identify your website, so it should be short and memorable. If it is difficult to write, there are more chances that your potential visitors will get it wrong. Domain names that contain numbers and hyphens are also a bad idea. You may want to choose a keyword that is relevant to your business or target area. Also selecting the correct domain registrar is another important aspect, things to consider include reputation and no hidden costs later on.
- Choosing a web server
Understanding your hosting requirements is one of the first steps in deciding which hosting company you would like to go with. Think about what kind of website you want to host, if you need special software, maybe it is an e-commerce website, and what volume of traffic you anticipate. Moving on to setting up possibly a shared hosting account to begin with, the most important aspect is uptime. It is pertinent that your website is hosted on a reliable server with stable connections, as downtime can be disastrous. You would also benefit from an easy-to-use control panel and the ability to upgrade to a dedicated server, should the need arise. While some may prefer more traditional email and phone customer service methods, we also recommend choosing a hosting company that offers 24/7 live chat support for instant help and advice on matters. of urgency.
- Be responsive
In this day and age, more people are surfing the Internet on their smartphones more than ever. A responsive design means that your website is optimized for info mobile devices and will automatically resize to fit whatever screen it is being viewed on.
- Great content
To maintain the quality of your website, the content must be up-to-date and attractive. Viewers often like small but informative blocks of text with lots of eye-catching images or photos. Relevant, well-written, and shareable content will drive traffic to your site and improve your search engine rankings. It's also a good idea to keep an eye out for broken links that may appear over time. Also, all content must be original and not taken from other websites, which could cause copyright infringement.
- Layout
The website should have a clean and attractive design that is easy to navigate and draws attention to your product or content. A professionally designed website that is easy on the eye and attractive will not only provide your viewers with a positive user experience, it will also have a positive impact on the image of your business or service. The correct use of colours will also make a good impression on your visitors and selecting a color scheme that suits your target audience should not be underestimated. The colors used in your logo design are most likely used throughout the rest of your website. Web design from good website design agency is not just about aesthetics, it also has a lot to do with usability and navigation.
- features and functionality
From an online contact form with a captcha test to prevent spam, to embedded videos, social media buttons, or a complex shopping cart system with an integrated payment gateway, it is important to find out what you need in terms of functionality before go ahead with the design. to save you from having to come back at a later date and make major and possibly costly adjustments.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
There is no use having even the most professionally designed website if no one can find it. It is extremely important that your website rank high in the search engines and there are a number of ways to achieve this. From writing your own high-quality original content to hiring an SEO specialist from any digital marketing agency, and from social media integration to external customer reviews and testimonials, there are many aspects of optimization that cannot be ignored if you want your website to be be a success.
- Site maintenance
A content management system or CMS is what web developers need to maintain your website and keep it up to date with ease once it is up and running. It's basically a web-based dashboard at the back of your website that allows you to add and remove content like images and text, yourself from wherever you are at the moment.
- Analysis
By following the analytics, you can find out how much traffic your website is getting and where it is coming from. Using an online tool like Google Analytics to deliver this data will allow you to strategize and cater to frequent visitors, attract new ones, and improve the overall performance of your website.