When you run a business from home, you have to rely on the internet far more than you might have to for a traditional brick and mortar store. While it’s recommended that most businesses have an online presence, it’s even more important if you work from home and don’t have a physical storefront.
Your business website essentially becomes your store, as well as a way to advertise your business, connect with new customers and clients, and to grow your business and earning potential.
It stands to reason that you want to make sure that your business website is as effective as possible.
Website Builders
First, you need to think about how you’re going to design and build your website. There are a few options to consider.
The first is the old fashioned way, which is to do everything yourself. Designing and developing a website isn’t hard, but it can be very rewarding if you have the right skills. This allows you to have the most control over your website possible. You will still have to get a domain name and a service to host your website, but if you have the right software and skills, you just need to put in the time and effort to build your own custom website.
However, as you can expect, building a website takes a lot of time. While it’s probably the cheapest option, it’s also the most difficult and most people only choose this route if they want to or are running a website design business. Another option is to hire someone to design and build your website for you. Again, you get a fully customized website, but this is the most expensive way to do things.
Finally, another option is to use a website builder template or tool. This template might also offer hosting services and a domain name, so you can essentially buy a website and spend a little time building it. This is affordable and very easy to use even for people who aren’t very technologically minded, but you are tied to specific templates so won’t have the most unique website in the world.
UI and Design
Once you know how you’re going to build your website, you need to think about the design. A good website should be functional above all else, while also drawing the eye and being attractive. Nobody wants to stay on a website that’s an eyesore, but you also don’t want to make a beautiful website that is annoying to use.
Stick to navigation methods that work, and that people are used to. This isn’t the time to invent a new menu when most people expect a drop down menu and a search bar. If they get irritated, they will just leave for another website they can use more easily.
This also applies to your color scheme and your font. Yes, you want your website to stand out and reflect your brand, but you don’t want it to stand out because you have a garish color scheme, or a font people can’t read. Keep it simple, keep it clean, and keep it functional.
Social Media Links
Your online presence shouldn’t just be your business website. Digital marketing is the best way to grow your customer base, and one of the most effective tools you have at your disposal is social media.
When picking a social media platform to use, think about your target audience. TikTok would appeal more to teenagers and young adults, while Facebook might be a better option for older adults. While you don’t have to stick to one social media platform, you should keep it tight so you aren’t doing too much work.
When running an account, think about posting things that are useful and interesting. This might be community events that are relevant to your business, or it could be promotions and deals or even instructional videos.
You can also use social media to advertise your business directly by paying for advertisements.
Checkout and Payment
Let’s say that you’ve built a website that is attractive and functional, and you’ve managed to get people to not only visit your website, but to buy products. The final hurdle is your checkout system.
A complicated or annoying checkout process can lead to people leaving their shopping basket partway through the process. The best option is to use a safe and easy to use online payment API so you and your customers can both benefit. Simply put, make buying easy.
