Getting Started

The steps involved in developing an online presence with a business website are the same for just about any situation. They apply whether you already have a business, and just need an online presence, or if you are planning to start a new business and would like to develop and market your business online.

Naturally, if you already have a business you would have already developed a business plan, created your business forms and may have already begun branding your company. If you do not already have a head start on some of these items the preliminary steps involved in preparing information for a new business website will help you to produce some of the documents needed for your business as well as your business website.

Step 1 - Business Website Planning

You should start by categorizing your business. List the items important to your business, decide how you can use your website to provide the information and services your clients will need. Below are some guidelines to help accomplish this. Not all items will be necessary for all business websites.

1. List all of the products and/or services that you provide.
2. List all of your business partners and affiliates.
3. List your main vendors or suppliers.
4. Create or proofread all of your business forms.
5. Gather images related to your business.
6. Create audio or video clips if necessary.

Step 2. - Website Research

Research your competition online. Start by doing searches related to your business. Take a look at what similar businesses are offering clients and visitors online. Decide what may or may not work for you. Thoughtful research will help give you an edge on your competition and you may discover some things you may not have considered yet.

Step 3. - Website Design

Once you have a good idea of how you will need your website to function, lay it out on paper. List what pages or links you will need. Create main and/or sub-categories if you intend on providing a lot of information.

Now that you have a general understanding of what you will need then it is time to consult a web designer or project manager. It is good to research web design companies to find the right one for the particular kind of functions you will need. Web designers and web design companies alike tend to specialize on particular types or styles of websites. Remember the most important thing for any business website is control.

A professional business website should stand alone, meaning it should not be tied to a proprietary system created by the website design or hosting company you chose to develop the website. This will link the fate of your business website with that of your web design company. Make absolutely certain that should you decide to, you can take your entire website with you to another standard website hosting solution.

Your website should come with a built-in system for easily adding pages without the need for a web designer or additional fees. This will free your company up for potentially unlimited growth without additional outside expenses.

There are many web design companies to choose from and many specialize in one particular area of web design. It is good to use the same company for both web design and search engine optimization as they are connected. Your website will yield the best results when design and optimization strategies are planned and integrated at the same time. If the company you are planning to work with does not provide seo services then find an seo company and connect the two and have them work together to develop your website.

Step 4. - Website Marketing

Plan your marketing campaigns and keep an eye on your traffic. You will need to test various methods of marketing in order to find what works best for your business.

A business website is basically another branch of your company and may seem almost like it is another business altogether. If managing your business website will take valuable time away from your actual business then you would probably benefit from outsourcing your website management. A few hours a month is all that is usually necessary to maintain a business website.