how to build a great business website

Whether or not your business operates online, you need a website. Let me repeat that, with one addition: You need a GREAT business website. Why? It’s not just for looks. It’s not just for digital marketing, either. This year, having a great website is no longer a want… it’s a must. Last year, over March when the lockdown happened from the COVID-19 pandemic, Google search traffic went from 3.6 billion searches/day to 6 billion searches/day. The amount of people using Google to search answers to their questions has never been greater. (Worldometers) That’s double the amount of search volume in one week – which has impacted 2020 in a heavy way, creating a wide pathway for 2021 and our next years to have heavy digital foot traffic. More than the world has ever experienced. When you add to that these facts: 92.96% of global traffic comes from Google: Google search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (Sparktoro) SEO drives 1000%+ more traffic than organic social media. (BrightEdge) And 60% of marketers say that inbound (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their highest quality source of leads. (HubSpot) …You need that website. Building your own great brand website is all about giving your prospects all the tools, information, and trust they need in order to connect with you and, ultimately, to become your customer. You do want more customers, I’m guessing? And you want to keep the ones you have, right? If your answer to both questions is a big YES, you certainly should double-down on your business website this year. In this guide, I’m laying it all on the table – everything you need to know on how to build a truly great business website, including: All the deets on domain buying and hosting Why you should use WordPress to build and manage your site What and who you need to design and launch your site When to expect results Ready? Dive in with me. New Year, New Site: Why You Need One & How to Build (or Rebuild) a Great Business Website How to Build a Great Business Website: 5-Step List to Get Started 1. Choose a Domain Name 2. Purchase Your Domain 3. Find a Website Host 4. Understand Hosting Types & Costs 5. Connect Your Domain to Your Web Host Why Should You Use WordPress? 1. You Don’t Need Tech or HTML Knowledge 2. WordPress Sites Do Well in Search 3. WordPress Has Great Documentation, Plugins, Support, & Themes How to Design and Launch Your Business Website (What & Who You Need) 1. Case Study: Content Hacker Launch 2. Who You Need to Design and Launch Your Site 3. What You Need to Make It Successful Get Rockin’ – When Will Those Results Roll In? 1. Case Study: Content Hacker Launch ROI 2. Looking at the Income Sources a Business Website Brings In How to Build a Great Business Website: Start with Basic Domain Buying and Hosting If by now you’ve said to yourself, “Yep, I want a website for my business,” you’re in the right place. But, before you get too excited, we need to make sure some pesky tasks are out of the way. ☑ First things, first. You need to buy a domain name and determine where you’ll host your home on the web. 1. Choose a Domain Name If you’re approaching building a business website with an already-established brand, this part is easy. Keep these basic tips in mind and quickly check it off your list: Basic Tips for Choosing a Domain Name 1. Simply use your brand name (or an easily recognizable variation of it) as your domain name. 2. Your domain name will not make or break your website’s success, so don’t spend days or weeks agonizing over this part. (For example, sites like Buffer and Basecamp settled on variations of their brand names with no negative consequences.) 3. As a general rule, keep it as simple as possible. Great examples of simple, to-the-point domain names: contentmarketinginstitute.com tarzankay.com grammarly.com contenthacker.com You don’t want to over-complicate your domain name, make it difficult to spell, and too long or too hard to type. Not sure what it should be? Or if you have the right one? Go back to your content strategy and the core of your message. And just for you… Here’s a quick mini-guide on picking the perfect brand name: First, You should know YOUR area of expertise, and how to branch out into topics your audience wants to hear about. Finding your topic area is a fundamental first step here. Know your CDF – your Content Differentiation Factor. What makes you different — what makes YOU someone to trust and follow — rather than all the other content voices out there? Hand-in-hand with this, you need to consider what your place of authority online should be. Building your authority online can have a few different meanings. It can mean: Building your brand as a trusted source of information Building your brand as an authority website by Google’s standards Both are valuable to your content strategy, and you should do things that help boost your authority in both scenarios. Just one way to build your domain as an authority in Google’s eyes is to focus on publishing content on YOUR platform, i.e. a domain that YOU own – not proprietary ones like Facebook, Instagram, or Huffington Post (which sadly discontinued their guest blogging platform a few years ago – I, along with many others, lost my content profile and log in). That’s why we’re here today with a guide on how to build your own website. ? I call building authority online a content house. If you’re a real estate writer, you might want to own realestatewriter.com (your house, your position of authority, and your brand). If you’re a content marketing consultant for SaaS, you might want to own contentmarketingforsaas.com. So, your domain should be a blend of the interest of your audience and your position of authority to build over time. 2. Purchase Your Domain Once you’ve settled on a domain name, it’s time to purchase … Read more