3 Things Every Business Needs To Start A Website

Website Design and Hosting in Las Vegas, NV

I get a lot of clients who have never built a website before. They don’t have any idea of where to start and they need some advice on how to get their business online. They normally have been referred to me by one of my clients who feels confident referring them to me because I’ve helped get their business online. It’s always an honor to be referred and it’s one I do not take lightly.

The normal process for me to help my customers is to schedule a call or meeting and find out about their business. I then walk them through the basics of what they will need in order for them to have a website.

These are the basic items any business needs if they plan on having a website. I won’t go into too much detail as I will save that for a later post, but just knowing up front what the important items are to have a website for your business is the first step, and if this helps to guide you on your journey, I’m glad to have helped.

3 THINGS EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS TO START A WEBSITE:

When you decide you need a website for your company there are a few key items you will need to do before you can ‘open for business’.

1. BUY / REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME

The domain name is the ‘address’ to your business web site. If you comparing a website to a house, the domain name would be the address, i.e. 8000 Badura Ave. In the case of a website, it would be netmouser.com.

Domain names should be easy to remember and identifiable. Many times I consult with my clients and tell them to think of any of the following ideas:

  • Your company name
  • Your business products and services
  • Keywords that you identify your business with
  • Your location
  • Combination of any of these ideas above

If you own a business that provides trophies and awards, you may want to include keywords in your domain to capture the searches for people looking for trophies or awards. However, there are so many businesses that handle this service nationwide, so you may want to narrow it down by including the city or your business name. For example, one of my clients provides awards that recognize outstanding achievement to schools, businesses, etc… Their company name is Desert Wind Engraving & Awards. When you hire a professional digital marketer like me, I will do a domain search (similar to a business name dba search) that will show me what domains are available that may match your business, business products or services and / or location. I give you a listing of these domains available at the time of my search and we go over what we think will be best for your business. In the example above, we chose the business name ‘Desert Wind’ with a keyword ‘Awards’ so their domain name is DesertWindAwards.com.

Try thinking about your business, your services and products you offer, along with your location and then go to Netmouser’s Domain Registration service and try some domain name searches to see if there is something available that you like. If so, register it and that’s the first step to take in creating a website.

2. WEB HOSTING

Going back to the example of comparing a website to a house, the web hosting would be the land or foundation you build your house on. You can’t have a house without land to build it on, can you?

Web hosting is the ‘space’ you need to build your website. This ‘space’ is a virtual space that resides on a physical web server in another location somewhere in the world. There are different types of web hosting plans based on what your needs are, where and who you host with, but the main thing you need to know is you will need a web hosting plan. Netmouser has dedicated servers we use to host our client’s websites. When you hire me, I will set up all of your website hosting needs for you so you don’t have to worry about it. Web hosting plans are essential, and without it, you can’t have a website.

3. WEBSITE DESIGN & PROGRAMMING / CODED PAGES

Now that you have your ‘address and land’ for your website, you actually need to build or construct the house… in this case your website. To do this, I will create a custom design for my client and then code it out using programming language that displays on the web. We upload the files to your web hosting plan and then, when someone types in your domain name (or address), your website is displayed. Without the coded files, you just have a blank virtual space.

When you are ready to create a website, it’s best to hire a professional digital marketer so you can insure the website is coded properly and with marketing principles for SEO (search engine optimization) so your site has a better chance to be indexed in a search engine like Google when someone is searching for your products or services.

SUMMARY

These are the three required items you NEED to start a website. There are more items that we will discuss in the near future that make your website structure and marketing efforts more effective, like SEO, shopping carts to sell your products, videos, etc… but for now, these are the three basic items you need to get your business on the web.

CONTACT ME

If you need help with your company website, please, contact me! I love helping companies set up their businesses online and would love to speak with you.

Contact Lisa Caterbone, Digital Marketer in Las Vegas