You've bootstrapped your startup from a simple idea into something physical and you are now ready to turn the sales tap on full. There's just one last hurdle standing in your way: building a website that delivers your information 24/7.
You may already be mentally driving the car of your dreams, and planning an IPO, but now is the time to take a deep breath because if you get this step wrong you may have to put your dreams on hold.
Focus on the end goal or desired action
Firstly, you need to decide what the purpose of your website is going to be. Are you planning on making sales, engaging people via a blog, or all of the above and more.
When you know what the primary end goal of your website is going to be you can then work backwards, researching the solutions available online that target those end goals. The internet is not new and there are plenty of free and paid for services that might already be available for your particular needs or use case. So take advantage of it.
Sticky brand
Brand identity
Your business brand is like your own personality, unique. You should sprinkle your brand throughout every element of your website and in all your promotional efforts. Don't just stick the logo at the top of your site and ignore it.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
Focus on ALL screen sizes
The mobile market is getting bigger everyday as more and more people get connected and new products will get launched at lightening speed. Your website needs to effortlessly adjust to the screen size of the device that is viewing it and, you'll be pleased to know, responsive design does it for you.
Responsive design is a buzz-word for websites that have the ability to resize on demand. If you plan on using a website design firm or freelancer than make sure they design with a responsive framework by default. If they do not your website will be almost impossible to navigate on a mobile device, which is now considered unacceptable.
Unless You Are An Expert, Hire One
Websites are more than what you see at the physical design layer so if you do not understand HTML, the basic language of the web, then hire someone that does.
Do not throw together a website yourself and expect it to perform like a well oiled machine. Invest a little capital in a professional website design company that has experience designing websites in your niche. You'll then be able to skip the learning curve and concentrate on making sales as that, as they say, is where the money is going to come from to keep your business alive.
You may already be mentally driving the car of your dreams, and planning an IPO, but now is the time to take a deep breath because if you get this step wrong you may have to put your dreams on hold.
Focus on the end goal or desired action
Firstly, you need to decide what the purpose of your website is going to be. Are you planning on making sales, engaging people via a blog, or all of the above and more.
When you know what the primary end goal of your website is going to be you can then work backwards, researching the solutions available online that target those end goals. The internet is not new and there are plenty of free and paid for services that might already be available for your particular needs or use case. So take advantage of it.
Sticky brand
Brand identity
Your business brand is like your own personality, unique. You should sprinkle your brand throughout every element of your website and in all your promotional efforts. Don't just stick the logo at the top of your site and ignore it.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
Focus on ALL screen sizes
The mobile market is getting bigger everyday as more and more people get connected and new products will get launched at lightening speed. Your website needs to effortlessly adjust to the screen size of the device that is viewing it and, you'll be pleased to know, responsive design does it for you.
Responsive design is a buzz-word for websites that have the ability to resize on demand. If you plan on using a website design firm or freelancer than make sure they design with a responsive framework by default. If they do not your website will be almost impossible to navigate on a mobile device, which is now considered unacceptable.
Unless You Are An Expert, Hire One
Websites are more than what you see at the physical design layer so if you do not understand HTML, the basic language of the web, then hire someone that does.
Do not throw together a website yourself and expect it to perform like a well oiled machine. Invest a little capital in a professional website design company that has experience designing websites in your niche. You'll then be able to skip the learning curve and concentrate on making sales as that, as they say, is where the money is going to come from to keep your business alive.
