Creating a website remains an important requirement for businesses even in 2020. If you’re not sure about creating a website, consider this:
- Creating a website gives your business legitimacy. When you show that you’ve put the time and effort into a website, it shows that you’ve put the same effort into building your business. That shows potential customers that your business is worth considering.
- Creating a website shows customers that you have the financial means to be around for the long term.
- Social media website profiles are a popular free alternative to creating a website. However, a social media platform by itself may give the unintended message that your business has no money and may not be around for long.
- Creating a website allows you to control the presentation of your business. For example, you’re committed to the Facebook layout and design if your Facebook profile serves as your website. You have far more flexibility when you design your own website using modern tools.
Blog vs. Website
If you’re thinking about creating a blog instead of a website, consider that a website and a blog are two different creatures.
A blog gives your customers the ability to comment and connect with you, but it also requires much more involvement from you. That is, you need to post new material frequently and moderate comments to keep trolls out. With a website, you don’t have to update the site as often. What’s more, when you do update your site, you can take your time to make it right.
Speaking of modern tools, there are plenty to choose from when you’re creating a website. The tools you use depend on what you need. This blog topic will link to three subtopics that talk about the tools you need in more detail.
What’s more, each subtopic will link to three specific topic posts. These posts drill down and give you the information you need to know to make informed decisions about creating your website.
Subtopic One: What You Need for a Modern Website
The first subtopic discusses how your needs affect the tools you’ll need to use. After you learn about the needs of your site, the three topic posts include:
- Design examples so you know what people expect from websites today.
- Writing your website text so that search engines will find your site and people who visit your site will find it easy to read.
- The basics of the website including:
- Obtaining a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for the site;
- Adding your website’s icon to the browser address bar; and
- Using a proper e-mail address.
Subtopic Two: Creating Your Website
Now that you know about the benefits and drawbacks of website platforms available, you’ll get to creating. In each of the three topic posts, we’ll cover:
- Creating your website using basic HTML and CSS tools as well as software used to write that code. We’ll also touch on other programming languages such as PHP and JavaScript.
- Reviewing content management systems including the biggest, WordPress, as well as its smaller rivals.
- If you want to use an online website creation app but don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are plenty of options available. We’ll look at Wix, Google Sites, Adobe Portfolio, and a few others.
Subtopic Three: Using WordPress
You’ll learn more about using WordPress (also known by its acronym WP). WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that’s used by 35 percent of all websites online today. That includes this blog and the BCG website. The three topic posts cover:
- Identifying the WordPress version you need to use as well as plugins you should implement. WordPress contains a wide variety of plugins and there are some you can’t live without. For example, you need to use plugins that fight spam comments and protect your site from unauthorized logins.
- WordPress offers a wide variety of themes so you can style the look and feel of your website the way you want. There are also third-party companies that provide themes, some of which can be highly customized. This post will cover the different types of themes, where you can get them, and how much they’ll cost you.
- How to set up search engine optimization (SEO) features using an SEO plugin for WordPress. You’ll also learn how to set up breadcrumbs so it’s easier for both your visitors and search engines to find your website.
Now that you know what you’ll learn and you’re eager to create your website, read the first subtopic, What You Need for a Modern Website.