The process of setting up a new website.

“Dream big. Start small. But most of all… start.” | Simon Sinek.

Congratulations on your first step to becoming a website owner.

Where do you start? You start at the beginning.
Before you announce your digital presence on the internet, form a clear idea of what you want to sell or show. What gives you an edge over others? Why should your audience use your service or product? Know your product by heart. How it works, the ingredients, materials etc.

Now start jotting down ideas: colors you prefer, names you admire, websites you want to emulate; in short, everything that will shape your digital performance.

Now it will be the right time to look at your competitors or sites offering products or services similar to yours. Get inspired by them and learn strengths and weaknesses of your rivals.

At this point, if you are confused or unsure how to proceed, perhaps you need to turn for help to branding or business consultants. Sometimes, one hour of brainstorming with specialists can make all the difference.

When you have finalized your brand’s name and its slogan and have decided on WHAT you want to sell, the next step is to define your target audience. In other words, you need to understand to whom you want to sell your products. If you think that your audience is anyone who clicks the link to your website, you are wrong. You need to have an exact picture of your target audience in your mind’s eye. Clearly defining your customers will spare you the trouble of attracting wrong people to your website, which, in turn, will save you a lot of money in the future.

Now let us create a to-do list:

• Buy a domain name (www.yourname.com).
• Buy hosting / server – I use Siteground for all my hosting needs.
• Hire a web designer (I am always ready to give you a helping hand with your web design).
• Hire a content writer.
• Hire a translator if needed.
• Find a processor if required.
• Prepare photos. It is advisable to hire a professional photographer. it’s a one time investment that will bring your website to perfection.

After you complete all these stages, you can get down to business.

Branding – This is the point at which you choose what colors and fonts you will use for your brand. You should also check how your logo will look on a dark background, white background, square, portrait, or landscape.

Specs document – This is where you start planning your website. Create a list of the pages you want your website to contain.
Here are some useful ideas, depending on what type of a website you are building:
Basic site – It may contain the following pages: Home, About Us, Services, and Contact Us.
Portfolio site – It includes such pages as Home, About Us, Services, Portfolio, Testimonials, and Contact Us.
Online Shop – It may consist of such pages as Home, About Us, Shop, Shipping Information, Testimonials, and Contact Us.

Remember, however, that these are just examples. You will also need to include a Privacy Policy page and a Terms of Use page, and perhaps a few more. Pages listed above are basic and appear on every website almost without exception.

Now let us focus on each page. Ask yourself what the first page on your website will show to your customers? What do you want the first fold to show them? Write down your plan for every page your website will contain. Only when you have created a full list of the pages for your website can you continue to the next step.

Website design – A question about the design of your website is inevitably complex. When you think about how to design your website, you need to take so many things into consideration. Your website’s design should be in tune with your brand’s image, logo, colors, shapes, spirit, content, and, of course, the user experience. Choose your design carefully lest it jars with the overall idea of your products and services. By allowing incongruousness between any of the mentioned parts, you risk driving your customers away, because they might conclude that you have not thought your business through and that you do not have a professional approach to your website. Every detail of your design should, therefore, be precise and appear in the right place. And yet, do not imagine that every detail you visualize your website to have or every detail that looks attractive on your competitors’ websites will suit yours. Not everything should be implemented in your design. Ask your designer to carefully filter what fits your products and what does not.

When all this has been approved, you need to step aside and let the programmer make the sketches live. You just need to make sure the website will load quickly, will be readable to search engines, and that you can edit it by yourself with the help of CMS; that is, a Content Management System. While your programmer is making sketches live, you can start working on the website content.

This is a very basic summary of how you create a new website. I can elaborate on the process, but if you want to have your own website, you need to take the above mentioned steps for starters. Good Luck!

For a 1 on 1 meeting please contact orna@beamteamstudio.com