When you create a website, it's not enough to just make something that looks nice. You also need to make sure that your site is easy to use and engaging for your visitors. And, if you want people to share your website with their friends, then you need to make something that is worthy of being shared. The key is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience and design your site around them. That will help you answer the big questions: What are they looking for? How do they want to interact with you? What do they want to see?
Here are four tips for building a website that will be thought of as "awesome".
Choose the right domain name.
You have an idea for a killer website. You have even sketched out some of the pages you envision. But before you can start coding, you have to decide on a name for your site.For most small businesses, picking a domain name is an important first step in creating an online presence. The right domain name helps customers find your business and get an idea of who you are and what you do. It should be easy to remember and spell so people do not type it incorrectly, but at the same time it should sit atop a domain that's not too long. And of course, it needs to be available.
Considering all these factors, how do you pick the right domain name? Here are five tips to help you choose the best one possible. The name should reflect your business or brand identity. Unless you're planning to build a personal website that covers everything from travel to home repair, your domain name should hint at what sort of products or services you offer. The URL shouldn't be too long: ideally somewhere between 10 and 15 characters. Avoid numbers if possible — they are difficult to convey
Determine where to host your website.
One of the most important steps in building your own website is choosing where you want to host it. If you don't know what web hosting is, basically it's a service that allows you to store files and data on a server, which will then be accessible through the Internet. There are numerous companies that offer website hosting, but most people opt for a shared server, which means their site is on the same server as potentially hundreds of other sites. Sharing a server cuts down on cost, but shared hosting may not be sufficient for sites with large amounts of traffic. If you find your site slowing to a crawl, you may need to upgrade to a dedicated server.
There are many free website templates available for download online or through your hosting company. A good template can give your site an attractive, professional look with minimal effort. The problem is that everyone else has access to the same templates. If you want your business to stand out online, it's best to hire a professional web designer who can create a unique look and feel for your site. Costs vary widely depending on how much time it takes the designer to create your site and how much maintenance you require. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 for a simple site built from an existing template up to $5,000 or more for complex custom design work.
Write website copy with your audience in mind.
The secret to success is understanding your customers' needs and crafting your website copy to make them feel understood. The language you use on your site matters. In fact, it's the difference between a visitor who buys your products and one who clicks away. When writing website copy, it's easy to get caught up in using industry jargon and acronyms. You might be familiar with the terms, but if your customers are not, they will be confused by the language. You will want to use words that are simple and easily understood by a broad audience. If you must use specialized terms or acronyms, provide a definition for them on your site.
Write as if you were having a conversation with your audience over coffee or tea. Make them feel like they are listening to their best friend talk about whatever topic it is that you're discussing. Ultimately, your website copy should be written to speak to your audience. If you know what issues people are facing, then you can focus your content on answering those questions. You’ll have a much easier time selling the product if it solves an issue the customer already has. Good website copywriting is about knowing who your audience is and delivering to them exactly what they're looking for, so they keep coming back for more.
Properly use keywords throughout your website.
One of the best things you can do to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) is to incorporate keywords into your website. Keywords are the words and phrases that Internet users type into search engines to find what they're looking for. If you are selling red velvet cupcakes, you want to be sure that the search engines know that the content on your site is about red velvet cupcakes. To make this happen, you need to be sure to use the word red velvet cupcakes throughout your site, in a way that makes sense to humans but is also attractive to search engines. This is often referred to as "keyword density."
If your website is a ship, your keywords are the sail and the wind. Without them, you'll just be drifting aimlessly in the ocean. Keywords play a big role in how a search engine decides whether your site will be listed in its results or not. The trick is to include the words that are most likely to be used by people who are searching for what you have to offer — without going overboard and making it sound unnatural. There's no one-size-fits-all solution here; every industry has unique needs and nuances when it comes to keywords.
Building a website seems like an intimidating undertaking, but with our helpful tips, you can build an awesome website!