Back to Basics: The Basics of Your Website

Creating a new website can sometimes be intimidating and you may not be sure exactly where to start. With this week’s blog post in our Back to Basics series, we will talk about a few key components we take when it comes to launching a brand new website.

• Choose a Domain: Businesses want to avoid using .net or .org as users are typically going to type .com first; if the other extensions are available, you can register those as well, but it is important to keep in mind, if you do not have .com registered you could be losing potential clients. It is important for your domain name should be short and easy for users to remember.
• Choose a Hosting Company: It is important to find a hosting company with reliable up-time and quick response time if a problem on your website arises. With over 15 years of experience, our programmers have found that LiquidWeb offers the best plans and support perfect for every one! Advanced Digital, Inc. offers premium hosting services, contact us for more information.
• Build Your Website: Our programmers recommend using a content management system, such as WordPress, to build your website. With an extensive list of themes available and plug-ins to make your website function just the way you want it, very little HTML knowledge is needed when creating pages and blog posts.
  • Photography: Using stock photography is a great resource when building your website. However, if you’re selling products, you want to be sure to use have professional photos taken and edited. For additional learning, check out our article on the Do’s and Don’ts of Images for a few of our favorite resources.
  • Contact Form: Users should be able to contact you very quickly without struggling to find your information. Be sure to have a specific contact page, with a form, your phone number a map of your location, etc.
  • Search Engine Optimization: It is important that all of your website’s pages are optimized with titles, descriptions and link titles.
  • Responsive: With potential customers browsing on their mobile devices, you want to make sure your website is built so all information is available to them.
  • Launch: That’s right! Once your website is built and ready to go it is time to finally hit that launch button! Changing settings on your domain can result in propagation time of 24-48 hours.
• Add Google Analytics and Monitor Performance with Web Master Tools: Keep an eye on the number of visitors your website, bounce rate, keywords users are using to find your page in search results, set up goals and more! This is one step you don’t want to miss.

Once your website has been launched, you’re ready to start working on your search engine optimization! If you’re looking for a custom designed website, our team has over 15 years of experience in design and programming.