If you want to build a business, any business, then you need a website and I really mean any business. In the technological age we live in today there is not one business that does not have or doesn’t need a website.

Rightly or wrongly we have become impatient consumers. When we want information, we want it now. To all hairdressers, shops, local services, manufacturers and on and on whether a small, medium or large business we want to know your opening times because we don’t want to waste time by going when it might not be open.

We want to know if you have what we want and we want it delivered and like yesterday please ! Well Amazon has nearly achieved that…. amazing delivery, it’s almost order it, go to sleep and there it is when you wake up.

If the big players are using websites then you know you should be too. Read on to discover how to get one if you haven’t already and how to improve the one you have.

You Need A Website

If you don’t have a website or even if you don’t yet have a business ( I started my current business only 18 months ago, this website and a couple of others as my business is affiliate marketing which only operates online …..yay for me, Pj day is every day if I want ) you need a website. And if you need a website then there are some things you need to know.

1. It’s not as hard as you think

I have only one thing to say about it not being hard …. If I Can Anyone Can….. Go Read My About Me Page. 18 months ago I was qualified but not in anything that helped me understand how the online world ticks.

Thankfully my search for how to make money online ethically, led me to Wealthy Affiliate. This is the best place on the internet to both host your website or websites and to learn how to build them so that they will be profitable.

If you don’t know much about building websites or want to learn how to make money online then go take a look for yourself. It’s free with no credit card required for all of you sensibly cautious readers.

2. You have plenty of options

I can help you to understand your options.

• You can hire someone : The easiest option but also one that could cost you money and a lot of grief if you don’t get the right person or company to build it for you.

There are web developer and designers everywhere. From one man bands to companies with several branches. It is hard to make a decision on who but my best advice is to choose one that has been recommended preferably by someone you know or from a source you trust. You must be able to see what they have built previously, even if it is only their own. You must trust and like them.

Cost will also be a deciding factor. In a previous life I owned a vintage and a fancy dress shop. I knew that to keep business afloat I needed websites and options to sell online. The high street is tough. Knowing nothing I started with eBay and learnt it’s quirks and how to get your products on top in the searches. I then decided that I should have a website for each of my offerings; Vintage and Fancy Dress.

One was built in house by someone who knew a little bit about blogging and websites and the other was outsourced.  

The outsourced one was a difficult find within my budget. Some companies wanted $10,000 plus. The individuals much less but still expensive. However, if you are time limited and have the budget then this is a good option. Learning to outsource jobs properly is all part of building any business.

Arm yourself with the knowledge I will give you next and later in the article in The things you should understand.

• You can build it yourself : No, don’t panic you really can especially now more than ever before. Gone are the days of inserting code which makes no sense and needing to have a computer degree to even start. Today you could have one up and running and on the World Wide Web within the next ten minutes if you really wanted to.

The World Wide Web sounds old fashioned now but ten minutes ago it is what we now call, being online. Technology is moving very fast and everything is so simple to understand and almost everyone has access to it.

The decision you have to make is where and with whom you are going to build it. There are probably lots of places you can already think of Go daddy, Wix, Squarespace etc. These all have their own platforms on which you can build a website and then there is WordPress the best platform in my opinion as it is the most adaptable to any kind of website you may need.

WordPress is available with lots of different hosting companies whereas the others have their own hosting options which seem cheap at first but gets expensive when you need more server time, more capabilities, more of everything. And trust me if you want a successful business with a successful website then you are definitely going to want and need more of everything.

Your best option in my opinion is to choose a hosting company that offers WordPress as their platform. I personally have all of my websites hosted at WealthyAffiliate. This is because I get the best service whilst also having access to training in building websites and affiliate marketing for one small monthly cost of $27 ( I pay yearly ) There is nowhere else online that you have everything you need under one roof and at no extra cost. They even let you join for free, no credit card required to try it out.

3. There Are Some Things You Should Understand

Whether you choose to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you, you should always arm yourself with a little knowledge first.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation

This is the lifeblood of every website and the better your SEO the better you will grow your business. Even the websites of the businesses that are there for a local demographic like sports facilities or trainers, hairdressers or accountants, need good SEO.

LocalSEO differs slightly to general SEO and I won’t go into it here but you can read my post to get all the answers you need if your customers are regional.

In short SEO is simply obeying some rules to get found in the search engines. We all want the number one spot in any search. This means lots of people reading your posts and seeing your website. You can read my post on basic SEO for extra information and how to improve your website.

Keywords

Keywords are the words you choose as a title for any post or page on your website. And they really do matter in a crowded marketplace if you want to be seen.

Keywords will be the most important part of your SEO strategy. People go online to find answers to their questions even if the Question is simply “who sells a short pink mini skirt?” and Google, Bing and yahoo have the job of finding the best websites or post that will help them.

Therefore, you need to help them to recognise that your post or website is the best by being clear in your title what your post is about. Understanding keywords is important but you may need a keyword search tool to help you.

I use Jaaxy as it is included in my Wealthy affiliate subscription but it is available to anyone. Take a read of my Jaaxy review and it will also help you to understand keywords a little better.

Blog Posts

I recently wrote a post about the difference between a website and a blog. In truth, they are no different, they are both built on the same platforms it is just a question of pages or posts.

Pages are the static basis of your website and depending on your business you may have either one or several. They are about giving potential customers information about you and what you do. Posts are things that you publish regularly about subjects that will be of interest and may help your potential customers.

Many businesses fail to understand the benefit of posting regularly to your website and many bloggers fail to use static pages as a guide for readers as to what you are offering.

Both are making a big mistake. Regular posting will improve your SEO, keep your readers and potential customers interested and raise your own authority in the industry you are in. Having a structure to your website will enable your readers to find what they want to know easily.

How I Make A Living Online

I make my living online, through affiliate marketing and I have learnt everything I needed to know about building such a business through Wealthy Affiliate.

Wealthy Affiliate is a comprehensive training platform for anyone wanting to either start an online business or build upon an existing one.

If you want to check it out for free with no credit card required click on the link below.

Final Thoughts

Whether you get someone to build your business website or if you do it yourself make sure you choose the right person or platform. If you do then you will definitely increase the chances of business success

If you have found this post useful then please do me a favour and give it a share on your favourite social media platform. Sharing is Caring.

As ever if you have any questions or want to share your own thoughts or experiences, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

With Grace and Gratitude

Karen

Please be aware that this post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on one and then make a purchase, I will earn a commission but it will not cost you any more.@We hope that you have found this article helpful, and will use this advice to make sure that your business has everything it needs to succeed.