How to create a website for your business

An online presence can be an effective way to grow your start-up. Setting up a website for your business can open the door to more customers while staying updated with consumer demands and trends.

While the pandemic accelerated a move to digital, Lloyds Banking Group found that only one in ten small businesses shifted online due to the pandemic.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of businesses reported a lack of digital skills and confidence as the biggest barriers to moving online.

There are some misconceptions about how challenging it can be to create a website, but there are ways to help get you started with creating a simple website that can help boost brand awareness and bring new customers to your business.

Statista reports that there will be nearly 60 million e-Commerce users in 2022 in the UK.

Creating a website, even if it’s just a few simple pages with your business name, contact information, and some basic information about your products or services, may help make a big difference in finding new customers.

Read our guide to getting your business online.

What type of website do you need?

It’s a good idea to start by deciding your website’s purpose.

A website can have different uses depending on your business.

For example, a website for a local business, such as an accountancy firm, might need to provide information about the company and allow customers to make appointments.

A website for an office supplies start-up might need to focus on generating leads, providing content, and selling products or services.

Once you know what you want your website to do, you can start planning your design and content.

Websites typically fall into the following types:

• e-commerce store – to sell products/services, such as a florist
• portfolio – to display work and attract clients to work with you, such as a wedding photographer
• magazine/blog – to inform/educate visitors, such as a local events directory
• services/business site – a brand site that explains your business to potential customers, such as a health and training business.

Choose a domain name

A domain name is the online address of your website, sometimes referred to as the uniform resource locator (URL).

It’s what people use to search for your business and is usually in the form of www.yourbusinessname.co.uk.

It’s a good idea to choose one that best represents your business, and keep it short and memorable to help avoid customer confusion.

A short and relevant domain can also help with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), increasing your visibility on the internet and bringing you more potential customers.

Discover how SEO can help your business with our guide on optimising your small business website to maximise traffic.

Choose web hosting

All websites need a host.

A host is a server that stores all website files and content, such as web pages and images, so that the public can access it at any time from anywhere in the world.

A good host can ensure your website loads quickly, making it a good customer experience.

It can also provide security for your site, reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and hacks.

There are two main types of hosting:

• shared hosting - where the server is shared with other sites and is often a cheaper option
• private or dedicated hosting – where your site has its dedicated server exclusively used by your company.

Shared hosting can start from around £2 a month, increasing with additional benefits and add-ons.

Private or dedicated hosting can start from a relatively low amount but can rise with more benefits or other business requirements.

Free hosting options may be available, but the host may place adverts on your website to compensate for the free hosting.

Building your webpages

A website should look good, be easy to navigate, and be organised into relevant sections and areas.

To build your website, you have a few options, which include:

• using a web designer to create it for you – this can be more expensive but involves less work for you
• building it yourself - may be suitable for those who have some technical skill
• using a web builder – can be quick and easy to use and requires limited skills (examples include WordPress, WIX and Shopify).

The option you choose will depend on your skills, budget, or how much time you want to spend on it.

If you want to create an e-Commerce site, learn more with our guide to low-cost E-commerce platforms for your start-up.

Pages and functionality you may need

Websites should include pages that help and attract customers.

Some pages and functionality you may consider adding to your site include:

• call to action (CTA) - call to actions such as ‘buy now’ or ‘sign up here’ buttons may help drive customers to contact you, make an enquiry, or purchase a product or service
• payment systems – if your site is an e-Commerce site, add payment systems to enable customers to make purchases
• contact page - contact pages (or forms) can allow customers to make enquiries, especially if your site sells services
• portfolio – a portfolio of your work can help drive customers to get in contact
• product catalogue - pages tailored to the products you sell, including categories and sub-categories for a user-friendly experience
• services page - similar to a product catalogue, a services page will show the services you offer
• terms and conditions (T&Cs)/privacy policy – key pages that state your T&Cs and how customers’ personal data is used
• shopping basket – for customers to add products to their basket and checkout with multiple items, with the ability to add more or remove items.

Add your content

Content will help you create a good-looking and easy-to-navigate website.

Take care to use fonts that are easy to read and add colour contrast to make sure your site is as accessible as possible.

Discover our seven tips to make your e-Commerce website more accessible.

Use clear and high-quality images, shrinking their file size to avoid slowing down the site’s loading speed.

Optimise content to help your website rank highly on search engines.

Read our guide on six ways to boost your website’s SEO.

Write product descriptions (and for your services) to give customers more information and use CTAs to encourage them to get in touch or make purchases.

Test and publish your site

Before making your website live, it can be a good idea to test it across several different devices to replicate how a customer may access it.

Use laptops, PCs, and mobile phones to see how your website functions.

Open the site in different web browsers to check for errors.

You could ask friends or family to test the site for user experience and use their feedback to improve your site.

Once you’re happy with how your site is running, you can publish it.

Consider promoting your site on social channels or in your physical premises if you have one.

Take the time to invest in SEO to bring new customers to your site.