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Building Your Own Website? Here are 5 Important Things to Consider
If you’ve decided to build your own website from scratch, I applaud you for your brave decision to do so!
DIY website builders have a lot to offer, but is it better to go this route than to invest in a professionally-built website?
Well, that depends on your knowledge of website design and development. If you know what it takes to build a successful website, you’ll be fine.
If not, brace yourself for this monster of a task. There are a lot of working parts to the process that you’ll have to keep in mind.
Otherwise, you might set yourself up to fail.
Most self-built websites are a marketer’s worst nightmare. In what seems like a conscious attempt to save money, some entrepreneurs do more harm to their brands than good by building their websites on their own.
Oftentimes, the final product looks like a cheaply made eyesore with a poorly built website structure.
While DIY websites might seem like a great investment, they pose a huge risk to the success of your brand.
There’s a possibility that your conversion rates will suffer, your website won’t be visible enough for your target audience to find you, and the quality of your website will devalue the quality of your brand.
As a result, this option ends up being a waste of time and money in the long run. It also tends to have the opposite effect on the intended results.
Taking all of that into account, are you 100% sure of your website-building skills? Can you confidently say that you know what you’re doing? With all that’s at stake, you might want to think long and hard about your decision.
Your website needs to hit a home run in more ways than one. Here’s a rundown of the different working parts of a successful website.
Branding
Your website is one thing, but your branding strategy is a completely different ball game.
Branding has the power to resonate in a person’s mind for years. The Apple logo will forever be embedded in our minds. It just goes to show that Apple accomplished what they set out to do with their branding strategy.
The memorability of their brand identity plays a role in their global popularity. In a perfect world, that’s the same effect you’ll want to leave on your target audience.
Star-quality branding is critical to your brand’s success. Needless to say, it’s worth the investment.
Your web and print branding materials should have a cohesive look and feel across all mediums. That includes your website, your business cards, your signage, and your marketing collateral.
With professional branding, people will take your business more seriously.
The Infinity Group can help you take your branding strategy to the next level. Contact us to find out how!
Design Aesthetics
Appearance is everything. Considering that we humans are visual beings by nature, many of us are guilty of judging a book by its cover.
The same goes with websites.
When a first-time visitor lands on your website, you only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s why you’ll want to use that as an opportunity to blow them away.
The best way to do that is by offering a “WOW experience,” and the look and function of your website factors into that.
A lot of DIY websites look like they’ve been thrown together. As we mentioned before, this could have a detrimental impact on your brand.
The design of your website should be clean, simple, and easy to navigate (as a general rule of thumb).
Your branding materials should also blend in with the appearance and theme of your website.
Want a professional’s opinion on your website? Our design team can give you advice on whether or not you’re making the right design decisions. Contact us today.
Your Domain Name
Choose your domain name wisely. Not only should it be easy to say and spell, but it should also be as short as possible.
It’s also important to select a domain name that matches closely with your business name. We know that in some cases, this is hard to do when multiple companies share a similar name.
Just try to include your company name in some way, form, or fashion. We also recommend that you go with a .com domain when possible. It’s more preferable than all the other extensions.
Ready to puchase a domain? Click here to get started.
Search Engine Optimization
The quickest way to get found on Google is by optimizing your website for maximum results. In the marketing world, we call this search engine optimization (SEO).
Lucky for you, most DIY builders have built-in settings for SEO. This should make it easier for you to optimize your website. Just remember to be thorough in your efforts.
There are two different types of SEO: on-page and off-page. On-page SEO focuses on the structure and function of your website.
Common on-page optimization practices include:
● The use of meta titles/descriptions, and alt-tags on your web pages
● Easy-to-navigate menu structure
● The installation of an SSL certificate
● A mobile-friendly design
Off-page SEO has to do with the external factors that are increasing your visibility on the web (e.g., social media, Google Maps, local directories, endorsements from high-authority websites, etc.).
Does this sound like gibberish to you? Not to worry. If you’d like, we can explain it to you further in layman’s terms over a call. We’re also available to provide personalized SEO advice for your website.
Content
Content is STILL king. With that in mind, the lack of a solid content strategy is a huge mistake.
Another thing to note is that content and SEO go hand in hand. If you want your content to appear in Google search for certain search terms, your content will need to be SEO-optimized.
Make sure that it’s not overly optimized to the point where it sounds robotic. This usually happens when a company produces content for the search engines. Where in actuality, you should write content for the reader with SEO in mind.
To DIY, or Not to DIY?
DIY websites aren’t a bad thing if you know how to approach it the right way. One wrong decision could cost yourself a ton of high-quality leads!
Not to mention, DIY website building can be a time-consuming experience. Even after you build it, you’ll have to take the time to maintain it.
Do you really have the bandwidth to handle this project on your own?
Before you do anything, you’ll want to ask yourself if this is where you time is best spent, or if it makes more sense to hire a professional.
Whether you've decided to try a DIY solution or you want a custom design, we have solutions that meet your needs. Contact us today for more information.
