There is a lot of competition in business, that is fact. So many startups get established each year (of which 90% fail) that it can be hard to grab a piece of the market if you’re quite new.
In order to reach their target market, small business owners invest on marketing, which can include traditional advertising or most likely, content marketing and social media marketing.
Whatever you choose for your company, there’s one very basic thing you need before you can implement those marketing strategies: a business website. We recommend you take a look at Bookmark.
A website is a must-have for all businesses. This is where you can post content about your products and services, where you can tell people about what you are offering, and where your potential customers can find you.
There are three ways to make a business website:
- You build the website yourself
- You hire someone to do it for you
- You use a website builder.
The first option is great if you have the skills and knowledge needed to build a website. If you don’t have the necessary skillset, you can go with the second option; however, it will most likely be very expensive.
The third option, then, is the most practical for small business owners who neither have the skills to build the website nor the budget to hire someone for it. Using a website builder is very easy and inexpensive; there is no need for coding and other technical skills.
However, there are also a number of website builders out there. You need to make sure you choose the right one. Here are five steps to select the right website builder.
1. Know the Needs of Your Business
A very important part of the process of building a business website is to fully understand first the needs of your business. You should make sure that your website would address those needs.
For example, if you want to sell products online, you should consider signing up with a website builder that has ecommerce abilities such as Bookmark, Shopify, and so forth.
2. Choose a Responsive Website Builder
Technology is always changing. Most people are now using it to accomplish various activities, as well as to make their lives more comfortable.
Smartphones, for example, are very common nowadays. People use their smartphones for everything, not just to contact others, but to check out places to go and things to do as well.
This is why you should ensure that your site is responsive. It should look great on multiple devices such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and tablets. You would want to be found by people searching for your products or services. If your website is responsive, your conversion rates will be high.
In choosing the right website builder, then, make sure that their products are responsive.
3. Compare the Costs of Each Website Builder
Some website builders charge more than others; there are those that even charge exorbitant prices. This, of course, can have a major impact on your budget.
Before signing up, make sure to compare the costs of different website builders so you can get a good deal. If you have a deep pocket, choose the best website builder with all the bells and whistles so you can enjoy quality services.
Note, however, that you can still get quality services even if you are on a budget. Bookmark, for example, charges a very low amount for its professional looking websites. Do your due diligence and you will definitely find a great deal among website builders.
4. Make Sure They Have Good Customer Support
No matter who makes your business website, it will eventually develop problems later on. You might get hacked, one plugin might be incompatible with another, or your website may start loading slowly, among many other things that can go wrong.
If left untended, all these technical problems will affect your sales. This is why website maintenance is essential to any website.
Your website builder, therefore, must have customer support that will be able to help you whenever you have a problem with their website. You should be able to get in touch
with them easily so that your website’s problems can get solved quickly before it impacts your customers’ experience.
5. Find a Design That Fits Your Niche
When making your website, choose a design that fits your niche. Most website builders are using a template-based process where you can choose a template you like and start editing that template.
Bookmark is a bit different. Its artificial intelligence assistant designs the website based on the niche you choose, so it will be more relevant to your needs.
Having a small business nowadays means that you don’t only need to have a good product or service, you must know how to market it, too. Having a website should be a priority, given how important websites have become in spreading the word about businesses.
If you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur, it could be impractical to spend thousands of dollars on a web designer. Do it yourself; with website builders, you won’t need any coding skills to be able to build your website. Any decent website builders will give you a well-designed one for a small amount.
With the right website builder, you will have a beautiful website that’s also efficient and effective in getting new customers. Choose your website builder well!