There are three areas of local website design that are fundamental to designing a great website for a local business. Having an understanding of each of the fundamentals will help a business design and develop a great website.
Design refers to the visual look of a website. This includes the logo, colors and fonts.
Architecture is the layout of a website. Site navigation, call to actions, buttons and content links should be thought out.
Layout is how the website is laid out. A website that is user-friendly will convert more visitors into customers.
Begin with a good plan
It is understandable that a small business may have a limited budget for a website. This is why it is very important to have a good plan in place before deciding to move ahead with a website.
What platform will the business use to run a website?
Depending on how many resources a business has, they may be able to handle custom website development in-house. A custom website should cater to all a business needs but do come with its own hurdles of time and costly upkeep.
Most small business opt to use an already existing platform to build a website on. Below is a list of the top 3 CMS (content management systems) used by most small businesses.
All of the above CMS are good platforms to use for a small business.
Who will maintain and manage the website?
This is one of the most overlooked aspect of running a website. A lot of the CMS platforms for websites have given the illusion that running a website is simple. Although they do make managing a website easier that do not handle things like SEO, Bug fixes, etc. There are a few options for this but be sure that who ever will maintain the website, that they are qualified to do so. See below for some options:
- In-house employee
- The best local web designer
Choosing a local company to launch the website
It be overwhelming at this point. Who does a business choose when every local web design company seems to offer everything needed. Here are some things to look into before choosing the best web designer for your website:
- The web designer should understand the basic SEO principles for any website.
- The web designer should be a local designer so that they can be met in person.
- Beware of first page ranking promises for Google. This is a sign that the designing company is not very good.
- When choosing a web designer, keep in mind you get what you pay. Cheap is a sign to choose elsewhere. Find a developer that is at least in the middle of the road when it comes to price.
- Choose a web designer that is credited. Choosing a local web designer that works in their home is more risky than one that has a physical location.
Once there is a good website plan in place, be sure to reach out early to a local web designer. They will be able to provide assistance and guidance as the plan progresses.
Dash10 Digital is a local web design company that is location in Downtown Barberton. We serve the Akron, Cleveland and Canton area and provide professional web design for local businesses. Get a free quote for your website project by contacting us. We would love to help you with your website needs!