Why is web design important for small business?

Web design is one of those things that everyone has an opinion about but few people actually know exactly how it works or what its purpose really is. The truth is that there are many different ways to go about designing websites. Some companies will hire someone who specializes in this area while others might just look at some examples online. Then they'll take their own ideas and put them into action.

The point here isn't so much whether you should use a professional designer or not as it is finding out which method would work best for you. If you're looking for something quick and easy then maybe there's no reason to pay someone else thousands of dollars when you could probably get away with making a simple site yourself. On the other hand if you want something more elaborate than that, then perhaps hiring a pro is worth it even though it costs more money.

It's up to you to decide what kind of website you'd like to have made and whether or not you're willing to spend money on it. But regardless of how you choose to go about creating your site, it always makes sense to have it done by professionals. Here are three reasons why every small business needs a website.

How do I setup my own website for my business?

There are plenty of options available to you when it comes to setting up your own website. You don't necessarily need to be able to code HTML to build a basic page. There are lots of apps and tools available these days that allow anyone to easily set up a website without needing any technical knowledge whatsoever. Even if you do happen to know coding, you may find it easier to simply copy and paste content from Word documents onto your new site rather than trying to figure out all the commands and codes needed to properly format text.

If you prefer doing everything manually, however, then you may still want to consider getting help from a professional web developer. This way you won't have to worry about being locked down inside a complicated program trying to figure out where everything goes or having to struggle through learning new skills. A skilled web designer knows how to organize information well enough to keep it organized. They also understand how search engines work. These two factors alone can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to online visibility and traffic generation.

You can learn more about building sites using various platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace below.

How can I create a small website for free?

While it's true that there are countless resources online that offer templates and pre-made pages for purchase, the reality is that you shouldn't let your budget dictate what type of website you end up with. Sure, you may feel comfortable paying $10 for a template only to discover later on that it doesn't quite fit your brand identity. Or maybe you think that buying a high-quality theme is too expensive for what you expect to gain from it. Whatever the case may be, you shouldn't let your financial situation prevent you from obtaining a decent website.

One great resource to check out is Wix. It offers tons of templates that you can customize based upon your preferences. For example, if you plan on hosting videos on your site, you can opt to buy a video-optimized template instead of purchasing a standard site. As far as pricing goes, each template starts off costing around ten bucks. That said, you can save hundreds of dollars over time by choosing to upgrade certain elements of your site.

Another option you might want to try out is Weebly. Although it does require registration, you can sign up for a premium account for less than $5 per month (and sometimes cheaper). With this service, you can upload multiple images, add links, edit headers, change fonts, etc., all within minutes. The entire process takes place right on your computer screen so you never have to download anything. What's more, you can access your site from anywhere since it runs entirely via the internet.

How can I create a website free of cost?

Of course, the easiest solution to this problem is to just avoid spending any money at all. However, we all know that life wouldn't be very interesting if it were completely devoid of any form of entertainment. So, if you must stay in touch with friends, family members, customers, and potential clients, then you'll definitely need a website. Fortunately, there are several free solutions that enable you to maintain contact with the world wide web without breaking the bank.

For instance, Google Docs allows you to collaborate on documents while keeping track of changes to files. There are also lots of free email providers that you can utilize. One option that's especially popular among bloggers is MailChimp. Not only does it provide you with the ability to send emails, but it also provides you with analytics data that lets you see how effective your campaigns are. And of course, there's nothing better than Facebook!

We've already talked about how important it is to have a presence on social media. In fact, the average American spends almost five hours daily interacting with their favorite brands on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat. All told, social networks now generate nearly 60 percent of all consumer Internet activity. To truly compete in today's market, you cannot afford to ignore the power of social networking.

As for building your own website, you can either start with a blank slate or you can begin with a previously existing website. Both options have pros and cons. If you have a preexisting site, you'll likely have plenty of valuable content ready to go. Still, if you don't yet have a strong following, this could potentially limit your reach. Alternatively, starting fresh means you'll have to come up with original content and promote it effectively. Either way, both approaches require effort and dedication.

How can I make a mini website?

In addition to building a full-fledged website, you can also build a smaller version of it. Sometimes called microsites, mini websites tend to serve specific purposes. For example, you may want to create a landing page for promoting upcoming events, a blog, a portfolio showcasing your previous projects, or even a newsletter aimed toward subscribers interested in receiving updates regarding your latest work.

Again, you'll first need to determine what you're going to accomplish with your mini site before deciding which platform would suit your needs best. While you may want to stick with a free site builder such as Weebly, you might also want to explore paid alternatives such as Shopify or BigCommerce. Whichever route you choose, we recommend taking advantage of SEO strategies to ensure your content reaches readers.

Regardless of whether you decide to build a big website or a tiny one, the bottom line is that having a working website is essential nowadays because it helps establish credibility. When consumers visit your site, they immediately have an idea about what you stand for and what sort of products or services you sell. Having a professionally designed website is also crucial because it shows visitors that you care about aesthetics.

And finally...

A successful online presence is essential in today's world. If you're not on social media or emailing potential customers, then you are missing out big time. And if you want to stay ahead of competitors, having an attractive website with great content will help tremendously.

However, there's more than just designing pretty pages that look nice on screen - there are also many other elements involved in making sure your site works well when people visit it. For example, you'll need a responsive layout so that visitors can view your page correctly no matter how they access it (e.g., mobile phone vs. desktop). You might even consider hiring someone to create videos to promote your brand and showcase your products/services as well! It all adds up quickly, but without any planning at all, you could end up wasting money on a poorly designed website that doesn't work properly.

In this article we'll take a closer look at some key aspects of web design and explain how these factors affect your bottom line. We'll also explore ways that you can manage costs while still getting high-quality results and tips about finding reliable agencies who know their way around the web design industry. Let's get started...

How much does it cost to run a website for 1 year?

There are tons of different variables which determine whether running a website will be profitable or not. But one of the biggest ones is how long it takes for your domain name to expire. This means that every month, you spend $1 on renewals, and once your domain expires, you lose its value forever.

It's easy enough to avoid these annual fees by simply buying another domain name instead. However, that won't keep your current customer base happy either, since they've come to expect the old address. So if you plan on keeping your existing customers engaged after changing domains, you should probably think twice before doing so.

On average, companies lose between 5% and 15% of revenue due to expired domain names. That number jumps significantly higher for startups though, where the loss rate reaches 20%. In order to offset those losses, you'd better be able to show steady growth and attract new clients regularly.

But let's say you decide to stick with your original domain name because you like the URL too much. What would happen if you had to pay $1 per day to host your files until 2021? Or maybe you only paid $100 last year, but now you need $500 for hosting next year. How bad would that impact your finances?

The answer depends entirely upon your expenses. The first step towards figuring out how much money you spend each month on hosting is knowing exactly what you're paying right now. To find out, go through your monthly statements and add everything together. Don't forget to include things such as bandwidth usage, data transfer charges, server maintenance, etc. At the very least, you should have a rough idea of how much cash you currently spend on hosting.

Now we can move onto estimating how much you'll spend in total over the course of the coming years. To estimate that figure, multiply your current spending amount by 365 days. Then divide that result by 12 to give yourself a yearly price tag. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate, since your expenses may change depending on various circumstances such as traffic levels, sales performance, product demand, etc.

If you're looking for specific numbers, here are some ballpark estimates based on historical trends. According to Google Trends, the average U.S. household spent roughly $4,000 on internet service in 2016. Meanwhile, according to Statista, a person earning $30,000 annually spends approximately $2,200 on internet service.

That means that if you earn less than $30k per year, you shouldn't worry about losing significant sums of money due to domain expiration. On the other hand, if you're already shelling out thousands of dollars per year on hosting, you definitely need to start taking steps to reduce that expense.

Here's a quick guide to help you calculate how much a website redesign could save you:

Divide your current hosting fee by three months to estimate how much you'll shell out each month. Multiply that figure by 12 to get the exact total. Divide that sum by two to convert it into "per day" figures. Now multiply both totals together to arrive at your estimated savings.

This calculation assumes that your hosting provider offers unlimited storage space and bandwidth. A common practice among larger companies is to limit storage capacity and charge extra for additional transfers. Therefore, the above equation isn't completely accurate unless you know exactly what kind of plans your hosting provider has available.

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of other expenses associated with owning and managing a website. Here are some examples of typical costs:

Domain registration -- $10-$50

Website builder tools -- $20+

Hosting fees -- $5-$25 per month

PayPal integration -- $15

Web analytics -- $150-$300 per month

Online advertising -- $1000-$5000 per month

Email marketing subscriptions -- $10-$30 per month

Content creation -- $40-$60 per hour

Social media management -- $10-$20 per post

Search engine optimization -- $20-80 per month

These aren't the only relevant costs however. There are countless others including legal fees, copywriting, graphic design, video editing, photography, software licenses, promotional materials, office supplies, etc. As always, talk to your accountant or financial advisor to see what you actually need to set aside. They can advise you on the best ways to minimize recurring expenditures while maximizing profits.

What percentage of small businesses don't have websites?

According to recent research conducted by Small Business Administration (SBA), 95 percent of employers surveyed said they use the Internet to communicate with employees. While that statistic alone shows that the majority of American workers are using the web, it doesn't reveal anything about the state of small businesses' websites.

Most small businesses have no website whatsoever, although statistics vary widely depending on industry. Some industries, such as healthcare, construction, manufacturing, retail stores, and restaurants, have low percentages of sites that exist. Other fields, such as education, finance, insurance, and technology, boast higher rates of non-existent sites.

Even though the SBA found that nearly everyone uses the internet nowadays, the same study showed that almost half of Americans didn't feel comfortable navigating the web themselves. Most adults prefer talking to friends & family members rather than trying to learn something complicated like programming or coding.

So if you're wondering why so few small business owners bother investing in a professional website, the simple fact is that most consumers don't care about them. When you walk down the street, do you ever notice a storefront? Are you likely to stop and ask questions about what goods or services are offered inside? Probably not. Why bother reading a bunch of text when you can just watch a short video clip instead?

How do you make your own small business website?

Creating a personal website for your company usually involves several steps. First, you need to establish goals and objectives for your website. Next, you'll need to choose a theme and style. Finally, you'll need to write content and publish it across multiple platforms. Each part of the process requires expertise in certain areas, so it pays off to hire experts who specialize in particular parts of the job.

For instance, if you want to build a custom WordPress blog, you'll need to become familiar with HTML code and CSS stylesheets. And if you want to optimize your site's SEO, you'll need to understand how search engines function and how to improve rankings. By learning these skills beforehand, you'll be prepared to handle whatever task comes along later.

Once you have completed the aforementioned tasks, you're ready to launch your site. Unfortunately, there's nothing really special about building a basic website. You can easily purchase a template from SiteGround or Squarespace, upload your logo and images, and customize the rest with free plugins. But if you want to truly stand out and impress your audience, you should try to develop your own unique identity.

You can accomplish that goal by creating a compelling story behind your company and showcasing your mission statement and values. Afterward, you can encourage users to share news articles and blog posts on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. These platforms allow you to connect directly with customers and generate leads.

Your business depends on online sales now more than ever before, but you don't own or operate an ecommerce site yet? You're not alone - many other companies are facing this same issue today. In fact, over half of all US-based internet users say they shop online at least once per month! Why is that so surprising? More people are shopping online every day, and with big retailers like Amazon leading the pack, this trend is only going to grow stronger.

If you want to compete against these massive corporations in the world of eCommerce, then you need to be ready to take advantage of the benefits of having a website. A well designed website can help attract new customers, increase brand awareness, boost SEO rankings, and drive traffic to your store. But if you aren’t sure how to get started with creating one for yourself or your business, here's everything you should know about web design for small businesses.

Why is it important for a small business to have a website?

A solid website design has great potential to reach thousands of customers who may have never heard of your products otherwise. Websites also allow you to create an identity separate from your brick & mortar storefronts, which helps build trust among visitors. Even though there are plenty of reasons to invest in building websites for small businesses, some of the biggest ones include:

Brand visibility: Having a website allows you to showcase your products and services to millions of prospective buyers instantly. This means you no longer have to rely solely on word of mouth advertising, and if someone finds out about your products through social media platforms (like Facebook) or search engines, they'll see your store right alongside yours.

Better branding: When you create a custom website for your business, you can use unique images to represent different aspects of your brand. For example, instead of using generic stock photos of a smiling woman holding a product, you could upload shots of you or your employees wearing clothes or accessories made by your company. It gives your audience something to relate themselves too, making them feel as if they already belong to your community.

Online presence: If you run a local restaurant, you probably wouldn't think twice about putting up a sign outside announcing its existence. However, if you didn't do anything else, would anyone even notice it was there? On the contrary, when you set up a website promoting your restaurant, you give consumers another way to find you without actually visiting your physical location. They can easily learn more information about your offerings, view pictures of your food, and hear reviews from previous clients. All while getting to enjoy their favorite meal without leaving home.

SEO ranking: Search engine optimization (or SEO) plays a huge role in helping your website rank higher in Google searches. The more popular your website appears, the greater chance you have of attracting additional organic traffic. As such, the better your website looks, the easier it will be for you to achieve top spots in SERPs. And since everyone wants to appear high in rankings, having a professional looking website makes sense regardless of whether you sell widgets or cat litter.

How much does it cost to maintain a website for a small business?

There are various ways to go about designing your website, including hiring freelance designers, outsourcing your work to agencies, or starting from scratch yourself. Each approach comes with pros and cons depending on your budget, personal preferences, time constraints, etc., so we recommend considering each option carefully before committing any money to your project.

One common misconception regarding website maintenance costs is that you simply pay monthly fees to keep your domain name active. While this practice is fine if you plan to host your website elsewhere, it isn't ideal for keeping your site updated regularly. Instead, make sure to consider ongoing web hosting options as part of your overall budget so you can ensure your site stays functional long after you've paid off your initial investment.

Another area where you might spend money unnecessarily is paying for premium themes or templates. Although these designs look nice, they often come with hidden expenses that quickly add up. One major expense is licensing software, which includes things like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator licenses, WordPress theme purchase prices, plugins, and more. Unless you're familiar with graphic design tools, it's impossible to know exactly what these items cost upfront. So if you decide to buy a template, just remember to factor those extra charges into your total budget.

Finally, there are always unexpected surprises along the way. Things happen unexpectedly during construction projects, and sometimes you discover issues with your existing website that require immediate attention. Whether you find errors in code or you realize you need to update your content, it's worth planning ahead for possible mishaps to prevent delays later down the line.

How much does it cost to maintain a small website?

Once again, there are several factors that affect how much it costs to maintain a website for a small business. First, you'll need to determine how frequently you'd like updates to occur, and how much time you have available to devote to maintaining your site. Do you prefer to focus primarily on growing your business offline, or do you believe in staying connected with current customers via email marketing campaigns? How much are you willing to commit financially towards improving your website? These questions and others will influence how much you end up spending each year on your website.

The next step involves determining your target demographic and analyzing how effective your current website currently performs. Are you targeting a specific type of customer (i.e. moms living within 5 miles of a Target)? Or are you hoping to appeal to a wider range of shoppers? Once you understand what kind of results you hope to achieve, you can narrow down your choices based on price point, features, and technical requirements.

Now that you know what you need, you can start researching solutions that meet your specifications. There are numerous affordable options available for small businesses, ranging from simple DIY sites to fully customized corporate brands. Depending on your budget and level of expertise, you may choose to hire freelancers to complete certain tasks, or save your money and tackle everything yourself. Whatever route you choose, it's important to take time to research vendors thoroughly, especially when working with sensitive data. After all, nothing ruins a business relationship faster than a bad experience dealing with a third party provider.

When choosing a contractor, it's vital to ask relevant questions pertaining to project scope, timeline, deliverables, payment terms, etc. To avoid confusion, you should request detailed estimates from multiple contractors beforehand, and compare notes to gauge differences between bids. Another tip is to seek references from past clients, particularly those who used similar services from the vendor in question. Finally, be wary of companies offering low quotes because they likely won't provide full explanations of their pricing methodologies and plans.

With proper preparation and careful analysis prior to signing contracts, you can rest assured knowing you picked the perfect solution for your small business' website needs. Good luck!