Written by It`s a common problem; you know how to do your job, but when it comes to marketing you can do it if you have to, but you secretly wish the Marketing Fairy would come and overnight build you an enchanted website that automatically ranks number 1 on Google for everything.
We`ve got the next best thing. Here are some tips so that you can bang out a site that wins and get back to doing what you like to do best, which obviously isn`t web design. These are the basics; get these down and you will be on your way to doing an efficient, effective site that brings you customers and doesn`t take a ton of your time.
Branding:
If you`ve already got a logo and business card, use the same logo and font (sparingly, as appropriate in headings etc) on your website. Don`t reinvent the wheel. You may need to contact the designer and ask for a transparent GIF so you can use your logo on different coloured backgrounds, etc.
If you do not already have a logo, well, thanks to the current fad for minimalist sites you can get away with that, but it won`t be optimal. People are visual. They respond to logos, to avatars, to pictures and video. A simple, striking logo shouldn`t be expensive. If cash is too tight at the moment, work a trade; graphic designers are big computer users, and we`re betting you know a good one that you can strike a deal with. You need it in high resolution, large, and you also need it small and avatar sized, perhaps 100 px square. And it needs to look good at every size.
Do not do what every single computer professional initially thought of doing, which is use a clip art dragon or a wizard as your logo. We are not kidding about this!
Software:
It might be a fun challenge to build a site from scratch nowadays, but it`s rather like building a car from a kit: takes oodles of time and once it`s out there, most people looking at it can`t really tell. And it won`t perform as well as some of the standard, out of the box offerings from, say, Ferrari.
Look into the modern solutions that are available for free. WordPress is probably the most popular software, infinitely customizable with plugins, and offers its own WordPress.com free hosting platform for non-tinkerers who just want a turnkey solution with fewer options. Paid upgrades are necessary on Wp.com blogs for things like No Ads ($30 a year) or a custom domain ($18). Both options have excellent SEO. Squarespace offers a really clean, contemporary look with maximum ease of use for the site owner, and doesn`t look as `bloggy`as WordPress does. Wix is very popular with small business owners who want simple sites fast.
Last Updated By: Rochelle Sanchirico
Field Service Automation
Service Solutions
Last modified: January 16, 2018
