Building a website? Attention to the right details can make yours great from day one. Read on for the essential steps.
Having a presence on the Internet is essential for a business of any size. Smaller businesses depend upon social media channels to ensure continuous engagement with their customers, but a website is essential to keep things organized and enable customers to learn more about your products and services. In this guide, we will look at few tips to help you manage the process of building your website.
Do it Yourself
There are many routes to follow if you plan to build your own website, from hardcore coding to the use of services like Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix (if you’re looking for something affordable with no maintenance). However, you’ll be limited by the number of templates and generic designs, and you’d still need to spend some time tweaking your site. This is not recommended for everyone, unless you have the spare time and effort to spend on this part of your business.
“Integration between your website and social media channels can save you time and effort.
Leave Design to the Pros
When developing a website, spend some time with your designer explaining what you’re trying to achieve. Don’t try to force your opinion about certain design elements, unless you’re a designer or your designer is a complete idiot (in which case I would recommend changing agencies). Make sure your website represents your brand identity, if you have one.
Think Mobile
A large number of your customers may visit your site from a smartphone or tablet. Making sure the site behaves well on a smaller screen with touch input is critical for any website these days. Your site must have a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes. Avoid animations and plugins that may not work with all mobile platforms, like JavaScript and Flash. Test your site with different devices and browsers to see how it works.
“Make sure your website represents your brand identity.
Content is King
If your website requires frequent content updates, you may need to have someone to take care of these. Otherwise, make sure the site you’re building has a reliable content management system (CMS). Work with your designer to ensure that elements that change frequently can be edited and managed through the CMS with minimal effort and technical prowess. Opting for a renowned platform like WordPress provides you with access to thousands of ready-made plugins to help you integrate with other platforms or manage content from your mobile.
Socialize
Integration between your website and social media channels can save you time and effort while providing timely updates to your customers. Your website can be configured to post social media messages or images as soon as you update a certain function. It can also showcase your social media feeds to enable customers to reach you in their preferred channel.
Independent Security Review
Your website may require a review by an independent, third-party security consultant. This includes a code review (white box test), in which the tester is looking at the actual code, and a web application security test (black box test), in which the external, consumer-facing components are examined. Having these reviews will ensure that any vulnerabilities or bugs are properly mitigated and rectified. This step is absolutely essential if you’re selling products or services online or are subject to regulatory bodies. You can also utilize an automated vulnerability assessment service to make sure things stay in shape.
Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance
Your website will, hopefully, be okay when you publish it. However, adding an annual maintenance plan will mitigate the rising number of security issues, bugs, and vulnerabilities that could be discovered in its various components. Your website needs to be patched regularly, just like your phone or computer. Have a maintenance agreement with your partners, and make sure it includes monthly updates.
