Are you a business owner? Are you looking for cost effective ways for marketing and getting leads for your business. Then this article is for you. Before going further lets define what a website is.
What is a Website?
A website is a collection of web pages that can be accessed with a URL or web address. These web pages can be developed using any programming language, images, content and videos. There are different types of websites. The most common types are static website, dynamic website and e-commerce website.
Static websites usually consists of web pages that have static content. These types of websites are suitable for personal portfolios, blogs and informational websites. They require less server resources. They are suitable for small businesses who are looking to give an online presence.
Dynamic websites gives user a personalized experience, user interaction and generates content dynamically. They are developed using programming languages like PHP, Python, Java, etc and a database. Dynamic websites are the websites like social networking websites, online forums, news portals and e-learning platforms.
e-Commerce websites are used for online selling of products or services. They involve the use of payment gateways, shopping carts, inventory management etc.
What are the main things needed for a website?
To have a website one need to have a domain name and hosting space. Domain name is the unique web address to your business on the internet. It is in the format www.yourbuinessname.com. Without a domain name one has to access a website with an IP address. Once a domain name is registered by someone no others can have the same domain name.
A domain name consists of two main parts – a Second-Level-Domain (SLD) and Top Level Domain (TLD) or extension. Here “yourbusinessname” is the SLD and “.com” is the TLD. The most commonly used TLDs are .com, .org, .net.
Hosting space is for storing the files on the internet or web server. Here all the files, images, videos, content, database that make up a website is stored.
The domain name and the IP address of hosting server are linked. So whenever a domain name is typed in the browser the DNS lookup service identifies the IP address of the web server and executes the files.
This is how a website is displayed on the browser. So both domain name and hosting space is essential for a website.
What are the features of a good website?
A website should incorporate these following features.
• Website should have responsive design. It means that the website should look similar on all types of devices like desktop, mobiles and tablets. The design should be legible irrespective of the device type.
• Website should load fast. A slow loading website irritates a user. For better user experience it should load web pages fast.
• It should have easy navigation. The content should be easily navigatable for the user.
• It should have clear call to action. If you want to grow your business let the site visitors subscribe to your blog, download content or fill a contact form. Ensure that the information provided by users is secure and not misused for other purposes.
• It should have easy to update CMS. Having able to update content easily cuts the costs of website maintenance for the user. Now –a –days this is achievable with the use of content management systems like WordPress, Joomla , Drupal, etc.
• It should be secure. Having a website with SSL certificates gives user a confidence in using credit card or debit card details for online transaction.
• It should have links to social media channels of the business.
What is the cost of Website Development ?
The cost for developing a website includes domain, hosting charges and development costs. The development costs depends on the type of website and the features you want to incorporate in to it. The hosting companies provides hosting space from as low as Rs.200 per month and GST. With the domain charges your website can be maintained on the internet with an average of Rs.10/- per day.
Advantages of having a Website for Small Business
Whether your business is small or big, local or international having a website is important in this digital era. It is your digital brochure for the business. It also serve as a virtual salesman for your business. A website makes your business global. You are no longer limited to a single geographical area. Having website is as important as having a telephone number for your business. The following are other advantages of having a website.
• A website makes you look professional.
• A website saves money on printing brochures, visiting cards, etc.
• It gives your business a good branding. Your business logo, brand colors, font are used in website.
• It makes your business credible and trustworthy.
• It works 24/7 and gives information whether you are available in the office or not.
• It makes to gain new customers easily.
• Helps in building trust with customers. It provides two way communication with the customers
• It reduces your marketing costs.
• Website helps in showcasing your products or services
• It gives your contact information (mobile, whatsapp), google map location,etc.
• A website helps in hiring new staff.
• With a website you can attract investors to your business
• It helps in online advertising. Online advertising is most economical and targets the right customers.
• It tells your story, vision and mission.
• It displays your professional certifications, awards and achievements.
• It can also serve as a customer support. You can put commonly asked questions on your website. These questions helps clear most of the doubts about your services or products.
• It can be used to showcase customer reviews, testimonials, recommendations, etc.
With all the above mentioned advantages we come to know how beneficial a website is for a business. With the development of new technologies in web development the cost and time of developing a website has decreased. A simple website can be made within few days or a week. Maintenance costs also reduced a lot. A person with no coding knowledge can easily add new information or edit the existing information.