7 Critical Questions to Ask When Creating a Website for Your Business

Nowadays, a business without a website is like a house without a front door. The fact is, a company’s website is usually its main entry point for the vast majority of interested customers. And the more functional, professional-looking, and user-friendly the website is, the more attractive it will be for visitors — and the more likely they’ll buy from your brand.

Of course, it’s important to set up your website properly in order to get the best results. With that in mind, here are 7 key questions you need to ask before creating a website for your business:

1. What’s the Purpose of Your Website?

Obviously, this should be the first question you need to ask and answer.
Many websites only function as an “information delivery vehicle” — in other words, they tell visitors about your business and the products/services you offer. That’s fine, but the information you provide may not make much of an impression on the casual visitor who’s checking out your business for the first time.

The point is, your website needs to do a specific job in order to be most useful. If you’re a carpenter, for example, then you may want your website to show off your previous work — and ultimately get prospects to call you or set up an appointment online.
If you own a law firm, then you may want visitors to call for a free consultation. It’s important to have this purpose in mind as you set about creating a website for your business.

The purpose of your website should align with your primary call to action (CTA).
Shockingly, one study found that 70% of small business websites don’t have a clear CTA on their home page!
Don’t let your website be one of them. Have a clear understanding of what your website’s “job” is, and then set up CTAs throughout that will help it to accomplish that task.

Creating a website for your business should be much more than a glorified digital business card.
Therefore, don’t underestimate the potential of a well-designed website and marketing strategy to be the main driver of your business – no matter the industry!

2. Do You Have a Good Domain Name?

If you’re set on creating a website for your business, one of the first things you should consider is your domain name.

Your domain name (aka website address) is an important element in the overall effectiveness of your site. For example, imagine that your name is Tim, and you own a plumbing business. Now imagine that you have to compete with three other plumbers also named Tim — and all of your website addresses are virtually identical (timsplumbing.com, timsplumbingco.com, plumbingbytim.com… you get the idea). Do you think it might be difficult for your customers to find you online?

What makes up a good domain name? Here are some pointers:

• Keep it short
• Make it easy to spell
• Use the right domain extension (usually “.com” for businesses)
• Try to make it SEO-friendly (for example, if you’re a local company, try to include the name of your city in the website address)

3. Who Is Your Website’s Target Audience?

This is just good marketing 101.

You’ll need to understand why your customers are visiting your website in the first place — what they’re interested in, what they’re looking for, what they expect to get out of their visit.

If you take the time to “play customer,” then you’ll be able to develop a message, valuable content, and CTAs that are effective for the task at hand.

You’ll also realize if you need to include other elements on your site.
For example, if you offer professional services (think accounting or legal representation) you may want to include pictures of your office lobby and team in order to subtly reassure visitors that you are a legitimate business. You can also ask existing customers for feedback while you’re in the midst of creating a website for your business.

4. Where Are Your Visitors Coming From?

Very few people will “stumble across” your website by accident during their search.
In most cases, you’ll need to have other marketing channels in place to drive prospects to your website.
You may have to “buy” traffic by means of paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.) or work on building up your organic SEO (via blogging and social media posts). Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you’re bringing in high-value prospective customers, not just random visitors.

What devices are they using?

In addition, you’ll likely need to optimize your website for mobile devices. With almost 55% of global web traffic coming from smartphones and tablets, the last thing you want is a website that looks great on a PC but is a chaotic mess on your prospect’s iPhone.

In this day and age, a mobile-first strategy will prove useful when creating a website for your business.

5. What’s Your UVP (Unique Value Proposition)?

If you want your website to stand out from the field of competitors, then it’s important that you clearly communicate your brand’s UVP — in other words, what makes your business special.

Whether it’s lower-than-average pricing, high-quality workmanship, a specialized skill set, or unsurpassed experience, your website should clearly communicate why someone would want to do business with you.

With this in mind, you want to make sure that your value proposition is prominently featured above the fold on your home page.

6. Who Will Be In Charge of Content Creation?

A blank website is no good for anyone. Obviously, you’ll need to fill your website with appropriate, valuable, and engaging content that will improve your ranking, & motivate visitors to take desired actions (like signing up for your newsletter or booking an appointment).

Develop A Content Strategy

Content creation goes beyond just your core product/service pages.

A comprehensive content strategy to create ongoing content that establishes your expertise addresses the concerns and major pain points of your target audiences and fleshes out the concepts surrounding what it is you do or provide to your clientele is paramount if you want a chance to outrank and distinguish your business from your competition.

At first, it may be tempting to try to handle this task by yourself.
However, you may soon find that running a business doesn’t leave a lot of time for content strategy, development, and creation. Many business owners have decided that it’s worth paying a content creation specialist to do the job for them.

7. Who’s Going to Design and Build Your Site?

It’s true, there are DIY options out there for business owners who want to create a website on the cheap. The main problem with that approach is that your final product is going to, well, look cheap! And creating a website for your business can be tricky, especially when you’ve got other tasks to do.

Invest in Your Success & Partner With a Professional

If you really want your website to be a business driver for your company, then you’ll have to invest in it — and unless you happen to be a web development specialist who knows the in’s and out’s of wireframing, prototyping, coding, SEO, and so forth, that investment usually means hiring a team of experts to do the job right.

The good news is, you can bring that team onboard without breaking your piggy-bank open in the process.
At LocalBizGuru, we have the skills and experience needed to create a crisp, professional-looking website for your business that will accomplish the specific objectives you have in mind. 
Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help.