A business website is the most important thing your business needs besides…well, a business!
But have you ever wondered how a website works? Or, better yet, how to make your own?
If you have, then this is the blog for you.
We’re going to breeze past the “front end” of your soon-to-be website: this includes design, content and layout. If you’re interested in that aspect, you can read our blog on The Anatomy Of A Great Website.
This article is primarily concerned with setting up a website and getting it running in the first place, plus how you can make an already good-looking website even better fundamentally.
So read on!
What On Earth Is Website Hosting?
So, what does hosting mean for your website and is it as scary (and technically boring) as it sounds?
Well, you can think of hosting as a service provider who gives life to your website – in the form of a rental space on the world wide web.
You see, you can design the website of your dreams and optimize it to utmost efficiency all you want.
But you still need a server to place it on, store it and compress your files so that anyone and everyone can view it online.
This is where website hosts come in.
They are providers with a large range of servers that you can effectively “rent space on” in order to power your website.
Every website you have ever visited is hosted on someone’s server. Typically, web hosting is a one and done deal: you choose a host, pay an upfront fee and a monthly ongoing fee. You’ll then rarely have to worry about it again.
When choosing who to host your website with, it’s important to choose a service provider who offers high quality servers.
You should look for:
- Stability. There’s nothing worse for your business than for a server building to experience a blackout or flood or other disaster, resulting in your website going down indefinitely. Always ask your provider if they have backup servers in a different location.
- Speed. Not all hosting services are created equal. Some servers will offer much faster speeds, resulting in a better customer experience on your site.
- No Lock In Contracts. It’s important that you retain flexibility. Moving hosting services is very easy and you should do so regularly if you find good deals. Make sure you’re not signing up for an arduous commitment.
Do I Have To Build My Website Myself?
You’ll eventually have to ask yourself an important question: should I try to build my website myself or use a CMS?
A CMS is short for Content Management System.
The most popular CMS systems today are WordPress and Shopify – you’ve likely heard of them. Others are Joomla, WooCommerce, Hubspot and more.
Essentially, a CMS will let you choose from website ‘Templates.’ These are pre-configured websites – usually in 1-5 web page packages – that you can use straight away & without having to write your own computer code.
They are powerful tools at your disposal.
A CMS is highly customisable: all platforms typically have hundreds, if not thousands, of templates.
Many CMS’s are also what we call ‘Open Source’, meaning if you have technical skill or hire someone who does, you can even create or modify your own templates!
Some of the best websites in the world are built on a CMS platform.
Building your own website is either extremely time consuming or tremendously expensive. You will need a full time IT expert to build the site and to constantly monitor the website for new updates and bugs.
Building your own website is typically not a great choice for small to medium businesses. You can save so much time & money going for a site like WordPress or Shopify!
You’ll Need Blazing Fast Website Speeds AT A Minimum
One of the most important things you can do for your website is to ensure it runs smoothly and quickly.
Fast website speeds will ensure your customer experience is top-notch. The last thing you want is to lose customers because your website takes longer than a few seconds to load.
Website speed can be determined by hosting, but it is primarily determined by the content on your site.
Having a large number of photos or a single large video can dramatically slow down your page loading speed.
So, ensure you only have the most relevant media displayed on your site.
Plus, the less pages you have the quicker your website will load, too.
Google’s search algorithm takes your loading speed into account, too. Google will show your website to significantly more people if it thinks they will have a better experience on your site.
If you do have slow speeds or a lot of imagery & videos, then you may want to consider upgrading your speeds. This usually comes with a price: hosting providers or CMS will charge you more fees to improve your speed.
Your Website Isn’t The Only Technical Thing You Should Understand
Accounting & bookkeeping is a little like the technical site of your business website. It might not be flashy, but doing it right is absolutely essential to a successful business.
At The A Firm, we provide premium quality financial services to Aussie business owners and help your business double your profits.
So give us a call today to book your complimentary meet and greet!