Well, you’ve decided that you want an enterprise website. What sorts of things should you consider before you go ahead?

Do I Have, or Can I Develop, the Chops to Do It Myself?

It will really depend on your dedication, in many cases. There are certainly a lot of manuals and online courses that will get you pointed in the right direction. But do keep in mind that there is liable to be a certain amount of trial and error, and that your decisions on how you set up your site will have ramifications for how you are able to expand and change it in the future. You will also have to keep abreast of site maintenance.

Many businesspeople would rather turn those matters over to experienced commercial web designers who can get things set up quickly and effectively, and who already understand how to optimize the design to make the user experience attractive for potential clients. In large companies with substantial web presence, it’s not unusual to have an in-house web design team, although even many of those large companies have found it advantageous to go contract with an outside web design firm. In many cases, business owners would rather focus their time, attention, and energies on the nuts and bolts of their operation, and leave the website hassles to the pros.

Give Your Domain Name Due Consideration

If your business is already widely known, it’s best to try to use it as your domain name. If your nickname is Red, and your tusk polishing business is known as Red’s Tusk Polishing, and that name is painted on the side of your service vans, then you could hardly do better than to see whether redstuskpolishing.com is available. If you use exotic characters, like tuskpolishing4U, you are making it more difficult for people to remember, and a bit more difficult to find in searches. Keep it simple.

Use a Premium Web Hosting Service

Sure, if you are testing the waters to see whether there’s a market for your CBD-infused s’mores, you might want to use a free hosting service, just to give it a shot. Same if you knit bespoke mittens. But if you’re an established business, or expect to be, it’s best to pay up front for a decent web hosting service. You’ll get more or less space and amenities, depending on the service and the package you choose, but generally you’ll get:

–A unique domain name reflecting your business;
–A business email account;
–Sufficient storage space;
–Database;
–Faster serve times (users’ pages load faster);
–Better customer service;
–And your pages won’t be defaced with free website ads and logos.

Have the Content Ready That You Want for Static Pages

Some pages are dynamic, changing frequently, and others are comparatively static. The static pages provide a generalized framework for your business, and as they don’t change much, they need particular attention up front. Among these are your landing or home page, which will provide the first impression most visitors have of your site. Without overwhelming your visitor, what is most important to have out front? What image do you want to project? How efficiently and compellingly does it send the messages you want out front? How does it show the visitor where to navigate on your site to find other information?

Another static page would be your About Us page. The Contact Page is also very important. How does a person get more information, if it’s not easily found on your site, or if their questions are a little off of the beaten path. Do you have an easy to use contact form? Are you using web chat in real time? How easy is it to find a general phone number, or one for sales, or service? Do you want to have a social media presence? If so, where does your visitor find you on Twitter or Facebook or elsewhere?

Sometimes, customers want help with the fundamental copy for static pages. It’s a different kind of writing than many of them are used to doing. If that sounds like you, the folks at SunAnt can help you there, too.

It helps to have compiled a list of email addresses from customers who might like to opt in to get updates from your site, with regard to new pricing, new goods and services, promotions, new locations, and new content.

Your Blog

How do you convey the news about your company to visitors, be they long-time customers or prospective ones? Not through relatively static pages. You give people new reasons to visit by periodically updating content. That may be new products and services, but it might also involve educating your visitors so that they understand what they want better, and what the range of options available to them is. You can explain why you are changing things that they have gotten used to, to improve goods and services. You can solicit feedback from your customers to improve your business and show them that you are listening. Fresh content also translates into better page rankings on search engines.

With WordPress, you can employ the Content Management System to construct your website and blog at the same time. Your company website and blog are seamlessly integrated.

Again, maybe creating new content seems daunting or boring, or might take time and resources better spent elsewhere. SunAnt can confer with you to provide fresh new content on a recurring basis, monthly or otherwise.

Multiple Languages and Responsive Design

If you do business across multiple languages, you may wish to provide the option of proceeding in, for example, English, French, and Spanish for North America. Likewise, it’s increasingly important to make sure that your website functions well across various browsers and on the smaller screens of portable devices, since those account for an ever-increasing portion of web traffic.

There’s a Lot To Sort Out

Give a call to the experienced crew at SunAnt for a free consultation. At a minimum, they will ask the kinds of questions and make the kinds of suggestions that will help you decide what’s best for your business.