How do you create your own website?
Having a professional website has become a must these days. User-friendly online tools have appeared on the market in recent years. Anyone can now create a website without any advanced computer skills. Read all our advice on using CMS.
Turnkey website tools
Easy-to-use tools have been developed to make life easier for you as an entrepreneur. You no longer need a hammer and chisel to carve your new website in stone - although some of you might think that would be easier! Website creation applications, also known as CMS - Content Management Systems - will give you the freedom to make your own choices.
We're all agreed that it's not a question of creating a gas factory, just a showcase site to demonstrate your activity as a craftsman, shopkeeper, manager or self-employed entrepreneur. Ideally, you should be able to do it yourself, using a simple online solution so that you don't have to call in a webmaster every time you make a new change.
Nowadays, if you use your favourite search engine, you'll see that there's no shortage of them, so how do you choose? Look at the features that interest you according to your needs:
- some online solutions offer a turnkey website, and all you have to do is insert your content
- others provide a platform with all the functions you need to create your own site.
If you want a toolbox full of features, the Wix CMS is just what you need! It guarantees independence in the creation of your site, with tools just like the pros: design template according to your sector of activity, analysis of visitors to your site (Google Analytics)... You can do it all.
A beautiful website for your customers
Once you've chosen the tool you want thanks to the online software comparison tool, it's time to set things up and see who your website is aimed at. You're going to have to personalise it to match your customers' expectations as closely as possible. It would be a good idea not to use a black background and yellow writing for a wedding website!
You need to get to the heart of the matter straight away. Internet users are anything but patient: 3.5 seconds is the maximum waiting time for half of them. Your site needs to be clear and well structured so that the customer or prospect can find their way around just as they would in your shop. There's no point in creating a site with animated gifs or photos that are too heavy: spoil everything to speed up page loading times. Fortunately, many CMS do this for you.
Designing a site is all very well, but it has to be tailored to your target audience! Before you create your website, you have a good idea of who your customers are. Thanks to the website and its analytics, i.e. all the data linked to your site, you'll know your web target inside out! Habits, needs, age range, geographical and professional location or even interests will no longer hold any secrets for you.
Online CMS can also be adapted to your target audience, such as MemboGo. This application is dedicated to managing associations. It has powerful tools for creating their website, with management of members, memberships, events and elections.
A website to be seen
Your website created with a CMS has a different kind of visibility to the one you might be used to. Your shop will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Whether you're a craftsman, shopkeeper or manager, you'll be able to attract visitors at any time of the day or night.
This visibility means that you'll need to take a number of steps to win the loyalty of this 2.0 clientele:
- regular updating of the site. To continue to attract visitors to your site, it needs to be updated in line with your business. For example, if you have a clothing shop, you can update your online catalogue before the sales. This will be very easy with the right CMS for your needs.
- natural referencing. Building your own website also means optimising it for search engines. A well-referenced website comes up first when someone types in your company's name. There are a number of site design techniques that can help your pages to be more effectively referenced: original, attractive content, a well-chosen title, a suitable URL, a body of text that is readable by search engines, and so on.
- use of social networks. Any means of free communication with your customers is a good one. Social networking is one of them, but beware: it's a very time-consuming activity!
- Create a blog. The content will boost your website's ranking and give you free rein to offer advice and expertise. CMS generally develop specialised 'templates' - i.e. page layouts - for blogs. All you have to do is put pen to paper!
All these steps to boost your visibility are free advertising and great marketing and communication campaigns.
A website for a better relationship
Creating your own website means managing its content. As we said earlier, this applies equally to the pages, the blog and the social networks. You'll be able to stick as closely as possible to your customers' needs and your company's values. In the example of the wedding website, it's not relevant to write an article about the latest political events. Brides-to-be will be more interested in reading about the choice of colour for doilies...
Interaction with your customers will be easier. There is no longer the barrier of opening hours, and you yourself can manage comments on your site when you are available to do so. On the other hand, Internet users are not patient. Customers who wait in the shop are less likely to do so online. A request for a quote made on your site and not answered could just as easily be made on your competitor's site. Reactivity is key.
This gives you a considerable advantage if your competitor does not have a web presence. Even today, one in two very small businesses does not have a website. With easy-to-use online CMS, it would be a shame to miss out on this competitive advantage. What's more, with all that customer portfolio you'll be developing, all you'll have to do is set up a Customer Relationship Management software package!
Conclusion
As you can see, a professional website today is not just a playground for budding artists. It's a genuine marketing tool designed to generate sales and increase your earnings. You don't need to be an IT expert to find the right online solution for your business. Make a comparison on appvizer.co.uk without further ado!
Article translated from French