10 Things To Consider Before Starting Your Own Website.

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If you’re thinking of starting your own website but you’re unsure where to start then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place.

Whether you’re starting your own travel blog or you want to create a space that people come to read about current news and events, you need to be sure you’re thinking of absolutely everything to ensure it is a success. From setting an overall budget to hiring a designer, the more you’re thinking about in advance the better.

With that in mind, here are 10 things to consider before starting your own website:

What Is Your Overall Budget For The Project?

One of the first things you need to consider when it comes to setting up your own website is your overall budget for the project, as this will ensure you’re not spending more than you can afford.

Although it will take much longer, the best thing to do is think about each individual aspect of the project, writing down the maximum amount you’d be willing to pay. From there, you will be able to determine an overall budget for the project.

This means thinking about website design, development, web copy and any images you may need to create. For a guide to creating a budget for a project, you can visit this site here.

What Pages Are Absolutely Essential?

Although you may want to create a fully-functioning website, it’s much more important to think about your priorities first. Putting a website together can be incredibly difficult and if you’re taking on too much work, chances are you’re never going to get it finished or you’re not going to be able to put your all into ensuring it’s both high-quality and easy-to-use. 

In order to decide what pages are essential, you need to put together a sitemap that details all of the pages you would like to create. From there you will be able to make a note of which pages are essential and which ones can be added at an extra date, as once your website is up and running you will find you’re adding new pages regularly. 

Do You Need Someone To Design Your Branding And Web Elements?

Another important thing to consider when it comes to building your own website is whether or not you’re going to need someone to design all of your branding and web elements. Although you may already have branding in place, you need to ensure your website is reflective of this. If you don’t have branding, you may want to invest in a designer who can design everything for you.

When it comes to branding, you’re going to need the following assets: 

  • A colour scheme and font guidelines
  • A logo (in colour and black and white)
  • Social media graphics
  • Letterheads and email signatures
  • Compliment slips
  • Website elements (headers, banners etc)

For a full guide to what you need when branding your business, you can visit this site here.

Do You Need Someone To Design Your Website?

As well as hiring a graphic designer, you may also want to hire someone to develop your website. Although there are platforms that allow you to design your own website, investing in a web developer is one of the best ways to ensure you don’t run into any issues.

They will be able to put together a plan that details each stage of the development, giving you the opportunity to interject if you need to. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to contact them if you’re having issues once the website has been launched. They will be able to troubleshoot your problems, helping you avoid any additional costs.

When looking for the right web development company, you need to ensure you’re thinking about budget, timeframe, and communication. Building a website is incredibly difficult and if you don’t have a good relationship with your developer, chances are it’s going to be much harder than it needs to be.

How Will You Make Money From It?

Another important thing to consider when it comes to building your own website is how you’re going to make money from it. Although you may not want to make money right away, having a goal for monetising your website is a great way to ensure you’re prepared for when it does happen.

From selling products and services online to making use of affiliate links and push notifications, the more prepared you are the better. If you’re looking for more information when it comes to using push notifications to monetise your site, you can visit this site here.

How Will You Drive Traffic To Your Site?

Once you know what you’re going to be using your website for, you need to start thinking about how you’re going to be driving traffic to your site. Whether you have a social media strategy in mind or you’re going to invest in pay per click advertising, drawing traffic to your site is vital to your success.

Who Will Write The Copy For You?

A huge component of having a website is the copy you’re going to use. For those that don’t know, copy refers to all of the text on the pages of your site. From headers and captions to blog posts and product descriptions, chances are you’re going to have a lot to write before you can launch your site. Although you can write all of your copy yourself, it’s much more beneficial to hire a copywriter.

Are You Going To Be Publishing Regular Blog Posts?

On the subject of copy, you also need to think about whether or not you’re going to be publishing regular blog posts. From how-to guides to personal stories from your customers, having regular content will not only help with SEO but it will help with your social media audiences too. Again, this may be something you want to hire a writer for.

Will You Manage Your Website In House?

Another important thing to consider is whether or not you’re going to be managing your website in house. Although you may have a team of people within your business, you need to be sure they’re going to be able to manage the back-end of a website. Whilst it may sound simple, this can actually be incredibly complicated.

Do You Need A Contact Form?

Finally, you need to think about whether or not you need to include a contact form on your site. Whilst this will depend entirely on the type of website you own, contact forms can be a great way to manage any requests and enquires you may have.

With drop-down menus that allow visitors to your site to select which department they want to speak to, you can be sure enquiries are going to the right people straight away.

Are you thinking of starting your own website? What do you need to consider to ensure you’re making money from it? Did we miss anything? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

About the author

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Like Minds is a global thought leadership platform delivering world class events on business development, knowledge and insight aimed at entrepreneurs and business leaders to engage, stimulate and empower them to become global businesses of the future. We also offer a bespoke service for corporate clients and training programmes under the Like Minds U brand. For more information please email bespoke@wearelikeminds.com