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Tools for building a website
Learn about popular tools and services that can help you build a design, choose a host, register your domain, and publish your website.
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Estimated time: 6m
People search Google for websites about 5.6 billion times per day.1 If you need to find a business, Google is the place to look. In fact, if a business doesn’t have a professionally designed, up-to-date website, searchers might think the business isn’t reputable and click away.
Think of your website as the online hub of your business. Anything about your business that might be useful to your customers should probably be on your website. Social media posts, emails, videos and more can then point people to this core content where you can “convert” their interest into action — a sale, a consultation or other goals.
What does a professionally designed website look like? Each business will approach its website differently. For example, an accounting website might have a tax calculator on its homepage, or a paint store might feature a color-comparison tool. Here are a few basic elements every website needs:
- 1 Streamlined navigation: Think about what your customers want most, and make sure it's easy to find on your website. A streamlined navigation bar with a handful of important categories can help customers focus on what to do next. Many websites include subcategories that appear when a user hovers over the text.
- 2 Value proposition: The first thing a visitor should see is a brief statement on the value your business delivers to customers. Some businesses can say it all in a catchy slogan, while others need a little more space. Make sure your value proposition is short, clear and bold.
- 3 Images of people: The human brain processes images faster than text, and we're especially drawn to images of people. Your website should include many prominent images of people, and your homepage should feature at least one person from your target audiences.
- 4 More information about you: Your website is a great place to tell your story. Customers want to know who they're doing business with, and we all like a success story. But don't go overboard. The primary focus should be on what your customer wants or needs.
- 5 Up-to-date information: If your website includes old hours, products you no longer carry or other outdated information, customers will be frustrated. They might even think you've gone out of business.
- 6 Mobile friendliness: Mobile searches consistently make up more than half of all web searches.2 If people have to shrink or enlarge your page to read the text or scroll left and right to see your content on their devices, they're likely to feel that clicking on your website was a mistake. Most website templates now offer responsive design that reformats your website based on the screen size so that your website always looks good on a laptop, tablet or phone.
- 7 Shoppable experience: How easy is it for customers to buy what they want? The less they have to scroll and click, the more focused they'll be on completing the purchase.
- 8 Testimonials: Many people will learn about your business for the first time via your website. Customer testimonials can do a lot to build trust.
- 9 Address, contact information and hours: Many businesses include this information at the bottom of every webpage so that it's easy to find.
- 10 Accessibility compliance: The internet is a basic necessity for nearly everyone. That's why it's important to design your website with all ability levels in mind. In fact, businesses can be sued if their website is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has developed international accessibility standards for the web to help you stay compliant.
Tip: If you have time, write regular blog posts that are interesting or useful to your customers. Along with providing valuable content for your audience, blog posts also can boost search traffic to your website, position you as a thoughtful leader and build a community around your brand.
Footnote link section
1. Meg Prater, “25 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark ASAP,” HubSpot, June 9, 2021.
2. Joseph Johnson, “Statistics and Facts about Mobile Search,” Statista, April 29, 2021.