Having a good and professional website is essential for any business or individual looking to establish a strong online presence. A website is more than just a digital storefront, it is a powerful tool that can help you connect with potential customers, showcase your products or services, and build credibility and trust with your target audience.
In this guide, we’ve made an effort to gather enough information so you can understand what it takes to own a website so you catch up quickly in a digitally-competitive world.
This is going to be a full marathon and you need to brace yourself. You can get a cup of coffee so you can sip as you scroll down. Let’s get started 🙂
Why do you need a good and professional website?
There is a ton of reasons why you need to own a good and professional website either for yourself or for your business. Let’s break down a couple of them below;
First Impressions Matter
Your website is often the first interaction potential customers will have with your business. As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” A well-designed website can help you make a positive impression and stand out from the competition. Stanford University conducted a study and found out that 75% of users judge a website’s credibility based on its design. Users really like a good-looking website and this gives them a certain picture of how serious you’re.
Increased Visibility
Having a website makes it easier for people to find you online. When you optimize your website for search engines like Google, you can improve your visibility and attract more traffic to your site. This can translate into more leads, sales, and revenue for your business.
Establishes Credibility
A professional website can help establish your credibility and build trust with your target audience. It helps you to position yourself as an authority in your industry by showcasing your products or services, sharing customer testimonials, and providing helpful information.,
24/7 Accessibility
Unlike a brick-and-mortar store, a website is accessible 24/7, which means potential customers can learn about your business and make purchases at any time, from anywhere in the world. This can help you reach a wider audience and grow your business.
Cost-Effective Marketing
A website can be a cost-effective marketing tool. You can use it to create valuable content, optimize for search engines, and use social media to promote your business. This way, you will be capable of attracting more visitors and generating leads without breaking the bank.
Designing and Developing a Website
Website designing and development are two critical processes involved in building a website. Both processes are equally important and play a significant role in creating a successful and professional website.
To break it down for you, website designing is the process of creating the look and feel of a website. In other words, designing a website involves creating the overall layout and visual appearance of a website.
It includes choosing a color scheme, selecting fonts, and deciding on the placement of various elements on the website. A well-designed website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and user-friendly. It should also be responsive, meaning it can adjust its layout and design to fit any device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Website development, on the other hand, involves writing the code and building the functionality of the website. This includes creating interactive features such as forms, animations, and databases. Web developers use programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP to build websites.
Important Considerations when Designing and Developing a Website
Here are the key considerations when designing and developing your website:
- Design for your audience
When designing and developing a website, it is important to consider the target audience and the purpose of the website. For example, if the website is for a business, the design and development should be focused on providing information about the company and its products or services. The website should be designed to attract potential customers and make it easy for them to find what they are looking for.
- Accessibility should be a priority
Accessibility involves user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), which are two important factors to consider when designing and developing a website. The user experience (UX) refers to the overall experience a user has while interacting with your website. On the other hand, User interface (UI ) focuses on the visual design and layout of the website.
The general rule is, your website should be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This means that the website should be designed to be easily navigable with a keyboard and that the text should be easily readable for people with visual impairments.
- Mobile responsiveness
In today’s mobile-first world, it is essential to ensure that your website is mobile-responsive. This means that your website should be designed to look and function well on a range of devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets. A mobile-responsive website can improve user experience, increase your reach, and help your website rank better in search engines.
How much does it cost to Design and develop a Website?
To quickly remind you, designing a website shouldn’t be confused with developing a website although the two go hand in hand. Now, you’re likely to either hire an independent web designer or get a full-stack web developer with general knowledge in designing and developing websites
Website designing and development vary based on the nature and size of your website. In this guide, we will put it into three categories:
- Basic website designing and Development.
Basic website design doesn’t involve much design work, creativity, and visual layouts. The designer will give you a basic layout and not a sophisticated, top-notch design. In most cases, anybody with basic knowledge of computers can come up with a basic website without the need for professional designers.
In the same way, developing a basic website doesn’t require sophisticated effort. But the problem here is that basic websites are not suitable for business-grade needs, and they can’t work for you if you’re looking for a more suitable solution.
How much does it cost to own a basic website?
The cost of designing a basic website will depend on whether you need it to be crafted from scratch, or you just want to use existing website builder tools like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, and many more.
Here is a table showing the average pricing for building a basic website with some of the top website builder tools:
| Website Builder | Starting Price | Free Plan | E-commerce Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | $14/month | Yes | Yes |
| Squarespace | $12/month | No | Yes |
| Shopify | $29/month | No | Yes |
| Weebly | $6/month | Yes | Yes |
| WordPress | Free | Yes | Yes (with WooCommerce) |
| Jimdo | $9/month | Yes | Yes |
| Webflow | $12/month | Yes | Yes |
In our opinion, you don’t necessarily need to hire top-notch developers to make a simple and basic website. You can just consider the option of going with the available website builder tools while making use of the available templates, and getting your site up and running in a few hours if not a few days. It’s really that simple 🙂
Who needs a basic website?
Basic websites are good for:
- Personal websites: Websites about personal Biography, or personal blogging
- Design and try purposes: If you’re just testing out things especially if you want to get into website designing and development. A basic website can be your playground to learn skills.
- Family website: If you want to share stories about your family with everyone else, then you don’t necessarily need a sophisticated website.
Moderate website designing & Development
Moderate designs and development offer a starting solution for small business owners and small organizations that need relatively good websites to cater to their needs.
Most players own moderate websites as they offer moderate visual layouts, designs, and functionality. And the pricing for owning a modestly-designed website will depend if you need it to be built from scratch through coding, or built using existing website builder tools.
How much does it cost to own a moderate website?
If you needed to hire a professional web developer to make you a moderate website, it will depend on the exact part of the world you come from. But on average, A simple website for small businesses will cost between $100 and $5000.
Who needs a moderate website?
You may need a moderately-designed website if:
- You want to enter into professional blogging with a vision to grow your audience
- Run a small online retail shop with limited traffic.
- You have a small business that sells services and you would want your target audience to know more about these services you offer.’
- If your traffic needs are not generally beyond 100,000 monthly visitors
Custom-built Professional Websites
These are professional websites designed with sophistication and better functionality in mind. Custom websites are designed and built by real experts who understand every technical aspect of professional web designing and development.
Custom-built websites are designed to offer professional top-notch layouts, sophisticated features, and functionalities that you will hardly find in other website categories we’ve talked about.
How much does it cost to own a custom-built website?
A sophisticated custom-built website with lots of features can cost between $10,000 to $5,000,000 or even more. This website involves a team of professional web designers and web developers. And everything has to be designed perfectly to offer the exact value a client would expect.
Who needs a custom-built website?
Custom-built websites are designed for the following needs;
- If you want to offer a specific product that requires sophisticated functionalities.
- If you want to run a large streaming site like Netflix so customers can pay and watch movies
- If you want to run a massive e-commerce store like Amazon.com, expecting millions of users per day
- If you’re anticipating daily traffic of not less than 200,000 site visitors per day.
Registering a Domain Name
A domain name is like the street address of your website on the internet. It’s what people type in their web browsers to access your website. Just like how you would give someone your home address to find your house, you give someone your domain name to find your website. It’s a unique identifier that helps people find and remember your website. For example, if you have a business called “ABC Company,” your domain name could be abccompany.com.
Without a domain name, your website would simply be a series of numbers known as IP addresses, that would be difficult for people to remember or type in correctly. A domain name is an essential part of establishing a web presence, and it’s something that any business or individual with a website needs to have.
How do you own a Domain Name?
Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to get started owning a domain name these days. Here are steps to get you through this process:
- Choosing the Domain Registrar
The first step is to choose a domain registrar, which is a company that manages the registration of domain names.
A good domain registrar should offer flexible domain pricing plans for the initial purchase and recurring plans.
So, what does even this mean?
It’s important to note that buying a domain is not a one-time cost, but rather a recurring expense that you will need to pay every year as long as you want to keep the domain.
When you first purchase a domain, you will typically see two pricing plans: the initial domain purchase price and the renewal price. The initial domain purchase price is the amount you pay to register the domain for the first time, and it usually includes the first year of registration. This cost can vary depending on the domain registrar you choose, the popularity of the domain name you want, and whether the domain is a standard or premium one.
On the other hand, the renewal plan is the amount you will need to pay each year to keep your domain. Renewal prices are either lower than the initial purchase price or higher lower, but this can vary from one domain registrar to another. In general, it’s a good idea to shop around and compare prices from different registrars to find the best deal.
Here is a table showing the initial purchase and renewal pricing plans offered by some of the world’s popular domain registrars:
| Domain Registrar | Initial Purchase Price | Renewal Price |
|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy | $12.17 – $17.99 | $17.99 – $34.99 |
| Namecheap | $8.88 – $38.88 | $8.88 – $38.88 |
| Bluehost | $11.99 – $18.99 | $15.99 – $18.99 |
| HostGator | $12.95 – $15.95 | $17.99 – $17.99 |
| DreamHost | $7.99 – $399.00 | $15.95 – $399.00 |
| Network Solutions | $7.99 – $34.99 | $34.99 – $37.99 |
| 1&1 IONOS | $1.00 – $14.00 | $15.00 – $20.00 |
It’s also important to keep in mind that if you don’t renew your domain name on time, you risk losing it altogether. Some registrars offer automatic renewal services to help you avoid this, while others require you to manually renew your domain each year.
- Choose a good domain name with a better extension
Once you’ve chosen a registrar, you can search for available domain names using their search tool. It’s important to choose a domain name that is easy to remember, relevant to your business or brand, and not too long. You may also want to consider the extension of your domain name, such as .com, .org, or .net, depending on the purpose of your website.
It’s also a good idea to check for any trademark or copyright issues related to your chosen domain name.
Once you’ve found an available domain name that fits your needs, you can purchase it and start building your website. With a little bit of research and consideration, you can find the perfect domain name for your website and get started on building your online presence.
Here’s a table showing some of the most common domain extensions and their typical use-case scenarios:
| Domain Extension | Suitable Use Case Scenarios |
|---|---|
| .com | Commercial websites |
| .org | Non-profit organizations |
| .net | Internet service providers |
| .edu | Educational institutions |
| .gov | Government agencies |
| .mil | Military organizations |
| .biz | Business websites |
| .info | Informational websites |
| .io | Tech startups and web applications |
| .co | Company or corporation websites |
| .me | Personal websites and blogs |
| .tv | Television and media websites |
| .travel | Travel and tourism websites |
Hosting your Website
Web hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible on the Internet. In simpler terms, web hosting is like renting a virtual space on a computer server, located somewhere in the big data center where you can store your website’s files and make them available to visitors around the world.
For those who are new to web hosting, choosing the right provider can seem daunting. There are several factors to consider:
- Cost: Price is often the first factor people consider when selecting a web hosting provider. However, it’s important to look beyond the initial cost and consider the long-term costs, such as renewal fees, add-on services, and upgrade options. Many hosting providers have a tendency of charging customers hidden fees or they can just trick you into paying for unnecessary add-ons you practically don’t need. If this happens, you need to contact them seeking clarification on why they’re doing it to avoid exorbitant expenses.
- Reliability: Your web hosting provider should offer a reliable hosting service with minimal downtime. By definition, website downtime refers to a period when a website is not accessible to users. It can occur for various reasons, but one of them could be poor hosting services. If you purchase unreliable hosting, your website could face frequent downtime issues for hours and even days. During this time, users cannot access the website or its content, which can be frustrating, especially if they need to access it urgently. Website downtime can also badly affect your SEO rankings, so it’s something you have to avoid by all means.
- Security: Security is critical when it comes to web hosting. You’ll want to make sure your web hosting provider offers measures such as SSL encryption, firewalls, and regular backups to protect your website from cyber threats. In most cases, a web hosting provider that offers free SSL certificates on your website should be a good choice for you. Having SSL configured on your website is a more like prerequisite if you don’t want it to be flagged by browsers like platforms like Google Chrome.
- Sufficient hosting resources: You need to go with a hosting provider that will give you enough resources your website needs to run smoothly. Resources in this context mean RAM, CPU power, storage, and bandwidth. These resources are so crucial in the world of web hosting. You will need to avoid hosting providers who unnecessarily meter or throttle your website bandwidth, and data transfer and also provides limited storage.
- Customer support: It’s essential to have access to reliable customer support when you need it. Make sure your web hosting provider offers 24/7 customer support and also has various ways to reach them, such as phone, email, or live chat. Whenever your website runs into a problem, you will need quick support to help you resolve especially if it’s about hosting.
- Scalability: As your website grows, you’ll need to be able to scale up your web hosting plan. Look for a provider that offers flexible upgrade options to meet your growing needs in the future.
- User-friendly interface: A user-friendly interface makes it easier to manage your website and hosting account. Look for a provider that offers a simple, intuitive control panel.
Different types of Website hosting
There are primarily two popular types of web hosting you need to understand if you plan to own a website, and let’s see them below;
- Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where multiple websites are hosted on the same server. When you sign up for shared hosting, your website shares server resources with other websites hosted on the same server. This means that the server’s CPU, memory, disk space, and bandwidth are divided among all the websites on the server.
One of the main advantages of shared hosting is that it’s typically the most affordable option for hosting a “basic website”. Since multiple websites are sharing the same server, the cost of running the server is spread out among all the websites, making it a cost-effective option for small businesses, individuals, and organizations on a tight budget.
Shared hosting is also easy to set up and manage especially for beginners in this area. Most web hosting providers offer user-friendly control panels that allow you to easily manage your website, email accounts, and other hosting settings without needing to have technical skills or knowledge.
On the other hand, one of the downsides to shared hosting is that because your website shares server resources with other websites, its performance can be affected if other websites on the server are using too many resources. For example, if another website on the server experiences a sudden surge in traffic, it can cause your website to slow down or even crash.
Shared hosting is capable of handling up to 50,000 site visitors per month. But still, this will depend on the number of factors in play. Some web hosting providers offer enterprise-grade shared hosting plans with moderate resources to enable you to serve a relatively big number of monthly visitors on your site.
Here is the table showing the average shared hosting plans for popular web hosting providers;
| Web Hosting Provider | Monthly Price (Starting at) | Yearly Price (Starting at) |
|---|---|---|
| Bluehost | $2.95 | $35.40 |
| DreamHost | $2.59 | $31.08 |
| HostGator | $2.75 | $33.00 |
| InMotion Hosting | $2.49 | $29.88 |
| SiteGround | $6.99 | $83.88 |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99 | $35.88 |
- VPS hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a type of website hosting that offers more resources, flexibility, and control compared to shared hosting. In simple terms, VPS hosting is like renting a private apartment in a building, where you have your own space, but you share the building’s resources with other tenants. In this case, the building represents the physical server, and each tenant represents a website.
VPS hosting uses virtualization technology to partition a physical server into multiple virtual servers. Each virtual server has its own dedicated resources, such as CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth, and runs its own operating system and software. This means that you have full control over your virtual server, can install custom software, configure settings, and have more security compared to shared hosting.
VPS hosting is suitable for websites that have outgrown shared hosting and require more resources and flexibility to handle high traffic, complex applications, and custom configurations. As a rough estimate, if your website receives around 100,000 visitors per month or requires more than 2GB of RAM, you will need to consider upgrading to VPS hosting.
VPS hosting plans vary in price, depending on the provider, configuration, and features. Generally, VPS hosting can cost anywhere from $8 to $100 or more per month, depending on the resources and support you need.
It is also important to note that VPS hosting requires more technical knowledge and maintenance to set it up compared to shared hosting.
Optimizing your Website to rank in Search Engines
You need to ensure that your website is visible to potential customers who are searching for products or services that you offer. One way to achieve this is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO refers to the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for keywords related to your business. In simpler terms, it means improving the visibility and accessibility of your website to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
SEO is not just about optimizing your website for search engines; it’s also about providing a better user experience to your visitors. By improving your website’s structure, content, and design, you can create a website that not only ranks well in search engines but also engages and converts your visitors into customers.
Carryout Keyword Research
To start optimizing your website for search engines, you need to first identify the keywords that people use to search for your business. Keyword research involves using tools like Google Keyword Planner to find out which keywords are relevant to your business and how often they are searched for.
Once you have identified your target keywords, you need to optimize your website’s content around those keywords. This includes incorporating the keywords in your website’s meta tags, headlines, subheadings, and content. However, it’s important to remember that you should not overuse keywords, as this can lead to your website being penalized by search engines.
Optimize website URL structure
You will also need to ensure that your website’s structure is search-engine friendly. This involves optimizing your website’s URL structure, internal linking, and site navigation, making it easy for search engine bots to crawl and index your website.
Invest and build backlinks
Another important factor in SEO is building high-quality backlinks to your website. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. Search engines view backlinks as a vote of confidence in your website’s content and authority. Therefore, the more high-quality backlinks you have, the more likely your website will rank higher in search results.
Prioritize mobile-responsiveness
You need to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, as mobile searches account for a significant portion of all online searches. A mobile-friendly website is one that is optimized for smaller screens, loads quickly, and provides a good user experience to mobile visitors.
Blogging and Social-media should be part of your life
Search Engine platforms like Google really favor websites that have high-quality blog content. When your site is integrated with the blogging functionality, you need to use it efficiently as it will reward you greatly when it comes to search engine rankings. On the other hand, you must have active social media platforms so you can build an engaging audience. This way, you will be able to sell your brand by reaching a bigger market.
Securing your Website from threats
Website security refers to the measures taken to protect a website from unauthorized access, theft, and damage to the website and its data. In other words, it’s the process of safeguarding a website from hackers, malware, and other online threats.
Why is website security important?
A website can be compromised in many ways, from the theft of personal information to the installation of malicious software. If a website is not secure, it can result in:
- Data breaches: Hackers can access sensitive information, such as passwords and financial information, of both the website owner and its visitors.
- Malware attacks: Malicious software can be installed on the website, which can damage the website and infect the devices of its visitors.
- Loss of reputation: A website that has been hacked or compromised can result in a loss of trust from visitors, which can damage the website’s reputation and brand image.
- Legal liabilities: Website owners can be held legally responsible for any damages or losses incurred due to a website security breach.
How to secure your website?
- Using HTTPS: This encrypts the data transmitted between the website and its visitors, making it harder for hackers to intercept and steal sensitive information.
- Keep software up-to-date: Regularly updating the software and plugins used on your website can help fix any security vulnerabilities and ensure that your website is running on the latest and most secure version.
- Use strong passwords: Using strong passwords and changing them regularly can prevent unauthorized access to your website.
- Install security plugins: Installing security plugins such as firewalls and antivirus software can add an extra layer of protection to your website.
- Backup your data: Regularly backing up your website’s data can help you restore your website in case of a security breach or data loss.
- Hire experts to do the job for you: Since website security can be critical, it’s an area you have to be willing to invest in resources. One of the best ways is to hire experts so they can be in charge of full-time security management.
Implementing a maintenance plan for your website
Website maintenance refers to the ongoing process of updating and managing the various aspects of a website, such as content, security, design, and functionality.
Your website will need to be regularly maintained and updated to ensure that it runs smoothly and stays up-to-date with the latest technologies and security standards.
You will either rely on an in-house team to be in charge of your website maintenance or hire external players like us to manage everything for you on a contract-based arrangement. See our list of clients we’ve worked with.
Conclusion
Designing and developing a website can be a daunting task, but with some basic considerations in mind, you can create a website that meets your specific needs and effectively communicates your message to your audience. By considering the purpose and goals of your website, focusing on UX and UI, ensuring mobile responsiveness, optimizing for SEO, and prioritizing website security, you can create a website that looks great, performs well, and drives results.
