If you’re starting a new business, it’s important to have a website to represent your company online. But creating a website can be daunting – there are so many things to think about!
That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive checklist of everything you need to do before launching your business website. Whether you’re building it yourself or hiring a professional, make sure you check off every item on this list!
Table of Contents
1. Choose your domain name carefully
Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet. It’s how customers will find you online, so it’s important to choose a good one! We recommend avoiding numbers (unless your business name has a number in it) or dashes. If you are locally based, try and include your local TLD – for example, .com.au or .co.uk.
2. Find the right hosting provider
There are lots of different web hosting providers out there, so do some research to find the one that best suits your needs. If you are a locally based company (as opposed to worldwide), then you should pick a hosting server that is near you. If you are Australian but choose US hosting, your website will load slower for your Australian customers.
3. Decide on your website’s purpose
Before you start building your website, you need to decide what its purpose is. Are you selling products or services? Providing information? Showcasing your portfolio? Once you know its purpose, you can start planning its structure and content.
4. Choose a platform or CMS
There are many different ways to build a website, so you’ll need to choose the platform or Content Management System (CMS) that’s right for you. Top rated Australian ecommerce SEO agency SEO Advantage says; “If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend WordPress as it’s relatively easy to use and has a huge range of plugins and themes available. If you are building a store, we recommend Shopify.”
5. Find the perfect theme
If you’re using WordPress (or another CMS that uses themes), spend some time browsing through the available themes to find one that suits your needs. It should be aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and easy to use. If you have experience, you could try building a custom website from scratch – you can use some of StudioMoso’s web design portfolio for inspiration on what is possible.
6. Install essential plugins
Once you’ve chosen your theme, it’s time to install some plugins. These will add extra features and functionality to your websites, such as contact forms, social media integration, and security. Some WordPress plugins we recommend for beginners include Ninja Forms, Yoast SEO and Sucuri.
7. Create your pages
Now it’s time to start adding content to your website! Begin by creating the essential pages that every website needs, such as an About page, Contact page, and Privacy Policy. If you are a store, make sure you have a refund policy and shipping policy page. If you are a service, you should create a services page that outlines everything you offer in detail.
8. Populate your pages with content
Once you’ve created your pages, it’s time to add content. This can be text, images, videos, or anything else you want to include. Make sure to proofread everything carefully before publishing!
9. Set up email forwarding
If you want to use your own domain name for email addresses (e.g. info@example.com), you’ll need to set up email forwarding with your hosting provider. This will forward any emails sent to your chosen address to your personal email account.
10. Bug testing
Before you launch your website to the world, it’s important to do some final testing to make sure everything is working as it should. Test all your links, forms, and other functionality to make sure there are no issues. Once you’re happy with everything, go ahead and launch your site!
11. Launch your website!
After all that hard work, it’s finally time to launch your website and share it with the world! We recommend doing a bit of promotion to get people to visit, such as sharing it on social media or emailing your list. You could also consider running a paid advertising campaign.
And that’s it! If you’ve followed all of these steps, you should now have a fully functioning website. We wish you the best of luck with your new business!