Tag Archive for: before launching a website

4 Things You Should Invest In When Making a Website

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Low Angle View of Laptop KeyboardIf you finally decide to turn your humble business into an online business, there are certain things you need to consider. Businesses gradually abandon brick and mortar stores to accommodate international orders through an accessible website. What are the things you need to create a functional website? This list includes: a website design, domain name, good host, and creative photos.

Let us begin with the design.

  • Your website’s design should be simple yet professional looking. Like a house, you need to choose the color palette that suits your personality. A colorful design might not be necessary; better get the light and fast design instead. Whether the website will be browsed on a desktop computer or a mobile phone, it has to be responsive in all platforms and devices. People are always moving and traveling so it is imperative to consider your mobile viewers. Here at Scottsdale Website Design, we cater to all types of businesses. If you are working on a budget, we have numerous design packages that will be ideal for you.

You have to invest on a domain name.

  • Your domain name should be relevant to the content of your website, and the same time, it also has to be unique. Add your own flavor so your website will stand out from similar online stores. People might not find your website so keep the name simple and short as possible. Remember that your domain name is going to be your identity so you have to be certain that people can easily recall it. No one likes a very long and complicated website address.

A great host is tantamount to a reliable host.

  • If the domain name is your address, the host is your house. If your house constantly has numerous interruptions, a glowing address is worthless. Ask yourself these serious questions: will the website be assured to be running 24/7? If your web host cannot provide you excellent uptime scores, consider other options. Cheap rates are does not mean good hosting. Your business is online now so it is important to be always open for business to cater to customers from different parts of the world.  Will my website handle huge bulk of orders simultaneously? Make sure your website never goes down despite heavy traffic. For now, it’s fine since you are still starting. But always check if the hosting is flexible for future plans of expansion. Will my website load quickly? The customers’ time is limited so the website’s speed is ultimately relevant. Go for a host that loads content fast wherever the customer might be.

Lastly, get creative!

  • An expensive editing software and a DSLR camera are not necessary. There’s no price for creativity so go get your point-and-shoot camera and experiment. Include images when you are posting on your website or social media accounts. There are a lot of free photo editing softwares online so take time to learn using them. A basic photo editor that allows you to add text, resize, and trim your photos is enough. (Read more on the importance of compressing images here.) Don’t have the photography skills, do not worry because you can always find stock photos online. If all else fails, you can always buy artistic images.

Things To Do Before You Launch Your Website

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multiple computers

Checking a website in multiple computers.

A website looks so easy to make.

Behind the professional and stylish look of a website, there are many things to deal with. One little mistake can cause colossal consequences and things get blown out of proportion. It can truly be very stressful at times. Websites may differ in design and purpose, but usually, there are things you must check before launching your very own website.

  • Read every content. It is important to proofread every posted content. Check the grammar, the spelling, the alignment, the details given. Take your time in reading everything you see. Look closely at the company details: email, business address, social media accounts, every contact detail. Once you are done, read it again. Ask other people to read it because they might see errors you missed.
  • Check all the links posted. Verify all the links if they redirect to the correct product or page. Make sure all the links are distinct and site visitors can recognize them as links. Link descriptions should also coincide with the content. For example, the About Us page should look like …/about.php, and not have a link like …/xs1922.php. This link checker will help you to verify your website’s links.
  • Functionality Check.  It is extremely important to check the login form, registration form, comment section, payment details, and check out. The forms should work accordingly and the data submitted on the forms should be accurate and correct.
  • Cross-Browser Check. Your website should be functional in all browsers, and devices. Do not focus on desktop browsers because these days there are a lot of mobile users. Gradually, people are using their phones in shopping. Make sure that the texts are not too small for mobile users. Use this link to check how mobile friendly your site is.
  • Test the images and videos.  All the photos should be optimized, and have a relevant caption, alt text. Ensure that the file sizes are not too large. More huge images would mean longer loading time.
  • Website back up. It is important to back up your website in case of a cyber attack. You should have a copy of all the data.

More things to check…

There should be designated page that will help your website visitors in case an error occurs. If not, they will say that your website is unreliable.  Multiple 404 errors (page not found) will absolutely discourage website visitors. Inspect your third-party and e-commerce functionality are working properly especially if you are selling items.