How to Build a Basic Website

by Sean Snider

Building a website can sometimes feel daunting, but trust me it’s not hard at all. Nowadays building a website is really easy – even for those who aren't "Tech Savvy". And even if you don't plan to build the website yourself and hire it out this blog post will help.

DIY vs Hire-it-Out

First off, you need to have a heart-to-heart with yourself and decide if you are going to do this yourself or if this is something you are just going to hire out. I tell clients to consider three things to help make this decision.

• Do you have the Time?
• Do you have the Talent?
• Do you have the Treasure? ($$$)

If you have the desire to learn how to build a website and you have the time then you can certainly save some of your treasure to do this yourself versus hiring it out.

If you plan to hire it out – don’t fret. There are a lot of resources for you to help build a website inexpensively. Check out the e-lance resources below. "E-lance" is just an industry term short for an electronic freelance for work that can be done remotely. I've worked with clients who have used these types of services and they have had different experiences (both good and bad) so check them out and do some research to see if these could work for you. I should mention, Meetup.com isn't an e-lance website, but rather a place to find experts in a particular area like web development and a way to connect with these folks.

• www.Meetup.com 
• www.Guru.com 
• www.Upwork.com 
• www.99designs.com 
• www.Fiverr.com  

Set Your Goals

Now before you start building a website you need to think about one thing – The goal of your website. And no, the goal of the website shouldn't simply be to build a website. Rather, the goal of the website should be to have someone buy your product, sign-up for services, join your newsletter, etc.

You have to make your website work for you. So, when thinking of your website, think of the one or two things that you want people to do when they visit your website. The goals should be as the picture shows “SMART” and should, in my opinion, be reasonable, attainable and measured, but RAM goals don’t sound as cool…or does it?

Know Your Audience

In addition to knowing your goal, you need to know your audience. Not everyone is your targeted audience and you need to use keywords and messaging that speaks to them specifically.

Obviously, we will provide content and services to anyone, but there is a targeted prospect that we are aiming for with our marketing efforts. This needs to be reflected in your website imagery, text, and tone.

Understanding Website Jargon

Understanding what web developers are talking about is sometimes half the battle of building a website. In order to help understand what they mean, let's use a house as a simile. You can think of the address of the house as the "domain name" or "URL". This is what you give to your friends and family to let them know how to get to your house. A domain name (i.e. - www.yourcompany.com) will cost you about $20/year but it could vary depending on the name you want. The important thing here is to check to see if your name is available and you can use Google Domains to do that.

The land that your house sits on is like "Web Hosting", which is essentially the service that makes sure your website is protected and accessible at all times. This is similar to the way we pay property taxes to ensure our house is safe from fire and we have police protection in case there is some crazy guy on our lawn. Hosting fees can vary greatly in cost depending on the amount of visitor traffic you have, ranging from $300/year to $3,000/year - but for a typical website, it will cost about $300/year which is not bad.

Then, there is the house itself, this is your website. But before we can build a house we need a blueprint! The same holds true for building a website. This is called a sitemap in web developer terms. Just like a house, you wouldn't have a room in your house that didn't have a purpose and the same holds true for a website. You shouldn't have a page on your site that doesn't have a purpose.

Once you've decided on your purpose for each page you need to develop your "Content" and this is another term that threw me for a loop when I first started building websites. In essence, it means text, images, videos, etc. that you plan to put on each page of the website. Often, this is what takes the most amount of time to develop, but once you have an outline of what each page should convey then you are ready to start building the website.

Generally, website builders are about the same in price, but it is important to take them for a test drive to see which one you like best. The image above is of the most common website builders my clients use. They all have different templates and layouts and to get started with each all you need is an email address and you can create a free account. And just like a house, you can have a house built out of brick, stone, stucco, etc., the same holds true for a website.

Don't forget, if you need help starting or growing your business you can always sign up for free consulting at the University of La Verne Small Business Development Center program by visiting, www.lavernesbdc.org/newclient.

Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.