Struggling to get your website off the ground? Here are the all-important steps you need to follow in order to launch a great small business site that will set you up for the beginning of a great career.

1. Write engaging copy

Before you design your site, you should write down exactly what you want to say. Not only will this give you time to read (and reread) your copy with time for edits, it will help you refine your writing so it represents you brand’s tone of voice and effectively conveys your company mission.

If you don’t think writing is your forte, it’s simple enough to outsource this to a freelancer to ensure you receive quality writing that champions your business.

2. Design your site

The next step is to design the site. This will require the skills of a talented website designer – unless that’s the small business you’re setting up, in which case, feel free to do it yourself!

Before you go to a designer it’s worth having an idea on how you want your website to look. You can get ideas from your competition and other companies in your industry. While you don’t want to copy their site, there can be certain aspects that will prove useful.

Remember to make your site individual, so visitors remember you. A good designer will easily be able to help you with this.

3. Build the website

Now it’s time to get going. Building the website can be a technically tricky feat if you don’t have the know-how, which is why we suggest you seek help from an outside party. If you choose to outsource any of these steps, this would be the first one to go for, as it’s impossible to get right with no previous experience.

Professional website builders often combine the design and build processes, so you can kill two birds with one stone and fast forward these two steps.

4. Set up the social

Once your website is built (but not launched) it’s time to get your social channels in order. This will mean setting up whichever social channels you think most suit your business needs, filling in the about sections and writing a little bit about what you do.

If you’re clueless about your social media strategy, you can avoid making a social media blunder by steering clear of these common mistakes.

5. Launch it!

It may not be the last step, but now is the perfect time to launch your website! You’ve got the content ready, the social channels are waiting for the link to send people to, and your design is perfected.

You can even announce the launch of your website on the social channels you’ve already set up with a countdown to the launch date. Once launched, you’ll still need to continue working, so don’t think this is the end of the road!

6. Get blogging

Now your website is live, you need to prove that it has authority in your industry by writing informative blogs that represent your brand on a regular basis.

Avoid using your sales voice in these blogs, as the purpose of your blog should be to inform and entertain, rather than sell your products. This will help you climb the ranks on search engines and help potential customers find you.

7. Keep consistent

Once you’ve begun blogging, you shouldn’t leave it for two months and then write five in the space of a week. This lack of consistency will be detrimental to your website’s ranking and suggests that you’re only updating the blog for your own results, rather than to inform readers of important events occurring in your industry.

Keep your updates consistent – both on your blog and on your social media channels. This way, potential customers know you’re an active company who are likely to respond!

Are you setting up your small business website? What are your priorities? Leave us a comment in the section below!