Digital Marketing: How To Build Your Online Presence With a Website In 2024?
A website is the most suitable way for your business to build your online presence for your goal. However, if you are planning to choose it, you have to know the basics of its work. And the most important thing is to have a website designed and usable to be able to deliver what you want and allow customers to perfume what they are looking for.
In the following, we will focus on the basics of a website, such as how websites work, how to choose and register an appropriate domain name, and how to match your online needs and support your business goals.
Stay with us to learn all this and more!
Contents
- How do Websites work?
- The Key Components Of A Website
- Websites And Your Business Objectives
- Make Your Website Easy To Use
- Important Factors In Website Design
- How do Websites work?
Have you ever wondered how websites work? We will summarize all the basics of website work with a special focus on web servers and electronic domain names and their importance and how to find everything you need to get started, but we will not go into the technical part. This is a promise!
First, let’s agree that the website is the headquarters of your business on the Internet, where potential customers can learn about your business and the services you provide to them.
For example, the first thing you do when you decide to create a business is to rent a place, and the same applies to the website, but the only difference is that you will not rent a place on the ground, but rather an area in a server.
There are many services that take care of this automatically. We will now provide an overview of this topic in order to have a basic idea of what is going on behind the scenes. Well, it is time for me to share some information with you.
Web Server
What is a web server? It is a computer connected to the Internet and contains programming that allows it to store or host parts of your website, which are the code, images, videos, and other elements that the website may contain.
This device was called the server because it serves the right content once requested, as if someone wanted to see a page from your site, for example.
There are many companies that rent space on the web server and host websites where they pay the hosting fee in advance, which is equivalent to paying the rent.
These companies are responsible for taking care of the technical aspects of running the web server so that you do not need to do it yourself.
Each web server in the world has its own address, or the so-called Internet Protocol (IP) address, which consists of a long digital sequence, which means that any device connected to the Internet can connect to a server and access its private address.
Fortunately, we will not go into more technical details, but all you have to know is how to choose a good name to refer to this digital address. This is what leads us to the second part, which is the website address or what is called a domain name.
Domain Name
To define the domain name, we put it to the example of ‘’cars renting’’ In your opinion, how can passers-by on the street find the store? through the sign above, right?
Your domain name is not much different, it is the way through which potential customers will find you, which is what you type in the address bar of the browser to reach any site such as www.Google.com or www.Domainname.com.
In other words, everything after the www. is what is called the domain name, that is the part that allows people to find your website. Any device that searches for this address, whether it is a tablet, a smartphone, or a personal computer, has to connect to a web server to access the website required.
When writing the domain name, the server sends all the correct parts that the device needs to show the website, such as the photos and the code, so any device can open websites and electronic pages.
So this is what happens when someone types your website address into the browser.
- The Key Components Of A Website
After you have decided to create a website for your business, it is time to tell you about some of the important decisions that you have to take, such as choosing the right domain name and planning how to organize it in order to facilitate the access of customers to what they are looking for, the more satisfied the customer is, the more your business achieves success, right?
Ready?
- Carefully Choose Your Domain Name
First, your domain name, which is what the user will type in the Internet browser to find you, as we explained before.
Where to choose a domain name? you must first make sure that the name you want is available, there will be only one site on the network, with the address of “www.definetrade.com”, for example. If someone chose it before, you won’t be able to use it.
How do you know if the name you want to use is available or not? With around 1.18 billion websites in the world, you can use a domain finder tool to detect whether the name you want is used or not and define your website as well.
And if the name you want to use is not available and you do not find a similar one, you can get a different form of it by choosing a different category, which is those separate letters at the end of the address. You may be familiar with the ‘’.com’’categories, but there are many other plugins available or more suitable. For example, non-profit organizations usually use .org.
This means that although the address ‘’www.definetrade.com’’ is not available, definetrade.net may be available.
The rule here is that a good domain name is one that people can remember easily, so make sure the name is as short, relevant, and direct as possible.
- Design Your Home Page
Well, here we have identified the name, let’s take a look now at some other important parts of the website, such as the home page. This is the first page that the user will see after entering your domain name and entering your site.
Your home page is the front of your business and the main platform that encourages visitors to browse your site and introduce them to your business.
It also directs them to other pages on the site, and this is what we call navigation, and you can choose to have the navigation bar at the top.
In other words, the main page is a list that allows visitors to navigate from one part to another within the site.
Here lies the importance of the way you follow in organizing your website, take for example the sites you visit regularly and see how they are organized to have a clear idea. You can always take advantage of web design tools online to build your site perfectly.
- Display Attractive Content
Now you have to decide the type of content you will display and then categorize it in a logical way.
There are many tools available for creating websites that provide final templates that can help you get started.
Do you want an easy start? Start with the pages and sections that are included in most websites, such as the About Us page and the Contact Us page where people find email addresses to contact you and your phone number.
As for the About Us page, where you can tell the story of your business establishment, adding pictures of your best works and innovations.
There is no right or wrong way to organize the site, but you always have to put yourself in the place of the site’s visitors and ask yourself what they are looking for and what they want to know about the site.
Now you have to organize the content and make it attractive so that it is easy for the visitors to reach the information they need because creative content has a direct impact on your sales.
The words you use should not be limited to the presentation and promotion of goods and in most cases, you should avoid technical terms, because this can negatively affect customer needs or solve a problem they face.
Many websites also focus on enhancing interaction with their visitors using features such as contact forms, maps with detailed directions to the store, and shopping baskets to encourage them to purchase products directly.
Do not forget that your website is your digital interface and provides a means of communication with customers, so be sure to choose the appropriate name for your domain and organize the content of your site in a logical manner, and include the characteristics and effective features to enable your visitors to find what they are looking for with ease.
3. Websites And Your Business Objectives
When designing a website, you should set the goals that you are looking to accomplish, and also take into account what your visitors are looking for. The secret of success here lies in matching what you want people to do on your site with what they basically want to do.
If you are a business owner, you must make sure to put a phone number in a very prominent place on the site for them, but you can also display it on each page and you can add some phrases so that visitors can “call now” and make sure the page is easy to access on the site.
It is also preferable to allow those browsing your website on mobile to contact you with just one click.
Let’s go back to the ‘’renting cars’’ example and say you want to attract more customers to visit your place. At the same time, you notice that many of them are inquiring about the fastest way to get to your store to rent cars. In this case, you can add a map of the local area on your website with clear and specific directions to meet the requirements of existing customers and at the same time encourage local residents to visit the company near them.
So, what are the other items that visitors may look for on your site? Prices, special offers, and testimonials that show that you are qualified to provide this service.
By making sure that all of these elements are easily accessible, you are aligning the goals of your business with the needs of visitors.
‘’Always remember that we live in a modern age of speed, visitors will not stay on your website for a long time and may not see the written content in the first place, but pictures, addresses, and clear directions can help them find what they are looking for quickly before they leave the site.’’
Bottom line: Make sure to design and create your website in a way that combines the goals of your business and the desires of your visitors together. This equation is successful.
4. Make Your Website Easy To Use
Here, our conversation will focus on the ease of use of the site, meaning: facilitating the access of features to what they are looking for and implementing the actions they want.
We’ll talk about the best ways to improve usability, from seamless site navigation to the importance of static design.
Well, let’s start!
At the outset, we will discuss the issue of navigation that directs visitors to your site. Good navigation requires arranging your site in a logical manner that suits visitors.
The main menu on your website provides adequate information to inform visitors of everything that can be found in each section.
It is also a good idea to include a search box, especially if your site contains a lot of pages. Keep the search box fixed in the same place on all pages of the site. So that visitors can easily find it, whatever they are looking for.
Suppose you are browsing a site and want to return to the main page, what do you do? You will click on the logo at the top of the page.
This is something that visitors always expect, as it is common in almost all sites, so be sure that the logo of your site is visible on every page and that clicking on it will take the person to the main page.
You also have to realize where the content ends on the page. Do not make the visitor scroll down the page constantly to see the important content. Also, use numbered headings and lists to help visitors navigate your site easily and save time.
Another tip: Encourage visitors to take action when they visit your site. This is called the user’s limit to take action, which will help them understand the action they will take and the consequences of that.
Do you want them to call you, type ‘’call now’’, do you want them to visit your store, point to your directions to your store, or push them to buy by writing “buy now”.
“So don’t forget when you create a site do your best to make it easy to use, give visitors a clear map of your site pages, make the design consistent all the time, write content that mimics their requirements and the experience they aspire to.”
5. Important Factors In Website Design
Surely you’ve heard this sentence before you have one chance to make a first impression on you, well that’s what happens on the internet too.
Here we will help you avoid common mistakes in the design of your site, which may turn away visitors, and learn how to make sure that pages load fast, that your site is mobile-friendly, has good content, and is easily accessible.
- First, you need speed. Internet users are known for their lack of patience, and if the pages take a long time to load, they will undoubtedly leave. This is a crucial parameter within on page seo.
There are a lot of technical measures that you or whoever creates your site can take to increase the speed of the site, such as choosing the right technologies and hosting solutions.
But there are also some simple fixes, for example, if your page contains images, use smaller images that you need, and put large and high-quality ones that appear only as small. In the end, make sure to test the speed of your website using different browsers, and technologies and that they are compatible with mobile devices.
- Do not forget about other functions that are unique to touch screens, such as scrolling and moving. Make sure that your site components respond to this type of input.
- Using widely accepted icons and making content clear and well-organized will help visitors who use smaller screens to find what they want.
- Moreover, make sure that your phone number and address are easily accessible, as many devices are equipped with GPS and mapping features that can help visitors while they are on the move.
- Of course, while browsing your mobile site, it should be easy for visitors to contact you, so make sure to provide that.
So these are some of the common mistakes that many websites make. To avoid them, make sure that your website pages load fast and function properly. Regardless of which device or browser the visitor is using.
Writer’s Bio: Sara, an ambitious content creator & marketer, joined Minelead.io as an account manager to fulfill her adventurous spirit. She is always keen to start new journeys and never fears taking the first jump.