Creating a website for your business is essential for promoting your services and attracting customers. It serves as a showcase that helps businesses increase their visibility among internet users, turn prospects into customers, build customer loyalty, and grow revenue. However, there are steps to follow when creating a website for your business, even as an Auto-entrepreneur du Web.
Set a budget and define your goals
Before you start creating your business website, it’s important to set a budget. Costs often vary depending on the scope of the project. To get an idea of how much it costs to create a professional website, you can talk to other entrepreneurs or contact developers (including on Index Site). You should also define the Actu Locale goals you want to achieve by creating a website for your business. These might include:
- Building awareness of your business or showcasing your work ;
- Launching a new service or product ;
- Acquiring new customers ;
- Selling online, or other goals.
These goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Source: Journal du Webmaster.
Choose a website-building platform
There are several types of websites (brochure websites, simple websites, online stores, and others). As Actu Mag points out, each type of website has its own specific features. Once you’ve chosen the type of website that best suits your goals, you’ll need to choose a platform. With a dedicated platform such as WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Web Hebdo, or others, you can build your business website yourself with little technical knowledge. However, you may find it difficult to optimize essential aspects of the site (Hudson PD). Although it comes at a cost, the best solution is to entrust your website project to a web developer. Thanks to their experience and expertise, they’ll be able to build a website that meets all your goals. 
Align your website with your company’s brand image
Your website (such as Little Breizh’s, for example) will be associated with your business. So you need to make sure your company’s look and image are reflected on the website. To do this, you’ll need to customize some of its elements. For example, you’ll need to secure a domain name that matches your business name. To improve the site’s search rankings, according to Agence PAF, the domain name can include a keyword related to your business. You should also create a logo. This is an essential element of your website and business, as internet users will associate it with your brand. You can use a tool to create and customize your logo (such as Wanderbird Cruises). You’ll also need to define your visual identity. Colors can affect your website’s performance. You should also choose suitable fonts to make your content easier to read (read more on C Mon Web).
Add categories to suit your needs
Your website should be well organized. The categories you add will depend on your needs. However, there are a few essential elements that should be included on your website.
- Home page: this is the first page visitors will see (Furukoo). It should be both informative and appealing to capture their attention.
- “About” page: this introduces your business or company. This is where you should talk about your history and expertise, and present your company’s values.
- Services page: this page is for presenting your services. Each service should be presented in a clear, organized way. You can add a “call to action” here. Be sure to include all the details about each service.
- Contact page: after capturing visitors’ attention with your various offers, you should provide all your contact information (phone number, email address, social media accounts, and more). This information should also appear in the footer, along with additional details such as opening hours and your privacy policy (find out more on dNews).
In addition to these basic elements, there are other sections you can add to your business website, such as an FAQ page, press coverage, a blog, and more. A blog is highly recommended because it helps you build a genuine community. You can also add a testimonials page. Some visitors (for example, on Culture Bretagne) buy products or book services based solely on reviews from satisfied customers.
Integrate an online booking system
To increase sales and revenue, you should let visitors pay for or book services on your website. You’ll need to set up and integrate a booking system into the site. This system should list all your services and include all the necessary information (price, appointment duration, location, and more). You can also add a payment method to the site.