It is wonderful news to read that the fastest growing demographic of business owners in Australia is the over 65s – way to go!  We believe that these days it is important for any business to have a web presence and here are a few reasons why:

1. Reach new clients
2. Provide customer service
3. Promote the business
4. Increase sales

While we don’t expect you to build a website yourself it is helpful to know some of the basics while dealing with a web designer or a digital agency.

The “ingredients” of your website are:

• Domain name
• Web hosting
• Design
• Text/copy
• Analytics
• Basic SEO

Domain name
First you need to buy a domain name. This is the address where your website will live. When you choose your domain name you need to think about your business name and how it could be included in the domain name. Another thing to consider is what type of domain you are buying – there are different meanings to .com, .net and .org (you can read more here). At times your preferred domain name might not be available, perhaps someone has a similar business name and it is already taken. In this case, you should just be creative and play with the different options.The cost of buying a domain name varies and could be between $4 – $30 per year. You can also get a dedicated email address using your new domain name.

Web hosting
You can think of this as paying rent. You will need to pay monthly fees for your website to be hosted on a web server and “live” online. There are various providers and plans; picking the one for you depends mainly on the demands of the website (primarily bandwidth and disk space). In our experience, you shouldn’t pay more than $15 per month.

Copy
Typically the text of your website will cover information about your business, the services you provide, previous work you have done and contact details. You can also add testimonials from clients or include a form for people to request a quote or leave you a message. You can write the copy yourself or hire a professional copywriter. The copy should be short, informative and interesting. Pick a tone that suits your company and is relevant to your target audience.  You should also consider how you want to structure this information across your web pages.

Design
This is where you create the look and feel of your website. You should consider the layout of the site, the images you will include and if it will be static or dynamic. It is effective to provide your designer with a list of websites for inspiration. If you have taken good images in the past you can definitely include them. Another option is to buy images from an image bank or work with a professional photographer to bring your vision to life. If you have a presence on social media you can include links to your accounts.

Basic SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is the art of improving the ranking of your site in search results. There is a lot to say and learn in this area but as a starting point you can create a list of keywords that people might include when they search for your business. This should be worked in to the content of your site. It doesn’t mean that you will appear on the first page. You can read more about it here.

Analytics
A way to track the number of visitors to your site, their demographic and visitation habits. There are various programs you can use. Google Analytics is a popular option which can be used for free.

If you have questions, please feel welcome to send us an email or leave a comment below!