There are a number of issues you may encounter when launching a website. For example, some features might fail to work, or users might be unable to interact with certain elements on your site. If you’re not prepared, the launch may not go well.

Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to make sure everything goes smoothly. These tasks are not difficult or time-consuming, and they can help you prepare your site for a successful launch.

In this post, we’ll look at the four most important tasks you’ll need to complete before taking your new website live. Let’s get started!

1. Make Sure You Have Great Content

If you’re launching a website, the last thing you want is for people to be unimpressed by it. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you have high-quality content, including informative articles and well-designed pages. 

For instance, you might want to take the time to edit and proofread your blog posts. You’ll also want to use high-quality images in your posts and pages. This will help make your site more visually appealing and professional.

Additionally, it’s important to keep your audience in mind. You’ll want to tailor your content to their needs. For example, if you’re trying to reach an international audience, it’s best to use clear language and avoid using metaphors or difficult words. 

High-quality content can encourage users to return to your website in the future. It can also help you rank higher in the search engine results pages. 

2. Set Up Analytics to Track Your Progress

It’s also important to set up analytics before launching your website. This way, you’ll be able to track the performance of your pages, and use that data to improve your content over time.

Google Analytics is a free tool that gives you detailed information about your website’s traffic:

You can use it to track the number of people who visit your site, how long they spend on it, what pages they visit, and more. This information can help you identify your best-performing pages, as well as areas where you can improve.

You can start by setting up a Google Analytics account. Then you will be given a tracking code, which you’ll need to add to your WordPress site to start recording data. To view your site’s analytics, you’ll just need to log into your Google Analytics account. 

Alternatively, you can view Google Analytics reports right in your WordPress dashboard by installing MonsterInsights. With this plugin, you can track your performance without having to leave your site:

You can also customize which reports are displayed. Additionally, you can set up email notifications so you always know when something important happens on your website. 

3. Check Your Buttons, Forms, and Links 

Before launching your website, you’ll want to test it to make sure everything is working as it should. For instance, you’ll want to ensure that all of the links on your site direct users to the right place. Broken links can give a poor impression and hurt your credibility.

Additionally, you might want to test your contact forms to make sure that messages submitted through your site are delivered to your inbox. Other elements to check include your menus, photo galleries, and buttons. 

Finally, you’ll want to test your website on a mobile device. This is very important, as a large number of users will be visiting your website from their mobile phones. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that your site is fully responsive and looks good across all devices.

By taking the time to do a thorough check of your website, you can avoid any potential problems down the road. Remember that a glitchy site can reflect poorly on your business. 

4. Optimize Your Site for Keywords

Last but not least, it’s important to make sure that your website is optimized for relevant keywords. By doing this, you can increase your chances of showing up in relevant search engine results.

You can use a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner to choose the right terms for your site:

Ideally, you’ll want to opt for low-competition keywords with high search volume. This will give you a greater chance of ranking on the first page of search results. 

You can then use a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plugin to incorporate these keywords into your content. For instance, Yoast SEO helps you optimize each page for specific search terms:

This tool also gives you suggestions for improvement. For example, it will let you know if you’ve used a keyword too many times in your content. This will help you avoid getting penalized by Google. 

Yoast will also help you ensure that every part of your page is optimized for your chosen search term. This includes the meta description, page title, and image alt text. 

However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are other factors that contribute to your performance in search engines. These include site speed, backlinks, and the overall quality of your content. Therefore, you’ll also want to work on these areas before launching your new website.

Get Ready to Launch Your Website

Launching a website can be an exciting time, but it’s important to make sure you have everything in order before going live. Otherwise, you might run into problems in the future. 

In this post, we’ve looked at four essential things you’ll need to do before launching a new website:

1. Make sure you have great content. 
2. Set up analytics to track your progress.
3. Check your buttons, forms, and links.
4. Optimize your site for keywords.

Do you have any questions about launching your new website? Built By WordPress.com can help you that.

Attracting new customers can be a stressful, expensive, and time-consuming task for many small businesses. Convincing prospective clients that you are the best choice for them can be even harder.

Fortunately, creating a website for your small business is an excellent way to let people know who you are and what you have to offer. It gives you access to a whole new market and enables you to reach a wider audience. 

In this article, we’ll go over some of the benefits of building and growing website for your small company. We’ll then discuss some strategies to help you grow your business with a website. Finally, we’ll show you how to get started with a WordPress site. Let’s dive right in!

Why You Need a Website for Your Small Business

Creating a website is an excellent way for small businesses to promote and sell their products. It also helps customers learn more about who you are and what you do. Additionally, websites tend to be very cost-effective, and possibly more affordable than traditional advertising. 

Without an online presence, you are relying primarily on word of mouth and paid advertising to find new customers. By building a website for your small business, you’re opening the doors to a whole new range of customers who may be interested in what you’re selling.

Additionally, a website can help you build an online community for your business. Whether it’s through a blog or a forum, this is a fantastic way to keep customers engaged and up-to-date. It can also help educate customers on your products by answering common queries and providing solutions to specific issues.

How to Amplify Your Small Business with a Website 

Now that we’ve discussed some of the benefits of setting up a website, let’s look at how you can use one to grow your small business.

1. Choose a Good Domain Name

A domain name is an address that users enter into their browser to find your website, such as mycompany.com. Getting your domain name right is an important factor in the success of your site. It gives people a quick and memorable way to find you online, and can also improve your business’ visibility. 

When choosing a domain, it’s important that you use either your business name or keywords relating to your products or service. If you have a long or unusual business name, you might need to find a way to shorten it and make it catchy. 

2. Create a User-Friendly Website Design

The design of your small business website is one of the most influential factors when it comes to converting visitors into customers. If users are unable to quickly and easily find the information they’re looking for, chances are they’ll leave without making a purchase.

One web design principle to focus on is coherence. Spacing between different elements should remain consistent site-wide, as should things like colors and typography. 

You might also want to consider your use of white space. If your pages are too cluttered, it might be difficult for users to find relevant products or information.

At Built By WordPress.com, we offer professional website design services for all types of businesses:

A user-friendly design will encourage users to spend longer on your site. This can help you sell more products and generate more leads. 

3. Utilize Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of strategically choosing keywords to help your site rank higher in Google search results:

This is vital for small businesses. It is a free and highly effective way to drive traffic to your website and promote your products.

Keywords are at the center of any SEO strategy. Each page should contain a few words and phrases that directly relate to the products or services that you sell. You can use a tool like Yoast SEO to optimize your business website for higher rankings. 

4. Publish New Content Regularly

Once your site is up and running, it’s important that you create new content on a regular basis.  By publishing things like case studies and blog posts, you can keep your site fresh and encourage visitors to return to your site.

You can use keyword research tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to find content ideas based on popular search terms:

Additionally, you can look at what your competitors are publishing. You can try to produce similar content, but provide more value to your customers. 

5. Offer International Shipping

Many small businesses only offer domestic shipping. However, by setting up a website for your business, you can reach a global audience and start delivering products to multiple destinations. 

By shipping to anywhere in the world, you’re expanding your reach into international markets. This way, more people will be able to buy your products, which can lead to more sales and higher revenue.

Shipping internationally can be intimidating when starting out. To mitigate this fear, you could do some research on customs and shipping regulations in your target countries. This can help avoid expensive fines and delays.

You may have to make some changes to your packaging, too. Due to increased fees when shipping overseas, it may be necessary to use smaller and lighter packaging. Remember that you’ll need to display all shipping conditions and fees on your website. 

How to Get Started with a Website 

WordPress is one of the best platforms for building a fully customized website for your small business. The software is free and open-source, and you’ll find plenty of support online.

First, you’ll need to purchase a domain name. You’ll also need to get web hosting, so that you can make your site live. 

Once you have hosting and a domain name, it’s time to select a theme for your site. There are thousands of free designs available in the WordPress Themes Directory:

Many business websites will also require a plugin like WooCommerce to power their online stores. Fortunately, you can install this tool for free from the WordPress Plugins Directory:

You can then take some time to familiarize yourself with the WordPress dashboard. You can customize the theme by uploading your business logo and using your brand colors. You’ll also need to create important pages, such as your About and Contact pages. 

Grow Your Small Business with a Website

Getting new customers can often be challenging. Fortunately, building a website is a simple and cost-effective way to increase brand awareness and grow your business.

To recap, you can amplify your small business with a website using these strategies:

1. Choose a good domain name that reflects your brand and products.
2. Create a user-friendly business website design.
3. Use keywords to rank higher in Google search results.
4. Publish new content regularly to keep your site fresh and your audience engaged. 
5. Offer international shipping to reach a global audience. 

Do you need help setting up a website for your small business? Built By WordPress.com can help you with that.

If you’re looking to take your business online, there are a handful of important things to know about building your eCommerce site. Online shops tend to have much more complicated requirements and setup processes than standard websites. 

The good news is that learning how to build an eCommerce website on WordPress.com is simple and straightforward. Once you know which aspects to focus on, you’ll have no problem getting your store up and running. 

In this post, we’ll briefly talk about how to build an eCommerce website. Then, we’ll provide you with five essential tips to help you get started. 

How to Build an eCommerce Website

In this post, we’ll cover some of the most critical factors to keep in mind when creating your eCommerce website design. However, to make the process as smooth as possible, it’s important to have your foundation set.

There are a few things you’ll need to do when building your eCommerce site. This includes:

• Getting a domain name
• Purchasing web hosting
• Choosing a Content Management System (CMS)

You can usually get a domain name and hosting plan for an affordable price. However, if you’re building a complex website and you expect to get a lot of traffic, you’ll want to avoid opting for free or very basic plans, as this can hurt the performance of your store. 

There are many hosting providers that offer plans specifically for eCommerce sites. You’ll also want to select a CMS or website builder that can help you design and launch your site with as little effort as possible. 

If you’re a first-time site owner, we recommend using WordPress.com. The platform offers seamless integration with WooCommerce, which is one of the most popular, reliable, and user-friendly eCommerce plugins available. 

If you prefer to get help to set up your eCommerce store, you can send a message to Built By WordPress.com, our website-building service, and we will help you to design and build your website the way you want it to be. 

If you need help building your eCommerce site, Built By WordPress.com can help. We can streamline and simplify the entire process for you! Check out our website to learn more. 

5 Things to Know When Building an eCommerce Site

Once you’ve registered your domain and purchased a hosting plan, it’s time to start working on your eCommerce website design. Below are five things to keep in mind while designing your site. 

1. Your Product Images and Descriptions Are of Utmost Importance

Your products are the center of your eCommerce site. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you display high-quality images of your items. 

However, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional product photographer. Instead, you can follow some photography best practices to ensure that your images come out well. 

It’s also essential to include important product details such as dimensions, materials, details, and warranty information. This will enable customers to make informed purchasing decisions. It can also help increase sales and avoid complaints or product returns. Do also make sure that the product descriptions are unique for each item. It can be confused for your customers as well as search engines if several similar items for the same product description.

It’s also a good idea to include key selling points and reviews from other customers. This can help add legitimacy to your products and provide social proof. 

2. Customers Want Clear Return and Exchange Policies

No eCommerce site owner wants to deal with a high volume of returns or exchanges. However, offering compensation is an important part of customer satisfaction. 

Your return policy can influence whether or not consumers decide to purchase something from your store. Therefore, it’s vital to make sure that it’s clear and easily accessible to website visitors:

Providing this information upfront can help minimize the chances of confusion. It can also reduce the amount of time you’ll have to dedicate to fielding customer service calls and inquiries. 

Additionally, being straightforward and transparent about your policies can help increase customer trust. Failing to provide information about returns and refunds can make customers a little wary. They might think that you’re not a legitimate company, and might therefore do their shopping elsewhere. 

Therefore, we recommend creating a dedicated page for your returns and refunds policies on your eCommerce site. You can then provide a link to it in the navigation menu, footer, and follow-up emails. This way, it will be more easily accessible to your customers. 

3. Free Shipping Can Give You a Competitive Advantage

When you’re running a business, one of your main priorities is to keep profit margins high and operational costs low. However, one area you may not want to skimp on is shipping rates.

Thanks to eCommerce giants like Amazon, customers have grown to expect fast and cheap deliveries. Your shipping fees can make the difference between consumers deciding to purchase from you or a competitor with lower rates.

If you can’t offer free shipping on all products, you could offer it on minimum order amounts instead. This can be an effective incentive for customers to increase their orders and, in turn, it can help you increase your revenue.

4. Provide an Easy Way for Customers to Contact You

Providing excellent customer service is vital to the success of your business. Therefore, when building your eCommerce site, you’ll want to make it easy for customers to contact you if they have questions about a particular product or want to place an order by phone or email:

If you don’t want to provide a phone number, you’ll want to ensure that users can reach out to you via email or a contact form. You might also want to add your contact details on the product page and include them in your post-purchase emails. 

5. It’s Smart to Offer Multiple Payment Gateway Options

The checkout process of eCommerce sites is pivotal. Lengthy and complicated checkouts can irritate shoppers and lead to a high cart abandonment rate. 

Another thing that can drive customers away is a lack of payment options. Therefore, we recommend that you give users a selection of payment methods. There are plenty of reliable providers that you can use, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net.

Giving your customers multiple payment options can demonstrate that you care about their convenience and safety. It can also increase the likelihood that they’ll complete their orders.

This is another reason we recommend using WordPress for building your eCommerce site. The CMS offers seamless integration with some of the world’s most popular payment gateways. 

Let’s Start Building Your eCommerce

With so many consumers turning to the internet for the products and services they need, now is an ideal time for companies to digitize their businesses. To get started, you’ll need to purchase a domain name and web hosting, and choose a powerful CMS for your website, such as WordPress. 

To recap, here are a few things to keep in mind when working on your eCommerce website design:

1. Your product images and descriptions are of utmost importance.
2. Customers want clear return and exchange policies.
3. Free shipping can give you a competitive advantage.
4. Provide an easy way for customers to contact you.
5. It’s smart to offer multiple payment options.

Do you need help building your e-commerce site? At Built By WordPress.com, we can streamline and simplify the entire process for you! Check out our website to learn more.

Building a new website can be an exciting but daunting task. If you’re not familiar with web development, you might feel overwhelmed and confused about where to start or what content to add.

However, there are a handful of key pages and elements you can start with to get your site off the ground. Laying the foundation for your site will make it easier to add more content as you become more comfortable with the process. 

In this post, we’ll discuss the strategies for selecting content for your new WordPress.com website. For each one, we’ll include some actionable tips and suggestions to help you get started. 

1. Research Your Audience

Quality content is not just about creating a well-written article or page. It’s also about understanding your reader and their needs. You’ll want to identify any pain points or interests they may have, so you can ensure that you create website content that can help them resolve their problems or achieve their goals. 

Therefore, it’s important that you do some research in order to understand your audience, their problems, and what you can deliver to them. From navigation bars to images and blog posts, you can control your visitors’ first impression.

If you’re not sure where to start, consider browsing through some of your competitors’ websites. Getting a better sense of what sites successfully attract your target audience can make it easier to brainstorm ideas for your new website design. 

2. Add a Logo, Menu and Social icons

Before putting together the more detailed pages of your website, it’s a good idea to start with some of the non-copy elements. This includes a logo, navigation menu, and social media icons:

Solid web design includes a logo that’s easy to recognize. Your logo is an essential part of your branding and is usually placed in the top left corner of your homepage. It should also be visible on every page on your site.

The navigation menu is an integral part of your homepage. This is where visitors will go to find out more about your company and browse your content. Therefore, your menu should be easy to use and it should provide links to the most important pages on your site. 

We also recommend adding social media icons to your header and footer. This will make it easy for visitors to follow your social media pages and share your content with their followers. 

Many WordPress themes include options to add social media icons on different parts of your site. However, you could also use a third-party plugin such as UltimatelySocial.

If you want help building and creating your website content, Built By WordPress.com has you covered. Check out our services to learn more. 

3. Create Engaging Home, Contact, and About Us Pages

The number of pages you have on your website will depend on what type of business you have and how extensive you want your site to be. However, there are three essential pages that you’ll find on almost every website.

• Homepage
• Contact
• About Us

These pages are important for letting people know who you are, what you do, and how to get in touch with you. Therefore, we recommend spending some time perfecting them before launching your site.

The homepage is where all the action happens. It’s the first thing visitors see, and it will determine if someone will browse around or leave the site again. When crafting your homepage, it helps to think from the customer’s perspective. 

Your About Us page should provide some information about your company, including your mission and values. It adds a personal touch to your site and can help improve the trustworthiness of your brand. Storytelling is pivotal for this page.

To keep it interesting, you can use social media quotes, testimonials, infographics, and videos:

The Contact page is also important. You can integrate it with Google Maps to make it easier for users to locate you. If you don’t have a physical address or brick-and-mortar store, you can simply include your email address or phone number.

4. Select High-Quality Images and Visuals

Images are another important aspect of web design. You can use them to break up text on a page, promote your products, or highlight the services you offer.

Images can also create a sense of trust for customers who are unfamiliar with your company. You can use photos that complement each other and work together as part of a cohesive theme for your site’s design.

If you’re unable to hire a professional photographer, there are plenty of platforms you can source images from, both free and paid. For example, you can find free stock-like images on sites such as OpenVerse, Unsplash and Pexels. For more high-quality and unique options, you can sign up for a Getty Images or Shutterstock subscription. 

5. Add Services and Other Key Pages

Once you have the framework of your site in place, you can begin filling out additional pages. For example, you’ll likely want to include a service or products page to showcase your offerings:

Your Service and Product pages should include clear, detailed descriptions as well as aesthetically pleasing visuals. If you’re listing your services, it’s also a smart idea to include a clear Call To Action (CTA) button and a link to your contact page. 

When you’re first creating your website, you may want to add a single Services page that presents an overview of your offerings. Once your site or business starts to grow, you could create an individual page for each service, where you can provide more details and perhaps include some reviews. 

You might also consider adding a blog. A blog is an excellent way to add depth to your website. You can use it to show customers what goes on behind the scenes. It could also be an effective tool to share your unique voice, highlight what makes your business different and more.

Blog posts present another chance for you to talk directly to customers, build trust, and make them feel like they are part of a community. Plus, it can help with your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

Let’s Start Building Your Website

Building an attractive and engaging website is vital to the success of your business. However, figuring out which content to add can be stressful. Fortunately, there are a handful of essential pages that you can start with.

To recap, here are five key tips you can use when selecting content for your new website design:

1. Start by researching your audience and identifying their interests and problems. 
2. Add important elements such as your logo, navigation menu, and social media icons.
3. Create an engaging homepage and about us page, and provide contact details. 
4. Select high-quality images and visuals for your pages. 
5. Add a page with your services and products, and consider starting a blog. 

Do you want help building your first website? At Built By WordPress.com, we have you covered! Check out our services to learn more.

Almost any person or business can benefit from a website in 2022. Whether you run a small store or work a 9-to-5 job, having your own site offers the perfect way to showcase who you are and what you can offer. The only thing standing between you and the rest of the world is learning how to create your own website.

WordPress makes that process easier than you can imagine. Thanks to this popular Content Management System (CMS), you don’t need to know anything about web development to design a stunning site. 

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the reasons why you should create your own site. We’ll also look at the benefits of having a website. Finally, we’ll talk about how you can use WordPress to launch your new project. Let’s get to it!

Why Have Your Own Website?

When you rely on third-party platforms such as social media or blogging sites to host your content, you lose control over it. With a website of your own, you can decide what content you want to publish, how to publish it, and when.

A website of your own can be anything you want it to be. You can use WordPress to create a portfolio that doubles as a blog. You can use it to sell your products and services online. You can set up community boards, encourage users to talk to each other in comments sections, create a podcast, and much more.

WordPress alone powers 42 percent of the entire web. This means it hosts hundreds of millions of websites, each with a unique purpose. Every month, WordPress websites publish over 70 million new posts and receive more than 77 million comments.

If you want to share your ideas with the rest of the world, or you have a business that you want to grow to its full potential, you need a website. Considering how easy it can be to create one, there’s no excuse not to do it.

3 Ways That You Can Benefit From Having a Website

If you’re not sure about why you’d need a website, here are several reasons why having one can benefit you. 

1. Your Website Can Be Your CV

A comprehensive LinkedIn profile can be impressive. However, if you want to go the extra mile, having a website that showcases your professional accomplishments can help you wow potential recruiters:

You can design your website in any way that you see fit, and choose precisely how you want to showcase your expertise. With a site, you can devote entire pages to case studies, include testimonials from coworkers and former bosses, and more. In our experience, having a professional-looking CV or portfolio will help you raise a lot of interest.

2. You Can Build an Online Business

Every modern business or side hustle needs a website. However, you can also have a business that operates entirely through your WordPress site. For example, you can use the popular WordPress e-commerce plugin, WooCommerce, to launch an online store, selling products that you make or source from third parties:

Controlling your own store means that you don’t have to pay a cut of sales to platforms such as Amazon or eBay. You also get to control the entire sales experience. Plus, you can use your website to sell other types of goods, such as in-person or online services.

3. Create a Voice for Your Community

Websites don’t have to be about turning a profit or advancing your professional life. Some of the best sites in the world are all about community, and providing a safe space for people to discuss particular issues.

With WordPress, you can easily create blogs with comment sections. This enables users to talk about your content and share their own points of view. You can also set up full-blown community websites, including forums, mailing lists, and almost any other feature that you can imagine. 

WordPress.com itself has a very active forum where you can ask questions about technical issues or how to use the software:

As your community website grows, it can become a hub for organizing events, collecting money for charity, and simply enabling people to connect with one another. All that thanks to a simple website.

How to Create Your Own Website: Where to Begin

Knowing what CMS you want to use to create your website is a great start, but there’s a lot of planning involved before you can get to work. Let’s look at some important steps.

Define Your Website’s Goal

Every website has a goal. Online stores want to drive sales, blogs want to get traffic, portfolios are designed to generate leads, and so on. If you’re going to spend time and money creating a website, you need to know what you want to accomplish with it.

Depending on the type of project you want to create, you can have one of the following goals:

• Drive sales
• Increase awareness
• Build an audience
• Collect leads
• Connect your visitors

If you’re having trouble defining a goal, think about how your website can benefit you or others. This should help provide you with a clear answer.

Choose the Platform for Your Website

If you’re new to building websites, your best option is to use a platform that simplifies the process, such as WordPress. This CMS enables you to build almost any type of website that you need. It’s also easy to use, even if you’ve never worked on a web project before:

However, it’s important to understand the difference between WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress. Self-hosted WordPress enables you to download the software and use it on any hosting service that you want.

With WordPress.com, however, you get to use the CMS on a hosted platform. This means that the platform takes care of setting up your site and managing its server, so you never have to worry about performance. WordPress.com also offers built-in marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools to make your job easier.

For your first project, we recommend using WordPress.com. That way, you’ll learn how to use the CMS in a secure and fast environment.

Prepare the Copy and Images That You’ll Use

Usually, we recommend that you start coming up with design ideas before you start working on a website. That way, you’ll know what you’re building towards. The same applies to text or copy – you need at least a rough outline of what content you want to include on your website.

For example, if you’re planning to create an online portfolio for your photography, you’ll need to know what images you want to showcase. You’ll also need some text that explains who you are, what services you offer, and what makes you unique:

It’s fine if you don’t know precisely how you want your website to look just yet. You have plenty of time to look for inspiration. Moreover, if you decide to get help, an expert will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Get Expert Help to Build Your Website

Although WordPress makes it simple to create a website, designing pages that look professional and offer advanced features requires a lot of knowledge. You can do it on your own if you have the time and the resources, but sometimes getting professional help can be the right choice.

Thanks to WordPress’ popularity, there’s a thriving ecosystem of developers and designers who can help you build the type of website you want. Built by WordPress.com is a service run by WordPress experts that can help get your project underway:

To get started, simply fill out a form that outlines your project idea. Then, an expert will get in touch with you to help you figure out how to take that idea and turn it into a website.

Let’s Start Building Your Website Today

Whether you want to write about your favorite topics or sell products online, having your own website is always a good idea. You’ll get full control over the visitor experience, and you’ll be able to modify any aspect of your content. 

Building a website can be hard, but WordPress makes that process much simpler. If you don’t have the time to learn how to use WordPress, your best bet is to find the right experts to help your vision come to life.

Do you have any questions about how to create your own website? Built by WordPress.com can connect you with the right experts and help you get started right away. Fill out our Getting Started form and take the first step!