Today, close to everything can be found online. Whether it’s a large bookstore or a tiny pizza place, customers expect to be able to get at least some information about your business from the web. When conducting research, 9 out of 10 people will go to Google and type your brand’s name in the search field, expecting to browse your website. If that doesn’t happen, you will be missing out on sales. A TON of sales.

The benefits of having a website are virtually endless if you get to explore all of the possibilities. A well-optimized website can increase e-commerce sales by up to 10 times. Here are some interesting facts to note:

• Over 50% of in-store purchases are influenced by e-commerce.
• Close to 20% of the local searches lead to a sale in 24 hours.
• In 2021, there will be over 2.1 billion digital buyers worldwide, up from 1.6 billion in 2016.
• Over 60% of online shoppers didn’t finish their purchase due to the absence of trust logos.
• Mobile payments are nearly passed the 50% milestone, making mobile optimization a top priority.

However, even if you don’t have the time to optimize your website for local SEO or invest in perfecting the mobile experience, simply having a website has a plethora of benefits. We’ll mention some of the most important ones below:

• 24/7 online presence – Allow customers to find you anytime, anywhere. Conveniently research your brand, services, and products.
• Contact information – A quick and easy way of communicating with your customers. You can share your opening hours, email and phone number, showcase your products, link the exact location of your business on the map, and even talk to your customers via live chat.
• Credibility – As mentioned before, having a website is almost a requirement in the eyes of many customers. Just by having one, you’ll get more credibility over competitors, who don’t have a website.
• Advertising – Having a website allows you to set up online ads with Google AdWords, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other major platform, at an affordable cost. This will result in a huge traffic bump for your business, eventually leading to more sales.
• Online customer service – Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any modern brand. Not everything goes smooth when it comes to purchasing goods or services, and having your team accessible via the web is a big help of resolving issues and keeping customers happy.
• Cost-efficient – Being a highly efficient marketing and communication tool, a DIY website doesn’t cost a fortune. For instance, with Wix, you can easily set up a proper e-commerce site with multiple payment options for just $28/monthly.
• Display your work – If you’re a freelancer, photographer, designer, etc., creating an online portfolio of your work is one of the easiest ways to show potential customers your work and abilities.

The list is virtually endless. While some of the advanced lead generation techniques require experience and may require more funding, the simple benefits package that any website brings under $30 cannot be ignored. Even if you don’t have much to show to your customers, you still want to have a website. If you don’t, you not only risk losing credibility in your customers’ eyes but may also be considered obsolete by many of them.

Source: Wix.com

Over the past couple of years, DIY tools have become very popular among many US-based businesses. For instance, Wix, the most popular DIY website design software, currently has over 150 million users, with the last 30 million users acquired during the last two years.  However, the most popular software isn’t necessarily the best for every case.

While all the industry-leading tools like Wix, Site123, and SquareSpace can be used to craft a website, there are a number of differences. SquareSpace offers maximum design flexibility but lacks in certain aspects of functionality, whereas Wix offers a powerful editor with tons of available features.

If your industry absolutely requires breathtaking design but doesn’t need much functionality (e.g. a creative agency website vs. an online store), SquareSpace might be the better choice. It all comes down to the specific business, its needs, customer base, and required features.

The main criteria you want to focus on when choosing a DIY website design software are:

• Price – Whatever website builder you choose should fit into your budget. Don’t forget to see what comes with your plan and what will be considered add-ons.
• Features and Functionality – Whether it is to display photography, sell products, or host a blog, you want to make sure that you have all the features and functions you’ll need.
• Customer Support – Especially when you’re just starting out, issues or challenges may arise, so be sure to look into what kind of customer support resources are available.
• Third-party integrations – Your business likely uses other tools. Check to see which website builders integrate with those tools.

Naturally, the importance of each criterion will vary depending on the type of website you need. For instance, e-commerce websites require many add-ons and integrations like financial management tools, inventory management, multiple payment options, etc.

In contrast, websites that are primarily meant to showcase your brand and educate your audience (like portfolio websites and blogs) require great aesthetics, a smooth user experience, and mobile optimization. Furthermore, the premade templates and drag and drop editors will help you visualize what your website will look like when it’s done. This allows you to transfer your brand identity online with a clear idea of what to expect.

You need to figure out and start prioritizing decisive factors. I’d like to stress the fact that regardless of what type of website you’re looking for, make sure to check the customer support of the vendor you’re considering to use. There will be times when difficulties will arise and it will be up to the brand to help you deal with issues swiftly and efficiently. And because these issues may directly influence your online sales, you need to make sure that the team is always ready to assist you.

Once you have chosen a candidate, do yourself a favor and make use of the free trial before committing to the purchase. Most of the leading DIY website design tools offer an up to 30 days free trial, allowing you to test the feel of the product, familiarize yourself with the templates and design features, and evaluate the usability. Also, use this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the customer support team and make sure that they will back you up, should you need any help.

You don’t need much to start setting up your brand new website. Here is a handy checklist of the most important requirements:

Choose a Domain Name

Make sure it’s simple to pronounce and type. Try to make it short, easy to memorize, and associate with your brand. If possible, go for the “.com” “.org” “.net” domain extensions, as these have the most credibility among customers.

Include Company Logo

A clear, unique, and easily recognizable company logo is essential. Create a professional logo and place it on your website. Some website builders, like Wix, have free logo creators.

Clear, high-quality content

The content you provide needs to be unique and high-quality. If you’re short on time, we’d recommend going for “less but better” over “lots but poor quality” content. You can keep adding content while being live.

Contact information

In an easy-to-find place, tell customers how to contact you and where to find you. Make sure to include a phone number(s), email(s), and social media links, along with any other channels you have.

Measurements for success

Last but not least, it would be great to keep track of your efforts. If you can find the weak links, you can improve them and get even more out of your website. Some important measurements to keep track of are:

• Website traffic – The number of new and returning visitors, and their sources.
• Bounce rate – The number of people who left your website at a certain point.
• Average time spent per page – The amount of time users browse certain website pages for.
• Click through rate – The performance of your call-to-action buttons.
• Conversion rate – The number of leads converted into paying customers.