1. Website name and/or domain

Choosing a name for your website may seem like an easy and straightforward step, but as it often turns out, we might need to dedicate quite some time to it and be creative.

A good name or web domain can help spread the word about your website.

The name of your website should be interesting, unique and it should include the name of your product, service or idea.

What is a domain?

The domain is the internet address through which users can access your website.

2. Web hosting

Registering your domain and choosing a web hosting service usually occur in tandem, as web hosting providers offer both. Two of the most common questions are: What is web hosting? and What type of web hosting is right for my website?

What is web hosting?

It is posting a website on an online server. This space is used for your website’s content, which can be accessed by users through the domain linked to your hosting.

The online server is guaranteed a safe 24-hour connection to the World Wide Web by the provider.

Web hosting providers often offer additional services, which greatly facilitate managing of your hosting. They are:

• Control panel (cPanel, Direct Admin, …)
• Database MySQL (PhpMyAdmin)
• SSL certificate tools
• Backup copies
• E-mail
• Various scripting languages (CGI, SSI, PHP, …)
• A variety of web design software (WordPress, Joomla, Opencart, Magento, …)

What type of web hosting do I need?

The answer to the previous question is straightforward, but at this point, you need to ask yourself a few questions to be able to choose the right web hosting for you:

• Are you creating an informational website, a blog, an online store, or an app?
• How much content do you intend to display on your website?
• How many viewers are you expecting?
• Does your site require any special functions that will influence your choice of web hosting?

There are many types of web hosting and they are all intended for different types of websites and correspond to your wishes.

• Shared hosting
• Cloud hosting
• Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
• Dedicated servers

As the popularity of programmes like WordPress and Magento rises, some providers offer hosting packages that are optimized specifically to run these apps.

3. Logo and Corporate Visual Identity (CVI)

Before you start designing your website, it is usually a good idea to have the logo and the CVI ready. Why? Because this is your basis for creating the visual image of the website.

It is crucial that your website corresponds to the visual image of you company, as this greatly increases your website’s recognizability and causes less confusion in its users.

If you are in the phase of re-imagining or upgrading your logo or CVI, it is best to do this before creating the website.

4. High-quality content

High-quality content is important for two major reasons. First, user experience and second, higher Google ranking. At the same time, it is also important how the content is presented and divided into web pages.

Reason 1: User experience

Relevant information and good images and videos will make surfing your website a better experience. The user will spend a lot more time on the page and this creates the opportunity for you to use good content to sell your products or services.

Reason 2: Google optimisation

Google will display your website higher on the list of searches if your content is unique and relevant. This can be one of the key elements in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

5. Choosing the right technology

In this step, listen to the advice of your programmer if you do not possess the necessary skills. Websites come in many different shapes, using different computer languages. To make the right choice, you must consider many factors:

• The functionality of the website
• Managing and maintenance
• Budgeting
• Online safety
• …

At this stage, the leading system on the World Wide Web is currently WordPress CMS, accounting for 35% of all websites.

All these factors should be considered when choosing technology.

Basic websites and landing pages use HTML and CSS languages, as they are not too complicated.

In the world of blogs and informational websites, WordPress CMS is currently the most popular system. Being affordable and offering support and expansions makes it a very reasonable choice.

When it comes to an online store, technology is chosen based its size and functionality. The choices range from Woocommerce (smaller online stores) to Magenta (larger online stores), to custom designs.

6. Google analytics

As you are wrapping up the design of your website, it is recommended to incorporate Google Analytics to track website traffic. This is a small piece of code which is inserted on every page of your website and it saves information on its users anonymously.

This will provide data that will allow you to see your viewers’ journey through your website, where they start and finish, time spent on the website and other useful information which will allow you to advertise your website or online store.