We're not saying it's simple, but thanks to the internet, the process of going from zero to hero has sped up exponentially in the 21st century. This also means that how our website looks and feels is becoming increasingly important.
Whether you are launching a consulting service, e-commerce store, medical practice or anything else, a decent looking website is of paramount importance. It's often the place where potential clients, staff, partners, investors or patients go for a first or second glance to get a gauge of:
Who You Are
What You Do
What You Stand For/Values
Where You Operate From
Ultimately, you are looking to build/gain trust with your potential client, staff member, partner or investor , these days a website plays a crucial part.
10 Key Points On How To Build Website On a Low Budget.
1. Do You Really Need All The Bells and Whistles?
It's worth considering that Airbnb started off as a simple website for the San Fransisco Tech community to find spare couches to crash on during skyrocketing property prices.
2. Choose a Drag and Drop Platform
If you aren't the most tech-savvy (like most of us) and looking for an easy to use, drag and drop interface, we always recommend WIX Premium to our budding entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Why Wix?
Easy To Use (drag and drop.....no coding required)
Unlimited Edits (update design, website flow, content etc..)
24/7 Support (Entrepreneurial Dream)
Free Domain
Pre-Designed Templates or Build Your Own
Endless Plugins (Online Chat, Appointment Booking, Webforms, Blogs etc...)
Protected Closed System, Harder to Hack (can be costly on OpenSource sites)
Smooth Analytics (Integrates with Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics in one click)
E-Commerce Functionality
CRM Built-In (with some limitations) For a full list of features, click here
3. Defining Your Audience
Knowing your initial audience is key to get some early wins on the board. What kind of language, branding and copy are you using and does it match your initial audience? At E.K we generally follow Geoffrey Moore's crossing the chasm bell curve when defining our messaging and audience - See Below
4. Continuously Updating Your Design and Copy To Match Your Audience
As your business changes and grows, so does your clientele/audience. It is beneficial to adapt your web page inline with your changing audience. At E.K we use the below framework in our market research stage to develop hypothetical "persona's" for the different stages of the bell curve. These "persona's" allow us to know which audience our copy is directed towards and edit our site accordingly.
5. Define Desired Outcomes & Design Appropriately
What Do You Want Your Customers To Do When They Land On Your Website?
6. What Content Should Your Website Incorporate?
Clear Value Proposition
About Us/You Section
Links To Social Media
Simple and Intuitive Navigation
Contact Info
Blog Highlights
Testimonials
Services/Features Breakdown
A Clear Call To Action
7. Open Source Imagery
We always recommend original content images and graphics for our client's websites, however, free open-source image websites like unsplash.com, can save a bucket load of $$$ and time when looking for sharp imagery to back up your copy.
8. Leave Out The Hype
Stay humble and stick to the facts, you are NOT the next UBER or Google just yet and no doubt there are plenty of hurdles to overcome before you are 1000th the size. Keep your messaging clear, concise and stick to the problem you are trying to solve.
9. Information & Automation
In the early stages, one or two-man bands can quickly become bogged down in simple repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Can some questions be answered on your website, such as;
Delivery Times
Return Policies
Consultation Process
Fee Structure etc.......
Platforms such as WIX allow for automation and triggered responses based on customer interactions. Providing auto responses based on events allows you to get on with the job at the same time as providing your customer with the information they need. e.g.
"Thank You For Enquiring Responses"
"Information Booklet Requests"
"Receipst"
"Technical Support Request Received" As your business matures so can the complexity of your automation.
10. Ask For Help
Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, The Ethical Kollektiv has decided to offer 10 people who's careers are affected:
Website Builds For $1000 Aud on the Wix Platform.*
*(Excluding WiX Service Fee's)
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