Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
You know you need to be online, but it’s more complicated than it sounds. This six-step guide will walk you through all the decisions so you will have a functioning and attractive website next week.
1. Domain name
Your home on the Internet needs an address. This is called your domain name or URL (uniform resource locator). You can get a free web address as an add-on to another domain name, but it looks amateurish. You will need to pay for your own .com web address, and the payment is an annual one. Special offers abound, from free for the first year to a full price of around £14 a year.
Buy from a UK domain reselling company to avoid the hassle of currency fluctuations and managing foreign currency in your accounts.
Your domain should be short, memorable and easy to pronounce. Ideally, it should not be in a dictionary, making it brandable. You may not be able to buy the domain name that exactly matches your existing business name, so be flexible.
If you run a high street hardware shop called Green’s in Croydon, then look at greenshardware.com, greensofcroyden.com, and greenshardwarecroyden.com.
2. Design
If you are in a hurry,