CHOOSING & REGISTERING A DOMAIN NAME

Choosing your domain name is one of the most important decisions you will make because it affects how easy your business is found online, which in turn can underpin the success of your site.

Tips: 

∙           Put yourself in your customers’ shoes; what words would they type into a search engine to find your business?

∙           Keep the domain name nice and short. If your business has a long name, how 'bout an acronym?

∙           Your first choice of domain name might be taken already so it pays to make a list of several options, then check their availability on a domain register.

∙           If you’re targeting a local Australian market, you’ll probably want a .com.au site, but if you’re thinking of joining an export market or opening an online store, you’ll want to consider a .com, .net or .biz domain.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE? 

The functions you want the site to perform in the short, medium and long-term will affect the choice of CMS, the overall website design, the built-in features, and the site’s look and feel.

Tips:

 ∙           Try to define why you need a website. Is it to showcase your products or services, to establish credibility, to build a database of people interested in your product, to provide an online price and product list or to sell online?

∙           Decide whether you need all of the above features at once, or whether you will add to them over time.

∙           You might decide to start with a simple web presence of a few pages, with the intention of adding functionality as your budget, customer base, or website proficiency increases. For example, you might start with a home page, a ‘contact us’ page, and one or two other pages, and then add on the option to have customers sign up for a monthly newsletter. You might add a FAQs page, and then look to include ecommerce and links to your social media pages.

∙           Visit other websites for ideas and record them – this is a great way to get ideas and inspiration.

∙           Draw up a list of your favourite designs and features and rank them in order of importance. This can be really useful when it comes to explaining to us the type of site you want.

WHICH FEATURES TO INCLUDE ON YOUR WEBSITE

It can be tempting to fall into the ‘bigger is better’ trap and opt for a fancy website with animation and videos and sound. Sites like this are not only expensive but they often have a negative impact on a site’s potential because not all users and search engines can view such features and they can be slow to load. The best sites are usually the ones with a nice design and layout which is fast loading and easy to use. You will get the best results if you keep your website pages simple and consistent. Remember: less is more!