Table of Contents
1. Decide the Purpose of the Website.
3. Decide Where to Host Your Website.
4. Create the Logo and Brand Guidelines
6. Prepare the Images and Videos for your Web Designers.
7. Consider Maintenance and Running Costs
Creating your brand new website can be exciting yet also super daunting. Therefore we have created the checklist before building your new website, to ensure you do not miss anything. This will also prevent you from making any common errors, by ensuring you don’t miss anything.
Building your new website is indeed a process, however, it is important that you take it slow as the end results will certainly make all your efforts worth it. Start checking off the next steps as you read this article. Essentially, it is the address of your website that it will be ‘residing’ at.
1. Decide the Purpose of the Website
There are a few categories you need to determine what the website will be, for example- is it an eCommerce site or an information site? This will help you tailor your design and words to best suit the style of sale. Furthermore, thinking about the future helps, such as if you are intending to write a blog in the future. Writing a blog comes in extremely handy, especially if you have a whole heap of knowledge to share to assist your customers in bettering themselves personally and professionally.
In order to be aware of the language you should use, pick out a designated target market. Then, doing research on this particular target market is important to give you more insight into what this specific group of people is interested in, and how to best gain their attention. Lastly, think of what makes you special- how will you stand out in an industry of very similar businesses? This will be your starting point on how you showcase your business to the public.
2. Register a Domain Name
In simple terms, a domain name is basically just the address of the website people will be using when typing in the URL bar in order to take a visit to your website. In super simple terms- if your website was a restaurant, the domain name would be the name of this restaurant.
2.1 How Do You Choose the Domain Name?
The checklist before building your new website makes it extremely vital that you do NOT create a random domain name, but instead one which has had lots of thought go into it.
1) Consistent with Your Brand
The domain name should be consistent with your business/brand name. For example, Yahoo, Domain, or Amazon, just to name a few.
2) Think Long Term
Make sure to also think of a long-term plan, and not make the name too specific to your present-day situation, especially if you have plans to go bigger in the future. For example, if you start a small flower business in North Ryde with plans to expand within Sydney in the future, don’t include ‘North Ryde’ in the domain name. For example, instead of something like “flowersnorthryde.com.au,” it is advised you use the brand name and leave out any location.
3) Make the Domain Name Short
The human brain is wired to only remember relevant and engaging stimuli, so they will be more likely to search it up if it is in their memory. Another problem with a long domain name could be that customers remember it wrong and consequently type in the wrong name, and end up with a ‘404 error.’ Chances are, they are unlikely to go back and try to find it after this.
4) Watch Out for Similarities
Avoid similar domain names, as this can cause confusion to the public when they search you up, as they will not be sure what to click on. Another reason why you should be careful is that if you are planning to do SEO, you will find yourself competing with other businesses. If they are similar, the varying domains will end up competing with each other on Google ads, which then drives the CPC up.
5) Using an Appropriate Top-Level Domain
Choose an appropriate top-level domain. For example, .com.au and .net.au. Note that there are a few guidelines in accordance with the Australian Domain Name Policy to be eligible to register with those two domains. This includes:
- being an Australian registered company
- trading under a registered business name in any Australian state or territory
- being an Australian partnership or sole trader
- having ownership of an Australian Registered Trade Mark
- an association incorporated into any Australian State or Territory
Regarding the other types of domain names,
- org.au refers to non for profit groups in Australia
- .edu.au refers to Australian educational institutions
- .asn.au is for Australian associations
Regarding .com, .org or.biz, you may wish to consider registering these domain names. These extensions can be easily registered by any organisation or individual wherever they are in the world. So, unless you are an international company, it is highly suggested that you stick to more traditional domain names such as what we just listed.
Are you another creative top-level domain? An example of this is lilyflower.shop, which is very unique. However, people can’t tell if this is an Australian business or not, neither can the search engine. Hence, if you are targeting a local market, it is highly suggested that you stick to the more traditional domain names, such as .com.au or .net.au.
2.2 Where Do I Register Domain Names?
There are plenty of websites to register your domain name in Australia, such as:
These are just a few examples. Our suggestion is to consider registering the domain name from the same place where you host your website so that everything is easily accessible.
2.3 Helpful Tips
You may register more than one domain even though you won’t use the domain. For example, to prevent competitors from essentially ‘stealing’ your brand, you may consider registering lillyflower.com.au as well as lilyflowers.com.au. This could also benefit you with visitors intending to view the site, but who don’t type the entire extension into their browser.
3. Decide Where to Host Your Website
3.1 What is web hosting?
In short, web hosting is the physical location of the files composing your website. It is essentially the home of your website. A simplistic way to go about this is if the domain name was similar to the address of your house, then the web hosting is the physical house that this address leads us to. All websites require web hosting.
3.2 Where can you organise web hosting?
You can easily create an account directly from an independent hosting provider, for example, crazy domain, site ground, go daddy, blue host, etc. There are a variety of options for you to choose from to satisfy what your business requires.
Some benefits to host from a third-party provider are:
- You will be in full control of access to your website. Regardless of your relationship with the web designer in the future, you won’t have to worry about transferring your website elsewhere.
- Independent website hosting services are super affordable, and user-friendly, especially for those who are just starting out.
3.3 What should you consider when deciding on a web hosting provider?
- Is it inclusive of domain registration?
- The hosting fee
- What is the level and standard of customer support? Most should provide 24 hours chatting support, but if you would prefer to call, this is something to think about in your decision-making.
3.4 What else should be included in the hosting plan?
- Domain name
- SSL certificate
We strongly encourage you to talk to your web developer first to have a better understanding of what is required.
4. Create the Logo and Brand Guidelines
4.1 Brand Guidelines
Brand Guidelines are a set of rules for everyone to understand how to represent your brand. Having the brand guidelines ready before building the website will allow your web designer to make sure your brand is consistently presented. A few assets are included in the brand guides, such as colors, logo, and your typography.
4.2 Choose the colour scheme for your logo
A vital piece of information is that colour is actually a very important method of grabbing attention and increasing conversion rates. Hence, choosing the right colour to represent your brand is vital for key attention-grabbing.
Colours invoke feelings and convey emotions within your audience. Check out our previous post to learn more about the psychology of colours.
4.3 Consider the Font
Another thing to consider is the fonts- Is it too big? Too small? Too over the top? These are all questions to ask yourself before deciding on your signature font.
4.4 Logos
Logos ensures your brand is memorable so that it sticks in the minds of your customers. Furthermore, logos communicate your brand ownership, values, and positive qualities. It should visually express your purpose easily so that customers get a good snapshot of what you stand for.
5. Copywrite
Content is king. Literally. It is vital to have attention-grabbing and informative topics which keep readers up to date. Copywriting is important as it strengthens your brand image and can also assist in gaining traction with new and old readers. It can also persuade potential customers to contribute to your business or use your services.
Check out our previous blog – a step by step guide to writing an engaging landing page. You will certainly find some inspiration on how to pitch your sales in your web copies.
Keep in mind that social proof such as testimonials is very important, as clients do tend to trust the word of their peers more than the business itself. A call to action is also essential because it encourages people to make a move, rather than taking all your info in and then doing nothing about it. This way, it increases your potential for conversion rates and shows potential customers that you are very interested and keen on their business, and to help them grow and achieve their goals.
Furthermore, copywriting should always be engaging and use language that is relevant to the target audience, and avoid any strong opinions.
6. Prepare the Images and Videos for your Web Designers
Although it is easier to hand over the effort and let the web designer source images for you, it is always recommended you have real images of your business in action. This is important as it provides clients with an insight that is personal and realistic of what you are like in action, and what they can expect from you. it is also better as it allows potential customers to see what they may be dealing with.
To do this, you could take photos of your store, your office, or your team, for example. You could even do vlogs such as ‘A day in the life’ so that customers know the daily grind of what your business gets up to. This gives them confirmation as well that you are a legitimate business and that you are keen and love what you do. When showcasing your team, ensure that everyone is dressed appropriately to present the company in the best way possible, and also showcase the amazing customer service that is provided.
You could hire a professional photographer or video editor so that they can capture your best moments.
7. Consider Maintenance and Running Costs
Website maintenance is simply the act of monitoring the overall health and success of your website. It ensures that your website is running at an optimal level engaging site visitors and increasing the chances of higher conversion rates. It also ensures that everything is up to date and relevant to the times to continue the growth of your website.
There are several factors that contribute to website maintenance costs such as
- Software updates
- scanning for vulnerabilities, particularly in security as customer data and privacy is highly regarded
- website backups
- website hosting fee
- your domain name renewal
- SSL certificate renewal
- content maintenance
Talk to your web developer and get a better idea of how much it will cost to run your website. This will ensure you could plan ahead and stay on top of the bill.
Okay, I Think I’m Ready!
Now that you have the checklist before building your new website, we hope that you will take into account all these points before moving ahead with that! Starting a new website can be challenging at the beginning, but it is also very exciting as it gives you the power and creativity to embrace your business and sell it how you want. If you have any queries about this, don’t be afraid to contact us for advice. You got this!
