​8 Things You Need to Build a Website in 2020

With a new decade now upon us, advances in technology require all businesses to have their own website in order to be successful. Online shopping has become increasingly popular, meaning that consumers are more likely to turn towards their laptop or smartphone for products and services.
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Whether you’re about to launch your own business, or you have many years of experience, creating a website is easier said than done. To build a good and functional website for your company, here are 8 things that you will need.

​Domain Name

​The first thing you will need to acquire before launching a website is a domain name. This will be your digital address that consumers will use to get through to your business page. There are various domain name providers that you can use such as NameCheap and GoDaddy, where you can check if the domain name you desire is available, as well as how much it will cost to use per year. For your brand to be successful, it’s advised that you match your domain name with your company name. 

​Business Email Address

​Once you have found the right domain name for your business website, the next step is to create a business email address. Gaining credibility amongst clients and consumers is key, so instead of relying on platforms like Gmail and Outlook, going one step further and taking a professional approach by using your business name in the address will help make your company more reputable. While you may initially think a free email account will save you money, this could damage your reputation as a business. If you’re serious about building a successful business website, it’s important that you obtain a business email address that links with your website domain name.

​Website Building Software

To build your business website, you can consider using a website builder software like Wix or WordPress. If you aren’t familiar with the two platforms, then you may want to look at a comparison of their features; Wix outlines the key differences here. There are some website builders that will work better for your needs than others, so learning more about your options is essential.

​Website Hosting

​If you are not using a website builder, you will need to find your own host for your website.  A host is the storage unit where your website content is housed online. Whenever a consumer enters your domain name in their web browser, this will cause the browser to fetch your content from your website host. Before picking your hosting, you will need to establish how many visitors use your webpage. The 4 main types of website hosting are dedicated hosting, shared hosting, VPS hosting, and free hosting.

​High-Quality Images

​When consumers and clients use your business website, the images you house on your page can be the difference between people jumping onboard with your brand and going elsewhere. High quality photography and graphics will elevate your website and create the impact you want. From your own experience, visiting web pages that have fuzzy images will likely turn you off, so it’s important that you find professional images that stand out and do the talking for your products and services.

​Image Editors

One of the most essential tools that a website owner should possess is an image editor. If you don’t have the funds to hire an experienced graphic designer, using an image editing tool can be just as useful. While Photoshop may be the first software that springs to mind, if you aren’t tech savvy, it’s likely that you will have difficulty using it. To get the most out of Photoshop, you will need to pay for all the features, so using a free image editing tool like Fotor may be the best option.

​Google Analytics

If you’re ready to launch your business website, it’s vital that you keep track of how many people visit your website. Google Analytics is a tool that many business owners use to establish how many visitors are interacting with their page, and what areas of the website are more popular than others.
For your business website to flourish and receive the traffic you desire, all the things listed above are key components that go into creating a professional and successful website.