Would you do business with a new company if they didn’t have a website?
If you’re anything like us, the answer is, probably not.
We are all so used to finding whatever we want online, it seems strange to us when we cannot find what we’re looking for.
If you’re planning to start a new business, building a website is essential.
It’s also cheaper and easier than you might think.
The Astra theme has been downloaded over 2.4 million times so we know a thing or two about websites.
This post shares some of that knowledge with you. By the end of this post, you’ll know everything you need to know to create a website for your small business.
We’ll even show you how to build one in 6 simple steps!
Why WordPress Is Best for Small Businesses
Let’s be clear up front, WordPress requires more work than other options, but the rewards far outweigh the effort involved.
You could use Wix or Squarespace to build a website, but you’ll be paying them each month for the privilege.
You’ll also have little control over how you build your site, how your data is handled and how you market it.
WordPress requires a little more effort but provides more too.
You’ll have more freedom over how you build and design your site and more control over data and how you market your business online.
The only limitation with WordPress is how much you’re willing to do with it!
How To Build a Website for a Small Business
It’s very straightforward to build a website for a small business.
There are lots of free tools to help. WordPress themes use drag and drop page builders so you don’t need to know code.
All you need is an idea and some time to bring it to life.
Follow these steps to create your own small business website!
Set Your Goals
Before you go shopping for hosting or a WordPress theme, it’s useful to spend a short time planning what you want your website to be.
- What do you want it to achieve?
- What’s your target audience?
- What will they expect to see on a website like yours?
For example, a small business may want to just get their name out there so a simple website will do.
Other businesses may want visitors to be able to book appointments or sell directly to the public from an eCommerce store.
The goals you set now will influence everything else you do when building your site.
Set Up Domain and Hosting
A domain name and web hosting are essential for every website.
The domain is your name on the web like our https://wpastra.com/. The www. is optional and most names work with or without it.
A good domain name should be:
- Short and easy to say and to type
- Memorable
- Similar to your business name and/or industry
- Keyword rich if possible
Your domain name will also give you a business email address so you want it to be good!
Web hosting is rented server space linked to the internet. Your website is stored on your host so it’s accessible to the world.
Performance is key when choosing a web host. Look for fast servers, a minimum of 99% uptime and preferably, unlimited bandwidth.
When we review web hosts, we typically look for:
- NVMe or SSD storage for speed
- Free SSL certificate for security
- Free domain name for the first year
- No limits on bandwidth or visitors
- Network-level and server-level security
- WordPress or app installer
- 24/7 support
- 99% uptime
Learn all you need to know about domains and hosting.
Install WordPress, a Theme and a Template
Most web hosts will automatically install WordPress for you. Just select it as the option when you’re setting everything up and the system will take care of the rest.
If you want to do it yourself, this guide will walk you through every step of the process.
WordPress is the framework that makes a website tick, but it’s the theme that makes it pretty.
It’s easy to install a WordPress theme, and free too.
The Astra WordPress theme is free and comes with a range of business Starter Templates.
To install the Astra theme:
Log into WordPress and select Appearance > Themes.
Select Add New and type ‘astra’ into the search box on the right.
Select Install and then Activate when the options appear.
Astra automatically installs itself and will present you with the setup wizard.
The wizard walks you through choosing a template, setting a logo, colors, typography and all the essentials you need.
This video walks you through the entire process. It’s really easy!
FYI: We use the Car Repair template in this post.
Customize Template to Your Needs
The Astra setup wizard lets you change the colors and typography but you can also change them later if you like.
You can change everything you see on the page, from the header to the footer using the WordPress site editor or your favorite drag and drop page builder.
For example, you can change sitewide colors like this:
Select Astra > Dashboard > Color.
You’ll be taken to the WordPress editor where you can change color schemes and individual colors however you like.
Use the same Astra > Dashboard to change the header, footer, site layout, typography and many aspects of your site.
For individual customizations on specific pages, open the page in the WordPress editor or page builder, select the block and change whatever it is you want to change.
You’ll see options within the block menu or on the right.
Remember to always save whenever you make a change!
Add Essential Pages
You can add pages to WordPress in seconds.
Select Pages > Add New and open in the editor or your page builder.
You can import the page design from another page by copying a page and renaming it or by using block patterns.
If you use the Spectra page builder (free with Astra), select the blue Template Kits button at the top of the page to install individual page designs.
Either way, you can create as many pages as you need with minimal effort.
There are some pages every business website needs.
Whether you’re a startup, freelancer or corporate multinational, you’ll need the following pages at the very least:
Homepage
The homepage is the main page of the website. It should contain navigation so visitors can find their way around.
It should also include a hero section outlining what you do and all essential information a visitor might need.
That will differ depending on what you do but can include a form to book an appointment, short teasers of products or services and some social proof to help convince the visitor you’re a safe bet.
Service Pages
Service pages should be full descriptions of a product or service covering features and benefits and all essential information.
A good service page addresses common pain points and makes the case for a visitor choosing you over one of your competitors.
About Us
The about us page is often overlooked but is now more important than ever.
People increasingly want to know where their product comes from, its origin story and your own story.
It’s the equivalent of provenance for antiques or point of origin of food ingredients. The more of your story you share, the more you engage the audience.
Contact Page
The contact page is essential. It’s where you can turn curiosity into action and will likely be where the calls to action throughout your site all point towards.
Some contact pages can be a form, social media handles and nothing else. Others, for businesses with a physical presence, can include a map and perhaps directions.
Learn more about website pages in this video:
Test Everything
Testing is key when launching a small business website. First impressions count and you want yours to be a positive one.
Test all pages work, check site copy, check all images, check any interactive elements and contact forms.
Top Tips for Building Website for a Small Business
As you have seen, building a website for a small business is relatively straightforward if you use WordPress and a quality template.
There is more to running a website though and these top tips should help.
Use a Fast Web Host
The faster your web host, the faster your website loads for visitors. Performance improves the user experience but also contributes to SEO.
How long would you wait for a web page to load?
If you’re anything like us, it isn’t long at all. That’s why performance is key.
Uptime and customer service come a close second to performance when shopping for a host. After all, you want your website to be there when people visit!
Use a Good Theme
A WordPress theme for business should deliver a fantastic user experience while reflecting your brand. It should also inspire confidence and deliver the professional aesthetic customers look for in a business.
If that wasn’t enough, the theme also needs to load quickly, be flexible enough to fit any purpose and be easy to use.
Astra is all those things and more.
Anyone with any level of experience can build an amazing website with Astra!
Quality Content
All Astra templates come with placeholder content so you can see how it will look but it’s up to you to fill it with your unique message.
Write from a visitor’s perspective. Why are they there? What do they want to know? What questions will they have about you, your products or services? What will convince them to do business with you?
Answer all those questions in your website copy.
Use short sentences, first person, friendly tone and simple language so you can communicate with the widest possible audience.
Edit site content carefully before you publish. If you’re not confident in your writing, you can use AI to check it for you.
Use this prompt in your AI tool of choice:
“Review the following web page content for grammatical errors and clarity of language. Suggest improvements, highlight errors and any keyword optimizations I might make.”
While we’re on the subject of AI…
Use AI Content Generators Carefully
AI content generators are very good at what they do but they still have a long way to go.
Use them to help create your website copy but be prepared to edit carefully and add your unique voice.
A small business website works best when it communicates your personality. Save the corporate style sites for when you’re larger!
Use a Single Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is where you try to get the user to do something. It’s a good idea if all calls to action on a page have the same message to reinforce the point.
Wherever you see content like:
- Book your free consultation today!
- Download for free!
- Try it now!
- Sign up for your free trial
- Schedule your free, no-obligation assessment
… you’re reading a call to action.
A call to action will usually have a snappy sentence or two like the above and a form or a button for the action.
They work incredibly well. If you craft a good call to action that gets people to engage, your small business will be off to a flying start!
Use Images and Video
Images and videos are amazing for engagement. They form part of visual content marketing and outperforms written content on all counts.
Did you know?
- Video is the most popular and effective media format. (Source)
- 50% of marketers used visuals in over 91% of their content. (Source)
- 91% of consumers want to see more online videos from brands. (Source)
- 96% of consumers have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product. (Source).
- Short-form video has the highest ROI of all marketing trends. (Source)
If you can add unique images and/or video to your small business website, engagement could go through the roof!
Add FAQs and Social Proof
Remember that website copy should answer as many visitor questions as possible? FAQs can help with that.
If you don’t want to fill your page with answers to every conceivable question, use a FAQ section instead.
Do it right and you may be featured in rich snippets or People Also Ask.
Social proof uses reviews and testimonials to help convert you into a customer.
We all read reviews before buying, especially when working with a new business. If you have genuine reviews or testimonials, make sure they feature prominently on the page!
Essential Plugins
WordPress is powerful and the Astra theme flexible, but there are things they cannot do.
That’s where plugins come in.
We tend to add a minimum of:
There are thousands of WordPress plugins to add extra features or improve existing ones.
Many are free and install directly into WordPress using the Plugins > Add New menu in the user dashboard.
Optimize for SEO
There are millions of websites out there, all vying for attention and trying to be found in search.
You’ll need to compete with any in your industry, which is where SEO comes in.
SEO, Search Engine Optimization, helps search engines understand, categorize and rank your website.
The better the SEO, the higher you could place in search.
It’s a huge, complicated subject, but there are SEO plugins for WordPress that can help get you started.
Learn To Blog
A blog is the part of your website where you can have two-way conversations.
It’s an opportunity to share news, seek opinion, chat, tell your story and engage with your audience.
Blogging also helps with your SEO by providing fresh content. Blog regularly and well and it could be a vital asset for your business!
Learning how to blog is easier than you might think.
Maintain Your Website
WordPress requires very little maintenance and can mostly look after itself. There are things you may want to keep an eye on though.
Those include:
- WordPress, theme and plugin updates
- Website uptime
- Backups
- Firewall and security
- Website and form errors
Learn all you need to know about WordPress maintenance with our detailed guide.
Creating Small Business Websites
So there you have it, our guide to creating a website for your small business.
By using WordPress, the Astra theme and a business template, you can create a professional online presence in no time at all!
It’s probably much easier and cheaper than you might have thought. Anyone, with any level of skill can do it.
Have you created a website for your small business recently? Learn anything you want to share? Have any comments or questions about building websites?
Tell us about it in the comments below!
Small Business Website FAQs
Here are some common questions we see and hear around building small business websites and their answers:
Should I build my website or pay someone else to do it?
Only you can decide whether to build your own website or pay someone else to do it, but we would recommend doing it yourself. You’ll get full creative freedom to build your own way, you’ll learn how everything works which can help keep it running and you’ll save a lot of money. Use WordPress and a theme like Astra and building a website is easy!
Do small businesses need a website?
Yes, small businesses need a website. Without one, how will people know you’re there? Even if you run a brick and mortar store or local business, you still want to attract customers from further afield. Growth is everything and a website delivers everything you need to grow.
Can you run a small business without a website?
You can run a small business without a website but we wouldn’t recommend it. What’s the first place you think to look when you want a service or to buy something? It’s the web. If you’re not there, you won’t attract new customers. It’s as simple as that.
What’s the cheapest way to create a website for a small business?
The cheapest way to create a website for a small business is to use WordPress and the Astra theme. Both are free to use and come with everything you need to build a website. You’ll only need to pay for domain and hosting, which could be as little as $60 per year and everyone has to pay for that. Everything else can be free with premium versions of everything purely optional.
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