Whether you are a craftsman, a merchant or a freelancer, having your own website can help you find new customers, sell your products on a larger market by reaching more prospects, or even improve your reputation. Being present online and displaying a neat presentation also allows you to prove your professionalism.
Making a website requires an investment of time. What are your objectives? What would you like it to evolve into? First, you need to think about your web strategy, your objectives and your success indicators.
What are the different types of websites?
Blog, e-commerce, showcase site, mobile version… Are you lost between all these terms? Yet you already know these different types of websites, and one of them is bound to correspond to your needs.
The showcase site
A showcase site is a site with limited functionality, which simply allows you to present your activity to Internet users and to give all the information to contact you. You can for example update it by creating content like articles or news sharing. This is the preferred format for many self-employed entrepreneurs, and also the easiest to create and maintain.
The blog
A blog is a site regularly fed with content, like a kind of online journal. Depending on your activity, the quality of your writing and the time you wish to devote to it, keeping a blog can be a way for you to establish a contact with your customers. Very often, your customers are looking for information on your type of services before calling on your services.
The e-commerce site
An e-commerce site is an online store, allowing customers to order items and pay directly online. If solutions exist for beginners, it is the most complex and expensive type of site to create.
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What are the mistakes to avoid when creating a website?
Once you have developed your website, there are a few good practices to follow to successfully install your web strategy:
Do not update your content: updating your content is an integral part of your strategy. It is important not to give the impression of being inactive. Updating your site is a guarantee to your customers: you can respond quickly and the information you provide is relevant and current. A regularly updated site will also be much more visited by search engines, and therefore more visible to your potential customers.
Poorly anticipate your needs: to start on the Internet, you don’t need to invest thousands of euros or precious time in features that are not necessary. If you only need a showcase site, don’t complicate your task by hiring someone to maintain it! By having control over your site, you will be able to make content and news updates yourself.
Target the real customer searches by developing a content strategy: very often, we visit sites because we find information that answers our initial requests and if we like it, we may be interested in the service offer. You can dedicate a blog part to your website that will allow your prospects to enter your site through an interest in the information that concerns your service.