Most Effective Ways to Build a Website 

Most people usually overlook the amount of work involved in building a website especially when it comes to choosing the right platform for them and/or their business. To build a good website, there are plenty of options and even more information out on the web. This article is to help you with this confusing issue, for it is very easy to be misled and pick the wrong option for your project when starting in this sea of information. Instead of telling you which platform to pick, we want to help you choose the most suitable option for you and your business by asking questions that are relevant which in return will show you the right platform. Read until the end for a bonus tip!

Like we mentioned above, building a website comes with many options. Choosing the right platform is the key, but how can you choose the right platform? We believe that knowing the most impactful factors should help you make the best decision possible. For that reason, here’s a list of factors to consider in order to select a platform on which you can effectively build your Website:

• Price & Subscription 
• Support 
• Domain 
• Hosting 
• Beginner Friendliness 
• Customization, Flexibility & Limitations
• Advantages for your business type (E-commerce, Blog, Service) 
• Reliability, Performance, and SEO

Before discussing those points in further details, let’s establish the fact that all websites are built using programming regardless of the platform you are on. Even when it may not seem so, websites are built in multiple ways that are all programming at their core. One way is directly with programming using HTML, CSS and JavaScript or other programming language. Another way is with a platform builder which itself is built with programming for example well known platform like WordPress (built with PHP), Shopify (built with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby) and more. Now let’s discuss what we mean by each factor above in more detail.

• Price & Subscription – Expenses can rapidly kill your profit in business, as a result you must find out all your expenses as early as you can. It is crucial to know how much it will cost to build your site, startup fees and any other fees such as subscriptions, domain, and hosting. If you’re using a builder like Shopify or Squarespace, check if there is a free trial to test the service. Make sure to ask or find out: how much for monthly and/or yearly subscriptions fees, late fees, cancellations and more? 
• Support – Websites crash all the time, and the reason is almost always what you least expect. You must know what to do, who to contact, how and when to contact in case of a crash or emergency. 
• Domain – Do you have to purchase your own domain or is it included in the subscription price? Will you have a customized domain or a page extension of the platform (yourbusines.com vs yourbusines.platform.com)? Also check if domain privacy is included.
• Hosting – Hosting is where you website resides, its company server that allows your website to function. Make sure to find out who handles the hosting, and what will happen in case you decide to change your website, platform, or hosting. 
• Beginner Friendliness – How easy will it be for you to build the website yourself in case you want to? If not, will you be able to access the backend easily? Some platform are quite user friendly, and others not so much. If you want to handle minor things yourself, list them out and see find out how easy or difficult it may be.
• Customization, Flexibility & Limitations – How flexible and customizable is the platform? Are you limited to the extent of the platform or can you edit the themes or source code? What are the limitations? There’s always a limit, for example can you export the website and/or domain to another platform?
• Advantages for your business type (E-commerce and/or Blog) – Is the platform e-commerce/blog friendly or support the type of business you have in specific ways? How much help is built in by default?
• Performance, Responsiveness and SEO – Performance is also very crucial for all website, make sure to check the ratings and reviews of the platform, its speed, and reliability. Is the website Mobile responsive?  And if any SEO help built in or available?  

We really think finding out the answers to these questions is great place to start. For your website to be effective it has to bring massive amount of value to your business, which means the website has to be done right. Knowing the answers to these concerns will help you make the best decision for your business. Over the next few weeks, we will do a deep dive on different platforms. We will answer those questions about the platform to make it even easier for you. As promise we have a bonus tip for you! Did you know there are many ways to build your website completely free? One example is WordPress.com the website builder not the software. They have a free plan that gives you a page with a domain extension for free. For example if you just want to test a business you can get a free website extension like BusinessName.Wordpress.com to test your idea, then make the switch later.

If you find this article valuable, feel free to share it with others for our goal is to provide you as much Value as we can with minimal Effort on your end. If you need help with your Website, App or Marketing or similar business solutions, check out the list of service on the home page or reach out directly. We provide value driven business solutions, strategic support, and data-driven leadership to help you (our client) plan your company’s future and build its performance. Get ahead of the competition! As always thank you for taking the time to read another edublog from AWA and don’t forget to share it!