Digital skills hub help for businesses on setting up a website

How can a website benefit my business?

With 90% of internet users searching for local businesses online, having a website helps potential customers discover your business.

A website allows you to:

shine a spotlight on the personality and story behind your business
answer frequently asked questions, giving customers the information they’re after
give customers a way of previewing, reserving or purchasing products on offer in-store

How can a website benefit my business?

Before choosing it’s important to establish a framework for your website. Take a few minutes to walk through your business goals and objectives.

Ask yourself

What are the primary functions of my website?

This will help you identify the features you require from a website builder. Now that you have a sense of what your goals are and what you hope to accomplish with your website, you’ll need to select a website builder.

Steps to take:

Check the website builder’s pricing and plans.
Check for features to suit your goals.
Choose a platform that fits within your budget and goals.

Creating a website for your business has never been easier. There are plenty of website builders which offer templates and drag-and-drop features to make the process of building your website simple and stress-free.

Having a website enables you to design a virtual shop which communicates your brand.  Your website URL will typically take form in yourbusinessname.com or .co.uk.

You may need to pay to access more custom features and prices will vary across providers.

Where to create a website

Links:

Please note that these platforms are not endorsed by Westminster City Council

While your website features and functionality depend on your business needs, there are some essential information and features that all websites need:

your logo at the top
company name
a ‘Contact us’ page
a ‘Homepage’ with a short and concise description of what you do
an ‘About’ page- you can include information like your story and what makes your business unique

For more resources and advice on creating a website:

Online courses to help you get your business online - course, Google Digital Garage
Guide to creating a website - guide, Economic and Social Research Council

Here are just a few of the advantages of selling online:

be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
make savings on costs like rent, overheads, and answering pre-sale queries
receive payments quickly and safely through online transactions

How do I set up?

Depending on your website provider, you may need to upgrade to an ‘ecommerce plan’. This will unlock sales features such and allow you to accept payments through your website.

Visit your website provider to find out more information.

How can measuring website traffic benefit my business?

In order to continually improve your business’s online efforts, it’s important to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy.

Website analytics allow you to:

understand the behaviours of a visitor on your website
understand who your audience are and where they are coming from
understand how they found your website e.g. Social media, search engine, paid advertising

How do I set up?

Most website providers come with built-in analytics tools however the features offered may be limited. You can learn how to access them by visiting your website provider.

Alternatively, you can use Google Analytics to gain more in-depth detail about the visitors on your website.

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There are a range of free articles, online courses and webinars you can access to help you improve your digital skills in this subject area. You may need to create an account or provide your email address to access some of these resources.