Having a website isn't something you should brush off today. Now that most people have access to the internet, they browse the web to look for products and services to buy. And when 50% of consumers believe a great website contributes to a company's brand, it's something you need to set up correctly.

If you want to handle business website development the right way, you must learn the steps to take to get it up and running. Keep reading to learn how to build your business website.

Determine Your Website's Purpose

The first step to building a professional website is determining what it will be for. There are many types out there - from eCommerce stores to blogs. Each one takes something different to create.

Take a company wanting to advertise local services, for instance. You don't need anything complicated. You can set up a simple WordPress website and use pages to discuss your services.

On the other hand, an eCommerce store will need the ability to list products and sell to customers. You'll also need a secure payment processor to handle customer payments.

Pick a Domain Name

Once you understand the purpose of your website, the first step to making it a reality is picking your domain name. In most cases, this will be the name of your business. But if you're starting from scratch, you'll need to create a name.

You'll probably want to create a brandable domain name in this situation. Think of something that stands out and will help people understand what your business offers.

Try not to do something overly complex. Keep it simple and easy to remember.

Find Website Hosting

The next part of building a website is finding a place to put it online. This means finding a website host to store your website.

You don't need a big hosting plan starting off. You should be able to get away with shared hosting and pay a few dollars per month. This is great if you don't have many needs and only need an informational website.

But you may need more robust hosting if you plan to have more website features. In this case, think about getting a virtual private server (VPS). These servers give you more control, enabling you to install whatever software you need.

Install Your Website Software

You're ready to install your website software once you get your site up and running. The good news is that this is easier than ever today.

Most web hosts have a section of your administrative area that installs many software products automatically. Take WordPress, for instance. You can input your admin details and install the software with a few clicks.

Things are more complex if you have a custom application. You'll need to log into your root server and install everything you need with the command line. This normally means installing programming applications that understand how to read and run your website code.

You can skip this step if you have a hosted web app, like a Webflow website.

Invest in a Design

It's time to design your website once it is up and running. And with how important it is to provide a great first impression, don't take this step lightly.

If you're using website software, you can purchase a theme without spending much money on a professional website. You can use a free theme or pay for a premium theme that looks better.

But if you want something more unique, investing in a professional designer makes sense. For instance, you can hire a Webflow web design and development company if you use Webflow for your website.

Set Up Plugins

Another benefit of using pre-built website software is the use of plugins. Using a plugin doesn't mean you need to hire a professional developer to create custom functionality. Many of the websites features you can think of already exist as plugins.

Take a company that wants a contact form on its website. Without plugins, you need to program a contact form and set it to send emails to your email address. But with plugins, you can enter a shortcode on your pages to input your contact form.

Think of the features you would want your website to have and if they would exist as a plugin. You can use SEO, design, contact, design, and other features.

Use SEO

The great thing about websites is the ability to rank on the Google search engine. Google provides much of the website traffic on the internet. Without a presence there, it becomes much harder to get traffic.

However, you need to do some work if you want to rank. This process is known as SEO.

SEO allows you to rank for keywords people search for on Google. You research the topics that get searched for and write content to answer those questions. Once you have your content, optimize your website pages for those terms to increase your chance of ranking.

Once you have an established website and rankings, you can expect free traffic as long as you maintain your website authority.

Invest in Business Website Development Today

A great website can be one of the best investments you'll make as a business. It gives potential customers a way to find your business on their own terms and learn what you offer without talking to you directly.

But with how important your business website is in creating a great first impression, you can't afford to cut corners when creating a website. Follow the advice above during business website development to build a site that will help your company thrive.

Are you interested in learning how to drive traffic to your website after you get it running? Check out the best traffic generation techniques on the blog.