Even if your business doesn’t involve eCommerce, having an online presence with a professional looking website it crucial for credibility, not to mention engaging visitors.
These stats speak for themselves:
This guide maps out the Nine Steps to create a website that makes your business stand out for all the right reasons. We’ve concentrated on giving you the Top Tips and Top Mistakes for each step, so you can take the right actions with no time waste.
Benefits & myths
Your website is the primary way people gauge whether to take your business seriously or not. It’s also a vital hub for your marketing efforts, like social media, email campaigns, and ranking high in search results.
The fact is that every small business needs a website, because if done right, it will keep on delivering ROI indefinitely. Here’s a summary of why:
- Visibility & Reach — you’re tapping into the global marketplace, of around 6 billion internet users.
- Cost-Effective — creating digital marketing campaigns will drive visitors (aka ‘traffic’) to your site, often at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.
- Lead Generation — your website lets you build a valuable subscriber list to create a relationship of trust with potential customers. This will significantly boost your revenue.
- Profitability — people are increasingly doing their shopping online. Businesses typically generate 60–70% of their total sales through their websites these days.
Website misconceptions
Do you still feel a website isn't a high priority for your small business? Let’s explore the most common myths:
- Too Expensive — websites used to cost a lot, but not anymore. There’s a huge amount of choice these days, with something to suit every taste and budget.
From a simple platform you can launch in minutes, to popular web-builders like Squarespace or Wix, to managed WordPress where you have almost unlimited flexibility for customization and without the usual hassle.
- Don’t Need One, I’m On Social Media — while social media is important, it’s only one type of marketing channel, while a website facilitates many more numerous marketing activities.
Also on social media your audience can be wiped away by an algorithm change at the whim of the platform, whereas a website gives you full ownership of your digital presence.
- My Business Is Too Small — whether you’re a one-person consultant or a small café, a website gives you a global, 24/7 digital storefront. If done right, it will make people choose you over your competitors. And what small business doesn’t want that?
- Difficult to Maintain — these days, website builder platforms offer easy-to-use Dashboards, drag-and-drop design features, and automatic updates. If you can manage a Facebook profile, you can manage a website.
Overview of do’s and don’ts
For those who are too busy right now to read further for a deeper dive, here’s a highlight of the key things you need to keep in mind about websites:
DO:
- Treat Your Site Like a Core Growth Tool — think of it as the foundation for getting new customers, so it’s an investment, not an expense.
- Prioritize Your Target Audience — when designing your site, your customers should be foremost in your mind. What type of look will make the best impression on them? How well do you solve their pain points with your product/service presentation?
- Focus on Building Brand Trust.— make sure you have good customer support so you’re seen as reliable. Highlight social proof with good reviews. Add certifications for your industry, and a security Trust Badge for added credibility.
- Leverage Analytics — even a simple site with tools like Google Analytics can give you invaluable insights into customer behavior, so you can keep levelling up to outshine your competitors.
- Make Navigation Easy — you want your site visitors to be able to find what they want without having to click around a lot, or they’re very likely to click elsewhere.
- Invest in Quality Visuals — high-resolution images and videos make all the difference in creating a professional impression that gives people confidence in your business.
DON’T:
- Overcomplicate the Design — simplicity is key. Go for a clean, spacious look, because cluttered layouts make people confused and tired.
- Neglect Mobile Users — people are increasingly using their phones to shop online, especially the younger generation. Your site may look gorgeous on a large screen, but if it’s not optimized for mobile users, you could lose as much as half your visitors.
You’ll want to make sure your site is responsive (it sizes neatly to fit every type of screen), your pages load fast, and people don’t have to scroll or click endlessly to find what they want.
- Ignore Branding Consistency — it may seem like something small, but remember that the online space is very noisy, so you want people to remember your brand because it’s instantly recognizable. Quality website design is all about making an instant good impression.
You may want to try out LogoMaker for a free, but professional looking design to help you stand out, as well as for choosing the colours to base your website around.
- Forget SEO — you could have the best website in the world, with the best products and services, but it will all mean nothing if no-one knows you’re there. SEO makes sure you get found in search results. And the good news is that now you don’t need an expensive agency to figure it out. Check out RelateSEO to make website optimization easy.
The nine steps to success
Rather than giving you the same old information to build any website, discover the Top Tips and Mistakes tat make sure your site is the gift that that keeps on giving.
1. Define your goals
This is a step that people often skip, but if you take the extra time to do this, you’ll boost the long term ROI of your website in a major way. A site without clear goals is like taking a road trip without a destination.
To narrow down your primary goal, ask yourself these core questions:
- Do I primarily need to generate leads, drive sales, or build awareness?
- Who is my target audience, and what are their pain-points that I’m trying to solve?
Top Tips:
- Be Specific — instead of setting a goal like ’increase sales’, define measurable objectives. For example, ‘50 new leads per month’, or ‘sell 100 products in my first quarter’.
- Prioritize — keep your focus on your primary goal, don’t try to make your website do everything. As a phase two and onwards you can always strengthen other sides, but never lose track of the main objective.
- Align — make sure every page of your site serves your main goal. Also keep it customer-focused.
Top Mistakes:
- Skipping the Research — many new small business owners plunge ahead without taking the time to understand the needs of their audience, and how to position within the marketplace. This is one of the main reasons startups fail.
- Unclear Audience Targeting — your site won’t resonate with potential customers if you don’t know who you’re trying to appeal to.
- Features Overload — too much clutter and stuff going on will dilute the focus of your site, overwhelming visitors.
2. Choose the right platform
The platform you choose for your website will determine crucial aspects which affect your business, like how much control you have, how easy it is to maintain, and what features you can have.
Migrating platforms further down the road can be a major headache, so take time to pick the right one. These are the most popular options, along with some points to consider:
- SiteMaker — if you just want an online presence that you can easily launch in minutes at a low cost, this is a good choice.
- Wix — easy to build a good looking site, and the price tag for the first year is good. But the downside is they hike up their prices in year two, and make it hard to migrate to another platform.
- Squarespace — great for ecommerce with built in payment, and lots of stylish templates designed for sales. But it can get pricey, and they don’t offer a lot of flexibility for customization.
- Shopify — offers more customization than Squarespace, and is good for advanced ecommerce users. But some complain the design side isn’t as impressive, and they make it hard to exit.
- Wordpress — the longest standing platform of choice. It offers tons of robust usability, and great flexibility with plugins. But it can be hard for busy, non-techy small businesses to maintain. That’s why we’d recommend Managed Wordpress, giving you all the benefits without the hassles.
Top Tips:
- Try Before You Buy — many platforms offer free trials; so it’s a good idea to test them out. Explore the ease of use and features, before committing.
- User-Friendly — choose a platform that matches your technical skill level. The last thing you want is to spend all your time fiddling around on your site instead of progressing with your business.
- Think Long-Term — while it’s natural to want a website that’s easy to use, make sure that it also suits your business growth needs.
Top Mistakes:
- Choosing the Cheapest — free platforms or really cheap options will naturally have limitations. They might be too basic for your needs, or they might involve lots of maintenance. Also beware of platforms that start off cheap, but hike their prices after year one while making it hard to migrate your site.
- Neglecting eCommerce — if at any time you plan to sell anything on your site, make sure it will support that seamlessly.
- Ignoring SEO — pick a site that makes it easy to optimize for getting found online, like easy meta data and keyword updates.
Learn more: Want a cheap e-commerce website? Here are 4 ways to get it.
3. Choose a domain & hosting plan
Your domain name is your digital address, so it’s an important element of good branding. And when it comes to hosting, you’ll want to make sure they have a good reputation for security, no downtime, and consistently fast loading times.
Top Tips:
- Short & Simple — people need to be able to remember your domain easily and type it into their browsers.
- Use Keywords — if possible, include a primary keyword that reflects your business, such as ‘NYBakery.com’. This will boost your local SEO ranking.
- Protect Against Competitors — it’s a good idea to buy a few domains, so other businesses don’t take them and divert your customers. For example, a UK company you could buy the .com, .uk, and .shop domain extensions.
Top Mistakes:
- Obscure Domain Extensions — while they’re often cheaper, buying domain extensions that people are unfamiliar with will be hard to remember. It’s best to stick to the usual ones, like .com, .org, or country-specific.
- Neglecting WHOIS Protection — to avoid scams, only buy from WHOIS registered sellers. This is a public database that lists information about domain name registrations and DNS settings updates. But to prevent getting spammed, choose to keep your personal information private.
- Cheap Hosting — in most cases you get what you pay for. The cheapest hosting providers sometimes have downtime and often impose slow loading speeds during peak times, so they’re not worth the saving.
Here are some useful resources to help you nail this step:
Domain Guides:
Domain Tools:
Hosting Guides:
4. Design your branding & layout
A good website needs to be instantly compelling to your target audience. Keep the 3 Second Rule in mind i.e your website has just moments to catch a visitor’s attention before they click away.
Branding is something you could write a book on, and large companies spend fortunes on it. But for small businesses, the good news is that most website platforms come with pre-made templates for you to choose from.
Find a template theme you like the look of, then make it your own. Also do some research online to look at successful design templates in your industry.
Top Tips:
- Consistency — it’s important you use the same colors, fonts, and logo across your website, social media, and other materials. This establishes a cohesive, instantly recognizable brand identity.
Colors have a psychological impact, so you’ll want to choose a color palette that fits your business. For example, if you sell eco-friendly products, then earthy tones would be best. A fitness coach would use bold, energetic colors, while a law firm might stick to a minimalist black-and-white palette.
- Simplicity — modern professional website design has a clean, sleek look. This also makes important features stand out, like your call-to-action buttons.
If you’re struggling to decide what your main colors should be, try designing your logo first by playing around with some templates to see what feels right.
- User-friendly — make sure your design images make it easy for site visitors to navigate around and find what they want quickly. The user experience needs to feel easy, clear, and intuitive.
Top Mistakes:
- Overdesigning — if there’s too much going on making things look cramped, or if there are too many flashy features and elements screaming for attention, your website could seem overwhelming. This will also distract from your main message, as well as your call-to-action buttons.
- Ignoring Mobile Design — mobile devices now account for as much as 59.4% of global website traffic, and the younger generations are always glued to their phones. So make sure your site has a template theme that is dynamically responsive, automatically resizing to suit different screens.
- Forgetting Accessibility — to come across as caring, and so as not to lose any customers, also make sure your site is usable for people with disabilities.
Here are some useful resources to make your branding stand out, while keeping things simple:
Guides:
Tools:
5. Create content that converts
Make no mistake, quality website content is crucial. This is your initial sales pitch. Compelling copy and visuals can turn curious visitors into loyal customers. You’ll want to make sure your content is well-structured, engaging, helpful, and trust-building.
Bear in mind that each page on your site has a specific purpose. And together, they need to create a seamless experience for visitors, guiding them from learning about your business to taking action – this could be subscribing to your newsletter, making a purchase, scheduling a consultation, or even bookmarking your site so they can come back later.
Different types of businesses will obviously have unique priorities with their content. For example a restaurant needs a stand out menu section with good descriptions and a booking feature, while a local bakery should have lots of mouth watering pictures to make people want to visit their store.
Now let’s look at the core pages that every website needs to have:
- Home — take time to hone your value proposition (this should tell the visitor in a few words why they would want to be there). Summarize your products or services. Divide this page into sections to introduce different areas of your site, and make it easy to access them.
- About Us — showing your humanity and ethics are great ways for small businesses to stand out from the big corporates. Build trust by sharing your story, mission, and values.
- Products/Services —be sure to clearly describe your offerings, and how they benefit people. Your main focus should be on coming across as helpful, not shouting about how great you are.
- Contact — as with About Us, this page builds trust. Include multiple ways for customers to reach you i.e. form, email, phone, social media links. If you’re local, it’s a good idea to add a Google map.
As you become more established adding a Blog, where you share helpful articles that your customers will find interesting, is a great way to boost your marketing success.
Top Tips:
- Prioritize the Home Page — this is your shop front that the world sees. It should make an immediate impact, so people want to know more. Make sure it communicates your unique value, clearly and concisely.
- Stong CTAs — each page should have clear buttons that guide visitors to take specific actions e.g ‘Get a Quote’, ‘Book a Consultation’, ‘Try for Free’ or ‘Buy Now’.
- Scannability — have stand out sub-headings, bullet points, and spaced paragraphs, so people can jump to areas of interest instead of being overwhelmed with big blocks of text.
- Taglines — make sure to have headings that immediately tell visitors what your business offers and why they should shop with you e.g. ‘Freshly Baked Goods Delivered to Your Door’.
- Audience Focused — as mentioned, instead of shouting about your business, keep the focus on the tastes, needs, and pain points of your target audience. Explain the benefits and solutions you can offer them.
- Storytelling — share your business’s reason for being and values, to connect emotionally with visitors.
- Social Proof — add positive reviews to build brand trust. See the Tools section below for help with this.
Top Mistakes:
- Too Much Text —don’t overload your pages with huge amounts of detail. Keep your messaging concise and impactful. The exception of course is a Blog section, where you want to be genuinely helpful by diving deeper into topics.
- Skipping Essential Pages — many small business sites neglect to add a Contact and About Us page, which are missed opportunities to build trust.
- Not Updating Content — having web pages that haven’t been updated in months erodes trust and credibility. It’s like entering a store and finding no-one there.
- Wrong Focus — take care to keep your focus on customer needs and benefits, not aggressive sales.
- Neglecting Visuals — poor-quality images or videos will make your site look amateur. High-quality images and videos can boost conversion rates by 80%.
Here are some useful resources to help you create content that makes an impact:
Guides:
Tools:
6. Get found online
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what makes your website get found by people that are looking for what you offer. It drives ‘organic traffic’ i.e. site visitors that you don’t pay for with ads. This reduces your marketing costs, and helps you grow your customer base.
The main task for SEO is to optimize your content with the relevant keywords and phrases. For example, ‘best cupcakes in Santa Monica’ for a local bakery, or ‘affordable business coaching’ for a consultant.
There are other factors that search engine algorithms look at to decide when and how high to rank your website, like context, and whether people engage with your content.
You have to keep finetuning to rank higher than competitors. Search engines these days are more sophisticated, and are primarily looking for quality sites that offer good customer experience. So SEO is an ongoing process, not a sprint.
Top Tips:
- Keywords & Phrases — get help to find the search terms your target audience is using. See the Tools sections below.
- Page Load Speed — Google has been measuring page speed and using it in their ranking algorithms since 2010. And a slow-loading site is sure to lose you customers, especially mobile users. Find out how to sped things up in the Guides section below.
- Optimize Images — using descriptive file names and alt text tells the search engine crawlers what they are, which will improve your rankings.
- Internal Links — make sure to cross-link between pages to help visitors and search engines navigate your site.
- Backlinks — try to get active on other platforms so they link to your website. This tels Google you have a quality site that people are engaging with, which is one of the main ways to boost your ranking.
Top Mistakes:
- Keyword Stuffing — a common mistake that small businesses make, but ruining your content by overusing keywords can earn you a penalty of dropped rankings. It demonstrates poor customer experience.
- Ignoring Local SEO — if your business has a local presence, it’s important to include your location in keywords to rank higher in local search results.
- Skipping Meta Descriptions — these are the short snippets (150–160 characters) you see in search results. Making them appealing will improve click-through rates. It also helps the algorithms understand whether your site is relevant to a user’s search.
We’ll be releasing a helpful guide in the near future that helps small businesses cut through the complexity of SEO, but here are some useful resources in the meantime:
Guides:
Tools:
7. Sort out security & compliance
Customers need to feel confident when interacting with your site, especially if they’re sharing personal and payment information. Good security builds trust, and protects your business, so you don’t want to skip this step.
Top Tips:
- Website Protection — downtime because of malware is not something small businesses can afford, so it’s a good idea to get automated security that scans 24/7 for cyber crime. Some also include a real-time Trust Badge to let customers know they’re safe. See the Tools section below for an affordable suggestion.
- SSL Certificate — this security protocol encrypts the link between a web server and a web browser. Changing your url from ‘http’ to ‘https’, it’s the standard security most people expect to see. Google also marks ‘http’ sites as insecure, and lowers their ranking, so it’s important for SEO. You can buy an SSL Certificate that comes with support and other benefits, or get one free.
- Privacy Policy — it’s also become standard for websites to have a Privacy Policy page explaining the way you handle user data. Check out templates from people in your industry, or see the Tools section to generate one.
- Payment Gateways — if you take payment online, make sure the platform you use has robust security to protect user data. Stripe and PayPal are two of the most popular ones.
- Software Updates — make sure to keep your website CMS and plugins current on security patches, to protect against hackers. Most website platforms do this as part of your package.
Top Mistakes:
- Weak Passwords — in this day and age it’s highly advisable to get a Password Manager to generate a really strong password for your site, as you’d be surprised how easily hackers can figure out simple passwords.
- Neglecting Backups — losing your website data would be catastrophic, so make sure you back it up regularly. It’s a good idea to get an automated solution, incase you forget.
- Forgetting GDPR Compliant — this is a set of data protection rules that websites have to follow for EU and UK audiences. You’ll need to add privacy policies and cookie consent notices if your site offers goods or services to buyers in this part of the world.
Here are some useful resources to get everything safely buttoned up:
Guides:
Tools:
8. Test & launch
Before launching your website, you’ll want to do some testing to make sure it’s error-free, and working smoothly across different devices. You only get to make one first impression, so taking a little extra time for this step is worth it.
Top Tips:
- Mobile-friendly — test multiple devices. The good news its there are free platforms that test mobile compatibility for you, by simply adding your site’s url. See the Tools section below for an example.
- Functionality — click all links, submit subscription forms, and go through the payment process on your site, so you see what users will see.
- Loading Speed — check your site loads within 2–3 seconds. See the Tools section below for help with this.
- Soft Launch — as a phase one, share your site with a small group of trusted friends or colleagues to get their feedback, before your public launch. It’s common to have blind spots when you’ve been closely working on something.
Top Mistakes:
- Rushing — it’s tempting to want to launch asap, but as mentioned, it’s worth taking the time to iron our any creases so you can make the best impression.
- Skipping Analytics — without tracking tools, you won’t know how your site performs. This is vital information for the success of your business, as well as to show you where you can improve. See the Guides section below to learn more.
Here are some useful resources to iron out all the creases:
Guides:
Tools:
9. Maintenance & updates
A website is like your home, it needs regular maintenance to remain in top condition. You’ll need to make sure your site remains relevant, secure, and optimized for performance, all of which will help you convert visitors and build loyalty.
Top Tips:
- Content Updates — every quarter, it’s a good idea to do a content audit to give things a spruce. Also make sure you schedule the removal of promotion highlights on the date they expire. Fresh content improves your credibility, SEO, and customer engagement.
- Monitor Performance — be sure to keep a vigilant eye on your analytics, to track traffic, bounce rates, and conversions. This will allow you to improve poorly performing areas’ so you don’t leak money.
- Backup — protect your site from data loss with automated backups. That way it’s a one-and-done, rather than you having to think about it.
- Monitor Uptime — make sure you’re notified as soon as critical events occur, like an expired domain name or SSL Certificate, broken connection to the database server or email service. Luckily you can find free software to help with this. See the Tools section below for an example.
Top Mistakes:
- Ignoring Security Updates — website vulnerabilities open the door to hackers and malware, which can lead to loss of customer trust and downtime. It’s best to get automated security so you’re never at risk.
- Forgetting to Test Compatibility — whenever you get feature updates, there’s a chance they may not play nicely with your existing functionality. Be sure to check that everything still works smoothly.
Here are some useful resources to help keep your website doing its job like a well oiled machine:
Guide:
Tool:
When to work with a professional
Modern website builders make it easy to create a website yourself. But sometimes, it’s worth the extra spend to hire a professional.
For example, you may need advanced features, or a specific design that you can’t find in the generic templates. Or maybe you simply have more important things to do than play around with a web builder, so saving time would be a smartest investment for you.
Top Tips:
- Expertise Not Cost — bear in mind that while hiring a skilled professional is more expensive, the goal is to save time and guarantee quality. So there’s no point in going for the cheapest designer or developer you can find.
- Review Portfolios — make sure your developer has experience in the functionality you’re looking for, and your designer’s style matches the type of branding you want.
- Clear Vision — take the time to provide detailed instructions of your expectations. This could save you a world of frustration and time because of miscommunication.
Top Mistakes:
- Not Budgeting Enough — be realistic about the cost of professional design or development, and discuss this with your chosen professional to make sure you’re aligned.
- No Contract — make sure you clarify and agree on expected deliverables, timelines, and payment terms, within a signed document.
- Ignoring Post-launch Support — make it a part of the contract for your hire to assist with updates or troubleshooting, so you’re not left high and dry if something unexpected happens when you launch..
Guides:
Wrap up
Think of a website like a digital shop front, open 24/7 to the world. Even if you’re only promoting yourself, it’s your online presence that should instantly make people want to know more.
Your site is also the centralized hub to focus a range of marketing around, from lead capture and newsletter sign-ups, to paid advertising. With all this in mind, making sure it has strong impact is worth taking the time to get right.
An appealing website is the gift that keeps on giving. But if done poorly, you’ll basically be broadcasting to the world that you’re not credible.
This guide gives you the Nine Steps to create a successful website, with Top Tips and Top Mistakes, to make sure you nail the most important aspects. You’ll also find examples of tools to simplify things, and guides for further learning. Bon voyage on launching your ship into the digital waters!
For more of a steer on easy tools that can help you achieve your goals, including a short Quiz that offers recommendations based on what stage your business is at, check out the Build & Grow Hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of website design for small business?
This will depend on the complexity your design, features, number of pages, and level of customization. Most small businesses can simply use a website builder, which will lower your costs significantly, compared to the early days when you had to hire a website designer to create one from scratch.
What is a website builder?
This is a platform that allows you to create and design a site without needing web development knowledge. You’ll get a user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop functionality, a range of templates, and customization options.
What is the best website builder for small business?
These days there’s a wide range of options. Some have better design templates and more flexibility, while others offer inbuilt payment for ecommerce and more advanced features.
See Step 2 of this guide.
As a small business, these are some of the key features to look out for:
- Appealing design templates for your type of business
- Ease of use, from design changes, to content updates including meta data
- Seamless and secure payment (if you’re doing ecommerce)
- Flexible functionality to suit your needs
- Suitable to your budget, and level of technical skill
- Scalable to your future needs, or easy to migrate
What is the easiest website builder?
If you want to get a site up and running in minutes, one of the easiest platforms is Site Maker. But shop around to make sure you choose a platform that suits your specific needs.
Why is web hosting important for a small business?
This is the digital parking space for your domain name and website. Hosting services provide the essential infrastructure you need to run your website, including storage space for files, bandwidth for web traffic, and cyber security.
What is the best domain name registrar for small business?
As with website builders, there are lots of options. Namecheap is ranked high for reliability and affordability, but shop around to compare.
When choosing a domain registrar, consider things like:
- Price — does the registrar offer competitively cheap domain names?
- Ease of use — do they provide a simple search function to see what’s available?
- Convenience — do they offer related services, like web hosting, website building, and DNS management?
How to design a logo?
Try Logo Maker. it makes things super easy by giving you templates to work with, so you don’t need any design skills. And it’s free, so you can play around as much as you like at no cost.
How to increase brand awareness for small business?
Steps 4 and 5 of this guide explain how to build a brand for your small business. Once that’s done, there are a range of marketing techniques to let the world know how great your are.
Read: Need-to-know marketing strategies for small business startups. This guide also answers the question: How can content marketing help your small business?
How to create content?
Check out Step 5 of this guide for Top Tips to get the ball rolling. Also read these guides:
Why is SEO important for small business?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what makes your website get found by people that are looking for what you offer. It drives ‘organic traffic’ i.e. site visitors that you don’t pay for with ads. This reduces your marketing costs, and helps you grow your customer base. See Step 6 of this guide to learn more.
What are the biggest mistakes small business owners make when using SEO?
These would be: ruining your content by overusing keywords, not keeping your content optimized with the keywords people are using to search for your business, and neglecting the meta descriptions which display is search results. See Step 6 of this guide to learn more.
What is the cost of SEO for small business?
This will vary depending on factors like what tools you’re using, or the type of experts you employ.
How to improve SEO?
We recommend RelateSEO, as it’s affordable and does all the heavy lifting for you. It gives you a customized To Do list, with step-by-step video guides.
Why is cyber security important for small business?
Unfortunately, cyber criminals are no longer focus only on large companies, because smaller businesses are often easier targets.
Cyber security acts to protect your website and IT equipment from cyberattacks. No small business can afford downtime because of malware, or loss of customer trust if there’s a data breach.
How to improve website security?
Check out the Top Tips in Step 7 of this guide. We also recommend SiteLock for affordable, 24/7 automated scanning against malware and cyber crime.
How much does website maintenance cost for a small business?
Running costs will vary significantly depending on your platform and feature complexity. Then there’s the time factor if you do the maintenance yourself, like updating plugins, backups, and testing. You may want to try Managed Wordpress, where you get tons of flexibility without the usual hassles.
Or if you’re going with another web builder platform, be sure to check out factors like:
- Automated backups and updates
- Technical support
- Performance monitoring
- Security patch management
- Guaranteed uptime.