Building a Website for Your Business

In our introduction to this Online Marketing Toolkit, we noted that many people are going online in search of small-business information. If you want to make it easier for potential customers to learn about your business online, the logical first step may be to set up a website.

Here are three key considerations in building a website for your business:

  1. What is your desired response? An effective website has a clear “call to action” on its home page. For example, many websites display a prominent graphic with a phone number, so visitors immediately have contact information. Other websites feature a form that lets visitors submit preliminary information for a price quote. For online stores, your home page should highlight and promote specials by featuring specific products or categories.
  2. What makes your business stand out? Your website should differentiate your business from the competition in a way that attracts customers. Astrid Gaiser, owner of Astrid Gaiser Garden Design, emphasizes her company’s unique strengths online. “Having a good website has really helped my business grow, because I can show how I’m different,” she explains. “For example, unlike most designers, I work with tropical plants. Clients couldn’t know this without seeing one of my gardens or checking my website.”
  3. How much time, money, and expertise can you dedicate to launching and maintaining an online presence? Think of your website as an additional marketing channel for your business — and budget accordingly. There are plenty of options for hiring web designers to develop and update your site, but if you have time to invest in your website, you can save money with a do-it-yourself solution. A template-based DIY system can help you design your site easily without a lot of artistic or technical knowledge.
Photo of Astrid Gaiser to the right of a sample from her business's website.

Astrid Gaiser and her business website.

Starting to Build Your Business Website

After you clarify your website’s differentiated content, goals, and investment, here are a few tips for launching your site.

  • Assemble your content. A good design is important, but let’s face it, the real stars of your website should be helpful content and photos. Decide what kind of information is important to your visitors. Corey Ford and Chad Buckwalter of Hignight Florists showcase their floral arrangements and highlight specials online. “What I really like is being able to update when I want. If we want to start a special, I can put it on the website that day,” Chad says, adding that “going from not having a website to having one has definitely helped us make more sales.” Using relevant, descriptive text on your website is important not only to your visitors, but also to search engines (which digest the text to determine what keywords are relevant to your site). For more information about the importance of keywords, read our post about search engine optimization.
  • Design your site. How is your website going to represent your business online? Should it be fun and playful or sleek and modern? For Kelli Motsinger, owner of Little Kelli’s Playhouse, an appealing design is particularly important for branding her business. “Our website looks really cute and professional. Right away that says something about who we are. If you’ve got a website that really stands out, more people will contact you. Our new website has gotten us lots of attention.” Also, depending on the actions you want your customers to take, organize the pages of your site so you can easily direct your visitors to the right place.
  • Find a partner with the right tools for your site. Before you can launch your site, you will need a domain name (to claim the address of your site), a hosting provider (to store the contents of your site), website building software (to allow you to create and modify pages), and possibly website design services (unless you are going to design the site yourself). If you are looking for help with any or all of these needs, please visit our website services page. We can help you with everything you need to build your business website.
Kelli Motsinger and her business's website.

Kelli Motsinger and her business website.

Intuit’s Website Design Services team has helped thousands of small businesses to set up successful websites. Here are some additional resources that describe our best practices and provide tools to help you get started:

About Pamela Lue

Pamela Lue is a Social Marketing Manager at Intuit. She has collaborated with hundreds of small businesses to create successful websites as a founding member of the Intuit Websites Design Services team.
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Offshore Development Company 5 pts

Such a great information about marketing. Such a marketing is a great way for promoting your business online.

custom website design 7 pts

Website is very important part of our business because now every business must include a website and without having a website one cant think to flourish the business..It is uprising demand .

itzealot 6 pts

ITZEALOT is an established web development company delivering web development services of any complexity to clients worldwide. Our customers are companies of all sizes ranging from startups to large enterprises. We are one of the leading web development company. Our dedicated web developers implement innovative ideas to your websites for better promotion of your business. Our mission is to provide all web development and E- commerce solution to grow all sizes of business with high quality, extensive technical expertise.

If you want attractive site at reasonable cost. contact us.

info@itzealot.comhttp://www.itzealot.com

 

We provide our services as soon as possible.

 itzealot I need a simple and attactive website for my company website. So cantact me adams@gmail.com

LillyZ 6 pts

Have you had any difficulty with wordpress and security issues? I used this and my site was hacked.I will share your insights with freinds of mine that are starting out.

 

WalthamLandscaper 6 pts

With my basic website, can I store a file on my website?  In other words, while signed into my website, is there a way to copy a file from my computer's hard disk (or any other source), and somehow store it on my website?  I want to then be able to sign onto my website at a second computer at a different location and have access to the file that was just put there from the first computer. 

itzealot 6 pts

 WalthamLandscaper  yes u can copy form your computer hard disc and store file online. You can access your file from anywhere.

WalthamLandscaper 6 pts

 itzealot  WalthamLandscaper Thank you for the answer.  That is great news.  But can you tell me how?  For example, if my file is on my hard drive and called Myfile.txt, for example (C:\Documents and Settings\Myfile.txt), how do I copy this file to the website?  Is the website a special drive designation?  I am looking for the exact syntax for a DOS copy command. Or, from Notepad or Word, how do I save the file to the website?

umbulu52 5 pts

Hello when I am in intuit site builder the size of the web pages are normal, we I closed and look up the site on google it is oversized, however, on ie it appears normal size.  Please advise.

www.awaytogodesigns

grantbriss 5 pts

Fighting Continues Over World's Holiest Bombing Sites December 23, 2012 | JERUSALEM—Bitter fighting between Israel and Hamas reportedly showed no signs of abating Tuesday as both sides continued to lay exclusive claim to several of the most sacred bombing sites in the world. “The smoldering craters near Jerusalem and Gaza City are of tremendous significance to many major faiths,” said historian Evan Chertok, explaining that droves of devout believers shoot rockets in the direction of the holy bombing grounds every day. “For thousands of years, adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have congregated at these hallowed war zones to detonate bombs in an expression of their most deeply held beliefs.” “The irony is that they were originally intended to be inclusive places of violence where people from all over the world could gather to solemnly wage war in the eyes of God,” Chertok said of the revered slaughtering fields. “Sadly, they are now so brutally contested that no easy resolution is in sight.” Despite the intensifying conflict, activists in both Israel and Gaza expressed hope that the belligerent parties would one day be able to set aside their differences and bomb the disputed lands together in harmony.

mobaldy2005 5 pts

what happened, I used Homestead many years ago and now I come back and your website builder software is practically non existent now, okay the basics are there but for those who need to do more are restricted from doing so, I may as well just shift my site over to someone else who has more capacity to make impressive websites, I am ashamed I have paid out to build a site for nothing, very disgruntled but hey I still have the old staff's names who helped me directly many years ago, hang your heads in shame, especially with what you charge, we pay and get nothing

Indian Web Design Company 15 pts

I think the template based DIY system is really helpful. It would be of great help to those who don't have much to invest on hiring professional designers. Superb blog. Keep posting such important stuffs.

Jan Parker Dial 8 pts

And WHY are you so hard to contact? Why am I now directed to Quicken? You have my e-mail address, and are able to send me solicitation e-mails. So why not let me know about the change to Quicken, and the inactivity status?

Jan Parker Dial 8 pts

Your login site says I can't access my page for editing due to inactivity. Problem is YOU ARE STILL CHARGING MY CREDIT CARD. And it's been less than a year since I updated -- probably less than 6 months. That shouldn't be your business. It's mine, as long as you collect the money.

bunnistevens 7 pts

i set up a web page it looks nice on intuit site but when I go to view it  how customers will view it it's jumbled and you can't tell what is what on the page all the written information is on top of each other. why is this happening?????? Please Help!!!

 

 bunnistevens

 It's kinda hard to explain, however here it goes... On your Intuit web site keep in mind that the changes you make to one page, affects them all. try smaller images, one page at a time after you save one page, take a look at the others to see how it has effect those as well as make changes accordingly. as well as there is a link to undo the change.

reeha@inkjet 16 pts

Website is very important part of our business because now every business must include a website and without having a website we can't compete our rivals and competitors. 

Hi tpot - when you log into your account and click websites manager on the left, you should see "Edit Site" or Choose a template in the middle of the page. Do you see that?

tpot 6 pts

Okay I registered the domain name, went away for a week, came back and can't find the right point to start designing. Isn't there a portfolio of graphics somewhere for me to choose?

Peter

Why cant people view ALL of my pages???? People can open two or three pages on my website to view my products, but they cant open the rest! When I spoke with an Intuit rep, they told me its the persons browser!!!! WTF? If someone has no knowledge of computer basics, how will they know that? There has to be a better solution, or I will cancelled this whole Intuit website and start over!!!!!

Lynette Intuit Employee 5 pts

Hi shirley54, Sorry to hear about the problems you're encountering. Are you able to view all of the pages? and can you please give me the website address so I can take a look?Thank you!

 

Lynette

Intuit Websites Employee

There are various agencies which deals with evidences located at a crime scene. Police use it for investigation, prosecuting attorney presents it before court of law as well as a forensic science technician analyzes evidences thoroughly to help other agencies in criminal procedure. A forensic science technician conducts comprehensive chemical and physical study of evidence submitted by a law enforcement agency

Very good blog article.Much thanks again. Really Cool.

Hey this is a wonderful looking website, is wordpress? Forgive me for the foolish question but if so, what theme is? Thanks!

Hi Ralph, Yes, we built this blog on WordPress using a custom theme.Jay B. (Intuit)

It's truly a nice and helpful piece of info. I'm glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

What I mean to say is that the blog feature I have seen with your service is nothing like this one.

Hi Leila, We created the Intuit Small Business Blog using WordPress and host it ourselves. Can you tell me more about what you are looking for in a blog for your business?Best wishes, Jay B. (Intuit)

LeilaMorris 5 pts

Can I incorporate a Wordpress blog into my intuit site? When I talked to the Intuit tech support person, he said I could not. However, I am asking again because I have learned that not all tech support people give you the correct information.  He said to have an RSS feed from a wordpress blog coming to my site, But I want my blog to be hosted under my existing domian, not another domain. He was unable to tell me how to do that.

Lynette Intuit Employee 5 pts

 LeilaMorris Hi Leila, Unfortunately that's not possible. IT's not possible to incorporate a WordPress blog into an Intuit Website. Sorry about that!

Is this type of blog feature available for those of us with Intuit websites or is this a Wordpress blog that you are using?

Hi craig,A nice layout is important as is good content. Are you designing your site yourself?

#up: Don't sure if you're right man.

i want to have the best web site out there,o.ne that people will love to come back to time after time

Hi Phillip,I've emailed you offline to go over the details of your package and the pricing.Thanks for posting!

i have been with intuit fo a couple weeks neo and love building my website. But thought it would be free for 30 days? but there was funds taken from my card, i don't understand why. now om over my limit on my card and thats costing me more money. need help.

The website should express the importance of being as healthy as you can.Weather that means losing a few pounds or excercising a little,whatever it takes to make you look your best It should show old as well as young people.

Hi Al,Thanks for sharing your experience with Homestead - it's great to hear you've had such a good time.I'm not aware of any new fonts being released anytime soon, but I will definitely pass along your wish for a larger selection.Thanks!

Have been with Homestead since 2006...very satisfied, get nice compliments about my site and it's been fun learning how to to do it all...one suggestion, I wish there was a larger selection of typeface fonts available...any chance you will expand the available choices?

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTNITY

Hi Pat,When inserting the blog element, you should be able to use the yellow icon that looks like a picture of a mountain. You'd click on that when you get to the point in the blog post where you'd like the image to appear.To create a new page you should be able to click 'add new page' and you'll be given the option of adding it to your site navigation or not.Let me know if I can help with anything else. :)

WE are trying to change some things in my website. I would like to know the steps I have to follow to add the pics to the blog of my website, I found one way but for some reason the picture stays on one place of a corner of the blog when I scroll down the blog page with the text that the picture is supposed to go with. Plus the picture posted in the blog request that I get them from a URL....No idea about that.I need some tips to know how to add a new page to my website not meaning another home page link, if possible.Is there any help available here?Thanks in advance!

Hi Dieter,I'm not seeing that we host the domain itg-llc.biz but your site at the domain http://www.itg-medical.com/ is live and active.I hope that helps!

I would like to change the above website to www.ITG-MEDICAL.com and delete www.itg-llc.biz. Changes in the text and illustrations will also have to be made. How do I pull up the old website and work on it with the changes that have to be made?

Hi Casey,You're welcome to upload a design of your own making and host it on our servers. Both CSS and Flash are supported, so that shouldn't be an issue.If you need any further assistance, just let us know. Thank you!

Greetings. I've been a website/multimedia designer for 15 + years. My son is involved in a select football league and I've been working on building them a top notch website. However, the big issue is that once my son is out of the league so am I and the website support will go with me. I'm looking for a solution that would allow the staff to be able to maintain the site in the future. Is your staff able to work with me to integrate my custom design, flash animation and CSS, or is everything limited to your templates? Can I access/manipulate aspects like the style sheets or navigational aspects of the site?Thanks!

Hi Dorothy,Thanks for your question.There's no doubt that mobile websites are becoming more & more important. This is something that's being investigated and once we have an idea of when this might be available, we will definitely let all of our websites customers know.Thanks again!

NEED TO GO MOBLIE! WHEN will inuit address this issue for homesteaders?!

Templates are really bland , not much of a choice for my customer base. I thought your services would include a more updated approach towards the design of the actuall website. I am having to paste images from google to make my site relivant. My business is real, so i think my website should look real. hoping for an update soon.Thanks

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Ray Gibb
Ray Gibb

For all of you small business owners, or those of you that have need for a website, check this site out. You can literally create and have a great website up in a matter of a couple of hours, and you don't even need to be a website designer.

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