Feeling stuck in the past? If you’re not up to date on websites, it’s easy to feel that way.
You may not be alone, either. Half of all small businesses still lack a website. It’s clear the website game has passed some businesses by. Yet it’s an incredible business tool, so is it fear of the unknown holding them back?
We often fear what we don’t understand, so we’re answering the basic question: “How do websites work?”.
How Does a Website Work?
Sometimes it feels like we take the modern website for granted. Many of us still don’t know what they look like under the hood or even why it’s important for a business to have one.
Let’s take a closer look at how to put together a website and how it works, so we get a better understanding of their benefits.
Hosting the Party
The first step to having a website is to find a hosting provider. This is the company that will host your website on their servers. Think of it as renting a retail space for your business.
There’s a wide range of hosting providers available, all providing a variety of different packages.
For a simple website, you may not even have to pay for a host. Platforms like WordPress allow you to host a relatively complex site at no cost, though it will come with some limitations.
Securing Your Domain
Your domain name is the address of your business, though it’s one you choose yourself. This is your site’s unique identifier.
You can’t have the same site name as another site. If you want a particular name, you may have to settle for a .org domain or similar. You’ll need to pay for your custom domain name.
Your site’s name should be your company name if you’re a business. That allows visitors and search engines to know who’s at that domain. It’ll also make it easier to give your visitors your domain name.
Cracking the Code
Having a domain name and host is only halfway to having a website. At this point, there still won’t be anything for a visitor to see. Now you need to build your site.
The basic language of website building is HTML. This a code that tells the site how to behave, including how it appears and any interactive features, like menus.
Modern website builders make this process much easier. It’s now simple to have a professional-grade website up and running within minutes, without even knowing a lick of HTML.
But if you want something more unique or under your control, then you may need to dip into coding to make it happen.
Design and Execute
To put together your site’s code or create one through a website builder, then you’ll need some idea of what your ideal site looks like.
This is the storefront your visitors will see. For an insurance company, you’ll usually include who you are and what you do on the site’s home page, along with key contact details.
If you don’t know much about web design or lack the aesthetic eye to make your site stand out, then you may need to work with a web designer.
Insurance brokers need a site that will present complicated information in an accessible way. Designing these sites can be difficult to get right, so working with a web designer can help answer some of the difficult questions.
Visitors by the Numbers
Your site won’t amount to much without visitors. Visitors make your site worthwhile by providing ROI, which will cover the site’s costs and net you new business.
To attract visitors, your site will need to rank well in search engines, have a memorable domain name, and be easy to navigate.
If you’re an insurance website, your visitors will want to know about your services and how to engage with you. They may also seek out other informative content, like a blog where you can answer common insurance questions.
Why Get a Website?
So we’ve covered the ins and outs of how a website works, but we’re left with a question: why get a website?
The answer is simple: to get more customers.
In modern business, it’s rare that even a medium to large business doesn’t have a website. Your local takeout may be an exception, but even small businesses have at least some web presence, even if it’s a Facebook page. The expense of maintaining a website is minimal compared to the business it can generate.
Having a website also allows you to boost your brand’s signal. You can engage with your customers by offering valuable content, which will help you
What to Put on Your Website
If you’re still not sure why you need a website, you may be thinking: “What do I put on there?”.
You can put anything you like on your website, of course. But an insurance company can use that space to advertise itself and provide access to its services.
But you can go deeper than that, too. You can provide video content about your company history to build legitimacy for your brand. You can host a blog to offer valuable advice and show off your expertise.
You may also offer a range of different services, which you can display in an ordered fashion on your site. A quotation form can help you collect inquiries from potential customers who might be unwilling to phone you directly.
All of these provide new opportunities to bring in more business, whether they do it directly or not. Your site is like a billboard advertisement and storefront all in one.
How Do Websites Work — Your Questions Answered
With this guide, we’ve answered the question “How do websites work?”. Now you have these questioned answered, it’s time to figure out whether a website is right for your business. There’s a strong chance the answer is “yes”.
Looking for more web design pointers? Check out our web design section here.
