Taking the next steps for your business

Running a modern business is something you need to take the time to get right. There are a lot of factors you have to keep in mind when you are looking to achieve business success.

You need to know what is involved in making a modern business successful, and that means taking steps to improve the process. Do as much as you can to improve the way you run your business, as well as the success can expect to get.

There are a lot of things that can play a part in this, and it is important that you come up with as many ideas as possible to improve the way you choose to run your company. This is something that plays a massive part in the process of running a modern company. Make sure you consider the different ideas that can improve your company, and this is something you need to make sure you keep in mind right now.

Make Your Website Better

You need to come up with some excellent ways of being able to improve your website as make it better as much as possible. This is something that is really important to think about moving forward, and there are a lot of factors you can use to help you with this. Your website acts like a calling card for your business, and you’ve got to make sure you are focused on improving the way the website is designed and working on what you can do to make the most of this right now.

Attach an Online Store

An online store can play a big role in the world of business, and this is something you need to consider for your website. By attaching an online store you are going to be in a better position to capitalize on impulse sales, and make things easier for your customers to make purchases. Head to kusuriexpress.com to find an example of a great online store that works on many different levels. Also see petkusuri.com for another great website that offers a diverse range of products and is simple to use.

Market Yourself Well

Make sure you look at some of the best ways of marketing yourself and taking the business forward to the next level. You need to make sure you think about the different ideas you can use to improve your business marketing, and this is something to consider for the future. Try to hire the right experts to take your business marketing to the next level, and make sure you have a diverse range of marketing methods to choose from.

These are just some of the factors that you need to consider when it comes to making the best decisions for your business. There are a lot of factors you’ll need to get right, and this is something that is going to help a lot in this respect. Make sure you focus on the best way of taking your company forward in the right sort of way.

How to build a website from scratch

Here we are well into the 21stcentury, and conjuring a website from thin air is still a daunting task, though it’s not as technical as it used to be.

Here’s the good news: You do not need to know a single iota of HTML, PHP, CSS, or any other web language. Everything is built to be plug and play. So at least at first, for just the set-up, you’re fine not knowing any code at all.

We assume you have a web hosting provider and package already set up, a domain picked out and registered, and are likely looking at your cPanel interface wondering “now what?” You can follow the more in-depth instructions at https://www.greengeeks.com/how-to-create-a-website, but we’ll provide a quick overview here.

Completely lost? Hire a freelancer!

You can easily obtain the services of a temporary web designer, developer, or general script jockey at freelance market websites such as UpWork. For a reasonable fee, you can hire a third party to do almost anything, from providing a two-hour walk-through chat to setting up the site for you, to designing your logo and doing other customization. You might also consider if you’re going to host a blog, in which case you might want to hire a blogger to help keep that content coming fresh on a regular basis. It’s worth keeping a freelancer or two on call in case you don’t want to do all the work yourself.

Pick a platform

A platform is a pre-fab website mold that will shape the content of your website into the form that suits your business. For blogs, there’s WordPress. For more advanced users who need more customized content, there’s Joomla and Drupal. For e-Commerce sites where you will sell something directly from your site, there’s Prestashop and CubeCart. For 99% of users, they are best off to go right for WordPress and move on. It’s the most-used software on the web and has the broadest support base. Additionally. it has an automatic install and set-up wizard.

Customize

This is the simple step of picking a theme for WordPress. Any default theme will do for now. After that comes adding graphical elements such as logos and banners. Over time, you can shop around for WordPress themes and also install plug-ins. Plug-ins add additional features to WordPress base functionality. You’d be well-served to consider two caveats:

(a) Web design is all about “less is more.” Avoid the temptation to overload your website with colors and shapes. Modern web design is 99% white space with plain black text, maybe a few lines here and there. A main column for content and a sidebar for navigation. Keep it simple!

(b) Be conservative in what you install. There’s a temptation to install lots of WordPress plug-ins because there are all these fun toys to play with, but the more plug-ins you install, the more you risk having two of them being incompatible. Removing WordPress plug-ins can be a headache. Likewise, you don’t need to run through cPanel clicking install on everything. Do your research and be sure you have a need for any service and that it’s the “best in class” for the function you want.

Set up content

Now’s the time to shine! Put up a “welcome” post on WordPress, write a few paragraphs about you or your business under “about us” or “our team,” and start adding blog posts. At this point, you’ll run into the term “SEO,” for “Search Engine Optimization.” Be assured, 99% of website owners overthink SEO.  According to Google’s own webmaster guidelines, if you talk naturally about a subject, you’ll rank just fine for that subject. A few businesses, such as a local-directed service (exterminator, landscaper, attorney), will want to ensure they rank critically for that location and service. If you have more concern about SEO than that, your best bet is to hire an expert, because it gets very technical quickly.

Market

The top priority for new websites is to get noticed, and to do that will require a deep dive into social media. At the least, you should get or have accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Variably, you might also want accounts at LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Instagram. You will want to promote your site from the social media accounts, and also make your content shareable on your website to social media. On your social media accounts, don’t just automatically promote your own business, but link to it from your profile and then engage the community – make friends, be followed and follow back, be a positive voice.

This is a very brief guide for the minimum steps to go from zero to website. There is no shortage of whole website resources devoted to this topic, however, and web design and maintenance is practically a business in itself. Good luck, and we’ll see you on the web!

Homebase dives into Bathstore saving 200 jobs

Homebase has acquired the collapsed retailer Bathstore, but at least 200 jobs at the bathroom specialist are still at risk.

The home and garden chain, which is controlled by the investment firm Hilco, said it had acquired Bathstore’s website and 44 stores, safeguarding about 150 jobs on the shopfloor and another 25 at head office.

However, the future of another 200 jobs at stores not included in the transaction are in doubt, with the remaining 91 shops set to close once display stock is sold off.

Bathstore employed 531 people and had 135 stores when it collapsed into administration last month. Its demise was blamed on several months of difficult trading as well as the failure to find a buyer. Some 159 redundancies have already been made at Bathstore since BDO was appointed as administrator.

Homebase has said it will roll out a number of Bathstore concessions into its stores over the coming 18 months.

Damian McGloughlin, chief executive, said that the acquisition “complements Homebase’s reinvigorated range”. He said it was on track to break even this year against a loss of over £100 million last year.

Five crucial factors for a successful web design

Not dissimilar to fashion, web design is subject to constant change, with current trends coming and going.

When it comes to creating a sleek website for your company that will leave a lasting professional impression, it’s crucial to ensure that both the initial and ongoing design is up to date, current, and on-trend.

Businesses today are relying more than ever before on online interactions with their customers, so your website and online presence plays a huge, central part when it comes to achieving business success and turning over a growing profit. It’s never been more important to have a website that’s up to date, interesting, and easy to navigate for your users, both in terms of SEO, your Google ranking, and the reputation that you build with your customers.

We’ve put together five of the best web design tips that any online company can use in order to boost and improve their website, getting the most from their online presence.

#1. Consider Using a Professional:

Today, there’s an abundance of options available when it comes to creating and designing your own website, and thanks to user-friendly design tools, it’s become easier than ever to put together a website that you love and that works well for your business, even if you have no previous experience of coding or web design at all. But, whilst creating your own website to save money can be a useful option to have, it’s wise to be aware of the limitations that this can have on your company and the website’s growth overall.

Many DIY web design platforms work on a template basis, which can be great if you need something quickly, but will limit the amount of bespoke design that you can do for your site. We’d recommend checking out PWD for professional, bespoke design services with no limitations. Their portfolio really stands out and shows how diverse their client base is, so no matter what your website is about, they can create something bespoke.

#2. Clean and Clutter-Free:

Whether you’re using a professional web designer or doing it yourself, one of the key things to remember when building your website is to keep the design clean and clutter-free. Less is definitely more when it comes to successful web design; whilst interesting or unusual design elements can grab attention and keep visitors on your website for longer, bear in mind that trying to do too much or incorporate too many different design elements into your site can make it look busy and cluttered, leading to it having the opposite effect. Minimal web designs are one of the longest-standing trends in the industry, and it’s easy to see why – you simply can’t go wrong with a site that is simple, easy on the eye, and uncluttered, therefore, allowing you to navigate and get to where you need to be quickly and easily.

#3. Easy to Read:

When it comes to visuals, it’s important to make things as easy and hassle-free as possible for your users. Whether you’re running a blog or an online shop, you’re likely going to have some text content on there to help your visitors understand more about the website, your business, the services that you offer or the products you sell, and much more. You might not put much thought into inputting text content into your site, but the truth is that how it’s laid out and how well it reads can have a huge effect on user satisfaction. For example, choose a font that’s easy to read and understand, make sure that it is sized large enough, and break down any large chunks of text into smaller, more manageable segments. This is especially important if your website has a lot of text content for users to take in, like long-form blog posts or lengthy informational pages about your services.

#4. Great Visuals:

Whilst less certainly is undoubtedly more when it comes to your website design, don’t forget to include interesting visuals in the design, which will help your brand stand out, generate more interest in your content, and give visitors a clearer idea of what your brand is all about. A hero image on your front page, for example, can be just what it takes to incorporate an interesting visual into the design without going overboard, whilst a carousel can be ideal for helping your users learn more without taking up too much site space. Or you could even opt for a background video, for even more interesting visual appeal.

#5. Responsivity:

Last but certainly not least, a key web design element to consider is how well the site responds to being viewed on a range of different devices. Mobile-friendliness, in particular, is extremely important, as more and more users are choosing their smartphones and other mobile devices to browse the web, compared to laptop and desktop PC use. Ensuring that you are using a responsive design will not only boost your reputation and trustworthiness with users who land on your site but also improve your standing with Google, who are quick to penalise any sites that haven’t incorporated mobile viewing into their design.

When it comes to success with your business website, these factors are absolutely essential.