Monetize.info How to turn your passion into profit.
Every successful business, from a sole trader to a global conglomerate, has one thing in common: they all have a dedicated website to showcase their products.
There was a time when building a website was a tedious affair that required coding and programming skills, but thankfully, those days are long behind us.
Creating your little corner of the internet is as easy as it has ever been, thanks to companies like WordPress and Wix, although it is important to lay some solid foundations before you release your website to the public.
The Domain Name Is Everything
Your parents probably spent longer than they would care to admit when choosing your name. Names are vitally important in all walks of life, especially online.
A name instantly identifies you, your product, or your service. Finding the perfect domain name requires some planning on your part. It must be memorable and provide a link to you.
For example, look at the domain name of this website. You instantly know this is the website of Lilach Bullock. Anyone wanting to use the world-class services of Lilach Bullock instantly knows what this website is all about.
Furthermore, anyone that has heard of Lilach Bullock in the business world and uses a search engine to find out more information about her will know immediately they are in the right place. The same is true for companies such as Apple, Ford, and all the biggest and best sportsbooks online.
There are several domain names to avoid as you look for that perfect address. First, do not use numbers unless your company has specific numbers in its name. Also, avoid dashes or uncommon spelling of words. Why? Because if someone typing in your address makes a mistake, they will never find your website!
In addition, choose a domain name that allows your business to expand. For example, you may currently supply stationary but have plans to expand into office furniture. Creating a website called JoesStationary seems like a great idea right now, but what if you branch out in the future?
Last, ensure no other companies are using a similar domain name that could easily be mistaken for your address.
Never Scrimp On Hosting Costs
It is time to look into hosting packages now you have the perfect domain name ready to be put to use. Hundreds of web hosting companies are vying for your business—most bill themselves as the fastest, the cheapest, or a combination of both. Do your research because hosting is crucial to your website.
Loading speeds govern the internet, including Google’s ranking system. Research by Kissmetrics revealed how devastating a slow-loading website is for user experience and conversions.
The research shows that 47% of consumers expect a website to load in two seconds or less, and 40% of internet users abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Can you and your business afford to lose 40% of potential visits and sales?
A whopping 79% of consumers will not buy from the same website again if they are dissatisfied with its performance. Grinding their gears does not take much because a one-second delay reduces customer satisfaction by almost 16%.
A one-second delay can prove costly for e-commerce sites because it can reduce conversions by 7%. To show how bad a one-second delay can be to your balance sheet, imagine you own an e-commerce site that makes $10,000 per day.
A one-second delay could cost you $250,000 in lost sales each year, possibly more when you factor in customers who never return. Suddenly, saving $50 per month by choosing the cheapest hosting plan does not seem as frugal as you thought.
Conclusion
Your domain name and website hosting are the two things you must get perfect before worrying about the content side of things. Like any building, one without foundations will falter and eventually fail.
