The Value of Your Website
Updated: November 14, 2024
Originally Published: September 30, 2020
Live Twitter #StartupChats Discussing the value of your website
Q&A with Startup Canada Guest Advisor Christine Whone
What is the value of your website? Or what benefits does a website offer over your social media presence? If you are wondering, this article gives the details of what value a website offers to your business. Whether you are a startup, an artist or a designer with portfolio examples or seeking freelance opportunities outside of your full-time position.
Learn the difference between a company website and social media websites, domain, hosting, website design, content and web development upkeep, maintenance, stats and analytics.
The event had 33 contributors, 26.3 million impressions and the Wakelet can be found here.
Q1: What are the essential elements that every website must have?
A1: Clear and easy-to-use navigation, optimized images and content written for the web, page content hierarchy for easy-to-find pages like contact and address information. The website should respond and display the best user experience for the device the website is being viewed on.
Q2: Does every business require a website?
A2: Yes. You don’t have to have a super complex site. You can start with a one-page website and build from there. I recommend adding a second page (contact page) so you can track user behaviour with a form or button for visitors to interact with.
Q3: What questions should entrepreneurs ask when building their website? List them below!
A3: Ask questions about the platform to be used. What are the long-term software costs for all required software integrations, website updates and maintenance costs? Ask what happens if your website breaks or something goes wrong. Get references when hiring someone to build your website. Ask someone who shares quality referrals.
Q4: What is the importance of a value proposition to a website?
A4: Value proposition helps prospective customers and/or clients decide if your business product or service is the right fit for them. It also helps you qualify (or eliminate) sales leads indirectly. This means either you or the customer determines if the product or service is right for them. It can help you eliminate the need to figure out if potential customers are likely to make a purchase.
Q5: What are some of the tools and technologies you’d recommend to young entrepreneurs to help build their websites?
A5: WordPress is affordable for aspiring entrepreneurs to start a website. Invest in a service that can manage the WP, plugins & theme updates. Disaster awaits if you don’t know or have the confidence to do it yourself. Buy a course or take a workshop on WordPress to educate yourself on the platform.
Squarespace is awesome and easy, with no coding knowledge necessary & easy integrations for e-commerce (Stripe, PayPal). Invest in a course or workshop on Squarespace (or any platform) to educate yourself on how to optimize the features for your business.
Q6: What are some of the biggest mistakes that most entrepreneurs make when building a website?
A6: Entrepreneurs want to build everything at once. Build your business website in stages to match your growth. Your market will tell you a lot about what you actually need as your business grows.
Q7: How do you manage and keep track of what goes on your website 24/7?
A7: Google Analytics brings insight into users or visitor behaviour (e.g., abandoned carts, purchase funnel, user flow, buttons and form conversions, keyword searches).
Q8: What is the difference between a website and social media platforms?
A8: A website is your property and you own it. You will own the domain and pay for services to store your website. Social media platforms are free services that you don’t own.
Q9: What security solutions should you consider for a website?
A9: Build with a website platform with security features. If you choose to build a WordPress website be sure to purchase managed WordPress services. Some hosting companies that offer these services are Bluehost, Dreamhost, Media Temple, and Korax.
Other website builder options are Squarespace, Adobe Portfolio, and Shopify. I recommend Squarespace because it is easy for anyone to learn how to use without all the technical knowledge required to manage a WordPress website.
Q10: What final piece of advice do you have for entrepreneurs who want to build a website?
A10: Check out Canada Learning Code if you want to learn how to build and design a website independently.
Canada Learning Code offers learning experiences specifically for those interested in technology, programming, web design and development. Their workshops are affordable learning experiences for entrepreneurs and anyone interested in developing their digital skills.
If you are looking for a mentor or coach to help you regularly with the early stages of your business such as learning how to build, design and manage a website, The Biz Class could be the coaching program for you. The Biz Class is a four-month-long business coaching program for aspiring entrepreneurs or new business owners who want help and feedback on their progress.
