In today's digital world, having a website is essential for any business or NGO, regardless of its size. A website serves as a the front door and cornerstone of your business, providing potential customers with information about your products or services, contact information, and a way to purchase or inquire about your offerings. it your virtual sales person, available 24/7, allowing people to research and hopefully convert them to a customer or supporter.
Having a website also helps establish credibility and trust with potential customers. It shows that your business is legitimate and professional, and can help attract new customers and retain existing ones.
When choosing a website platform for your small business, there are several features to consider to ensure your website is effective and meets your business needs.
A user-friendly interface is crucial for small business websites, as it allows for easy navigation and a positive user experience. Look for website platforms that offer drag-and-drop editors, customizable templates, and intuitive design tools.
With the majority of internet users accessing websites through their mobile devices, it is essential to have a website that is optimized for mobile viewing. Make sure the platform you choose offers responsive design options to ensure your website looks great on all devices.
If your small business sells products or services online, it is crucial to choose a website platform that offers e-commerce capabilities. Look for features such as secure payment processing, inventory management, and the ability to create product listings and discounts. If you're a charity or NGO, you may want to consider donation, membership or other engagement features.
Working with our digital strategist can help to validate your customer wants and needs and match those to technology features, that can be integrated into your website, and interactive design on your website.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is crucial for driving traffic to your website and improving your online visibility. Look for website platforms that offer built-in SEO tools, such as keyword optimisation and meta tags, to help improve your website's search engine ranking.
To track the success of your website and make informed business decisions, it is essential to have access to analytics and reporting tools. Look for website platforms that offer built-in analytics or integrate with popular analytics tools like Google Analytics.
WordPress is the most popular website platform for small businesses, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. It is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that offers a wide range of features and customization options.
WordPress is known for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for anyone to create and manage a website. It offers a variety of customizable templates and drag-and-drop editors, making it simple to design a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge.
As an open-source platform, WordPress is free to use, making it an affordable option for small businesses. However, you may need to pay for additional features or plugins to enhance your website's functionality.
WordPress offers built-in SEO tools, making it easy to optimize your website for search engines. It also has a large community of developers who create SEO plugins to further improve your website's search engine ranking.
With the help of plugins like WooCommerce, WordPress offers robust e-commerce capabilities for small businesses. You can create product listings, manage inventory, and process payments directly through your website.
WordPress also have a large variety of plug ins and software that can be integrated into your website to enable a broad range of functions.
As an open-source platform, WordPress requires frequent updates to ensure your website is secure and functioning properly. This will require technical knowledge, so would normally be part of a website maintenance plan with our web developer.
Webflow is a website builder and CMS that offers a powerful and intuitive platform for creating professional websites. It is a popular choice for small businesses looking for a more customisable, visually appealing, interactive and modern website. Webflow has greatly increased it's popularity with web designers in recent years.
Webflow is ideal for creating blogs, eCommerce stores, microsites, portfolios, event sites, landing pages, and larger corporate websites as well. Some of the benefits include:
- Ability to bring highly visual and immersive interactive design to life at a fraction on building a fully bespoke website on a more traditional platform.
- An easy to use content management system (CMS) and website editing.
- No plugins. Webflow does not require plugins to make a functional website. This helps create a more stable website, as plugins require updates and maintenance to stay updated.
- SEO Tools - Webflow offers built-in SEO tools, making it easy to optimize your website for search engines. It also offers advanced SEO features, such as automatic sitemap generation and meta tag customisation.
- Webflow offers a high-level of security with its free SSL certificate. The platform complies with security standards and allows you to restrict access to the backend. Webflow is hosted on AWS, giving us the security benefits their cloud services offer.
Compared to WordPress, Webflow is a slightly more expensive option for small businesses, in terms of monthly hosting costs, but that may be offset by less plugin/upgrade costs.
Don't get me wrong, Webflow can build a fantastic ecommerce but it currently lacks the maturity of Shopify or WooCommerce in terms of backend management and logistics. We see it suiting small to medium sized stores where visual design is important.
> Read more on Webflow
> Find out more other platforms for websites we build on and recommend
