Now, you may think creating a website is easy. It’s got to have your company name, your contact information, and some fancy pictures, right? Nothing to it… ah if it were only that easy to create the perfect website, there would be no need for articles like this.

However, creating the perfect website for your business takes time and knowing the right ingredients to add, and of course what works for one person and one industry, may not work for another. Just like a cook in a kitchen, you need to experiment with what works for you and your audience and what doesn’t. Of course, that doesn’t mean you are totally on your own when it comes to creating the perfect website. The following 7 steps will help you get started.

1. Have a plan. Don’t just run straight to design. Design without a plan is a piece of art… not a website. Your website above all must be functional and do what it’s supposed to do. Whether that’s gaining leads or attracting attention or adding credibility, your site needs be effective. Start with a wireframe of the site first. Plan out every link, every call to action, and every navigation. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Just think of this as the blueprints for your website.
   
2. Work with a professional designer. Crowdsourcing is a great way to go about finding a professional graphic designer or web designer, especially when you are working on a small budget. Crowdsourcing will allow you to select from many submissions so you get just the look you were hoping for. A professional website designer with experience can help you put together a site that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but draws attention to the parts of the site you want your visitors to focus on… such as your call to actions.
   
3. Work with a professional copywriter. They say content is king when it comes to your website. Even if you think you’re a decent writer, a professional website writer who can create SEO rich content, will do wonders for your site. You see, you’re not just writing for your visitors when you create the perfect website, you are writing for the search engines who will judge the value of your site. Writing for both takes skill that requires a professional’s touch.
   
4. Create internal linking. Internal linking is a big component of good SEO practices. You need to create links throughout your site that will help your visitors navigate their way through your many pages. And, don’t make the mistake of linking the words “click here.” The search engines weigh the words that are linked, and “click here” is not a keyword you need to have the search engines link to. Instead link to words like “graphic design” or “SEO” or “crowdsourcing” – words that actually pertain to your site.
   
5. Speaking of SEO… while keywords in the meta tags aren’t weighed as heavily as they used to be, they still shouldn’t be forgotten. Take the time to research your SEO keywords and write a title tag, description, and keywords for each page of your site.
   
6. Get Social. You may not know what twitter or facebook is, but you really should get with it… these social communities can help market your website, simply by getting your name out there in more places than just your website. Don’t forget to add links back to your site. These are external links… much more important than internal links… anywhere you can get a link to your site, do it.
   
7. Start blogging. Now blogging isn’t as hard as you may think. Start a blog and get cracking at least once a month on your own. Or better yet, get people to start blogging for you. You can easily get the word out about your site through sponsored blog posts. There are many places online you can find this service at a great price.
   

For more information on the sites listed in this article, you can visit prova.fm. For more resources on this topic you can visit our helpful blog at prova.fm/advertising/blog/.

| More...