Canberra Web Design: How to Build a Website

A great website is an indicator of a great business. It’s often the first point of contact for many prospective customers so you want to make a positive first impression. But how do you go about building a great website and getting a great website design? And should you do it yourself? Below, we’ll explore some common questions that we come across when it comes to web design in Canberra. Read on to find out how to get the best web design Canberra:

Does your business need a website?

In short, yes. Every business should have a website.

Once upon a time, a website may not have been a necessity for a business. Today, however, a business without a site can be practically invisible. Regardless of which industry you’re in, you should have a website. A retail store should have an online store, a B2B company should have a digital portfolio, and a tradie should have a site with services and contact information (or an online booking system if you want to get a bit fancy!).

Each business will have its own requirements for what kind of site it needs and how complex it should be. Depending on your budget, and how much time you’re willing to put into it, you can create a website that is as simple or complex as you want and need.

How do you build a website?

If you’re on a minimal budget, a DIY build is likely your best option. Head to a service such as Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. These services offer drag and drop building, which makes it easy to create a nice looking site. However, you’ll want to make sure you spend time planning out your pages to make sure they’re as effective and functional as it is nice to look at. Websites like Wix and Squarespace will be limited in customisation so this is really only suitable if you’re building a basic site.

If you’re ready to invest in your website and you have more of a budget, make sure to engage a web designer in Canberra. A web designer will walk you through all the steps needed to design your site. They’ll know all the intricacies about which pages you need, how complex your site should be, how to get customers from home page to shopping cart and much more. A web designer will do the hard work for you by developing an effective and attractive web design.

How long does it take to design a website or build a website?

Building your own website can be done in a day (if you’re building something incredibly simple). In actuality, the planning, design and build should take closer to a month.

If you’re engaging a digital agency, a new website build will take at least 2 months. A web designer will spend time researching, planning, site mapping, wireframing, designing and finally developing and coding the website. A web designer considers your business and your customers, user experience (UX design), search engine optimisation, content marketing, how to build the best eCommerce website, your business brand and so much more.

What is the difference between a theme, template and custom design?

If you’re building your own website, you’ll likely be using a theme or template from a web design and building service. This runs the risk of your site looking similar to competitors.

Canberra based web designers will custom design your website, making it unique and stand out from the competition. This also gives you greater freedom, as website development can be customised to your wants and needs. At Futuretheory, we build a WordPress website with custom coding, allowing us to code almost anything you desire.

Should you get a designer to build your website?

In most cases, yes, you should get a web designer to build your site. Building your own website will become more of a headache for you than a cost-saving exercise. We often have clients come to us after they have tried building their own site but ran into issues with site security, building their eCommerce store, or couldn’t get the design to match what they had in their mind.

Does a designer provide web hosting?

Not all designers will provide web hosting. Some designers and developers will only build the site and will leave implementation and hosting up to you. However, some agencies (such as Futuretheory!) will design, develop, implement your site on WordPress and host your site with ongoing maintenance. Choosing an agency or designer that offers web hosting will remove the hassle of researching what goes into a good hosting service. It also allows you to be assured that your site will load quickly, be secure, and reach your audience effectively.

What content should you have on your website?

The content you need for your site depends entirely on the industry and goals of your site. Most basic sites will need a hero statement, reviews or testimonials from customers and information about the company. More developed sites will also include some form of content marketing. Content marketing will be search engine optimised (SEO) and will help your site show up on Google better. This type of content often requires a professional who knows which keywords to use and how to use them within a content marketing strategy.

What is the importance of website visibility on Google?

Having a great site is pointless if it’s not showing up in a search engine such as Google. There are algorithms and rules around what sites show up in Google’s results, and in what order. A quality website should be designed with this in mind, so that each title, sentence, image and design choice contributes to a good result in Google. A site designed through a drag and drop builder will likely not perform as well as a custom-designed website, so it’s best to work with a web design Canberra agency or web developer.

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  • Futuretheory combines data with design to launch solutions that help clients realise their growth potential. We are committed to growth and transformation for clients across industries, stages of business and geographies.
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