“Websites promote you 24/7. No employee will do that,” Paul Cookson.
However, building a website is challenging. It can take a long time, be confusing, and cost a lot.
But do you know you could have a website ready quickly in 30 seconds?
By the end of this guide, we’ll show you how AI can help you have a website up and running, giving you more time to focus on running your business.
Why this Guide?
If you've spent even a minute googling how to build a business website, you've probably been overwhelmed by countless articles, guides, and sales pitches.
Everyone’s offering tools and steps — the traditional tools take a lot of time, and small business owners don't have the luxury of time.
With the Durable website builder, we're cutting corners (in a good way). We’ll introduce you to a whole new world of website building.
Why Durable? It's quick, it's efficient, and it won't break the bank. We've seen it in action, helping businesses like yours take off online.
How to Create a Small Business Website Using Durable
Here are eleven steps to create a website for your small business using the Durable AI website builder.
1. Choose Your Website Building Platform
2. Lay Down the Business Basics
5. Customization: Tips and Tricks
6. Domain Decision: Pick a Web Address
7. Add Relevant and Engaging Content
8. Boost Your Visibility with SEO and Analytics
1. Choose Your Website Building Platform
The foundation of any successful website lies in its platform. The platform determines your website's stability, versatility, and efficiency.
Here are more reasons why the choice of the platform is so crucial.
- Scalability: As your business grows, you'll want a website that can grow with it. A good platform can handle increased traffic and additional content without slowing down.
- Customizability: Your business is unique, and your website should reflect that. The right platform offers flexibility in design and functionality. It ensures your website aligns with your brand's aesthetic and goals.
- Maintenance: Some platforms require regular manual updates and security checks. Others automate these processes. The amount of time you’re willing to spend on website maintenance will guide your platform decision.
- Budget: Cost is always a consideration. Some platforms offer free basic plans but might charge for essential features. Others might have an upfront cost but provide extensive tools in return.
According to statistics, 55% of users never recommend businesses with poorly designed websites. Design is fully connected to the website builder you choose to use.
So, does Durable pass the scalability, customizability, maintenance, and budget tests?
Yes. Durable checks all these essential boxes.
Scalability
Durable is built with scalability in mind. As your business grows and evolves, so can your website. You can add new product lines, increase blog content, and if you’re expecting a surge in traffic due to a marketing campaign, Durable can handle it.
Its robust infrastructure ensures that increased traffic won't lead to unexpected downtimes or slow load times.
Let’s say you want to make your website more complex by adding extra pages. Durable gives you that option. You just edit your website and add a page.
Customizability
One of Durable's standout features is its AI-driven design process.
Beyond the initial design, Durable allows customization.
You can change the color schemes, fonts, and layout of pages. You can tweak your site to reflect your brand's identity perfectly.
Maintenance
Website maintenance can be a significant time drain, especially for small business owners who often juggle multiple responsibilities.
With Durable, much of the maintenance process is automated. Security updates, tools, and other essential maintenance tasks are handled in the background.
This automation saves time and reduces the risk of potential security breaches due to outdated software components.
Budget
For many small businesses, budget constraints are a real concern. Durable offers a suite of advanced features that rival premium website-building platforms. You get a perfect website — for $12 only.
The savings are even more pronounced when considering the costs of hiring a web designer or developer. You simply:
- Visit Durable's homepage.
- Click on “Generate your website.”
2. Lay Down the Business Basics
After clicking “Generate your website,” the next step is to type your business basics.
These are the type of business you are building and the business's name.
And if you are not sure, AI makes everything easy for you. Click on “See some suggestions.” The AI will generate types of business and later a name that fits your industry.
Now why is it important to fill in these details?
First and foremost, these foundational details act as the bedrock for the entire website creation process. The type and name of your business influence the AI's decisions in several key areas:
Brand Identity
Your business type and name are central to your brand identity. Your choices here will shape your website's visual design, tone, and messaging.
For instance, a "vintage clothing store" will have a different aesthetic and feel than a "modern tech startup."
Provide clear business basics to help Durable's AI craft a website that feels authentic to your brand.
Targeted Content Creation
Knowing the type of business you're building helps Durable's AI to curate content suggestions tailored to your industry.
For example, if you're setting up a bakery, the platform might suggest sections for menus, customer testimonials, or a gallery of baked goods.
On the other hand, a consultancy firm might get suggestions for service breakdowns, client case studies, and team profiles.
SEO Optimization
The correct business details aid in optimizing your website for search engines.
Durable will seamlessly integrate specific industry terms and relevant keywords into your website. This makes it easier for potential customers to find you on search engines like Google.
Personalized User Experience
With the correct details, the AI generates a more personalized user experience for your visitors.
This includes generating relevant images and crafting industry-specific CTAs (Calls to Action).
Future Expansion and Marketing
As you continue to grow and expand, clearly defining your business type and name from the outset ensures that all future updates and marketing campaigns remain consistent and aligned with your brand's core identity.
3. Set Up Localization
Localization refers to adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market. It's about tailoring your website to fit the local culture, preferences, and expectations.
When businesses fail to adapt their content to local markets, they miss potential growth opportunities and may face setbacks.
Here’s why localizing your website is crucial:
- Enhanced User Experience: A localized website ensures users feel like the content was specifically created for them. This makes navigation intuitive and boosts overall user satisfaction.
- Increased Engagement and Conversions: Users are more likely to engage with a website and purchase if it speaks their language and caters to cultural norms.
- SEO and Organic Search Benefits: Search engines reward websites that cater to their user base. Localized websites for specific regions can rank higher in local search results, driving more organic traffic.
- Competitive Advantage: Many businesses have not yet realized the importance of website localization. By adapting your website to cater to various regions, you'll stand out from competitors and possibly capture a larger market share.
Allow Durable to Determine Your Location
After entering your business basics, Durable will ask for permission to determine your location.
By pinpointing your location, Durable can:
- Automatically set the primary language for your website.
- Adjust date, time, and currency formats to match local standards.
- Provide region-specific templates or design cues.
Why should you allow it?
It’s about making things easy for you. If you’re a local business serving local clients, having a website automatically set to their preferences will give you a head start.
However, if you’re a bit privacy-conscious or if Durable doesn’t get your location quite right, you can:
Manually Enter Your Location
Maybe you’re in one country but serving clients in another. No problem. Durable gives you the option to manually set your location.
By doing this, you can ensure:
- Your website language and design match the audience you’re targeting.
- Any local references, holidays, or cultural cues are accurate.
You can also manually choose your website language.
“Localization is about making your website feel like home to your visitors, no matter where they're from.”
4. AI Generation with Durable
After filling in your business name, Durable's AI kicks into gear. It has a vast data pool, design paradigms, and modern web standards.
But it doesn’t just pull random templates. The AI assesses your business type, your audience based on location, and the latest trends in web design specific to your industry. This results in a tailor-made website for your unique business.
Steps 1 to 4 will take you only 30 seconds or less.
The AI ensures that the website is visually appealing and filled with relevant content.
It’ll have compelling images that resonate with your target audience to copy that speaks your brand's voice.
This is an example of a website we have generated right now:
Durable takes the pain out of the design process, sidesteps the long hours of content creation, and presents you with a market-ready and aesthetically pleasing website.
5. Customization: Tips and Tricks
The AI does an impressive job, but you should make the website truly yours by tweaking content, colors, and layout to fit your brand.
The Durable editor is designed to be user-friendly. Even those new to the world of web design can navigate and make changes with ease.
Where should you start?
Content Overhaul
While the AI-crafted content is relevant, it might need specific details you want to share about your business.
Make sure to comb through the text. Replace generic phrases with ones that echo your brand's voice. Your words will create a connection with the visitor.
You can also click on “Regenerate.” The AI will generate another copy for you.
Color Palette
Colors evoke emotions. The chosen colors might be in vogue, but do they represent your brand?
Dive into the color settings and ensure the palette aligns with your brand identity. Remember, consistency across your branding efforts is key.
See this guide on color psychology for web design.
Layout Tweaks
The AI chooses a layout based on modern web standards and your business type. However, you might have a specific vision or style in mind.
Play around with the layout options. Adjust the spacing, rearrange sections, duplicate sections, or even add new elements that might enhance the user experience.
The Power of Visuals
Replace & Refine Images
Durable's AI picks relevant images, but they may not capture the essence of your brand. Replace stock photos with genuine shots of your products, team, or workspace.
Authentic visuals build trust and add a personal touch.
Integrate Videos
If you have promotional videos or tutorials, consider embedding them. Videos enhance engagement and provide a dynamic way to convey your message.
Interactivity Enhancements
One, add CTAs. Call to Action buttons guide visitors towards a specific action, whether purchasing a product or signing up for a newsletter. Ensure your CTAs are prominent and convey a clear message.
Two, incorporate widgets. For example, social media feed integrations. Widgets amplify user interaction and provide added value.
Durable lets you add widgets through embedding code.
6. Domain Decision: Pick a Web Address
For many, the domain name will be the first thing they see or hear about your business. An intuitive and catchy domain can lead to a positive first impression.
A relevant domain improves search engine ranking, especially if it contains keywords pertinent to your industry or business.
It also helps in brand recognition and establishing a solid online presence.
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain
- Keep It Short & Sweet: Lengthy domain names are hard to remember and are prone to typos. Aim for a concise, impactful name.
- Avoid Numbers and Hyphens: These are often misunderstood when spoken aloud. For example, people might be unsure if they need to spell out the number or use the numeral.
- Choose the Right Extension: While ".com" is the most popular and recognized, there are numerous domain extensions available today, like ".net," ".org," or even specific ones like ".design" or ".shop." Pick one that aligns with your business.
- Check Availability: It can be quite disheartening to settle on the perfect domain name only to find it's already taken. Use domain-checking tools like Whois Lookup, Namecheap, GoDaddy, and ICANN Lookup to ensure your chosen name is available. If it isn't, these tools often provide close alternatives.
- Ensure It's Brandable: Your domain name should resonate with your business ethos and vision. Avoid generic names. Instead, opt for something unique that stands out and is easily brandable.
- Think Long-Term: Remember, changing your domain name down the line can be cumbersome and might affect your brand's continuity. Think long-term and choose a name you'll be happy with for years.
Protect Your Brand
Once you've selected your domain:
- Purchase Similar Extensions: If budget permits, buy multiple domain extensions (like .net, .org) to ensure competitors can't purchase them.
- Consider Buying Misspelled Versions: This ensures that even if someone makes a typo, they're redirected to your site.
For starters or businesses on a tight budget, Durable provides a custom domain free of charge.
This option offers several advantages:
- Cost-Effective: It’s free! This significantly reduces your initial setup expenses.
- Tailored for Your Brand: While the choices might be limited compared to purchasing your domain, Durable ensures that the options presented resonate with your business type and name, making them relevant and easy to remember.
- Immediate Setup: The setup is almost instantaneous since the domain comes directly from Durable's ecosystem. There’s no need for extensive configurations or waiting periods.
Integrate Your Existing Domain
If you’ve been in the business for a while or have an established brand, you probably already own a domain.
In such cases, Durable allows seamless integration of your existing domain.
Here’s why you might consider this:
- Brand Continuity: If your customers and audience already recognize your existing domain, it makes sense to retain it to ensure continuity and avoid confusion.
- SEO Benefits: An older domain might have SEO advantages due to its age and possibly existing backlinks.
- Personalized Branding: Your domain might offer more unique branding than the standard options available.
For those unfamiliar with domain integrations, the transition might seem technical. However, we understand this concern and we provided a comprehensive guide to walk you through the process.
This ensures that even the non-tech savvy can make the switch effortlessly.
7. Add Relevant and Engaging Content
Your website's design and domain might get visitors through the door, but it’s content that will engage them, resonate with their needs, and prompt them to take action online.
Your content is the voice of your website.
Before creating content, it's pivotal to understand who your audience is. Answer the following:
- Who are you trying to reach?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What language or tone resonates with them?
However, the costs associated with producing quality blog content can quickly add up, turning what should be a beneficial asset into a substantial expenditure.
Anyone can string a sentence together, but creating compelling, insightful, and SEO-optimized blog posts requires expertise. Many businesses hire professional writers or content agencies to craft their articles.
Depending on the writer's expertise and the depth of the content, a single article can cost anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars.
Durable's AI blog builder eliminates this hurdle. After analyzing your business's specifics, it promptly proposes many topics tailored to your industry and audience.
On your blog section, click on “Create blog post.” You can create a blog post from scratch or use one of the topics generated by AI.
Durable will then craft compelling articles for you. These aren't cookie-cutter posts but tailored, engaging pieces designed to resonate with your audience and drive engagement.
You also have the freedom to edit the blog posts to your liking.
Incorporating a blog on your website is a strategic move to drive traffic, enhance engagement, and establish your brand's authority.
With Durable's AI capabilities, the initial hurdle is drastically lowered, and the ongoing content creation process becomes simpler and more effective.
8. Boost Your Visibility with SEO and Analytics
Search Engine Optimization, SEO, is the practice of enhancing your website to rank higher in search engine results.
Why is this important?
- Higher Visibility: A whopping 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Higher rankings mean more visibility, leading to more clicks and, subsequently, more potential business.
- Credibility and Trust: Websites on the first page of search results are perceived as more trustworthy by users. This boosts your business’s credibility.
- Targeted Traffic: Properly executed SEO ensures that the traffic coming to your site is genuinely interested in your offerings, leading to better conversion rates.
While SEO is about driving traffic, analytics is about understanding that traffic.
Analytics tools give insights into who visits your website, how they interact with your content, and what drives them to convert (or leave).
Durable comes equipped with integrated SEO tools. This means you don’t need to be an SEO expert to ensure your website is optimized. However, you need to work on your website copy to optimize it for SEO. Also, don’t forget to edit and optimize the AI-generated blog posts.
Remember, AI is not perfect. You need to put in work to optimize your website and content for search engines.
Durable also offers insights into how your website is performing in terms of visitors and user experience, both of which are crucial for SEO.
9. Craft Persuasive Ad Copy
When crafting ad copy to advertise your website, you must strike a delicate balance between being informative, engaging, and concise, all while making sure you stand out.
Also, A/B testing to find the "perfect" ad copy can be time-consuming and costly.
Durable's AI generates persuasive Google Ad copy in mere seconds.
Durable's AI helps you eliminate guesswork by analyzing successful ad patterns and tailoring them to your business's unique needs.
Tell Durable the essentials about your campaign and business. What are you promoting? Who is your target audience? What’s your call to action? Then choose your preferable tone of voice.
In a blink, Durable will offer you an ad copy. Do the same for Facebook, Twitter, and Email ads.
Tip: While Durable’s suggestions are top-notch, you know your brand best. Make tweaks to ensure the copy aligns perfectly with your brand voice if needed.
10. Go Live
It's time to launch your website.
Before you hit that “Publish” button, do a final check. Ensure that all links work, images load correctly, and there are no typos or errors.
A significant chunk of your visitors might access your site via mobile devices. Use Durable's preview feature to see how your website looks on various devices and adjust if needed.
Mobile devices generated 58.33% of global website traffic as of 2023.
Finally, ensure all your social media profiles are linked to your site if you haven't already. This provides an integrated user experience and boosts your brand's digital presence.
Once everything looks good and feels right, it's time. Click the “Change this” on the backend in Durable's dashboard. Within moments, your site will be accessible to the world.
11. Keep Your Site Up to Date
The journey doesn't end after going live.
Monitor your site's performance, gather feedback from early visitors, and be ready to make iterative changes.
Why Regular Updates Matter
- SEO Benefits: Search engines, like Google, favor websites that consistently offer fresh content. Regularly updating your site improves your search ranking, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
- Stay Relevant: Trends, news, and industry best practices can change. Keeping your content updated shows your audience that you're in the loop and aware of current happenings in your sector.
- Security: Technology evolves, and so do potential threats. Regular updates help patch any vulnerabilities and protect your site from potential attacks.
How to Stay Updated with Durable
- Schedule Regular Reviews: Set aside monthly or quarterly time to review your content. Look for outdated information, broken links, or areas that can be enhanced.
- Engage with Your Audience: Feedback from your users can be invaluable. Use Durable’s AI CRM to respond to leads, organize contacts, and generate client communications.
- Analytics: Use the built-in analytics tool to monitor user behavior. If a particular page has high bounce rates, revamp it.
Small Business Website FAQs
What Pages Should a Small Business Website Have?
Specific pages vary based on the business's nature, but here are some universally recommended pages:
- Home Page: It should provide a concise overview of who you are and what you offer, enticing visitors to explore further.
- About Us: Share your business story, mission, vision, and team details. Let people know the faces and values behind your brand.
- Services/Products: List and describe the services or products you offer. Use high-quality images and concise descriptions.
- Testimonials: Showcase reviews or testimonials from past clients or customers. This builds credibility and trust.
- Contact Us: Clearly display your business address, phone number, email, and possibly a contact form. Some businesses also integrate a map for easy directions.
- FAQ: Address common questions or concerns related to your business or industry.
- Portfolio/Gallery: For businesses like photography, design, or events, showcasing previous work is a powerful selling tool.
- Privacy Policy & Terms of Service: Essential for transparency and trust and often legally required.
Should a Small Business Website Have a Blog?
Yes, having a blog is a good idea for small businesses. A blog will boost your website's visibility on search engines, establish your brand as an industry leader, and give you content to share on social media. Plus, it's a great way to connect with your audience.
How Much Does it Cost to Maintain a Website With Durable?
The cost of maintaining a website with Durable varies based on the package you choose and any additional features you opt for. Generally, Durable offers competitive pricing tailored for small businesses, ensuring you get value for your money.
What Types of Businesses Need a Website?
Every business can benefit from having a website, even the brick and mortar businesses. Whether you're selling products, offering services, or just providing information, a website gives you credibility, expands your reach, and operates all day, every day. In short, you need a website if you're in business today.
Key Takeaways for Creating a Small Business Website
Do you remember the obstacles you initially faced? How building a website seemed long, tough, and costly?
Are you still feeling the same about those obstacles? With the help of AI, it's not as scary as it first looked.
Quick recap:
- We picked an AI tool to make things easy - the Durable website builder.
- Gave the AI basic info about your business - business name, industry, and location.
- Let the AI build the website.
- Customized the website to your liking.
- Made sure people can find your site online.
The future is bright for small businesses online, especially with AI helping out.
So, are you ready to build your website? Try Durable now and see the 30-second magic for yourself.
