Should we use Wordpress or Hubspot COS to build a new site?
Before you pick your site builder of choice, let's take a step back. Even if you're raring to go, ready to purchase that domain name you've been dreaming about, and can't wait to just get something off the ground, there are five things you should consider. It won't take long to go through the list, but it will make life easier for you in the long run.
First things first: let's start with your goals
Remember, your website is a reflection of your business. So, let's start with your business goals. Are you a contractor who just needs a site to list some services, but you'll get most of your business from sites such as Angie's list? Or, is your business depending on your site attracting traffic and converting visitors to customers? It's important to evaluate your business goals before you start. Once you have a clear idea of what you want from your site, you can go down this checklist to build the perfect site for your business.
Step 1: Find a domain for your site
This is the address for your business on the web. Make sure you put some thought into picking a domain. Some points you should take into account include: is the domain short and memorable? Does it describe your business or service offerings? Check out What's in a name? to find out how we came up with our name. Then head over to hosting.consumer51.com to reserve your domain.
Step 2: Linux servers, cloud hosting, or VPS?
Sorry for the tech talk, but this is really, really important. And it's not as difficult as it sounds. If you evaluated your business goals and came to the conclusion that your site will be instrumental in helping you grow your business, rather than being an online listing, then you should invest in a hosting solution that can handle the peak traffic you estimate coming to your site. Cloud servers typically split the load of traffic and so can scale up or down to manage peaks and valleys in our site traffic. With a shared server, your scalability is limited. What tool you use to build your site (we know we put that question on hold) will also help you make the decision. You can find more on these options at hosting.consumer51.com.
Step 3: Wordpress or Hubspot COS
Okay, now that you're ready to actually consider building a site, let's think this question through. As we mentioned before, if your site doesn't need to be updated that frequently, using Wordpress or a static HTML will work. However, if you'd like to continually optimize your site's content, change visuals on pages, and keep things fresh, Hubspot COS is the way to go. At Consumer51, we've designed and build sites on both platforms, so if you have a doubt, just let us know and we'll help you decide.
Step 4: Don't forget the SSL certificate for your startup site
The SSL certificate is an inexpensive way of protecting your site and letting your site visitors know that their interactions are encrypted. Also, adding an SSL certificate may help you win some brownie points with your favorite search engines.
Step 5: Finally, building your responsive, search-friendly website
The last, certainly not the least, important step is actually building the site to attract visitors, do well with search engines, fit multiple devices, and ultimately win you business. This might seem like a tall order just to win over your first customer or client. Thankfully, we have tools that can help us meet today's wide range of device standards and search specifications. One way to go about building a site would be start with a responsive template that fits multiple browser and device formats. This will help you ensure that your content can be accessed from any device. With that out of the way, let's plan out content. Again, put yourself in your consumer's shoes and think of what they need. How can your site be helpful and useful to your consumers. If you can create your site to meet your consumer's needs, you're all set to build a lasting, profitable business. And if you need a hand, mind, or tools to help, just let us know. 