Now more than ever, if you don't have an online presence for your business, you might as well be out of business altogether. Creating a new website for your brand (or overhauling one) can feel like an overwhelming task, especially if you're handling the project on your own, which can go from 0 to overwhelming on the first day. So rather than try to figure out how to turn your Wordpress blog into an e-commerce site (yes, WooCommerce is cool, but I would argue not for newbies), learn to delegate it to the pros. If you're unsure of how to start, though, give these three avenues a try to ensure that your website delivers the conversions your business needs.
Figure Out What Matters Most
While it might feel obvious to say this, not having a fully fleshed idea of the goals you have for your website will leave you (and your designer!) feeling frustrated with results. Do you need e-commerce capabilities? What about account management and order tracking? How integrated should social media sharing be and what platforms are your customers on the most? Knowing these things can help you and a professional design a roadmap that makes sure you have everything you want for the website included in the scope of work, and won't incur you any extra charges later on. Remember that no one is a mind reader, so lay out everything you're looking for as thoroughly as possible (even if it feels like you're being pedantic).
Try a Design Marketplace
If you have absolutely no idea where to get started and are a little uncomfortable turning everything over to one designer, you can start with pre-made templates (with places like Theme Forest or even the marketplace of your platform provider like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wordpress) or if you want to branch out a little further into custom work, places like 99 Designs have the ability to get proposals from multiple designers.
Look for Specialized Firms
If you want something completely custom, your best bet is to work with a niche designer that handles either your field or platform, as they'll have the expertise to make sure your website build is handled to the correct specifications your business will need. Remember that your developers will need to make sure you're PCI compliant and are able to protect your customer's privacy, so ask specific questions about any kind of security or e-commerce capabilities the developers have.
No matter if your business involves selling your handmade crafts, making addiction recovery tips easier to access, or even just a blog about your passion for home decor, making sure you have a professional website can be the thing that makes or breaks your online business. However you decide to create the website for your business, remember that you're the boss, so be sure to ask questions and to make your objections clear if you ever feel like you're being sold into something you don't want. But if you don't have a website dev background, don't try to do everything on your own as you may end up overwhelmed, with an insecure website, or even a compromised database of customer accounts. Instead, give one of the suggestions above a shot and you'll be on your way to a fast, secure website in no time.