How to create a business website

Creating a website for your business has never been cheaper or easier. So why, according to Companies House data researched by Glass.ai, do just 30% of UK registered companies have one?

With drag and drop functionality, a dizzying array of templates, and automatic mobile optimisation, website builders allow anyone to get a professional-looking, fully-optimised website live in minutes.

That’s not to say you couldn’t hire a web designer if you’re after something more bespoke, but it would cost you a lot more.

This step-by-step guide will tell you everything you need to know to create the best business website, from buying a domain name to choosing the perfect template.

We’ve also ranked the top website builders for small businesses to help you make your decision. Wix came out on top, thanks to its ease of use and variety of templates, followed by Squarespace and Weebly. Check out the full rankings here.

Buy a business domain name

Your domain name is the online address for your business. It consists of a word, or sequence of words, which is placed in the URL between www. and the extension (.com, .co.uk, .org, etc.).

With an estimated 333 million domain names registered, it’s crucial that you choose a unique and highly relevant name to help people discover your website online. Many website builders will include domain name registration as part of their packages.

You should follow these rules when making a domain name:

• Make it short – the best URLs are short and simple. This makes them memorable and less prone to being mistyped
• Use keywords – these are valuable search terms that describe your business and make you more discoverable online
• Make it memorable – after all, your registered domain name is just one of millions
• Use an appropriate extension – dotcom is the internationally recognised standard, but it can be difficult to get the domain name you want because the extension has been around for so long

Choosing a domain extension

.com is the internationally recognised standard for web addresses, but it’s by no means the only extension going – .co.uk, for example, offers good recognition to a UK audience.

According to statistics from Domain Name Stat, .com represents a whopping 42.47% of all registered domain names, followed by .net (4.27%) and .tk (3.98%). .uk (3.25%) is languishing way down in sixth place.

.tk is the ‘country code top-level domain’ for Tokelau, a tiny island territory in the South Pacific with a population of less than 1,500.

But why is the .tk domain so popular? Because Tokelau allows individuals and businesses to register as many domain names as they want, completely free of charge. The revenue generated from the .tk domain business accounts for around one sixth of the island’s annual income.

If you do opt for a bespoke website, you’ll need to register your domain with a domain name supplier such as Domain.com, GoDaddy, or NameCheap.

You can read our comprehensive guide on how to buy a domain name here.

Get a business email address

Now you have a domain name, the next step in creating a credible digital presence for your business is getting a business email address.

While you could use a personal email for business purposes, customers will have a lot more trust in a business with a tailored email address. For example: tom.smith@mybusiness.com conveys more professionalism than tom.smith@gmail.com.

You can then create a portfolio of different email addresses to channel incoming emails directly to the relevant department. So you could have: sales@mybusiness.com, enquiries@mybusiness.com etc.

The web builder you used to set up your website should have email tools which allow you to marry your domain to your email.

Read our guide on how to set up a business email for a more in-depth look.

Choose a business website builder

So, you’ve decided to go down the web builder route – but which one is going to be best for your business?

To help you out, we’ve reviewed and ranked three of the best web builders on the market, based on factors such as features, value for money, and ease of use.

Some offer a free trial so you can give them a test run before you commit, but they often limit what features and templates you can access. If you want a website that’s going to give you the best chance for success, then we recommend opting for a paid version straight away.

Read more: How much does a business website cost 

Below is an overview of some of the best website builders available. Click on the link to get a more in-depth analysis of each one.

*All prices are for annual pay plans 

Wix – 4.7

If you’re looking for a good all-round website builder, look no further than Wix.

It’s got a great range of features and templates, scores 5/5 for help and support, and also ranks highest for ease of use.

It might be one of the pricier options on the market, but you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck. Upgrade to the premium version if you want to take full advantage of the benefits Wix offers.

Try Wix here

Squarespace – 4.5

Squarespace is a great option for scaling businesses, thanks to the flexibility it offers its customers in terms of design and features.

This flexibility comes at a price – it’s the most expensive of the builders we’ve reviewed – but Squarespace also gives you top notch, 24/7 customer support.

However, it also scored lowest for ease of use, so perhaps it isn’t the best option if you’re new to website builders.

If you want the practicality of a website builder, but a site that you can really make your own, Squarespace is the platform for you.

Try Squarespace here.

Weebly – 4.3

If value for money is your main priority, then Weebly is the website builder you're looking for.

It has all the essential features you’d expect from a decent website builder, as well as useful backend tools like analytics and security – and all for a very reasonable price tag.

It was also our second highest-rated website builder for customer score, which ranks products based on how likely a respondent would be to recommend them to a friend.

Try Weebly here.

Choose a business website plan

As you can see above, there are a range of plans available to suit business customers with different needs.

We would always advise starting with a plan on the lower end of the spectrum, and then opting for a more comprehensive (and pricier) one as you grow. Many builders offer a free trial, so you can get an idea of whether it will be suitable for your needs before committing to a full subscription.

They also offer free domain names you can use called ‘sub-domains’. A sub-domain includes the name of the website builder in your address (Startups.wix.com, for example). However, you don’t own this sub-domain name, and it inhibits your chance of building a long-term, credible business with unique branding.

If you really want to hit the ground running, we would advise opting for a paid plan from the off. This will ensure you have access to the range of features you need to really grow your online presence.

John Ellmore, director at KnowYourMoney.co.uk, explains: “While some website builders, including Weebly, Wix and WordPress.com, offer free accounts, it’s worth noting that those packages will make your site look less professional. They will prevent you from having a custom domain name, and often require you to run advertising from the provider on your site.

“Paid options start from as low as £3/month, however, and some website builders include a free custom domain name as part of their yearly packages.”

Choose a template - create a website design

You have your domain name, you have your business email, you’ve decided on a website builder, and you’ve chosen a plan.

Now, it’s time to choose a design and set up your business website.

Templates are pre-made designs sporting a variety of themes, which allow you to create a professional-looking website instantly.

Some website builders (such as Wix) offer hundreds of designs, while others (like Squarespace) have a more limited range.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed when choosing between these myriad templates, but don’t get bogged down. Have several key criteria in mind, and a solid understanding of your brand and your customer.

Ensure the look and feel of your website reflects the nature of your business – don’t just choose the most flashy and exciting designs.

The three key aspects of your website are:

Content width design

This is whether the content stretches to fit the width of a screen (full-width), or is constrained by a frame (boxed-width).

• Full-width – more contemporary; better for graphic-heavy websites and menu bars with lots of tabs. Layout may shift on different screens
• Boxed-width – more traditional, and keeps content layout consistent across different screens

Home page header

The header contains the images or video content that represent your brand. There are a number of different options:

• Static image with/without text – if one strong image can explain your brand and business
• Slideshow – to highlight different aspects of your business
• Video – to tell a complex brand story; make sure you use high quality video that is meaningful to your business

Menu bar design

Your menu bar should be easy to find, and easy to read using a plain colour and font.

• Along the top/bottom – this is the most common, and is best for menu bars with limited links
• Sidebar – for graphic-intensive designs with lots of links in the menu bar

Where should the logo go?

This depends on how prominent you want the logo to be on the page. It could be:

• The same level as the menu bar – less prominent, and allows more space for other content
• Above or below menu bar – more prominent, but less space for content

Narrow down your choices using the above criteria to select the most suitable template for your brand.

Set up an ecommerce website

Ecommerce functionality is usually available with the more advanced plans offered by website builders.

The advantage of using a website builder to set up your online store is that everything is basically done for you.

Rather than setting up separate shopping cart software and online payments functionality, this functionality is built in. An ecommerce plan may also include other useful features such as:

• Inventory and order tracking
• Checkout and payments
• Sales promotion
• Customised shipping and taxes

Find out everything you need to know about creating an ecommerce website here. 

Preview and test your website

Exciting, isn’t it? Your website – essentially the shopfront for your business – is ready to go live.

But before you publish, are you absolutely sure it is ready?

If you want to avoid embarrassing and potentially brand-damaging mistakes, you should carry out thorough testing on performance and content.

• Are all the navigation buttons working?
• How is the load speed?
• Have you checked spelling and grammar?
• Have you run through your SEO checks? (more on this below)

Most website builders offer a preview function, so you can see what your site will look like when it’s live before you hit publish.

Optimise your business website SEO

A well-thought out Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy will make sure your business website is easily discoverable online by new and existing customers.

On-page SEO involves optimising your webpages to drive organic traffic through relevant keywords, the meta description, and H1 tags.

Many website builders come with SEO tools to help you analyse and optimise your pages.

Here’s a basic SEO checklist:

Set up tracking and analytics tools

Using tools such as Google Analytics is a great way to monitor and measure the performance of your business website. This way you can discover what isn’t working and improve it.

There are countless metrics you could measure, but it’s wise to avoid getting bogged down. Focus instead on a few essentials, such as:

• Organic traffic
• Other traffic
• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate
• Click-through rate

Keyword research

Keywords are words and phrases related to your business. Use tools like SEMRush and Moz to find keywords with high search volume, which you can use on your website to help potential customers find you.

Technical SEO audit

A technical SEO audit can check the back-end factors that may influence your website’s performance in search engine results.

Technical errors could include:

• Slow site speed
• Crawl errors
• Faulty links
• Duplicate content

There are other ways to promote your website, but the above SEO guide gives you all the essentials.

Moving on from a Website Builder

Mike Blackburn, director at brand marketing agency I-COM, explains when and why you might want to move on from a website builder – and what you should bear in mind if you do.

“Website builders like Squarespace are a great option for start-up businesses helping them get online quickly and cost-effectively. There are, however, some drawbacks which can be experienced by businesses as they grow and want to achieve more from the web.

“These are fairly well documented but include things like difficulties in getting support in times of need, lack of design flexibility, limitations in what can be done to generate more search traffic to the site other than through paid search and the lack of third party integrations from services that can help a business be more efficient online.

“If these things have got too much for you and you decide you want to invest in your own website make sure what you do doesn’t simply continue the problems you're facing.

“When you commission a new website, don’t just go for the cheapest option. Check that:

• You’re getting your own design and not simply a template based solution that will look cheap and not give users confidence in your business.
• You have a contact who can help you if you have issues, or, even better, give you advice on how you might make your website work more effectively for you.
• You have the ability to undertake basic SEO activities on your website, including creating metatags and editing the content your visitors will see.
• You can add widgets to your site for third party services that can help website performance.
• Lastly, that the site is mobile-friendly. You’d think that all websites would be designed to look good on any device but you’d be surprised how many still-new sites still have really poor mobile implementations.

“If you’re going to invest more in a website make sure you get one that works for you.”

Ready to move on from a website builder? Fill in the form at the top of this page to start comparing website design agencies today.

Redesigning your website

A website is constantly growing and evolving. New pages and sections can be added, as can new functionalities. You should be aware of user experience (UX), whether through analysis or customer feedback.

How easy it is for users to navigate around your site and click through to relevant pages can have a major impact on bounce and conversion rate. They’re likely to go elsewhere if they can’t find what they’re looking for.

Because of this, UX should be at the heart of website redesign.

You can find a more comprehensive guide to website redesign here.

Next steps

These days, the burden of choice is a business owner’s greatest challenge when designing a website.

With so many options for templates, plans, and features it can be easy to agonise over every step. Just remember to let the customer inform your decision-making and you won’t go far wrong.

If you feel ready to create a website, here's a summary of our top tips:

• Start with a low-cost plan, and scale up when you understand your website needs
• Choose a unique and memorable domain name
• Focus on key criteria and eliminate unsuitable designs to find the best template
• Test and preview your website before publishing to avoid embarrassing errors
• Develop a comprehensive SEO strategy to ensure your website ranks
• Keep redesigning