How to Build a Landscaping Website by Yourself
The best way for business owners to reach new clients is by having their website. Gone are the days of looking through the telephone book to find businesses and coupons. Between computers and smartphones, potential clients prefer the ease and convenience of getting information on websites. Websites provide all the information your potential customers need, and owners can include coupons, discounts, and an email address so potential clients can reach them quickly with any questions they have. Websites are also a great way to show off the work businesses do by posting pictures and reviews from current clients. Building a landscaping website by yourself can save you the time and cost of hiring someone else to do it while leaving all the creative control in your hands so you can customize the site for your landscaping business.
What to Know Before Building Your Website
Before starting to build your website, it is important to have an understanding of what you want to accomplish with the website. First, you will want to know what the goal of your website is, in other words, why are you creating a website. If you are the owner of a landscaping business, then the goal of your website is most likely to attract new customers. Secondly, you will want to know your customers. Knowing your customers and what their needs are will help you to create a website that is attractive to potential clients. Lastly, be sure to research your competitor’s websites. By researching the websites of your competitors you can get a better understanding of how you want your website to look, and you can customize your website to stand out from the other landscaping websites in your area.
How to Build Your Website
Think you need a college degree or an expert on computers to build a website, think again. There are several platforms out there that will help guide you step by step to build your website. Listed below are the top websites that will guide you through the process of building and launching your landscaping website:
Wix
Wix allows individuals and businesses to create free websites. Simply answer a few questions and Wix will generate a website for you or you can choose to design the site yourself. Wix offers free videos, images, and text that you can use to enhance your website and once you have finished designing your website, Wix will publish it. Listed below are some of the most popular features Wix offers:
- Fully Customizable Designs
- High Security
- Responsive Mobile Sites
- SEO Friendly
- Over 54,000 Plugins
- Mailing Lists
- Online Store
Wix is user-friendly and a great platform for individuals who do not have much experience with building websites, but only the basic site is free if you want to have your domain name then it will be necessary to upgrade and pay for a premium plan.
WordPress
WordPress allows individuals and businesses to create free websites. WordPress provides free hosting, personal domain, and a support team to answer any questions you may have. This fully customizable website can be designed to suit the unique needs of you or your company. WordPress offers monthly plans that fit any budget and allow you to expand your website. Some of the most popular features WordPress offers include:
- Advertising
- Bulletin-Board
- Search Engine Optimizer
- Translation
- Visitor Statistics
- Affiliate Links
- Multi-Site Management
WordPress is user-friendly and a great platform for individuals who do not have much experience with building websites. With thousands of pre-made themes and over 50,000 free plugins, WordPress is easy to navigate and allows users to make stunning and effective websites.
Joomla
Joomla allows individuals and businesses to create free websites with the ability to expand the website via paid extensions. Joomla is a content management system, which means that it is a web-based application that enables multiple users the ability to manage content, information, and intranet applications at varying levels. Some of the most popular applications Joomla is used for are listed below:
- Small Business Websites
- E-Commerce and Online Reservations
- Corporate Websites
- Corporate Intranets and Extranets
- Online Publications including Newspapers and Magazines
- Government Websites
- Non-Profit Websites
- Community-Based Websites including Churches and Schools
Joomla is a great platform for individuals wanting to create a website, and they offer great features including chat, social, networks, advertising, bulletin boards, and banner images to help get your information seen by as many people as possible.
Drupal
Drupal allows individuals and businesses to create free websites with the ability to expand the website through available add-ons. While Drupal offers many great features and its versatility allows users to enhance their website using a variety of website applications, Drupal is more difficult to use than other platforms. Drupal is a great choice for individuals who have experience developing software or who have the time to learn how to use the site but is not recommended for first-time users.
Step 1. Choose Platform
You can choose one of the popular platforms above or find a platform that works best for you and your business. The most important part is choosing the right platform so you can begin to create your website and attract customers.
Step 2. Choose Domain Name
Once you have decided which platform you wish to use to create your website your next step will be to get a domain name. A domain name is the name of your website and where internet users can find and access your site. Domain names are relatively inexpensive costing approximately $10 a year. When choosing a domain name you will want it to be as close to your business name as possible for potential customers to find you, but this may not be easy since there are almost 2 billion websites in use today. Take your time and choose your domain name carefully as this will become your business’s online identity.
Step 3. Choose Template
Once you have chosen your platform and domain name the fun part begins, creating the look of your website. You can choose to use a template theme that is provided by your platform, or you can create your unique look. How you choose to design your website is up to you, and you can play around and change the look as you require and as you gain experience using the website platform you chose.
Step 4. Add Pages and Content
When adding pages and content to your website, it is important to include a few basic pages that are common among business websites and include:
Home Page
The home page is the first page viewers will see, so you want to make sure it catches their eye and stands out from other websites of similar businesses.
About Us Page
The about us page allows you to give your views a brief explanation of you and your business and adds a personal touch to the website. With this page, you can engage potential customers and give a brief description of your business.
Services/Product Page
The services/product page allows you to explain what services or products you provide for your customers and how much they cost. This page will give users a better understanding of what your business provides.
Contact Us Page
The contact us page is one of the most important pages for your business as it gives potential customers a way to reach your business and create appointments for service. This is a great place for your business’s address, phone number, email, etc. Everything a potential customer will need to buy your service or product.
Once you have created the four basic pages above you can expand and create as many pages as you wish to contain content that can include customer reviews, photo gallery, coupons or discounts, questions, etc. it is up to you how many pages you wish to create and what content you choose to include.
Conclusion
By following the steps above, you can create and launch a website and reach a vast number of potential customers. With computers and smartphones, many individuals looking for landscaping services will turn to the internet to find and hire service. It is important to make sure your landscaping business can compete and attract new customers.
