Small businesses in New Zealand can grow their business with a website that caters to their business goals. Website for small businesses in dominating industries such as retail, trade, business services, construction, property and agriculture can prove to be very effective and especially now more than ever. A good sound website can help you reach out to the key business-related customers/clients easier online.
89% businesses in New Zealand have 5 or less employees and these small businesses contribute to 29% of total employment in New Zealand. Small businesses having an online presence is critical for the growth of the business as we are transforming to the digital world.
Customers/clients now look for a business that has a professional look and with a creative website, matching email address and an easy to read phone number can help you look professional and reach customers around New Zealand or even around the world.
Building a great small business website
1 – Choosing the right domain name
The domain name or also known as the website address, is your starting point impression for your customers before they enter your website. So, make sure to choose a domain name that best represents your business.
Don’t over spell the domain name, try to keep it relatively small and something that can be easily picked up by your clients or customers as they search for you.
Before you start choosing the domain name, ensure to research online to check the availability of the domain name you are looking to choose.
Websites listed below that you can check your domain name availability on.
- https://www.crazydomains.co.nz/
- https://www.domainz.net.nz/
- https://www.freeparking.co.nz/domain-names
- https://nz.godaddy.com/
SEO tip for choosing a domain name: Choose the name such that the main service you provide can be mentioned in the domain name. Thank us later.
2 – Hosting for the website
Hosting is provided by several different companies online and they offer technology/services that are necessary for your website to be viewed online. The domain name you would have chosen will be connected to the hosting site.
Cost of hosting website by different companies in NZ?
The cost for hosting can be anything between $4 to $50 per month depending the hosting site you choose. Most website that provide domain names also provide hosting and sometimes it works best to choose the same company for both services, makes it easier to be remembered and renewing it can be easier also.
You could opt to choose a yearly hosting plan, which can give you a discount. Avoid being on a shared server and instead get a dedicated server plan for your website, ensuring security.
3 – Choosing the right platform for your website
There are quite a few website platforms out there and it is best to advise that you carry out your research prior to choosing the one that best fits your business needs.
The most popular website design platforms listed below
4 – Digital marketing
Digital marketing for small business websites can be very helpful in order to kick start your online presence and boost sales. There are a few ways you can run the marketing for your website, and they all have their positives and negatives. Most importantly they all do work to a certain extent.
SEO: SEO known as search engine optimisation can be a great investment when it comes to organic website rankings on search engines. The process of implementing SEO and getting the desired results takes time and can be your long-term investment, which will give you future growth if done correctly.
Google AdWords: A fast marketing approach to help give your business a quick start and get you ranking on top of the search engine for certain given keywords related to the products or services you have on offer. Very successful for new starts and small business website, as you can start building your customer/client base from the word get go.
SMM: Social media marketing can also prove to be successful for small business website to engage with wider community. It builds great brand awareness and boosts your website domain authority with people visiting your site from all social media platforms. Most of the younger generation can be found on social media apps such as facebook, Instagram and twitter. So, if you are targeting a certain age group then give social media marketing a good thought.
Engaging web design for small businesses can help your business grow.
It is important to carry out research when building a website and should be aligned with your business goals, so you can achieve the desired outcome. There is no point building a website for your business if you only want it there to look professional and when asked for you can say that yes you have a website. You need to ensure to put the time and effort into your website to grow your business and reap the benefits.
Digitalisation is amongst us and it is a great chance for all of us New Zealanders with small businesses to get online and expand our businesses. We hope the above information is helpful enough to get you started with your website or simply get in touch with a web design company near you to get you up and running as you focus on the core business duties.