Business Owners Web Solutions

Business owners should have these essential skills…

Business owners should be aware of some core areas when it comes to web design. If you own a website, this doesn’t mean you have to have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a web development certificate. After all, many times, people looking to start a simple website can build it and put their ideas to work themselves. Yes, there is some learning required at the start. And as a business owner, It’s up to you to learn basic web skills. After all, this benefit will allow you to keep your site relevant and up to date. But, if you want the best website, the alternative is to hire a professional web design agency like ours.

Know basic HTML as a Business Owner

First, a website owner should know HTML and CSS or understand how they work. This will enable you to make simple changes, such as correct typos or add text to your website. Remember, not updating text or correcting typos can deter people from revisiting your site. A community center or a nonprofit is a perfect example of why knowing HTML and CSS is essential. For example, events and notices of cancellations will ensure that the community is aware of sudden changes. The ability to manipulate text is a critical skill for controlling content. Is it blogging on a WordPress website or adding new content to an HTML web page? Basic knowledge will help you.

Business Owners should be able to create unique content and media.

You may have gathered that websites filled with text are much less appealing than those with perfect layouts, website color, photos, and videos. Hence, not controlling your media content can make your site stale. You must create unique media that appeals to your target audience. Returning to the example of a community center website, visitors will want to see media on the site about the events.

Knowing how to organize website content, including media content, is essential for any small business owner to be aware of. Business owners want to create appealing media content, but they also need to change the content on their websites. Also, business owners need to know how to update the media on their site to ensure that it is up-to-date and relevant to their audience.

Small Business Owners should remember to Present.

All websites should be presentable, and if you find too much content or not visually appealing web pages? Then you should know how to rearrange their website. Knowing how to tweak your site can make a world of difference. In fact, visually appealing and correctly laid out digital content will allow visitors to browse the website. Hence, knowing how to add, delete, and rearrange content will give you the added advantage of continually being able to change your website.

For example, a retail site where inventory is constantly needed to update regularly. Rather than updating the site and loading all the images onto one page, the retailer will want to organize the site so that visitors can see a certain amount of merchandise on each page. The benefits as a business owner will allow promotions and new products to be immediately available. Also, determining site layouts and pages help engage visitors and attract potential customers.

All Business Owners should have a presence on Social Media.

Social media plays a massive role in attracting visitors to websites in today’s society. Hence, integrating social media into a website and being active is paramount. Being able to tweet or post a Facebook action immediately will get your small business awareness and more business. Imagine if you sell football, and your local team seems to be doing well in the league. Is it on the way to the championships? It would help if you emphasized this current trend and not later on after the event. After all, immediate social activity will drive more action to your website.

Along with owning a site, it is recommended that your site is connected to a social media site. Social media allows owners to give followers updates on the go without any editing of the site. It is often the most accessible component to attracting visitors, but managing social media can take a lot of thought and effort. Site owners must ensure that the content posted on social media aligns with their site. Another good example would be Nike; they utilize social media by posting videos of athletes to promote their website. You can attract visitors by raising their curiosity about products or simply showing your company’s values through videos and photos like Nike.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a discipline that helps with website ranking. But many resources can help you do some basic SEO. After all, the whole purpose of having a website is to be visible on key search engines. For example, being able to understand the traffic to your website, as well as the bounce rate, will give you more information to adapt to your business climate.

Web Security is a number one priority for all Business Owners

After finishing up and putting together a web page. It’s essential to secure your website. These are a few techniques a website owner should know to build a safer, more secure website for visitors.

Although it may be obvious, keeping your software up to date is essential for keeping your website secure. This applies to the server operating system and any software you may be running on your website. Keeping your software up to date will limit the security holes that hackers may exploit. However, if you’re using a third-party hosting company, you don’t need to worry as much about applying security updates, as the hosting company should take care of this.

You should also know how much information you give in your error messages. For example, if you have a login form on your website? It would help to think about communicating “attempt-failure” when attempting logins. You should always use common messages like “Incorrect username or password.” For example, do not specify if a user got half of the query right. If a hacker tries to attack and an error message saying only one of the fields is correct, the attacker will pursue further. Hence making the website vulnerable.

Security and Strong Passwords

Everybody knows they should use the correct passwords to secure their login information. But this is not always the case. For example,  admin and server logins should have strong passwords so that hackers cannot try to access the website. Also, it is a good idea for your website users to follow good password practices. Although many users would not like it, enforcing essential password requirements is necessary. For example, including an uppercase letter and number will help protect their information in the long run.

Another dangerous security risk is letting users upload files to your website, even if it is simply to change their avatar. The upload could have malicious intent with a script that could open up your website. Hence, file sizes and file types should be in place to avoid the possibility of your website falling to hackers.

Testing Your Website

Once you have done everything, it’s time to test your website security. The most effective way of doing this is via some website security tools, often referred to as penetration testing or pen testing for short. There are many free tools or commercial tools that you can use to test out your website. They generally focus on scripts hackers use on known exploits and attempt to compromise your site using advanced methods.

These are just a few methods to make your website more secure. As technology advances, users and creators can deploy more techniques and strategies to enforce what they accomplish. It is a good idea to keep up with technology, which will equip you with more tools. This might sound not very easy, and it can sometimes be, but as long as a website owner has basic knowledge, they can get by.

Know the small details

Owning a website, you don’t need to know all the small details. Knowing where to find the resources to get the correct answers is much more critical. Whether a website owner needs to add text or update media, sites like w3schools.com can be a great resource to help get the desired result. Staying up to date with current trends in social media gives website owners an edge in promoting their sites and helps them understand what their visitors are into. It is also good to keep your skills up to date by practicing. Knowing the basics will save time, money, and frustration.

Hire a Professional Web Designer

Suppose you’re just too busy, which is excellent! And at the junction that your small business website needs professional help? You can always hire a professional web design and marketing company like Visualwebz. Is it a CPA, dental practice wanting SEO, or an attorney needing a new website and online advertising? We can do it all. Call us at (425)-336-0069 or email us at info@visualwebz.com.