Small Business Website Design - How to Get Professional Results on a Shoestring Budget

Just because you are a small business with an even smaller website design budget, does not mean that you cannot have a professional looking website and presence on the web. All it means is you will have to do some of the work yourself instead of paying some design firm to do it for you. Amazingly enough, self designed pages from small business owners who did their research frequently end up being better and more focused than professionally designed pages. Consider the following suggestions when designing your own website.

Suggestion #1 - URL

First of all, your URL is very important and since it is the address to your website and what everyone will use to find your place on the web you need to put some careful consideration and thought into it. You don't want to come up with a URL that already exists as a .com and register it as a .tv. If you do this, you will just lose customers to the com. Likewise, you don't want to register a URL that has nothing to do with your website or content either. Be thoughtful and register a URL that pertains to your services or products, is as short as possible, and is spelled easily.

Suggestion #2 - Host

The next thing you must do is find a web host. Since you are on a shoestring budget you will be tempted to save money and go with a free host. Do not do this. Do anything you have to do to convince yourself that free is not always better because in this case it is not. Frequently the free sites don't get indexed by the search engines, they don't provide much space or bandwidth, and since they are free you can't do too much about it when the site is down or you went over your visitor limit. Instead, find an affordable host and there are many for under $10 per month, offer decent bandwidth, storage space, e-mail services, as well as other tools you need.

Suggestion #3 - Professional Templates

When it comes to designing your site, many hosts have tutorials and wizards that will help you do so. However, you will want your site to be as professional as possible so keep this in mind when choosing colors and the like. Also, use professional templates that you can buy or download for free online. They will give you the professional appearance you want for free.

Suggestion #4 - Text

When it comes to loading text on your website make sure you break it up into small chunks, use bold words, bullets, numbers, and anything else that you can think of to make it more readable. Avoid small fonts, light colors, or strange texts. Also, remember that the search engines use keywords in your text to return results, so be sure to include keywords in your text as well.

Michael Turner reveals step-by-step how you can increase search engine traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it now at increase search engine traffic

Airbnb cleaning service Arlington Heights ..
In The News:

Red flags like processing fees, urgent countdowns and requests for full Social Security numbers expose fraudulent settlement sites targeting consumers.
Comprehensive analysis of Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps examines usability, routing accuracy, data handling and features across the top navigation platforms.
Expert analysis reveals whether wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi connections are safer for home internet use, plus practical steps to secure your network from attackers.
Australian construction robot Charlotte uses sand, crushed brick and recycled glass to 3D print fireproof, floodproof homes with reduced carbon footprint.
Cybercriminals are using fake invitation emails to trick recipients into downloading malware and stealing personal information and data.
Flying drones could help retailers fight a 93% increase in theft rates as Flock Safety promotes airborne security systems to track suspects and deter crime.
The Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter brings you the latest news on the emerging technology every Saturday, highlighting top stories.
Hacker group Radiant stole data from 8,000 children at Kido nursery chain, demanding ransom and directly contacting parents with intimidation tactics.
As 18 states implement bell-to-bell cell phone bans, creative students use Google Docs, iMessage on MacBooks and Post-It notes to stay connected in class.
A sheriff's captain says deputies often spend hours writing reports between calls, but Axon's AI program, Draft One, helps them save crucial time in the field.
Sora 2, OpenAI's new video-generation app, can create AI-generated videos based on a singular prompt. The results are both mind-blowing and terrifying.
iPhone and Android users can reduce Wi-Fi calling battery drainage through settings adjustments, background app limits and stronger Wi-Fi connections.
Work email scams are becoming harder to detect as criminals use AI and spoofed addresses to trick employees into opening malicious attachments and links.
From her Arizona living room, Christina Chapman ran a covert hub that helped North Korean operatives infiltrate U.S. firms, netting $17 million in stolen salaries.
UC Santa Barbara researchers developed a soft robotic intubation system that achieved 100% success rates for experts and 96% for paramedics with minimal training.
Scammers exploit probate filings to target grieving families with fake fees and debts, Kurt "Cyberguy" Knutsson reports.
Automotive giant Stellantis becomes latest victim of widespread Salesforce breaches affecting companies like Google, Cisco and Adidas this year.
A woman from Washington reunited with her missing Maine Coon cat Louie after 11 days using Love Lost, a free AI-powered pet recovery platform.
Expert cybersecurity tips help Mac owners remove malware infections and strengthen defenses with antivirus software, password managers and system updates.
Meta's AI chatbot training rules bans sexual roleplay with minors and block access to child abuse material as regulators scrutinize its safety measures.
Online banking users face a new threat: web injection scams that overlay fake pop-ups to steal logins. Here’s how to spot them and protect your accounts.
Meta introduced Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger while launching a School Partnership Program for U.S. educators to report bullying within 48 hours.
Executive order signed by President Donald Trump tasks Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA Commission with using AI to find new cures for childhood cancers.
New FileFix attack tricks Facebook and Instagram users into running malicious PowerShell commands disguised as Meta account maintenance to deploy StealC infostealer.
Step-by-step instructions help users migrate to Windows 11 while preserving emails, contacts, documents, and software licenses during the transition.

Some Useful Common Site Ideas

In my web surfing adventures, I've found a few site... Read More

Making Good Websites that Stand Out

Websites, there's literally billions of them out there in cyber-space.... Read More

Web Usability: The Basics

What is web usability & why is it important?Web usability... Read More

Why is a Logo so Important to Your Business?

Well, a logo for your business. Why is it important?... Read More

Designing Your Websites Directory Structure

Any kid, and their grandmother too, can make a webpage.... Read More

Why Ugly Sites Sell More Than Pretty Ones

What the heck is going on lately? Most internet websites... Read More

A Beginners Guide to Web Page Design

Designing your own successful web page can seem difficult and... Read More

What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?

QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More

Web Site Redirection - How to Implement a 301 Redirect

You just created a new web site but want to... Read More

Website Sales: 10 Strategic Tips To Maximize Your Profits

If you've a website but not making a lot of... Read More

Why You Should Use CSS

It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for... Read More

Using Graphic Design on Your Website

Almost everything is available on the web? products, services, e-books,... Read More

Website Woes: Top Five Offenders

I see a lot of mistakes, but here are the... Read More

How to Double Your Online Sales Without Spending Another Dime on Advertising

Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More

Web Coach Tip: The Single Most Important and CRUCIAL Element of Your Web Site

Here's the single most important part of your website: YOUR... Read More

Double Ad-Trackers Its Not as Crazy as It Sounds Here Are 7 Reasons Why?

A Double Ad Tracker is an Ad-Tracker that points to... Read More

10 Reasons Why You Need A Multilingual Website

The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More

Increase Sales on Your Website! Use Graphics!

How many times have you clicked on a website only... Read More

Wording Up Your Website

Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More

Website Redesign for Existing Websites

Does your website need a re-design? Here are some questions... Read More

Ten Steps to a Winning Home Page

There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More

How To Make It Easy For Your Web Designer To Build Your Website

You have an idea for a website and you are... Read More

Discover 7 Proven Shopping Cart Enhancements to Increase Your Sales

For online businesses with their main goal of selling products,... Read More

Technology vs. Usability

When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995... Read More

How Your Business Can Win Online

There are lots of websites out there that do little... Read More

reliable maid service Winnetka ..