To make your business successful, the existence of a website is essential.
A business website is an important tool for communicating with customers and disseminating information.
In this article, we will introduce the basics of creating a business website so that even those with no knowledge can understand it.
・For those who want to create their own website to replace their business cards
事業・ビジネスをはじめて、集客や名刺がわりのサイトを作りたいけど、予算はそこまでかけれないといった方を対象に、 Webディレクター・WebデザイナーとしてたくさんのWebサイト作りに携わってきた経験を踏まえて、ポイントをまとめてみるので、よかったら参考にしてください。
table of contents
1. Clarify your purpose
Before you create a homepage, make sure you clarify the purpose of your business homepage (website).
For example, do you want to sell products and services on your site, whether it's your main focus to disseminate information, and whether your goal is to receive inquiries and quotes from customers.
Depending on your purpose, the way you design your homepage and create content will change.
example)
・Product sales → EC website
・Information dissemination → Media sites, blogs
- The goal is the customer inquiry → Corporate website, LP (landing page)
It's also easier to create a site if you look at some sites from other companies in the industry and find one that you'll use as a reference.
2. Choose a CMS
A CMS (Content Management System) is a tool for creating and managing your homepage.
It is also possible to create a homepage using HTML and CSS without using CMS, but if you try to create a satisfying site, the learning costs will be high.
If your goal is not to learn about web production, I think it's a good idea to use a CMS that allows you to create highly-finished sites in a short amount of time.
The CMS recommended for those with no knowledge is "WordPress."
As of 2023, WordPress has been used in over 40% of websites worldwide and over 60% of CMS, and many templates and plugins are available.
(WordPress has a share of over 80% of CMS used only within Japan.)
There are many people using it and there are plenty of information available, so it's easy to find out when you're in trouble.
reference)
Global CMS Share Usage statistics of content management systems | W3Techs
Japanese CMS Share Distribution of content management systems among websites that use Japanese | W3Techs
ビジネス用ホームページ（コーポレートサイト・メディアサイト・ブログ）の場合は、基本的には「WordPress」で良いと思うのですが、どうしても使いづらい場合などは「Wix（ウィックス）」というノーコードツール（ドラッグ&ドロップでサイトがつくれるサービス）などを検討してみてください。
Also, if you want to create an e-commerce site (mail order site or online shop), please clickBASE
」、「Color Me Shop
CMS dedicated to EC sites such as ", "Shopify" and "EC-CUBE" are good.
3. Select a template
Templates are the basic framework that determines the design of your homepage.
CMSでWordPressを使うことを決めた場合は、WordPressテーマと呼ばれるテンプレートを使用します。
多くの無料・有料のテンプレート（WPテーマ）があるので、自分のビジネスに合ったデザインを選びましょう。
シンプルで使いやすいデザインがおすすめです。
WP theme for business websites that can be used for free
・Lightning
・Business Press
・Cocoon
・Xeory Extension
Official WordPress Theme
https://ja.wordpress.org/themes/
You can create your own templates or customize the default templates, but specialized knowledge (such as programming knowledge such as PHP, HTML, CSS, etc.) is required, so I think it's a good value to search for templates online.
Also, for those who are good at English, those that support Japanese are still easier to use. (Many English templates have more stylish designs, but if you also use English to display explanation sites and dashboards, you may end up not being able to use them properly.)
Responsive design adoption
Modern homepages are often viewed not only on PCs but also on various devices such as smartphones and tablets, so use responsive design templates.
Responsive design is a web design that allows you to automatically optimize layouts according to screen size, improving the user experience (user experience/UX).
Navigation design
Homepage navigation is important to make it easy for visitors to access the information they want.
Use the menu bar to place links to the home page and each page.
We strive to provide easy-to-understand and intuitive navigation.
I think the templates have navigation, so use that as a basic rule.
In addition, links to major pages can be effectively installed as buttons other than the header and footer navigation.
4. Obtaining a domain and server
To publish your homepage, you need to use a domain (for example, yourbusiness.com) and a server hosting.
A domain is like a name or address on the Internet.
The server is the location for storing homepage data and files.
Server (hosting service)
When using WordPress, I think it's best to use a rental server that can be used for around 500 to 1,000 yen per month.
「Sakura Internet
"or"Lollipop!
」、「Xserver
」、「ConoHa WING
This is a rental server known for ".
Most rental servers offer a mechanism to make WordPress easy to implement.
domain
Domains are also handled within the rental server service, so it's easy to get and set up together.
There are free shared domains and custom domains, but it is better to acquire your own domain for business sites.
It looks strange if it's a shared domain (sweat)
It's fine as long as you can get the desired name from ".com" or ".jp".
Email Management
You can also obtain and manage email addresses from your own domain, which are necessary for doing business, using the rental server.
We recommend setting it at the same time as obtaining your own domain.
*Wix andBASE
If you use such services, you do not need to sign up for a rental server as they are all included in the services.
What about Cloud?
When considering hosting services, clouds such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) may also be an option.Both rental servers and clouds such as AWS can do the same thing, but which one you choose depends on your purpose of use, budget, and whether you use your specialized knowledge.
To put it simply, I think a rental server is best for beginners.
It's easy to use and has good value for money.
If there is a disadvantage to rental servers, it is that they share physical servers with multiple users, which may result in performance constraints.
In the case of cloud services (Iaas), you can use independent virtual servers, which covers the disadvantages of rental servers, but you will need specialized knowledge to set them up.
Cloud services (Iaas) are generally suitable for large-scale projects or for advanced use, so if you are using a homepage that can be used as a business card, you can use a rental server.
Even when I actually worked for a web production company, Iaas only used cloud services (Iaas) if there were engineers who could design, manage and operate server infrastructure in-house, and most companies used rental servers.
5. Creating content
So far, we have explained the outside (frames, containers) of the website.
Next is the content.
The content on the homepage contains business information and information about the products and services it provides.
Emphasise your company's characteristics and benefits and share content that is engaging to your customers.
I think the main focus is on text information, but it would be nice to have some visually conveyed things, such as supplementary photos and illustrations.
Below are the key content creation points:
Home page
Let's briefly explain the business's overview and characteristics.
Make sure to create a clear layout so that customers can get information quickly.
The area you see when you first open the screen is important, known as the first view.
Basically, it would be nice if the images and videos that are key visuals (eye-catching, main visuals), catch phrases, enquiry buttons (links to enquiry form), and navigation can be arranged in an easy-to-understand manner.
It's also good to have information that can be updated regularly, such as the latest information.
Ideally, you can create a flow where you can look at the home page, get the reader interested, and have them look at other pages to find out more, and then fill in the inquiry form.
Product and Services Page
Provide a detailed explanation of the products and services we offer.
It is important to clearly communicate features, benefits, strengths, prices, and usage methods.
Adding photos and videos of products and services is even more effective.
Company information and profile
Provide information about your company's background, history, vision, mission, and more.
We also recommend posting profiles and comments from key members to help them feel trustworthy and affinity.
よくある質問（Q&A、FAQ）
If possible, it would be a good idea to create a page with frequently asked questions.
There are probably many questions that people who view your website may wonder, and that they are often asked when they are actually in business.
それをQ&A形式でまとめるだけで立派なコンテンツになります。
Contact page
Have a way to make it easier for customers to contact you.
Please provide a contact form and contact information, and be prompt and courteous to any inquiries.
For WordPress, you can easily create an inquiry form using a plugin.
Normally, programming such as PHP is required, but with a plugin you can create an email form with just a simple setup. (Some items can be automatically replied, displayed confirmation screens, and converted to a database.)
Plug-in frequently used in WordPress part3
How to make images
Images are also an important material for homepage content.Make sure to prepare photos and illustrations that suit the images of each page and content.
It's best to have a photograph you took yourself or have a photographer take a photo to prepare the image, but if that's difficult, make use of free materials (a royalty-free, commercially available) photos, illustrations, icons, videos, etc.
If you search for "free materials" online, you will find a lot of free and paid materials.
Furthermore, rather than using photos as is, it is an image editing app (Adobe ExpressYaCanva Pro
It would be great if you could also edit images that are more suitable for your site using (such as [Free version available]).6. Implementing SEO measures
The parts from here will be the parts that will be related to techniques and tricks.
Even if you create a website and publish it, people don't find the information they've sent out easily.
One option is to advertise and spread flyers and cards with website addresses, but it's no good to have a minimum level of knowledge about SEO measures.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important to help you find your homepage through searches such as Google and Yahoo!
By implementing SEO measures such as using appropriate keywords, setting meta tags, and creating the correct page structure, you will be more likely to be displayed at the top of your search.
Selecting keywords
Identify keywords related to your business and the products and services you offer. Understand the phrases people may type in search engines and naturally incorporate those keywords into their content.
For example, if it's a restaurant site, keywords include "place name", "genre", and "menu name".
To be more specific, it looks like this:
example)
・Place name → Tokyo, Shibuya Ward, Shibuya Station, Miyamasuzaka
・Genre: → Cafe, Italian, Dining Bar
・Menu name → Pizza, Margherita, Pasta, Meat sauce, Coffee, Cafe Latte, Beer
Meta tag optimization
ページのメタタグ（タイトルタグやメタディスクリプション）は、検索エンジンにページの内容を理解させるための重要な要素です。各ページごとに適切なキーワードを使ったメタタグを作成しましょう。
With WordPress, you can easily set meta tags using a plugin.
All in One SEO This plugin is a standard.
Creating an internal link
Creating internal links within the homepage makes it easier for search engines to crawl pages within your site. It is important to link relevant pages to make it easier for users to find information.
Content quality and quantity
Search engines prefer high quality content. Provide information-valuable content and provide useful information to help solve reader problems. Also, the amount of content is important, but don't forget to prioritize quality.
What is quality content?
・Information users are looking for
・Reliable and original content
Easy to read and rich in content
Site speed and performance
Page loading speed also affects search engine rankings. Make efforts to optimize site speed and performance, such as optimizing images, setting up caches, and removing unnecessary plugins.
There are a variety of free web tools, so make use of them.
・Image compression tool (PNG/JPEG/WebP)Tinypng
・Web page display speed measurement toolPageSpeed Insights
Know your site's status
Don't you want to know what search terms are the website you created and how many people actually visit the site?
Google offers a tool that will help you understand this for free, so make sure you set it up and use it.
It's becoming a must-have for SEO measures.
To put it in an analogy, just like you need a scale when going on a diet, it is necessary to understand the status of your site when optimizing your search engine.
The following two tools:
・Search Console→ Measurements related to search
・Analytics→ Access measurements
In addition, Google officials also have plugins that allow you to check these official Google tools on the WordPress admin screen, so once you have set them up, it's a good idea to include them and link them together.
Google official plugin
・Site Kit by Google
This is the basic procedure for creating a business website that even those with no knowledge can understand.
Business sites play an important role in the success of your business, so we recommend that you carefully create them.
After reading this far, some people may have found it difficult to make everything yourself.
In such cases, I think it's best to ask someone who can create the site at a reasonable price.
It's a good idea to consult with someone if you know them, but if there's no one around you who can create a website,CrowdWorksYou can search on crowdsourcing sites such as:
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