𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A website can help your business interact with current clients and reach new customers – but getting online is just the start. Business owners need to consider how their website looks, as well as how people engage with it.

This means getting the design and functionality right and ensuring it is optimised with the best keywords and content, so your small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) can be found among the top search results. Communication and ecommerce tools are also important.

The good news is, you don’t need to be a web expert to build a website and some parts can be done for free with online tools and AI.Keep reading for everything to consider when building a business website.

How to build a business website

There are a few factors to consider when building a business website. Do you have the skills to do it yourself or is there budget to pay an expert such as a web designer and developer? You may also need other skills such as search engine optimisation (SEO).

The first step is to select a domain name and then design your website and arrange web hosting to get it live across the internet. There are free options to do this, but that may mean facing restrictions with how much you can customise the web address and design of a website.

The seven Cs of a website

Many experts follow a formula for web design that was devised by marketing academics Jeffrey Rayport and Bernard Jaworski in 2001. It is known as the seven Cs.

These are:

The seven categories are used to influence how a website looks and interacts with customers. Firstly, the context of your website covers the layout and design, ensuring it is visually appealing and easy to follow. Similarly, content must be engaging and informative, with a mix of text and images as well as the use of SEO.

Social aspects or community are also useful. This could include forums, reviews and feedback. Connections are important to make sure your website can work with third-party tools, such as marketing or ecommerce platforms or for social media posts. Plus, it is important to have ways to communicate with customers, such as a live chat function or simply making your contact details clear.

Customisation ensures your website can be viewed on different devices and screen sizes. Finally, commerce refers to the ability to sell products through your website.

How much does it cost to build a website?

The cost of building a website can vary depending on if you want to do it yourself or decide to use expert developers and web designers.

DIY website builders cost £10 and £30 per month, while professionally developed websites can range from £1,500 to £6,000 or more. Costs may be higher depending on the features you need, such as chat services and ecommerce tools.

Jerzy Zawadzki, chief technology officer at software company Polcode, says: “A business website requires a solid user experience, scalable architecture, and SEO readiness. Costs range from a few hundred pounds for simple sites to tens of thousands for custom platforms. Free builders exist, but they limit scalability and control.”

Can I build a website for free?

There are plenty of free website builders and artificial intelligence tools online – such as Hostinger, Wix and WordPress – that can make it easy to launch a website with minimal upfront costs.

It’s worth keeping in mind there can be limitations such as platform branding, restricted storage, reduced control over search engine optimisation and you may not get a custom domain. Many SMEs could be better off paying for a domain name and hosting to boost their brand.

Who legally owns a website?

The question of ownership of a website can be tricky. Ownership is made up of different areas such as your domain name, the content and the underlying code.

It depends how much you have done yourself and what you have outsourced. For example, if you use Shopify to run the ecommerce sales side of your business and deal with online orders, you will be using its hosting service. While you own the content and all the listings, you have to follow Shopify’s policies that will govern what you are allowed to do.

The domain belongs to whoever registered it, while website code and content may be owned or licensed depending on the agreements in place with any developers, writers and software providers you have worked with.

What do I need on my business website?

The starting point for most business websites is a domain name, hosting and a secure connection via SSL. Other useful elements include pages explaining who you are and what you offer and ways to get in touch. But depending on your business, you may need extra tools, especially if you want to sell items or services online.

Paul Ryazanov, chief executive of ecommerce brand Magecloud, explains that a better business website “starts with clear purpose and measurable outcomes, such as calls, enquiries, bookings or sales, then structures content so visitors can complete those tasks quickly.”

He adds that technical priorities should include fast server response, caching, compressed images and minimal heavy scripts, as well as accessibility features and strong SEO practices.

Can ChatGPT build me a website?

Rather than paying for web designers and developers, you could use AI such as ChatGPT or Claude to build a website. You simply enter what you need and will be provided with the code that generates your layout and content. But, you will still need to ensure the SEO and user experience is right and you will need to pay for hosting services and an email domain.

AI web builders such as Hostinger will let you adjust layouts and choose your own images and text. It can help with creating SEO-friendly content, automating product descriptions and managing transactions through ecommerce tools, saving you time.

Seb Brantigan, marketing automation expert at DBSS Digital, says AI tools should be viewed as part of the process rather than for solely relying on the technology. He explains: “The best websites are ones that have clear messaging and are able to convert viewers to leads. Otherwise lots of people could visit your site but you don’t get any actual prospects from the traffic.”