With so many websites online and competition stronger than ever, it can be hard to come up with an original idea for a website.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs can have an idea, but it takes drive, planning, and resources to actually bring that idea to fruition.
To be a small business owner, it's on you to make your vision a reality, so it's important that whatever idea you choose, you're all in.
With our 17 years of experience working with small business owners on hundreds of websites, we've put together a list of 7 tips to help you identify what website the internet is missing!
7 Tips to Help You Identify What Type of Website to Create:
Identify a Problem - If your product or service doesn't solve a problem, save your time and energy. When creating a successful online business, you want an idea that makes people think "that's what I've been looking for!"
Consider Your Expertise - It's good to have some background in the problem you're solving. Otherwise you'll either need to do a lot of research or partner someone who does have the experience you lack.
Present a Clear Path to Solving the Problem - This should be as simple as possible because people like simple. They want to know that you have a clear roadmap to get them to where they want to go.
Be Realistic About Your Resources - If your goal is to create a website like Facebook, for example, you need to keep in mind just how much time and money Facebook invested to make their platform happen. Even the first iteration of Facebook took a tremendous amount of planning and custom coding to make it happen. So if you're planning to use existing technology, and/or if you have a limited budget, you need to be realistic about what is feasible to create. We don't say this to discourage you, but it's important that you're realistic about how much time, money, and resources you're willing to devote to this endeavor.
Highlight Your Target Audience's Future State - Many websites get hung up on a theme for the design of the site rather than showcasing their target audience in their future state. Make your site stand out by showing your audience what life could be like after purchasing your product or service. Speak to that future state in your images and copy, and you'll create a better connection with your visitor than you would by simply having a pretty looking website.
Create a Marketing Plan to Connect with Your Audience - Once you know what website you want to create, don't forget to create a marketing plan for how you plan to drive people to the site. Gone are the days where you could optimize your site for search engines and leave it alone. Nowadays, you need to be consistently creating content, sharing that content on social media, sending emails and engaging with your community, optimizing your site for target keywords, and depending on your budget and industry, running ads to reach a wider audience. If you need help, grab our free Traffic Planner Guide to start planning your sources for traffic.
Don't Get Stuck in the Weeds - This is a pitfall we see some business owners fall into. They get so hung up on small details or making their website "perfect" that they delay launching their website until more and more time goes by. Instead, get something up and refine as you go. Then you'll be gathering valuable data, which will help you make decisions for your business. Progress is better than chasing perfection!
It takes a lot of courage and confidence to be a business owner. If you've been on the fence about making it happen, consider starting on a smaller scale and breaking it up into small, manageable steps.
Set 1-3 priorities each week (so you don't get overwhelmed), and before you know it, you'll be able to look back and marvel at all you've accomplished!
Need Help Making Your Idea a Reality?
If you're unsure how to get your website online or market it once your site is live, let's chat! Book a free strategy session with our team, and we'll chat about where you are now with your business, and the type of marketing plan you not only need, but are able to implement!
