A professional website is essential for any business today to reach more customers and grow. In our modern digital age across West Africa, people spend much of their time online – reading, watching videos, researching, socialising, and shopping.
Having just a social media page is okay when starting out, but to truly compete, you need a proper website with your own domain name. A website allows you to:
Be accessible 24/7
While you can’t be available around the clock, your website showcases your products, services, contact details, operating hours and more at all times.
Build your brand
No matter how small, you can use a website, social media, and online marketing to raise brand awareness, establish credibility, and grow a loyal customer base.
Look credible and professional
Customers now expect every legitimate business to have an online presence.
Connect with customers directly
The internet provides endless ways to engage with your target market in real-time from anywhere.
Generate sales leads
Grow your customer base through your website, lead forms, email marketing and more.
To build a successful online presence:
Get a professional domain name that represents your business well.
Plan your website strategy to meet your goals.
Launch a dedicated website that tells your unique brand story.
Create valuable, engaging content for your audience.
Let’s look at the key steps to taking your business online:
- Get a domain name
Your domain is the web address for your website, like www.mybusiness.com. Choose a short, memorable domain that represents your business and includes relevant keywords customers might search for. Consider including your location too if targeting a local area.
Register your chosen domain through an accredited domain provider to make it yours. Prices can range from very affordable to expensive for premium domains.
- Plan your website
Define the goals and purpose of your website from the start. Do you want to simply provide information, inspire visitors, generate leads, or sell products/services directly through an online store?
If selling online, you’ll need an e-commerce platform with a shopping cart, payment processing, and SSL security.
- Build your website
If you’re tech-savvy, use a website builder or CMS like WordPress to create and manage your site yourself. Otherwise, hire a professional web designer, which ensures a high-quality, customized website though at greater cost. - Create compelling content
Every business has a unique story to tell. Your website content should communicate your company’s mission, passion, and what sets you apart through a combination of text, images, and videos presented in an engaging way.
Most small business websites include around 5 core pages – Home, About, Products/Services, Testimonials, and Contact. But you can do it with as few as 3 pages.
- Optimize for mobile
With so many accessing the web on smartphones these days, your website absolutely must be mobile-friendly and optimized for a great user experience on small screens.
By taking these steps, you can harness the power of the internet to make your West African business more visible, credible and accessible to customers across the region and beyond.
