Getting started: local business websites
This group of pages is for the owner of a small business who is about to get a website, or to replace an old one. It helps you decide what you need before anyone opens an editor, so the money goes where it matters.
Contents
The pages in this group
| Page | One line |
|---|---|
| What a small business website needs | the five jobs a local site does, and which Exponential features cover each |
| Planning your pages | a page list for shops, restaurants, trades, salons and practices, and the content classes behind it |
| Doing it yourself or hiring help | an honest comparison, task by task |
| Working with a local partner or freelancer | what to ask for, what to get in writing, what to keep for yourself |
| Choosing hosting for a small business | the hosting options in plain words and the questions to ask a host |
The order to read them
- Start with What a small business website needs. It is short and it decides how much of the rest you need.
- Plan the pages with Planning your pages and write them into the website brief.
- Read Doing it yourself or hiring help and decide.
- If you hire, read Working with a local partner or freelancer.
- Choose hosting last, when you know who will run the site: Choosing hosting for a small business.
Three questions to answer first
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do you want to sell online, or only be found and contacted? | A shop adds payments, VAT, shipping and daily order work (Do you need a shop?). |
| Who changes the opening hours on a public holiday? | If the answer is "the partner", every change costs money and time. Plan for someone in the business to do it. |
| Who answers when the site is down on a Saturday? | That decides your hosting and support arrangement (Choosing hosting for a small business). |
Related pages
- Local businesses: start here
- Budget
- Planning your website
- Which section fits your organization
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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