Build a Business Website in Two Days with WordPress

Many small businesses think they have to spend thousands of dollars and weeks of development time to have a functional website for their small business. But this is an outdated way to think about web design.

These days, there are a variety of content-management tools available to simplify website creation and management. WordPress is one of those tools. Yes, WordPress, the blogging system. Did you know you can also use WordPress as a full-featured website? It's true. You can create a highly functional, easy-to-manage website using only WordPress and a bit of technical know-how.

Content Management System

* And you can do it in a matter of days, instead of weeks.

* And your costs could range from to 0, instead of thousands.

A Business Website in Two Days

Not convinced? Need evidence? I understand. For the longest time, small businesses have been told that web development takes a long time and requires a lot of money. Thousands of web design firms make their bread and butter off this notion, and they are cursing me right now for writing this article.

But I'm a big fan of giving people options, so I want you to know that this web design option exists.

Here's a step-by-step approach I have used many times to create a business website from scratch, in only two days time.

Step 1 - Register Domain Name and Get Web Hosting

Using a company like GoDaddy, this can be done in about one hour. The domain registry costs per year, and the hosting costs about per year. Total cost for web domain and web hosting for one year = .

Step 2 - Install a MySQL Database on Web Host

This sounds complicated, but it's a five-minute operation on GoDaddy (one of many reasons I use them). I would go into the database section of the hosting control panel, select "create database," and then give it a name and password. Total time spent: 10 minutes.

Step 3 - Install WordPress on Web Host

WordPress is free, so there's no cost involved with this step. I would simply open a configuration file, insert the database name and password I created in the last step, and then upload the entire WordPress program onto the web host. Total time spent: 12 minutes (mostly waiting for files to upload).

Step 4 - Launch and Configure WordPress

When all the WordPress files are uploaded to the web host, I'm ready to run the installation process. This takes about 12 seconds, so we won't even count it on our time tally. I would then change the URL / linking structure to make it more search engine-friendly (1 minute), add some categories (2 minutes) and other minor tweaks (5 minutes). Total time spent: 8 minutes.

Step 5 - Customization and Appearance

I want this website to look professional and unique, so I would create a custom logo for it, arrange its layout for usability and readability, tweak the colors, etc. Granted, this step requires some graphical knowledge (for logo) and web coding skills (to arrange the site's layout), but it still only takes half a day. You could pay somebody to handle this setup process for just a few hundred dollars. Total time spent: 5 hours.

Step 6 - It's Time for Content

Now comes the most important part. I need to create some initial content for my website. I say "initial" because I plan to add new content on a weekly basis (the WordPress system makes this easy to do, by the way). I want to start with a few pages of content about my services, some content for the home page, etc. Total time spent: 1 day.

So let's recap. I've just created a multi-page business website (with a blog built in), I've created some initial content to get me started, and I have a content-management system that allows me to add new pages and blog posts as easily as I would type an email.

* Total time spent: 2 days

* Total cost for me: (because I did the work myself)

Like I said, if you don't have the technical / graphical skills to accomplish the things on this list, you could hire somebody to help you. In the end, you'll pay a lot less than you would pay for a traditional, programming-heavy ("bulky") website. And you'll have your website in a matter of days, instead of weeks or months. Best of all, you'll be able to manage certain aspects of it, because the content-management tool is built right in.

Some web design firms will tell you it can't be done, that it takes weeks to build a website. But I've just shown you it can, haven't I?

* You may republish this article online if you keep the author's byline and the active hyperlinks below.

Build a Business Website in Two Days with WordPress

How to Start Your First Business - A Guide to Creating a Successful Internet Business

The secret to starting your first business online and being successful at it is to have a clear purpose for what your business will be about. You should also have a definite plan for your business. You should start by writing down what your business is about, who your customers are, and what you will sell.

Also, you'll need to set up a separate bank account, as well as buy a business license if your city requires one. Once you've taken those preliminary steps, then it's time to dive into the task of setting up your business online.

Content Management System

Start with a website. Although many people dread this step, it's one of the most crucial to your success. Having a website will allow you to build your list of prospects, as well as sell your products and services.

It doesn't have to be anything complicated either. It can be something as simple as a lead capture page or you can use a content management system to build a content rich site. Regardless of what type of site you choose, you want to get it set up as soon as possible so you can start promoting it.

Next, you'll need to consider your marketing plan. Creating an effective marketing plan really isn't as difficult as it sounds.

You have lots of options to choose from:

*Search engine optimization

*Linking

*Article Writing

*Press releases

*Blogging

*Joint Ventures

*Affiliate Programs

*Free Classifieds

*Social Networking

*Forums

There are many others, and how you market your business is only limited by your imagination.

When choosing how to market your business, you have several things to consider.

First, what do you like to do? If you hate to write, then you'll have a difficult time coming up with a good article even if you can write. If you've never written a press release before, it can seem pretty daunting, but you can still do it. You will simply need to do a little homework first.

Now, once you've chosen the type of marketing you want to do, you need to choose the sites where you will market. You'll need to do a little research.

Go to your favorite search engine and do a search for the type of marketing you want to do. If it's free classifieds, then you'll look for free classifieds ad sites. Don't overlook sites on your topic because these sites will actually be more targeted to your market than general sites, for example, article directories.

Select about five sites and then study those sites. Again, if you're doing free classifieds, you'll want to look at as many ads as you can. Study those ads. Which ads made you want to take a look at the actual offer? That's how you want to write your ads. The same applies to any other promotional material: articles, press releases, etc.

Once you've completed this task, write your sales materials and start posting. Then go and find five more sites. Test and track your promotions to see which ones get results.

By following these steps, you're now well on your way to starting a successful business.

How to Start Your First Business - A Guide to Creating a Successful Internet Business