So, you have decided to take your business a step further and make your own website. That’s a good step in the right direction, but you need to make sure that your website stands out from the rest. Don’t allow competitors in your industry to rain on your parade just because they have a fancy Flash website. I know what you’re thinking. "I can’t afford to spend a few thousand dollars on a fancy website." Believe it or not, there are different strategies that you can use to make your website a shining star, when compared to those of your competitors.

Ditch the Web Developer

Web developers and design experts can be great to use when creating a website, but they come with a hefty price tag. If you are on a budget, in regards to your website, there are different tools you can use to create your own website. There are now online companies that actually allow you to create a free website which can be totally customized to your liking, including Flash features. These types of companies only charge a very small monthly fee to keep your website up and running. Eliminate all the back and forth communication with the web developer, who is likely charging by the hour, and create your website how you envision it the first time.

Impressive Front Page

It is time to concentrate on the individual elements of a website after you have gotten it up and running. As you probably know, the first thing your website visitors see is your home page. It is important that this front page is impressive and filled with valuable content if you want visitors to stay on your site and visit your other pages. Besides including the basic information about your company or business, add some content about an interesting topic related to your industry. For example, if you sell website services you could post an article like "Is your website SEO optimized? Top 5 Ways Companies are increasing their ROI with SEO." A title like this makes a visitor want to read the article, even if they are clueless about SEO tactics. Remember to include pictures and graphics to break up large blocks of text. A page full of text is not inviting to a visitor.

User Friendliness

No one appreciates a website that is difficult to maneuver. The best way to increase the user-friendliness of your website is to provide easy-to-locate links between the pages. Use hyperlinks, within text, to link to other pages and articles within your site. If you have an e-commerce website be sure to create tons of links to the page where a visitor can actually purchase the product. Don’t let your visitors slip through the cracks just because they can’t find the "Buy Now" page. Create easy to follow navigation menus. Navigation menus organize all of your pages in simple pattern. Just when you think that you have added enough links within your website, add some more!

Feedback Forum

It is always great to be able to communicate with customers or potential clients. You don’t have to create a full on forum, which is quite advanced, but you do need to have a place where visitors can leave feedback. You can do this with a widget on a "Contact Us" page. You can also post a message and have visitors leave comments underneath the post. The latter option will allow everyone to see the dialogue that is happening. There are many ways to create opportunities for communication between you and your clients, but just make sure that you implement at least one option.

Updates, Updates and more Updates

A static website can act as a red flag to a visitor. People want to know that the information on a company’s website is valid and current. Consistently updating your customers on sales, news and other interesting information will keep them coming back and will also build your credibility within the industry. Take your time when updating your website’s information. Text that is loaded with typos and other errors will cause the visitor to question your professionalism.

These are a few great tips to get your website to stand out from those of your competitors. Essentially, you can create an awesome website for free, with exception to the monthly fee, if you are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to maintain it. Sometimes in business, when the budget is tight, we are forced to roll up our sleeves and start doing things ourselves.