You’ve got the drive to start your own business, you’ve read some guides on how to create a website, but you’ve hit a roadblock. For many entrepreneurs, the hardest step is going from something to nothing. However, in reality, the hardest part of owning an online business is making your something stand out from the crowd. Although numbers are nothing more than estimates, there is somewhere in the region of two billion websites on the internet. Even though just 400 million are classed as “active”, the fact remains that it’s hard to get noticed online.
Therefore, while it might be hard to get started, it’s even harder to get people’s attention. However, if you have a plan in place to refine, maintain and promote your business’s website, it’s not impossible. In fact, if you can do enough to gain some initial traction, it’s entirely possible to have a vibrant website or app that not only promotes your business but drives revenue.
Pop the Hood and Work on the Fundamentals
Before you even start to think about social media and other ways to get noticed, you need to work on the fundamentals. What visitors see is important but it’s the things they can’t see that really matter. If your website or app is unstable and unsafe, it’s not only going to perform poorly but pose a risk to customers.
Firstly, you need a server. WordPress is the go-to platform for a lot of startups because it’s easy to use and inherently stable. If you don’t use WordPress, you’ll need to find an alternative host that will ensure your site never goes offline. Once your site is stable, security is crucial. SSL encryption should be seen as a standard and, in some cases, you may need to integrate CAPTCHAs. If you’re selling something make sure the payment processors are reliable and reputable. Visa and MasterCard are the obvious options, but don’t forget internet-specific processors such as PayPal and Neteller.
Once you’ve covered these bases and people are using the site, you need a way to manage the data flowing through it. PostgreSQL is recognized as one of the best open source object-relational database systems. If you’re running a large operation, it makes sense to use PostgreSQL. When you do this, you can use the SolarWinds PostgreSQL monitoring tool to keep an eye on the system. Performance data is presented in a visual format so you can monitor the database and identity errors, latency, or anything else that might disrupt the service.
A Solid Foundation Creates a Stable Site
By using the right hosting partner, security software and PostgreSQL monitoring tools, you’ll have a much better chance of keeping the website running smoothly. That, in reality, is the biggest battle when it comes to attracting users. Naturally, you’ll want to use SEO, Google Ads, and social media to promote your product and bring people to the site. However, once they’re there, you need to have a solid foundation in place.
If the site constantly crashes or the security is lacking, people will leave quickly and never return. Therefore, it’s just as important to focus on what users can’t see as what they can see. Remember this lesson and you’ll not only get people’s attention, you’ll keep it. When you can do that, your business stands a much better chance of becoming a success.
