In modern society, it has become commonplace to use the Internet to obtain information before purchasing products or services. Creating a homepage that can provide a variety of information at once has become essential for companies as well.
However, there seem to be many companies that “don’t know how to create a website and leave it alone,” or people in charge of the problem, “for some reason they can’t take the first step toward creating a website.”
First of all, what role does a homepage play in a company’s business development?
We will explain everything from the necessary preparations to the basics of how to create a website in an easy-to-understand manner, even for beginners, regarding the creation of a company’s website, which is becoming more and more important as the world rapidly moves online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
What is a homepage?
Homepage creation for companies and organizations is essential for business development.
It is characterized by being able to widely publicize the appeal of the “products and services” it handles and the “brand” of its own company, which are made available to the world.
The homepage
is the top page (the first page displayed) of published information called a “website” published on the Internet, and can be viewed from a smartphone or computer.
A website is a collective term for a collection of multiple pages called “web pages,” and the home page is what is displayed at the top of the web pages.
However, in Japan, homepage often refers to the whole “website” rather than just a part of it, so it is important to understand that in general, homepage and website have almost the same meaning. .
Some people in charge of companies and organizations may know that a homepage is something the company needs, but they can’t take the first step toward creating a homepage because they don’t feel it’s important. Or, if it is difficult to see the effect after production, it is often left as is.
The specific benefits of creating a website include:
The number one reason why a homepage is necessary is that it provides sufficient information.
We are now in an era where gathering information via the Internet is now essential for customers when choosing products and services from a wide variety of products and services. While your competitors create detailed, attractive homepages that provide your customers with the information they need, if you don’t have a homepage at all, or your homepage isn’t content enough, you’ll need to make sure your business doesn’t lose ground in the first place. They may not even be considered as candidates.
In addition, a homepage can be used as a point of contact for customer inquiries, or as a place to promote your company’s recruitment efforts, and can be used to help companies solve various problems.
The benefits of creating a homepage are great in all aspects, and it can be said that it is an important issue that companies and organizations should tackle immediately.
Necessary preparations for homepage creation ① Software selection
As a necessary preparation before starting to create your own homepage, first select “what method you would like to use”.
There are three main ways to create a website: free software, paid software, and CMS.
*Software: Software (the program that runs the computer)
However, there is no support for complex configurations, and you will have to research and implement them yourself. Design each page one by one, starting with the structure, creating the text, and editing the photos used.
Many free software programs have advertisements posted on their homepages. There is a possibility that advertisements with unintended content may be displayed on your company’s homepage, so be careful.
- How to create a homepage using paid software
Just like free software, you can create it without any specialized knowledge. Paid software generally does not display advertisements and is said to often have a safe design for business use.
Production companies often take care of complex settings, and you pay an initial fee and a monthly fee to run the service.
CMS is an abbreviation for “Contents Management System”, and specifically refers to software that allows you to easily create a website, such as “WordPress”, “Temporary HP”, and “Movable Type” system. Among them, “WordPress” is said to be one of the top software in the world, boasting over 60% share of the CMS market.
Although there are paid plans, it is basically free software, and it is one of the most popular among homepage creators because it has a unified layout (template) and design, and does not require any specialized knowledge to use. It is known for being highly rated as “easy to use”.
Necessary preparations for homepage creation ② Server selection
Once you have decided on the best homepage creation method for your company from “free software”, “paid software”, “CMS”, etc., the next thing you need to do is select a “server”.
A server is a place (a so-called showcase) for storing information such as homepages that you view on the Internet.
If you just create a homepage, it can only be viewed on the creator’s computer. In order to make it widely available to the world, it is necessary to put what you have created on a server.
There are two types of servers: paid servers and free servers, and free servers often display some type of advertisement on their own homepages.
If you want to avoid displaying advertisements and use a free server, there is a way to use “server space”, which is provided by many Internet service providers (ISPs) as a free service.
However, because the data capacity (amount that can be stored) is small and may run out eventually, and there are few functions that can be used, it is not recommended to use paid servers with a support system when creating homepages for companies and organizations. It can be said that it is desirable.
If you choose CMS software when creating your homepage, they also offer paid plans for beginners that come with server settings and more.
Necessary preparation for homepage creation ③ Obtaining a domain
Once you have selected a server, acquire a “domain” that will be the address of your homepage on the Internet.
“○△○△” in “http://www.○△○△.com” is called a domain, and it is the information needed when searching for websites such as homepages on the Internet.
There are different types of domains, such as “original domains” and “subdomains.”
With your own domain, you can enter any character string you like, such as a company name or product name, in the “○△○△” part of “http://www.○△○△.com”, making it easy for customers to remember and trustworthy. Being sexual is an advantage.
On the other hand, “subdomain” is the same as “http://www. ○△○△.□□□□.com” where the “○△○△” part is filled with a company name or product name. In most cases, “□□□□” contains the name of the company providing the service, and these are not original domains.
Although you will have to pay for your own domain, we also offer services such as “virtually free plans” and “free campaigns,” so when a company or organization is working on creating a homepage, it is recommended to acquire an original domain. .
How to make a homepage
Once you have completed the preparations necessary to create your homepage, you can create your own homepage by changing the structure and design.
In either case, it is important to create pages that are stress-free and easy to view for customers.
Even if you open a homepage, the number of accesses (the number of visitors to your homepage) will not necessarily increase immediately. In order to make your company known to many customers, you need SEO measures (measures to appear high in Google and Yahoo! search results).
If your website appears at the bottom of search results, no matter how much effort you put into creating your own website, few people will see it, making it impossible to provide information widely and effectively.
You can reduce costs by taking measures in-house in conjunction with homepage production, such as selecting SEO keywords (words entered in the search field) and creating content tailored to your needs, or increasing the volume by increasing the number of pages. You can.
If you want to attract more customers, you may want to consult with an outside specialist, although there will be a charge.
summary
With the rapid advancement of online business, it can be said that a homepage plays an extremely important role in aiming for the growth of your company’s business.
It is no exaggeration to say that the image of a company or organization can change dramatically depending on the presence or absence of a homepage and its content.
First of all, understand how to create a homepage and aim to become a creative person who can achieve your company’s goals by repeatedly improving it.