In this day and age, every business must have a digital presence to survive. Do you need a cleaner? A dog walker? A plumber? A quick Google search will bring up hundreds of thousands of options. However, search algorithms are unforgiving, and to get to the top of the page can be a feat. Couple this with short attention spans and picky users, crafting the perfect digital presence becomes a hefty task.

According to Internet Live Stats, there are 1.5 billion websites on the World Wide Web today. To stand out from the crowd you must have a digital presence that fits with your brand and target audience – and this begins in the set-up stages. One key consideration is search engine optimisation (SEO), which is easily influenced by the content. Once your target audience has reached your site, is it doing what it is meant to effectively and will the audience want to return?

It all begins with careful planning. Before jumping into the creation stage, a business needs to consider taking on a comprehensive approach and invest sufficiently in the preparation stages. This includes considering whether the website will be engaging and how the information will be presented. Will it be visually appealing and focused on the user experience? Often, you can draw inspiration from other platforms. You must not make the user work too hard to find what they are looking for – and in some cases, the simpler, the better.

At the same time, consider the back-office systems. If you are looking at selling through your website, have you got an effective ecommerce plan? This should include a payment gateway integration and integration to shipping partners, warehousing or inventory management.