A professionally designed website serves more than just an online presence, it acts as a tool for enhancing business credibility, attracting customers, and revenue generation.
If you’re a business owner, corporation, or even a startup in Singapore, a well-structured website will ensure that your brand presence continues to grow.
However, if you’re wondering how to build a professional website in Singapore, refer to the guide below where we discuss the 11 key steps.
#1 Register a Domain Name
The domain name serves as the identity of your website, and it is connected to your business. Choose a name that is not only easy to remember but also relevant and contains keywords that describe your business. Businesses in Singapore register their websites with a .com.sg or .sg extension, as it helps them appear more local and authentic.
Tips to choose a domain name:
- Make it unique and simpleTry to use keywords in the domain, if possible. Not mandatory though.
- Choose a name that’s easy to remember.
- Avoid using numbers or hyphens.
Check out GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Exabytes for domain registrars
#2 Pick a Provider for Web Hosting
The overall speed and security of the website are dependent on the web host. For businesses in Singapore, having a reliable web host guarantees seamless performance.
Type of web hosting:
- Shared Hosting for Small Businesses
- VPS/Dedicated Hosting for Large Sized Websites
- Cloud Hosting for Scalability
You can hire either renowned global web hosting providers such as Godaddy, HostGator, BlueHost, etc. or engage a local provider like Vodien or Exabytes. Consult a professional web developer or a website agency to help you decide among various options of web hosting providers.
#3 Choose the Right CMS (Content Management System)
A non-technical website owner can operate his/her website without coding knowledge due to a Content Management System (CMS) option. A CMS should be easy to use, flexible, scalable, and provide needed functionalities.
CMS Popular Options:
- WordPress: Best all types of websites. Whether you need a corporate website, an e-commerce store, or a web portal, WordPress is a great & cost-effective choice.
- Shopify/OpenCart: Best for eCommerce businesses.
- Wix: Best for small businesses. Usually good for a very basic website.
- Magento: Best for large scale eCommerce enterprises.
#4 Hire a Website Developer/Agency
Website building tools can help you create a website on your own, but a web developer ensures that a website will be designed and built to meet your specific needs. There are many web design agencies in Singapore that specialize in web development.
Considerations:
- Individual web developers: Individual developers are less expensive as compared to the agencies and better for small projects.
- Web Development Agencies. Agencies: They are better for advanced websites that need a lot of customization and a high degree of complexity.
- In-House Developer: Best for Companies who constantly have the need to update their websites.
#5 Create High Quality Content
The backbone of your website is precisely that – your website content. Not only should it be interesting but informative as well, so as to assuage the SEO requirements.
For a basic professional website, below are some important pages for which you will need the website content.
- Homepage – Describe your business eloquently in a few sentences.
- Services/Products – Provide in-depth descriptions of the services offered and their benefits
- About Us – Tell us about your company’s history, mission, and team.
- Blog Section – Enhances SEO and helps the customers learn about useful information about the services and products of the company.
- Contact Page – Provisions and channels through which the users can communicate with you.
#6 Design a Professional Logo
A logo is the symbol of brand identity and must be distinct, easy to recall and beautiful. A logo builds confidence among users and fosters an identity. Most web design agencies and web developers in Singapore offer free logo design service with their website packages. However, some may charge to design a logo. Check with them before hiring one.
#7 Test Your Website
After building your website, a comprehensive test is critical to make certain everything works as required. Tests must be carried out on a range of gadgets and browsers.
Areas to Test:
- Mobile Responsiveness – Device effective on smartphones and tablets.
- Loading Speed – Quick loading websites tend to increase visitor retention.
- Navigation & UX – The layout is simple and straightforward without unnecessary complications
- Broken Links & Bugs – Overhaul glitches prior to making your website accessible.
#8 Set Up Analytics & Tracking
Web Analytics allows you to track the activity of certain users and how to further develop your marketing strategy for your company’s site. The most well-known analytics tool out there is Google Analytics.
Advantages:
- Understand visitor categories
- Analyze where your traffic comes from
- Measure the interactions of users and sales goals
- Improve the content with high ROI
#9 Connect to a Payment Gateway (For E-Commerce Websites)
For merchants or retailers, a payment gateway enables them to receive payments from clients over the internet.
In Singapore, some of the popular payment gateway providers include:
- PayPal – One of the most popular gateways to receive local & international payments.
- Stripe – Simple integration, nominal transaction fees
- HitPay – Local payment processing supporting PayNow
- eNETS – Payment option for local banks and credit cards
#10 Start and Run Your Website
Website launching goes hand in hand with website maintenance, which helps to have all operations flow smoothly while keeping security in check.
Maintenance Includes:
- Routine Backup – To avoid data loss on the website.
- Cyber Security Update – To protect the website from from different forms of attacks.
- Content Change – To show updated information to the customers and achieve SEO rankings.