You’ve been working on your idea for ages, probably years. You’ve experienced pitfalls, enjoyed massive highs and now it’s time to launch your idea into the world. Now, you’ve got to build a website.

However, you may come across a hurdle or two, such as picking a domain extension that allows you to use the name you want, creating a sitemap, and of course, deciding on a design and feel.

So, what is the best domain extension for an entrepreneur? Moreover, what do you need to know about design, digital marketing and SEO?

Here are the 5 things you need to do before building a website for your new business idea.

1.      Determine what you want to do

Before you set up a website, you should decide on what you want it to do. As in, what will its primary function be?

Sure, you know that you need a website, and you may see the purpose it should serve but do you have an idea of what you want to your customers about you, your team and your business?

This needs to be decided before you begin building your website. Think about your image, brand tone, and how you’d like to be perceived in the eyes of your customers.

It would be best if you thought about who you are, what drives you, and what the core values of your company are. Your website is essentially the platform for your messaging, and your message is the foundation of your website’s strategy.

2.      Determine what your customers want?

Who are your customers, and what do they want? Once you have decided on your website’s messaging, you need to think about your customer journey.

This can be achieved by conducting thorough market research. You’ll need to determine your ideal customers’ demographics and psychographics such as their age, gender, preferences and location.

In short, you need to form an understanding of what your primary visitors are going to engage with, to ensure they stay on your site for longer and purchase your product or hire your services.

When planning your site build, put yourself in the shoes of your customer. What is that they want to see? What are their pain points? Your business is their solution, and your website should portray that.

3.      Create a sitemap

Now that you’re planning your content and your customers’ user experience, you’ll need to start mapping out the pages you’d like to include on your website.

Your sitemap is the blueprint of your site, and it’s imperative for SEO. Think about the main categories your home page’s menu will include such as “about”, “shop”, “services” and “contact”.

You’ll then need to map out what pages these categories should include meticulously. When doing this, always have your customer at the forefront of your mind. It needs to be easily navigable for them.

4.      Focus on SEO & digital marketing

Digital marketing is essential to your site’s success. You will need to incorporate keywords into the content on your website. Finding the terms relevant to your brand can be determined through extensive keyword research.

Unfortunately, ranking for these keywords takes time, and you need to provide valuable content to do this, which is also time-consuming.

Try Paid Search for instant visibility. Depending on how competitive your niche is, it can be costly but is useful for getting results in the short-term while you start to rank organically through the content you publish in the long-term.

5.      Decide on your domain name

This could be the biggest challenge you’ll face when building your website, but it doesn’t have to be. A domain extension for entrepreneurs is as essential as the services or products themselves.

What should you do when your businesses name is already in use? Don’t panic. Instead of now trying to come up with a new name, why not look at an alternative domain extension?

Extensions like .com, .org or .co.uk are overused anyway. There are domain extensions out there that are just as credible and will allow you to use whichever name you choose, and if the name you want isn’t available, then try being more specific.

For instance, if your company is called NextTech, but the domain isn’t available, try something like NextTech Solutions.

If you’re yet to choose a name, then try being as unique and memorable as possible in your approach, and look to see if the names you’re coming up with are available.

The best domain extension for an entrepreneur is the name that best describes who they are. Don’t compromise; choose the name that represents exactly what you are.