A website is an important tool for a website, since Googling to find a service or product is usually the first action that a potential customer takes. Even when the customer has heard about your brand from another source, chances are they will search for your website in order to find out more. So you need a website that accurately represents your business and serves as the hub of all your online activity.
Hire a professional or DIY?
There are a number of factors that determine whether you should build your own website or do it yourself. The first is, of course, budget. There is a vast range of prices for building a website, even the simplest five-pager. Get a number of quotes and check samples of work that the developer or designer has done. If all the quotes are out of your budget and/or you are technically minded, there are many platforms that can be used to make beautiful websites with little to no knowledge of coding. Of course, you need to consider whether this is the best use of your time, or if you should concentrate on other aspects of getting your business off the ground.
Domain and hosting
You need a URL and a server to host your website. These can be purchased from various companies in and outside of Israel. One question to ask yourself is whether you should have a URL that ends in co.il or .com. The answer to this question is dependent on how crucial it is to define yourself as an Israeli business. If you sell products that ship all over the world you may not want to choose a “limiting” Israeli domain name. But if you are a business that provides services to Israeli clients only, co.il might be a better choice. Certainly if your website is in Hebrew, it makes sense to use an Israeli domain as well.
Language
What language should your website be in? Again, this is dependent on who your clientele is. You might choose a Hebrew-only site, an English-only site or a bilingual site. Creating a bilingual site is a little more complex, but if it’s important to reach both the English and Hebrew speaking market, that’s the way to go. Keep in mind that certain industries in Israel, like hi-tech, function primarily in English, so even if you are targeting Israeli companies, you likely want to stick with English on your website.
Website platform
Whether you are building your website on your own or hiring someone to do it for you, you will need to update the site afterwards, so it’s important to choose a platform which feels user-friendly to you. There are more visual types of platforms like Wix and more text-based platforms like WordPress. Play around with the various choices before deciding, so you can pick the one that’s simplest for you to use.
Compare the pricing of the platforms that you are considering, and remember to include domain and hosting in the calculation. Some platforms come with domain and hosting while others only provide the content management system (CMS).
Look for a contemporary look on the front end as well as an up-to-date backend, including search engine optimization capabilities and easy editing.
Search engine optimization
Your website should be built according to the basic rules of search engine optimization (SEO). Small businesses generally don’t need a complex SEO strategy, but the basics do still apply. Every page should have a title and a custom meta description. Headers should be used to divide paragraphs, and images should have file titles and alt texts which describe the content of the page. For an overview of what you need to know about SEO, see the Moz Beginners’ Guide to SEO.
Payment methods
Need customers to pay you directly on your website? This is, of course, necessary if you are selling products online, but can be useful for marketing services as well. The most efficient way to do this is by using a payment system that syncs with your invoicing software and creates receipts automatically whenever a payment comes through. In any case, choose a payment method that is accepted in Israel and easily connects to your bank account. You can read more about payment methods in Israel here.
More resources on starting a business in Israel: