SEO is a technique of getting more visitors through search engines’ free, organic, or natural search results. The goal of an SEO campaign is to boost your website’s ranking on search engine results pages. Ranking higher in Google SERPs can improve your online visibility and results in more conversions.  

Search engines use hundreds of factors before ranking a website. An SEO expert optimizes your website for these factors to make it appealing to search engine bots as well as humans.

The short answer is no.

You might be able to get away with a free template, but you’ll still need to pay for hosting, domain registration, email services and probably a slew of other plugins or add-ons. This is true whether you hire a professional developer or DIY.

The DIY option is often the cheapest way to go and totally makes sense for start-ups that might not have the capital to invest however there are inherent risks in that method. In addition, with free templates, you will be limited in your design options, functionality and integrations.

Professional design services range in cost depending on the project specifics and the specialty/experience of the development agency itself.

For instance, North Star primarily services established service-based businesses with proven high ticket offers. Our sites typically include Keyword Research married against Competitor Analysis and Backlinking Data which allows us to create a comprehensive site strategy and SEO-optimized content. This strategy helps our clients make educated decisions about their systems, processes and other related service providers.

An agency offering $500 websites is not going to be working at that level.

It depends on the unique requirements of each customer, but generally, it takes around 8-12 weeks from when the proposal is accepted to enter the Go Live Phase of any given website launch.

The length of time depends on a few different factors:

•  The complexity of your site’s design, functionality and customization.
• The number of pages and subpages on your site as it relates to the amount of new content that needs to be collected or generated.
• Responsiveness of key stakeholders on the client’s side to provide content, feedback, approvals, and needed access to accounts and/or third-party platforms.

Every business big or small needs a professionally designed website. From the mom who sells cupcakes from her garage to the Fortune 500 company, everyone benefits from a professional website.

The world has changed and we live in a digital age, where people are constantly on their phones. If you’re not online and don’t have a professionally designed website, it’s like you don’t exist!

If you want to grow your business, you need to be online, but you can’t just start throwing up a website and expect it to magically work for your business-it won’t! A professional web designer will create a website that reflects the image of your company, conveys the right message to the target audience, and converts visitors into customers.

A website is how you reach out to people who are interested in what you offer, and it allows you to give them a glimpse into the world that you created for them. Your website is a place where people can learn more about what makes you better than the competition, and it’s where they can go if they have questions or concerns.

Your professional website establishes your brand identity, and gives your customers an idea of what your business is all about without meeting anyone face-to-face. This allows them to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to do business with you without any pressure from salespeople or a storefront environment.

If someone is looking for something specific, then they will probably search online first before going anywhere else.f they don’t find what they’re looking for on your website, then there’s a good chance they won’t come back again later!

Some of the most important elements of a successful website design are easy navigation, a great visual design, optimized content and mobile responsiveness.

• Easy navigation is important because it is an important part of a UX design. It allows users to easily find what they’re looking for on your site. The more time it takes for them to find what they’re looking for, the more likely they’ll move on and leave your site.
• Great visual design can make or break a website. This doesn’t just mean good graphics-it also means that website visitors will be able to read your text without difficulty and spot any important links or buttons quickly and easily.
• Optimized content means making sure that all of your pages are easy to read and understand (and easy to use). This includes making sure that your content is relevant and provides value to your potential customer
• Mobile responsiveness refers to whether or not your site looks good on mobile devices as well as desktops/laptops; this is especially important if you expect many people will be visiting your site via their phones or tablets rather than desktop computers during certain parts of day or night when there may be more traffic from mobile devices than from desktops/laptops due to location-based differences in population density.

If you’re an established, service-based business with a proven offer and a defined market, it’s best that you hire a professional web design service.

First, a professional website developer like North Star has a better understanding of digital marketing than you do,  you’re the expert in your profession, and we’re the experts in ours. We know what kind of website design and digital marketing strategy will appeal to different markets and can help you stand out from the competition. We also have access to SEO tools and resources that can make your site stand out to search engines.

Second, hiring a professional means saving time and energy, you don’t have to vet or learn how to use those tools and resources yourself; we already know!

And third, when you hire a professional, you’ll get better results, we know what works, what doesn’t and how to look at a business and website holistically to create a web strategy that works as hard as you do for your business.

Choosing a website design company can be a daunting task. There are so many options, and with so many website design services claiming to be the best, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some tips on how to choose the right web designer for you:

• Consider your requirements: Make sure you know what you want your unique website to do (functions) before you start looking at designers. Do you need booking features? Payment options? Are you trying to deliver course content? Do you need a membership portal? Do you need an eCommerce website? Also, consider your current technology set-up (both on and offline) and how it needs to be integrated with a new website. You’ll want to work with a developer who understands how to create systems that work together to support your business structure.
• Decide on your budget: Deciding on a web development budget can be very tricky. Business owners are often caught between the proverbial rock/hard place: What they need vs what they can afford. Our general recommendation is to consider the potential ROI of a new website design project and work backwards from there. For a Business Coach or trades professional who might expect to earn $2K+ per new client, a 5-10K budget might be reasonable. Whereas businesses with lower ticket offers are likely to have a smaller budget.  
• Look at portfolios: Look at the portfolios of different web developers before selecting a provider. You’ll get a feel for their aesthetic as well as a good sense as to whether or not they’re likely to understand your business as well as its needs and requirements.
• Read online reviews and testimonials: Check out reviews from other customers who have worked with these companies before – this can give you an idea as to the quality of the service they provide. You can even ask for references during your interview/discovery process. A good agency will be able to connect you with at least a couple of previous client contacts direct.

Responsive web design is about creating web pages that can automatically adjust according to different screen sizes. It’s a way of creating a beautiful web page design that is optimized for all screen sizes and resolutions, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not your website will look good on someone else’s computer or phone. A non-responsive web design can harm your rankings and make you lose your potential customers. Read more about it in this blog post.