In the modern age of digital publicity, having a well-appointed website is critical to your success.

Whether you own and operate the small business or toil for hire in the corporate world, a website will allow you to broadcast what you are doing publicly.

Now, just like the others, if you can manage to get the looks and functionality of your site on point, the rewards are far more significant.

The good news is that there are beyond opportunities, tools, and even professional services that allow you to get this just right. Whether free or paid, this is the way to begin creating a website that functions just right.

You will need to match the right aesthetic appeal to the content you will be using. It may seem like a lot, but here you will find all the things you need to know about creating a professional-looking website that you can be proud of.

1. Should you go DIY or hire a professional designer?

There was a time that achieving that beautiful and polished look on a website was especially difficult for all but the most experienced and tech-savvy. But this has all changed.

Today, there are a variety of platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix that can allow an amateur like yourself to create a fully functioning website with minimal experience.

At mybestwebsitebuilder.com you can read the reviews of all these platforms.

Of course, there are some essential reasons that you should have such a project handled by a professional. But, this will largely depend on your specific needs and the cash you have available for managing this project.

The amount you will have to pay can be very different. You could be looking at anywhere from $1000 – $5500 to have a professional site made by a qualified freelancer.

But, according to Jordan Smith, a professional web designer, hiring on with a company will be an investment of at least $10,000. Of course, the number of pages and attributes of the site will also factor into the final cost for having a website built.

If you are focusing on yourself and your own small business, you may find that a DIY option is ideally suited to your needs. But, if you believe your needs call for a professional hand, make sure that side is professional.

You can quickly determine the professionals from the opportunists with a laptop by asking about their levels of experience, projects similar to your own, and the costs of regular maintenance and ongoing SEO efforts or how they plan on getting your website out into the public’s eye.

2. WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix?

If you choose to try this DIY path, your first major decision will be which platform to use.

WordPress comes highly recommended, and for a good reason.

Jordan Smith is a strong proponent of WordPress. As a stable and robust platform, it allows the user full control without messing anything up.

WordPress is free to use the platform and can be used as a content management system for the open-source content. That means that you have an unlimited selection of design features and components available from third-party users.

And if you want to dabble in a simple programming language like CSS, you will find an unlimited number of ways to change things up yourself.

Tawnee Stone is an American brand strategist working out of Croatia and strongly recommends hosting from a site like GoDaddy.

“I choose self-hosted WordPress as my platform of choice because there is an entire universe of things that can be done, and from here, you can post on any platform you choose,” says Stone. “The drawback here will be that you alone are responsible for keeping your site upgraded and secure. This can be a trick sometimes.

Another popular option is Squarespace; this was my personal choice. This company just demonstrated its awesome power with an impressive $5.6 million 3-Second ad that ran during the Super Bowl.

The catchphrase is “beautifully designed templates that can be customized and sprint.” This is also a reasonably cost-effective solution as it uses plans that only run at $12 a month.

The next and final option is Wix, a significant competitor of the Squarespace platform. There is a free version that has its advantages, but you will get more from a professional plan that begins at $13 a month.

3. But what will you be posting on the site?

Business growth experts at Max Funding say, “it is natural to begin by boldly posting credentials and certificates that help to boost your identity and show your experience in your field.”On the contrary, they say, “the best idea is, to begin with, a clear description of what you plan to do for your valued client.”

Avoid the use of dense industry terminology, this may sound impressive, but you will not be establishing a vital connection with your audience that will engender profits.

You will probably want to deck your website out with vital components and visually-appealing displays. But, whatever you do, you don’t want to add so much stuff to the site that it affects its loading speed and functionality.

Make sure that all its links are heading to the right place and be sure to check that your website is working well for mobile devices.