Are you new to the business world and wondering how to promote your catering business? Heartfelt congratulations to you on taking your hobby of cooking to the next level. Starting a catering business surely seems quite scary but with the right approach and tool, you can make it a thriving business. If you are new to this business, setting up a catering website is a basic requirement these days. The website will attract potential customers and establish your company’s credibility. Now, you are bound to get anxious about building a website because let’s face it, it’s not an easy job to do. But here are some steps that will help you plan the start.
1. Domain and Hosting
A domain name is your website’s identity. Select a name that is suitable for your website and is available, that will be the domain name of your business. The domain name is also known as URL or Universal Resource Locator which serves as an address for a specific website. Domain registration can cost roughly $10-$50 AUD.
After you are done deciding the name, it’s time to register the domain through a hosting company. The host is a server where the files for your website are stored. Owning a host enables the internet browser to access your website. You don’t need to pay a large sum of money to buy a host, a monthly fee of $2.95-$8 should work with your business plan. However, the hosting companies also offer packages suitable for your business.
2. Designing and Developing
Here comes the most complex job but guess what? It’s not as difficult as you think. If you don’t have a clue about web designing, hiring a web designer is a good idea. Hiring them can cost you from AUD 5,000 and above. Another option would be choosing a catering website software. Software as a service platforms like Flex Catering have preset themes to choose from or you can provide your custom design to be implemented. It can also be used in conjunction with WordPress or other content management systems. This alternative cuts a significant amount of money you would be spending developing the catering website. Moreover, it reduces the hosting and maintenance fee once such platforms are hosted and supported.
3. Web Content
Whether you hire a web designer or use a software as a service is mainly up to you but hiring a web content writer can help you develop the relevant context regarding your business. Writing web content means explaining your business, the services, etc to your customers. In a website, the texts written on the webpages are web contents. Simply put, web content gives your website a voice. Without web contents, your website will be an empty house. A professional web content writer will know exactly what to write on your website to entice your web visitors.
A web content writer also knows how to put keywords to gain traffic for your page by getting better Google search rankings. Once the writer is done writing the web copy, the content will be uploaded to the website. For new websites, a web content writer may charge $500-$1,000. If this is too much for you, you can learn web content writing online as well or look for a cheaper solution on platforms like Upwork.
4. Including Media
After you establish a basic website structure with the content, you also need to upload photos and videos. Upload pictures of your meal and events to personalize your company. You can put your staff’s photos in the “About Us” page to introduce them to potential customers. Increasing your familiarity can make the customers feel at home.
Remember, no matter how much effort you give into establishing your website nothing will help if your site takes ages to load. Make sure you double-check your web pages before giving it a thumbs up.
