The ability for anyone to build a website has never been easy as it has been before. There are many tools designed for the average person to create a website from scratch.

Despite the easy access, it’s still pretty tough to design and build out a good website. There are several factors people tend to either ignore or not consider when they’re building out their websites that hold them back from being successful.

Take a look at these five things you should keep in mind when you create a new website. The sooner you can address them, the better your site will be in the long run.

Domain name

Your domain name shouldn’t stray too far from your business name, but the way you present it does matter.

For example, if your business name is “Incredibly super long business name” and your website’s domain was “incrediblysuperlongbusinessname.com” that would look messy. It’s a domain that doesn’t look good in search results, on a business card, or an advertisement.

In cases like those, it’s best to shrink the business name into something like “islbusinessname.com.” It’s simple, straightforward, and reads much better. The main idea is to have a domain name that is straightforward, clear, and stands out for positive reasons.

Security

In this day and age, cybersecurity is critical for any website. Hackers have continually developed new ways to steal a user’s private information and extort website owners for tons of money.

If your website visitors have their information stolen, it’s pretty bad. This could include social security numbers, dates of birth, and other critical identity information. This doesn’t even address any credit card information a hacker might be able to get a hold of.

In order to reduce the risk of identity theft, you’ll need to encrypt a user’s connection. SSL certificates are one approach many people tend to take, but you should do your research to see what will work best for your website.

Search engine optimization

Search engine optimization or SEO is key to having your website rank well in search results.

There’s quite a bit to consider when you’re building out pages for your website, but you should start off with designing pages with a primary keyword in mind. Keywords are one component in how search engines can crawl your site and rank it. The better emphasized and natural keyword placement is, the better chances your website stands to rank for those keywords.

When you rank for a specific set of keywords like “good website,” your website could rank high on search engine result pages. The higher you rank, the better chances your website has at being seen by millions worldwide.

The struggle with SEO is it tends to change often, and it takes time to get right. The sooner you can integrate good SEO practices into your website, the better.

Mobile Friendly

Nowadays, most websites are recommended to be designed for mobile use. Unfortunately, this could add more work than you’d want.

You may think creating a website for mobile use is not worth it, but odds are you’ll get less traffic and business than you’d like. Mobile browsers don’t work the same way desktops do in displaying information, login access, and payments.

While many website builders do factor in mobile designs, there are plenty that don’t. If you’re struggling with making your website mobile-friendly, considering hiring a professional to help you.

Design

Creating a website that looks good is incredibly tough. Often, you don’t even realize your website doesn’t look good until after you’ve built out most of your pages.

Some general guidelines to follow are to keep your website design simple and easy to use. Avoid unnecessary clutter and features and focus on providing a pleasurable experience for your users. It takes some trial and error, but you’ll eventually find something that works.

If you are struggling, again, consider hiring a professional. Getting a web design that feels right is a tough task and not something you can always do by yourself.

While it’s easy to create a basic, plain website, building a good website takes time and effort. The sooner you can implement these tips, the better your website will rank and perform.