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Should I be worried about launching my new website without protecting the idea behind it?

Should I be worried about launching my new website without protecting the idea behind it

Innovation is important if you want to get a new business off the ground or grow an existing one. This means a great deal of time, effort and expense can go into ‘Research and Development’ to find the next big thing. However, it leads to one of the biggest worries for owner-managers and executives. ‘What if someone steals my business idea?’

This can be a particular concern for start-up enterprises. Having found a great niche or product, you will definitely need a website to promote it. Once the website goes live, your competitors and any potential ‘copiers’ can instantly see what it’s all about.

Business and intellectual property rights

If your innovation is particularly groundbreaking – or protecting your business ideas is essential for your success – then seeking legal advice is often best. Specialists in such matters as patenting and copyright can help you to attach protections to your ideas, including Trademarks to ensure no one can replicate your brand identity too closely. 

All of this costs money though, and budgeting to protect ideas to this extent should be part of your initial business plan.

Be prepared!

If you feel the above is unnecessary or too expensive, there are still things you can do to help protect your ideas. For example, it’s important to be ready to start trading before your website goes live. Get your business operations as far along as possible, before you reveal any of the detail online.

You could always design and build your website with Go Sitebuilder in the meantime, as a prototype, and then make it public when the time is right. The beauty of this is, you can start selling and making connections before anyone else can use your website information to mimic you! It keeps you ahead of the competition!

Care in website wording

Tips for protecting new business ideas include being careful with your website content. You need to say enough to grab and hold the attention of potential customers, without revealing sensitive corporate information. For example, you may not want to reveal your supplier details, or even announce tie-ups with clients! It’s the sort of intel rivals can use to undermine you. Also, the thinking process behind your start-up or its products may be something you keep ‘close to your chest’.

Getting your house in order

To some extent, your website could be the easiest way to control information about your new company, product or service. Especially when you create it yourself using Go Sitebuilder.

To protect your ideas you should also consider such things as non-disclosure agreements with suppliers, clients and staff. Also, data compliance and control is not just about meeting your legal obligations. Cybersecurity measures can make sure that important business information remains private within your new venture.

If you haven’t started building your website yet or you’re still looking for the right tool for you, check out our free trial of Go Sitebuilder. You won’t need any previous technical knowledge as Go Sitebuilder has been created with busy small business owners in mind – you can even build it on your mobile phone!

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How do I get my new website noticed?

Male looking at mobile phone whilst holding reading glasses. He is working from home and his young daughter can be seen eating at a table in the background.

Building a new website is an exciting time for any business, and getting it live on the internet for people to see can be just as fun. But how do you make sure people are seeing it? If you want your site to really stand out from the crowd and achieve its greatest potential, it needs to be as visible as possible. We’ve compiled some tips to get your new website noticed.

Pay attention to keywords

Getting your new website noticed involves being easy to find when people are searching online. It’s helpful if your brand name appears as near to the top of search listings as possible. In order to achieve this goal, you’ll need to find out what keywords people would use to search for your business. There are different tools you can use online to get an idea of what these keywords might be. But, whatever keywords you choose to represent your business, try to find words that are as relevant and specific as possible. Use for keywords that are less frequently used and not just single words. Long-tailed keywords or keywords with more information will help you drive more traffic.

Once you’ve identified keywords, embed them naturally in your website. Keywords should be used within your content, along with your tags and picture titles.

Start blogging

Blogging about your business, your products, or subjects you think your website visitors will enjoy reading is a great way to get your new website noticed online. So, if you haven’t set up a blog already, now is the time to get writing! Including blog content on your site is also a favoured SEO strategy, which could help you to rank higher on search engines like Google.

Each time you publish a blog, let your followers know by posting a quick message on your social media pages. It’s also a good idea to send an email out to your mailing lists. In order to gain attention, and to keep attracting visitors to your website, provide unique content that puts a fresh spin on what might already exist online. Mix things up a bit and publish different styles of posts, such as how-to guides or even video tutorials. Encourage readers to like or share your content, so that it gets promoted even further.

Get listed

Get your name noticed by making sure that your website’s address and contact details appear on relevant online lists, directories and indexes. This is an especially useful strategy for those who rely on local custom. In particular, adding your details to Google Maps could also improve your local search ranking.

Think about relevant sites where your target audiences might search for a business like yours, or seek related information, and make sure your name gets added in those places.

Having a website is crucial for every business. If you haven’t created yours yet, why don’t you check out Go Sitebuilder? Create your website from anywhere without the need for any technical skills. Try Go Sitebuilder free for 14-days to see just how easy it is to get your business online.

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How much does it cost to launch a brand?

Young, female florist writing out the costs of launching her new brand in her flower shop alongside her laptop. She is wearing a black and white striped top.

One of the main starting points of any new business or new product or service launch is to create a ‘brand’. This will form the foundation of the website you use to attract and retain customers, and any other sales and marketing tools you use. You’ll use your branding as a fun way to stand out from the crowd. But, how much does it cost to launch and promote your brand? This can depend on how much you’re willing to take the ‘Do It Yourself’ approach!

Firstly, let’s explore what is meant by brand.

Creating a brand identity

Some people think that “brand” and “logo” are interchangeable words. This is not the case! Your brand is the complete identity of your company, product or service. For example, what are your Unique Selling Points (USPs) and where does your business stand in the marketplace? This will end up revolving around the benefits you offer your customers. Is it the cheapest? easiest to use? most reliable? or perhaps the most innovative? The answers to these questions will help you start developing your brand.

When you have worked up a detailed brand profile, you then translate that into a brand identity. This includes the fonts and colours you can use to best illustrate and express yourself. For example, deep blues are often associated with reliable financial and professional firms, whereas yellows and oranges often portray tech and futuristic companies. All of that being said, you can use whatever colour resonates with who your company truly is.

So now you’ve covered the nitty-gritty, the “who am I” stage. The next step is to find a logo that sums up your brand identity. Many include a tag line to reinforce USPs (for example, ‘Just Do It’ – Nike or ‘Because You’re Worth it’ – L’Oréal).

Using your brand in your website design

Now that you’ve worked up a brand identity and clear statements about your company or product, you’re ready to create your own website. You can use your chosen colour palette as the basis of page design, varying shades and intensities to draw attention to calls to action and other important features.

It’s highly recommended that you keep your brand consistent across your website. This includes avoiding reversed logos as web design features or introducing colours that aren’t in your chosen palette. This will help solidify the look and feel and stop your site from confusing or distracting its users.

What budget is needed?

Creating and launching a brand can cost a massive amount of money – IF you’re a big company with deep pockets and global ambitions from day one. However, it can also be done on a shoestring if your goals are more manageable!

You could create your brand identity and statements yourself, perhaps using a local graphic artist to build a high impact logo for you. Though there are free online tools for DIY logo creation. Once you have your logo and all its support information, you can use Go Sitebuilder to create a professional website that dovetails brilliantly with your fabulous new brand!

If you haven’t started building your website yet or you’re still looking for the right tool for you, check out our free trial of Go Sitebuilder. You won’t need any previous technical knowledge as Go Sitebuilder has been created with busy small business owners in mind – you can even build it right from your mobile phone!

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How to get the most out of a new website launch

Close up of a woman's hands typing on a mobile phone.

There is nothing more exciting than having a website that is ready to share with the world. With all of the design, thoughtful content and hard work you’ve put in you’ll want to start showcasing it straight away. But how do you make the most of your launch? There are a few steps you can make to get the most out of this time, and the best part is, we’ve already written it down for you!

Choose the right date

Pick your website launch day with care. You’ll want to make it a day where the most number of visitors possible will take a peek at your website, but also if there are any last-minute tweaks or changes to make that you’re on hand to remedy them.

Quick tip: avoid launching your website on a Friday, weekend, bank holiday or other major holiday dates! People are most likely enjoying the festivities and not browsing the web.

Engage with audiences

Don’t make your website launch a one-way communication process. Naturally, you’ll have a lot to say to your new site visitors, but give them the opportunity to interact with you, too! This can boost engagement and may provide you with useful information about your audiences and what they want from your business or content, which may help to steer your website towards future success.

Remember you can also use your social media pages to chat with your audiences both before, during and after launch day.

Consider your rankings

It’s important that audiences are able to find your new website easily, so using effective search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies is important to help improve your search ranking and reach more people.

Whenever you publish any information about your new website launch, utilise your content so that every piece of communication has the potential to boost your search profile. For example, include relevant keywords naturally in any news or update posts, and vary the style of content you produce to mix things up a bit. If you’re an SEO newbie, take a look at our beginner’s guide to SEO over on our blog

Use some of the same tactics that you used to create all of the content for your new website, including writing about a variety of different styles: from blog posts, videos and beautiful photos.

Add analytics

How will you know if your website launch has been successful? In particular, how many people have visited your new site, which pages they looked at and what their profiles are? It’s super simple! Just make sure you get signed up with Google Analytics before launch day.

The beauty of Google Analytics is that it will also tell you whether viewers just looked at the landing page of your site, or whether they explored further. You can use this information to your advantage, to ensure your content is enticing and leaves people wanting more. You can also use this data to see what pages are popular, what devices people are using, what time of day they’re visiting and so much more.

Having a website is crucial for every business. If you haven’t created yours yet, why don’t you check out Go Sitebuilder? Create your website from anywhere without the need for any technical skills. Try Go Sitebuilder free for 14-days to see just how easy it is to get your business online.

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How Can I Make My Website Famous?

Nine people stood in a line, leaning against a brick wall and using their mobile phones

As a business owner, you’ll want to ensure people are finding and viewing your website. A website is a powerful, essential marketing tool you can use to raise your profile and increase your sales, but if no one is actually visiting it, it’s never going to achieve the results you want. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to change that, and while making your website famous might be a bit of a stretch, you can certainly drive more traffic with just a few simple steps. Here are three of the easiest, tried and tested methods for you to try.

1. Don’t underestimate offline marketing

While a good website will attract a new and potentially profitable audience, it should also be a place for your existing customers to visit as well. You can provide them with an opportunity to learn more about your company and even make their purchases online. But remember, they can only do this if they’re aware of your site’s existence. 

Try making an effort to increase your visibility in the places your target market lives and visits. This means that from business cards to billboards, newsletters and even simply answering your phone, it’s a good idea to include information about your website and social media platforms in these new places for your audience to see it.

2. Mention your website online (and do it on a regular basis)

Don’t be afraid to share a shameless plug here and there – it’s your website and you should be proud of it! The internet essentially functions as a giant map, pointing users in the direction of relevant information, which means it’s key to have your site featured on it. The best way to do this is by mentioning it as often as you can, whether it’s by sending your products to bloggers and having them add a link to your website or by publishing press releases. You can also join online communities, like relevant Facebook pages, and share your website when people ask for similar services or products that you provide – just remember not to spam anyone!

3. Educate yourself on SEO

Last but not least, spend some time familiarising yourself with SEO and how it works. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ve created a quick guide for beginners over on our blog if you don’t believe how easy it can be. Standing for ‘search engine optimisation’, SEO is the method used by companies to ensure that their website ranks as highly as possible when people run searches on search engines like Google. The idea is that consumers are most likely to click on results at the very top of the first page, so by focusing on including certain keywords in your content, you can improve your position and make yourself much more visible.

When it comes to boosting the popularity of your website, there are lots of methods you can try. If your website isn’t online yet, why not try a 14-day free trial with Go Sitebuilder and see just how easy it is to create your dream website without any technical skills!

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How do I launch a website for free?

Female working from home on a laptop and tablet device whilst drinking a hot drink. She is sat at a table with her living room in the background

Today, lots of people are creating and running their own websites, and you can do the same! There are lots of options for small businesses to get online – even without the need to hire an expensive web professional or develop a new skill yourself.

There are various free website-building services out there that allow you to build a website quickly and get published in a matter of minutes. You just need to find the right one for your needs and get stuck in. Bear in mind, however, that free sites typically mean a limited service, and there will probably be ads on your site to cover the host’s costs.

Try it for free

At Go Sitebuilder, we offer a free 14-day trial so you can see exactly what our website builder can do. The trial also lets you explore the possibilities of a paid platform with dedicated support. During the free trial, you will be able to publish your website with a Go Sitebuilder domain and enjoy the full functionality of our service. When the 14-day period is over, you will have the option to go premium and start running your website like a pro.

Keeping it free

If, however, you are determined to commit to a free service, you will need to do a bit of exploring. At the free level, hosts will put a low cap on the amount of data you can upload to your website (meaning you’ll be limited on adding things like images and videos). Different hosts will have different policies, so you should explore your options. The bandwidth limits are also low, and there could be other restrictions. Shop around to find a host that offers the best service for your needs in their free package.

If you’re a business that’s looking for sustainable success, we wouldn’t recommend a free website builder as a viable long-term option. There are millions of websites on the internet, and there will be competition in your space. This competition could have very expensive, very professional websites of their own. The limitations of a free website will mean you will almost certainly be unable to compete with this. It’s also unlikely that you’ll also be able to get a free, unique domain name – making it difficult for your customers to find you online. A free website is a good way to familiarise yourself with a platform, but you will need to invest in your site if you want it to be successful.

A simple solution

Fortunately, there are inexpensive ways for you to get your business online. Our premium plans at Go Sitebuilder are just £9.99 per month, and this will give you unlimited access to a wide array of powerful features like ecommerce, emails and a free domain name. Get started with a free 14-day trial and you’ll see just how easy it really is!

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3 ways to find an online start-up business partner

Birds eye view of two females sat down at a table drinking tea. A doughnut is also on the table.

Starting an online business can be extremely exciting, confusing and scary at the same time. With all of these feelings along with the list of tasks you need to check off, a business partner could be exactly what you need. We know that things are always better with a friend by your side, even in the world of business. Finding another entrepreneur or sometimes even a group of entrepreneurs is always a great way of beginning your start-up. But, how do you meet them? How can you find people who share the same interests as you, along with the passion for business? It may seem hard, but we’re here to break it down. We’ve compiled a helpful list with 3 ways to assist you in finding your new online start-up business partner!

1. Make use of social media

Social media has never been bigger. There’s an estimated 3 billion of us using it each day. With so many people out there, it is highly likely that there is another person on the internet with the same business idea as you who would also be willing to look to partner up.

But how do you find them?

Hashtags! And use lots of them! Taking advantage of hashtags by using and following your interests/business ideas is a great way of connecting to people like you. You can search for other people using the hashtags along with posting them yourself. Try using some generalised ones such as #startupbusiness or #buddingentrepreneur, as well as a mix of hashtags that relate to your business idea.

Once you’ve found someone who clearly shares the same love for your business idea as you, try sending them a direct message saying you are looking to connect with other entrepreneurs – you never know where it could lead you.

2. Forums

Forums are there to connect groups of people who share the same likes and interests on large group chat-style websites. There is a forum for everything and even whole websites that focus on one specific idea.
Try searching for a forum surrounding your business approach and make a post, asking if anyone is interested in setting up an online start-up business. You could find your next business partner on the other side of the world!

3. Local listing pages

There are plenty of websites on the internet that offer a service similar to a digital AA pages book. Some of these are free to post on, allowing you to put out a search for other entrepreneurs who may be interested in starting a business with you, or who may know someone else who is looking for a business partner. And, if you’ve posted a free advert, it’s not as though you’ve lost anything in doing it!

So there you have it – 3 easy ways to start connecting with possible business partners! With the internet so vast and full of different interests and personalities, there’s never been more opportunity to find people who could help you take your start-up online business to the next level. If you still haven’t got your business online, now is a perfect time! Try Go Sitebuilder free for 14-days and see just how easy it is to get your website up and running.

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How can I get my website on Google search?

How to get your website on Google

Submitting your website to the Google search engine is an important part of increasing your traffic. Once it is submitted, your site will appear on the Google search results page, but what you should be striving for is getting it to rank highly in your potential customers’ searches.

“Lots of my customers have commented on how easy it was to find and use my website – that wouldn’t be possible without Go Sitebuilder and my own domain name.” Polly Evans – pollyevanshypnotherapy.com

Here is a guide on getting your website to appear in Google searches:

Search Engine Optimisation

Better known as SEO, this is the process of optimising the content of your website to make it rank highly in Google search results without having to pay for it. It is good practice to optimise your website before submitting it to Google, but really it is an ongoing process that needs to be nurtured in the long run to see the best results.

Submitting a website to Google

Make sure you have covered all the basics of preparing your website to be indexed by Google. SEO is important, but it’s also essential to ensure there are no errors or broken links, and that content is ready to be shared on social media. When you’re good to go, you can submit your domain to the Google Search Console URL Crawler.

Every time they crawl the web, Google adds new sites to its index and updates existing ones. Tell them about your new URL through the link above. Please note that not all submitted URLs will be added to the index.

Google will also want your website sitemap. The purpose of this is to enable the Google robots to scan the structure of your site and index it to the search engine accordingly. If you’ve built your website with Go Site Builder, it will already be available to them and you won’t have to do anything extra to submit it.

Google Search Console

business owner with custom domain name

This service replaced the old Google Webmaster Tools to provide site owners with the means to monitor their site’s presence in the Google search results. Joining requires a Google account and a personal domain address. You simply add these as your property on the console and follow the steps to verify your site ownership.

The simplest method is to choose ‘URL prefix’, which should provide you with a code. Copy the code and paste it in into your website, and you should see a confirmation in Google Search Console shortly after.

The bottom line

Getting your website onto Google search should be a simple process. If you follow the steps in this guide, you will be up and running in no time. Go Sitebuilder provides the tools to make it even easier, and you can get started for free today.

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How do you launch a new brand?

Person sat at a desk using a laptop and wearing a mustard coloured jumper

When you’re launching a new brand into the market you will want to make a big splash! Ideally, you’ll be putting out something that is going to make people stop and take notice – ensuring you are the brand or business they remember. Here are our top tips on how to launch your brand with maximum effect.

Give yourself time

You can do things quickly and launch your brand immediately but it is extremely unlikely that that method will have the impact you desire. Give yourself plenty of time. Make sure you are happy with your logo or business name, your website is created and you’re ready to go live across social media. Plan your launch in full, giving yourself a date down the line to aim for, which will allow you the time to get the awareness out there. Ensure that when you join the market, your presence can make an immediate impression.

Make the splash everywhere

Once you have decided on and set up your digital platforms, make sure that all of them have your brandmark on them. Put your logo, business name and message on everything, ready to have the standout impression when you launch. In order for customers to know and remember your brand, it needs to be made recognisable right from the start.

Enhance anticipation

When you have everything good to go and your big launch is planned, you now hold the opportunity to build excitement around your big day. Use social media to tease your followers and potential customers with hints, mystery videos and cryptic clues that get the momentum building, and make your website launch one that cannot be missed.

Don’t forget to enjoy every moment! You’ve just taken an exciting step in growing your very own business and you should be proud to share it with the world.

If you still haven’t created your website, or you’re hoping to set up something new, Go Sitebuilder could be the solution. With hundreds of design possibilities, Go Sitebuilder uses beautifully pre-designed sections and templates so you can build the website you’ve dreamed of, without any technical skills needed. Sign up for a free trial and see just how easy it is!

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What is the easiest website builder for beginners?

Choosing the easiest website builder

Deciding to build a website can be a daunting prospect. After all, you may not know where to start. For a beginner, using a website builder is the quickest way to create one as you don’t need to know about coding or website design. Before diving into constructing your own website you’ll want to understand a bit more about them and how they work.

What exactly is a website builder?

A website builder is a simple and effective tool to create a website. There is often no need to have expert knowledge of website design. You simply just need the information that you wish to include on your site – giving you the ultimate control over your online presence.

How does a website builder work?

Like a lot of current website builders, Go Sitebuilder uses a drag and drop system and beautifully designed pre-built sections. This is perfect for beginners as there is no need for any experience in coding, and you can customise your site based on the look you want. There is a huge library of templates and sections to pick from providing you with an unlimited amount of design options to suit your brand. This makes it the best choice for beginners.

Your own domain and email

You want people to be able to find your website just by searching your company name, which is where domain names come in. With Go Sitebuilder, you can have a specific domain name, which will give your site a professional and credible look. A domain name is unique to your website and company, meaning there are no two domains which are the same.

Finally, some things to remember when building your first website:

  • Pick the right website builder – Most website builders will have a free trial so make sure it’s easy to use and fits into your busy schedule.
  • Know what you want – Think about your audience and the way you want them to interact with your site.
  • Make sure you’re supported – Ensure your website builder has an expert support team who are there to offer advice throughout the process.
  • Have fun! – This is your chance to promote yourself, so don’t forget to enjoy the experience!

We’ve created Go Sitebuilder to be the easiest website builder for small businesses. If you’re looking to give your business the web presence it deserves, check out Our14-day free trial and see just how easy it is.