Raise your hand if you have started building a website with one of those template platforms online, and six months later you're still working on it... Anyone?
Perhaps you have thought about creating your own website but you keep postponing it because of lack of time... Anyone?
A large percentage of business owners have either started or thought about building your own website and at one point or another you realize is a little more involved than you thought. Because we constantly talk to clients in this precise predicament we decided to write some pointers for all the do-it-yourselfers out there. A quick guideline to what you will need in order to make this project a reality.
1. Don’t give others free advertising
There seems to be a gazillion options for the courageous that want to start designing their own website, but beware of those options that add their branding to your site. MyStore.weebly.com or MyStore.business.site are just two examples. Yes, it is true that you’re creating a presence online, but you’re not advertising your brand on search engines. Instead, you’re giving free advertising to Weebly or Google Sites since your online presence is bundled with hundreds, if not thousands of others, under their umbrella. If you’re committed to creating a presence online, spend a little more in purchasing a domain for your business (MyStore.com) and free yourself from giving advertising to giant behemoths online. Domains usually have a marginal cost but it gives your business legitimacy and builds trust. Anyone can go online and create a free site, but it takes a real business to invest in a proper domain.
2. Display a clear purpose
When building your online presence you want to make sure your website conveys a clear message for your business as soon as the website loads. Do you sell a product? Offer services? Do you want to gather subscribers? It seems logical, but we see so many websites that have no clearly defined purpose on the top of the page, and you are limiting the effectiveness of your website if your visitor is having to go on a painstaking investigation to find out what you do. In addition to helping your customer find out immediately what you offer and why they should do business with you, you are also helping search engines determine the purpose and classification for your website.
3. Update. Update. Update.
You’ve heard that in real estate the three most important things are location... well, you know. The equivalent in online relevance is update, update, update. If you have a visitor that comes to a website that hasn’t been updated since bible times, they are very likely to go somewhere else with their money. You want to stay relevant and show your potential clientele you are active and up-to-date. This blog you’re reading now is precisely that. Of course, you want to stay relevant and informational with your updates, because the wrong kind of update may be more detrimental than no update at all. Stay relevant, offer deals, create promotions, update your website frequently, and remember the three most important things. Update. Update. Update.
4. Consider hiring a professional
Ask yourself, how long has it been since you're working on that website? Or when will you get started since there are so many other things to do? Or perhaps you have started, but you are simply overwhelmed with the amount of options, and learning about domains, hosting, SSL certificates. SEO, SMM and a ton of other terms that seem to be written in Chinese.
Look, we understand. We are a small business too. Money can be tight, and there are a ton of other priorities. The key is to stop seeing your online presence as an unnecessary expense when in reality it can be one of your most profitable investments your business can make. Getting found on Google is a little more involved than just creating a website. And that's where the professionals come in. In addition to creating a beautifully designed, mobile friendly, pragmatic and revenue producing website, when hiring a professional you are also getting a marketing perspective, endless creativity, technical expertise on what is proven to work, and a solid foundation to what could become a never-ending stream of new-found revenue through new customers.
Still not convinced and you are a determined do-it-yourselfer that will prevail in your website design, but would still like us to give you free advice and analysis on your website? No problem. Fill ou the form below and let us know your questions or stumbling blocks. We will give you totally free, no strings attached advice on your website. And if you have had enough, and would like to hire a professional, or at least discuss the possibility of developing your beautiful new website, let me lend you a little secret.... we do that here. Either way fill out the form below and one of our representatives will contact you soon.
