Small Business Website Options
In a previous article I write about a common small business mistake and the consequences of waiting to have their website developed.
Many of us know of a small business that is doing just great without a website. Although that is true, you then have to wonder if they took the time and money to invest in a website how much healther the business would be in terms of future growth. In a previous post we talk about Becoming a Tiny Giant and how a good website can help you build a pipeline of future business since most people use the internet for shopping for the best services and solutions.
Monthly Service Websites
Website companies like Yodel, Web.com, WIX, GoDaddy, Mopro, and a few others understand that there are great opportunities with Small Business websites. Just do a Google Search for “affordable websites for small businesses” and you most likely will see Yodel toward the top followed by several other firms. Take great caution here because you may end up paying monthly fees in excess of $250 per month for the lifetime of your contract. In the end you do not own the website, nor in most cases the Domain Authority it creates.
DIY Websites
Do It Yourself website builders have grown in popularity and promote themselves as user friendly; drag and drop ease, mobile friendly design, and affordable but what most neglect to highlight is the fact you are building a non transportable website, something that is designed to only run on their service. So in essence you are stuck with their hosting and the services they provide. So the question arises, why build your internet presence on restricted services?
Another downside of DYI website design, is that most novice web developers do not understand the importance of colorology, keyword embedding content, best practices of using Action Calls, and off-site optimization.
To summarize the cons of DYI and dependent hosted website builders:
- Design: A bad website design can greatly influence visitor actions. Your website should be unique and offer recommended design and flow patterns recognized in your industry. Remember each industry is different and you are in direct competition with others in your community.
- ROI: Although many of these services offer an affordable initial price, long term you will most likely pay more. Since your website presence and SEO is a long term investment, cheap and inexperience website designs can actually hurt your internet presence.
- Limitations: Not all these services are built the same and do not offer the customizing needed to offer a unique website. Another limitation is timely website changes. If you like displaying project updates but are dependant on someone in another state to do these updates, then you may find large delays with your requested changes.
Own Your Website Presence
In our encounters with many of these services, we’ve been able to develop our small business websites under the cost of the first year service fees, giving small businesses a superior website and domain they own.
The takeaway is to own your website and domain, and stay away from DIY Website Development because the time and effort it takes does not always pay for itself. Also find a website development company that is local and willing to build a lasting relationship with their customers like Tiny Giant Web Solutions.
