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Small
businesses who do not have a
website -
or who have a basic one or
two page site
that sits stagnant do
so for very good reasons...
Only one or several employees
with very little time to
dedicate to development and
updates.
Too
many times a friend or relative
is brought in to "handle the web
stuff" and that only compounds
the problem down the road when
THEY no longer have the time to
work the site.
Cash
is tight. "Time
MAY be money - but money IS money" (my
father). Finding the best lowest
cost option is not easy.
Websites are intimidating and confusing.
Yes
they are. But they don't have to
be.
Website costs are all over the map.
There are four basic ways to get a website
for your business.
The first is to Do
It Yourself from scratch. Learn HTML, CSS, and all the other goodies needed to put
up a decent site. Or, purchase
software that does the HTML automatically,
but you still need to learn how to use the
software.
Second, you can have
a professional do it for you. This is
not cheap - and if you want to make certain
changes to your site you have to pay all
over again.
Third, you can use website
templates from a company like Hostgator.
This is very popular for beginners and can
work OK if a basic site is good for your
needs.
Then there is a managed
website. The websites are custom made
to your business and the company handles all
aspects of the site - including development,
updates, back-ups, etc. With these
companies, website development, domain
names, web hosting, and updates are paid for
in one small monthly fee (some about one
dollar a day).
If you
require a shopping cart with credit card
payment capabilities your choice of service
is even more critical.
After your
website is up and running it must be picked
up by Google® - or few people will find you.
Then again, you can always "buy" ads on
Google®. You know, those ads on the top
and right side of the search pages.
But finding the right keywords isn't easy
and it can be expensive if you have lots of
competition (or competition with deep
pockets). This, of course, is about
Search Engine Optimization or "SEO".
Contrary to those in the business of selling
SEO services, SEO usually happens by itself.
If the content of your website is concise
and you thoroughly describe your business
and services, you will eventually be found
on Google®. Sometimes that takes weeks
- but most times it takes months.
So why am I
saying all of this and what services do I
offer? I'm saying it because I enjoy
watching a business go from zero internet
exposure to the first page of Google®.
I revel in seeing business owners send and
receive email using their domain name.
Yahoo®
Gmail®,
AOL®,
Hotmail®
(and others) are ok for personal use - but
not for business of ANY size.
I help
businesses get on the internet with a
managed website. My usual saying is,
If you like this website, you'll love
yours". I provide services that would
cost you hundreds each and every month - for
about .75 cents a day. If getting your
business on the internet for customers to
see exactly what you offer, where and when
you offer it is not something you're
interested in - good luck to you.
For the rest of
you, Welcome! Whether you do it
yourself or have us do it, just DOING IT
will take your business to the next level
overnight. We truly do so much for so
little.
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