Having a professional design a small business website for you need not be pricey, it will still hit your bottom-line sum but the idea is that your new website will generate more sales and pay for itself. The thought that you could build your own website may have occurred to you but you may not sure if it would be cost effective or not. Think about the following. To start with, do you have free time available to dedicate to building a website? secondly, what do you want to achieve from your new website?
Teaching yourself to design and build a basic business website isn't the most difficult challenge. Not that I am suggesting web design is a piece of cake.. it is however something in which you can produce some not badresults with a little applied learning and study.
To be good at creating your own website you should be the kind of person who can pick things up fairly fast and also be adept at understanding new systems, these are often skills found in people that own and run their own business. Before you can begin, you will need to gain some understanding of CSS, HTML and basic web design and layout. This list however is not exhaustive.
So, back to our original question. Do you really have enough spare time on your hands to develop these skills?
Perhaps you are fed up of working for others and plan on developing your own business, so you are happy to invest time into this project. Get yourself online, hit some tutorial sites, log in to Amazon and order the latest 'Build Your Own Website' book. You will find a range of material to direct you.
You could however be looking into this option from a completely different situation. You may currently own or run a business and find it difficult to find the time to carry out your current workload. Trying to find time to build your own business website in this situation is not a good option for you, as not only will your work life balance suffer, you will be unlikely to build a website that will do your business justice if you are unable to fully focus on working on it.
Next you need to ask yourself this second question. What do you hope your new website will accomplish for you? Whilst mulling about this it would be a worthwhile exercise to take a look at other websites for your direct competitors.
If you are wanting your website to give you a basic web presence with your contact details, helping potential customers in your local area to find and contact you. A small site coming up in the search engine results may be all you want. Achieving this type of basic website would be altogether manageable.
The type of business you are in however may require something more professional. Would a basic looking site convey the right impression to your potential customers? Enter some search terms relevant to your business into Google. What sort of quality site do your direct competitors have? You may decide that your competitors sites are of a high standard and the best course of action for your business is to hire a professional to design and build your site.
So, to summarise; If you feel sure about your ability to produce a website of a high enough standard and feel you have plenty of time to commit to the job in hand, then do it!. If you are unsure, then you should hire a professional. A last point you will need to take into consideration is that once you complete your website, it will not benefit your business if people cannot locate it on Google. To be a success your website needs to be high in the search engine rankings above your competitors.
Don't miss out on important clients and sales due to your lack of presence on the web. Whilst it may not be beyond the realms of possibility to build your own business website, you need to examine whether or not you have the the spare time to learn the new skills necessary and if you are likely to produce a site of sufficient quality to meet your needs.
Teaching yourself to design and build a basic business website isn't the most difficult challenge. Not that I am suggesting web design is a piece of cake.. it is however something in which you can produce some not badresults with a little applied learning and study.
To be good at creating your own website you should be the kind of person who can pick things up fairly fast and also be adept at understanding new systems, these are often skills found in people that own and run their own business. Before you can begin, you will need to gain some understanding of CSS, HTML and basic web design and layout. This list however is not exhaustive.
So, back to our original question. Do you really have enough spare time on your hands to develop these skills?
Perhaps you are fed up of working for others and plan on developing your own business, so you are happy to invest time into this project. Get yourself online, hit some tutorial sites, log in to Amazon and order the latest 'Build Your Own Website' book. You will find a range of material to direct you.
You could however be looking into this option from a completely different situation. You may currently own or run a business and find it difficult to find the time to carry out your current workload. Trying to find time to build your own business website in this situation is not a good option for you, as not only will your work life balance suffer, you will be unlikely to build a website that will do your business justice if you are unable to fully focus on working on it.
Next you need to ask yourself this second question. What do you hope your new website will accomplish for you? Whilst mulling about this it would be a worthwhile exercise to take a look at other websites for your direct competitors.
If you are wanting your website to give you a basic web presence with your contact details, helping potential customers in your local area to find and contact you. A small site coming up in the search engine results may be all you want. Achieving this type of basic website would be altogether manageable.
The type of business you are in however may require something more professional. Would a basic looking site convey the right impression to your potential customers? Enter some search terms relevant to your business into Google. What sort of quality site do your direct competitors have? You may decide that your competitors sites are of a high standard and the best course of action for your business is to hire a professional to design and build your site.
So, to summarise; If you feel sure about your ability to produce a website of a high enough standard and feel you have plenty of time to commit to the job in hand, then do it!. If you are unsure, then you should hire a professional. A last point you will need to take into consideration is that once you complete your website, it will not benefit your business if people cannot locate it on Google. To be a success your website needs to be high in the search engine rankings above your competitors.
Don't miss out on important clients and sales due to your lack of presence on the web. Whilst it may not be beyond the realms of possibility to build your own business website, you need to examine whether or not you have the the spare time to learn the new skills necessary and if you are likely to produce a site of sufficient quality to meet your needs.
About the Author:
Teapot Creative are a team of graphic designers based in Somerset. Read one of our blogs - A link from the stars!!.We have a wealth of experience covering all aspects of graphic, web design and SEO services and have worked on countless projects for a diverse range of businesses. Check out the Web Pro Cafe forum.
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