Finally Found Designs

Do You Really Need A Website

Today websites and business are almost synonymous. However, the truth is businesses have existed long before the internet existed. Reading this article can help you decide whether you need one or not.

Everyday we encounter a business website whether it’s on the radio, TV, or on paper it seems that a small business needs a website to be successful. That’s not entirely true. Business has been conducted long before websites existed. A website can benefit your business best when you decide on how it can serve your clients and fulfill your needs.

Before You Buy

Websites can be an expensive endeavor with money and time. In order to have a website you need a domain name, host, and web designer or developer to build it (unless you can do it yourself). All of which will cost you money. On top of that it will need to be updated regularly unless it is a static site. Finally websites that don’t turn up in search results require more work to be noticed.

If you can’t afford your own website then there are alternatives. Consider the online services such as social media, blogs, or an online venue. Social media is free and if used correctly can be a great marketing tool. Blogs are designed to share information and people follow great information. Online venues allow you to sell your products for a fee whether it’s a description or a percentage of the profit. The advantage to using those services is that it can save you money if you are on a very small budget, and you don’t have to worry about your website going down. However, the downside is that you don’t have your own web address, like www.yourbusiness.com, which can make it more difficult to advertise.

There are several questions you should ask yourself to help you determine if you need a website.
Is my product or service fitting for the web?
For example Bakeries and Salons are meant to be visited. You can’t exactly get fresh pastries ordering them online, nor can you get your hair cut. So that type of business may not benefit from a website.

Does my clientele use the internet?
Many elderly people may not use the internet as opposed the younger generations. Or maybe your target market is rural farms and it’s possible that they simply can’t get internet. It really comes down to who you want to reach.

What purpose will your website have?
Are you going to use your website for informational purposes or for selling products. Each of them are distinctly different and have different requirements. Knowing ahead of time will help with planning.

Will you be able to generate leads or sales from the website?
When it comes to cost will the website help generate enough sales to cover itself and the related work.

Buying A Website

So you think a website will work for you great. Knowing what your website will do ahead of time will save you money when it comes to building it. Static sites are simple and cost much less than dynamic CMS websites. And Shopping carts are most expensive because of the added security to handle client payments.

An often overlooked function of the website is web updates. Do you have an idea of how often you will want to update the website? This may determine your best solution. Frequent updates are made simple with a CMS, and don’t require a webmaster to do frequent updates. Whereas static websites are often troublesome to update frequently, and require knowing HTML to change it. So if you don’t know HTML you may be stuck with paying a webmaster. Also if you rely on a webmaster for updates they may not be as fast as you would like simply due to different priorities.

When it comes to creating a web address, you think about it carefully. This is due to it being marketable and memorable. Many people don’t realize though, is that the web address is directly related to your search results. If what a user searches for is in the web address then that website will have a much higher rating than other sites. Best rule of thumb though is to go for your company name. If that is taken then use an abbreviated name and a keyword or two.

Conclusion

Websites are great when they are planned and carefully implemented. They are active and accessible any time and from anywhere, when clearly you are not. Websites also give a business the ability to sell products and services globally. A website can help a marketing campaign by giving it a central focus and potentially boost sales, through quality content and easy navigation. Best of all they can be a great source of information for your clientele when they want to learn more.

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