One of the first questions people ask me when I start talking about online promotion is “do I need website?“ My obvious answer is a resounding YES!
Fact: You can’t market your business online without a website.
If you want people to find you online – you most definitely need a website. It doesn’t matter if you are a big business or small. You need it more if you are small and struggling. People want proof that you are real. If they can’t find you on Google, you don’t exist!
Benefits Of A Website
Having a website conveys that you are a legitimate business professional. Most people check your business online after meeting you to see if you are someone to do business with. There are tons of obvious benefits in having a website but here’s my top 8:
- You need a place to send people over to get more information about your product or business. It’s your store front, your office, your business card, your flyer and personal maitre d’.
- A website can add credibility, build authority and present a professional image.
- Present and display your service or products.
- If done correctly, your website can “attract” people from the search engines such as Google and yahoo. In other words, people who are looking for your products or similar products will find you. Getting you prospects while you are sleeping.
- Allows your business to be open to the world 24/7, doing the prospecting, and interaction for you. You can reach people far and wide with little work once your site is set up.
- Do customer service, and gather valuable information for lead generation.
- A place to put testimonial to add “social proof” and authority.
- Referral – people can easily refer your business to their friends with a click of a button.
Cost Of A Website
Over the last 5 years, the cost of web design has dramatically decreased due to competitions and technological advancement. Five years ago, you needed at least a couple of thousands to pay someone to do it. Now a site can cost from $500 upward to as much as $5000.00. My first website cost me $3000.00 7 years ago and I recently had it re-design for half that price.
Nowadays, it is totally possible to get awebsite done for under $600.00 depending on the elements you want to include in your website.
3 Things To Get You Started
1. Register your domain name. Once you decide that you need a website, the first thing you need to do is to register a domain name. This is your business name online. Self-employed professionals, people in direct sales, or network marketing can either use their names or a variation of their companies. But I highly suggest using your name in case you change your business later on. Don’t forget – this is an asset and an intellectual property.
Registering your domain name is really simple and easy. Don’t let anyone else register it for you because you can lose control of your domain if something happens between you and that person.
Check out my favourites for the companies I use for domain registration.
2. Find a host for your website. Choose a company to host your site (to house it on the web). Sometimes, a domain registrar company offer hosting services as well and can have a domain and hosting package. But I don’t recommend it.
3. Do It Yourself or Hire A Web Designer. You have two options:
a) Learn how to do it and create your own. If you have a bit of technical background, it should not be hard to learn. There are courses online where you can learn how to create your simple website.
b) Pay someone to do it. The easiest and fastest way to get a website up and running is to hire a pro to do it for you while you focus on what you do best.
Our sister website Avanze can help you create your dream website without breaking the bank and with very little technical knowledge. Call them today!
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