The question often comes up (with all of the so-called "free" website platforms available nowadays) "Why should I pay to have someone design a website for me?" The answer is, free doesn't mean free!
Free means a compromise.
Actually, there are MANY reasons to not fall for the old "free" website pitch.
To begin with, on these platforms (like weebly.com, wix.com, etc) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a HUGE issue. So-called free websites often rank very LOW in SEO performance. That means that if someone searches for "blue widgets" in "massachusetts" the chances of your website ranking higher than your competitions' is not likely.
Another issue is the control of your website's content: THEY control all content! And if you should choose to go to a site that is built for you sometime in the future, you will not be able to "migrate" most of that content, and you will be starting from scratch!
Also, what you end up with, design-wise, will be something of a compromise between what you would like your image to be, and the reality of "what you get," which will be an "off the shelf" template, formatted with your logo and name and little else.
Lastly, your organization's "image" may suffer in one more way. When using these platforms, you wil NOT get you own, unique web address, URL. What you will get is something that kooks like this: www.mysitename/theirsitename.com. This may not seem like a big issue, but if a perspective customer sees that you've sacrificed quality for cost, they may feel that you might do this in your business practices as well. This will lose you customers. Of course, you could get rid of that situation by purchasing a domain from them ($$$) and then host it with them ($$$) or you can redirect a domain name to them ($$$) that you already have. Others charge you more for email accounts. Or, to subsidize the cost they run ads on your site. You can turn the ads off... for a price ($$$).
Your business is important. Make the potential customers coming to you understand this fact by using a real web designer for your all-important web presence!
Free means a compromise.
Actually, there are MANY reasons to not fall for the old "free" website pitch.
To begin with, on these platforms (like weebly.com, wix.com, etc) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a HUGE issue. So-called free websites often rank very LOW in SEO performance. That means that if someone searches for "blue widgets" in "massachusetts" the chances of your website ranking higher than your competitions' is not likely.
Another issue is the control of your website's content: THEY control all content! And if you should choose to go to a site that is built for you sometime in the future, you will not be able to "migrate" most of that content, and you will be starting from scratch!
Also, what you end up with, design-wise, will be something of a compromise between what you would like your image to be, and the reality of "what you get," which will be an "off the shelf" template, formatted with your logo and name and little else.
Lastly, your organization's "image" may suffer in one more way. When using these platforms, you wil NOT get you own, unique web address, URL. What you will get is something that kooks like this: www.mysitename/theirsitename.com. This may not seem like a big issue, but if a perspective customer sees that you've sacrificed quality for cost, they may feel that you might do this in your business practices as well. This will lose you customers. Of course, you could get rid of that situation by purchasing a domain from them ($$$) and then host it with them ($$$) or you can redirect a domain name to them ($$$) that you already have. Others charge you more for email accounts. Or, to subsidize the cost they run ads on your site. You can turn the ads off... for a price ($$$).
Your business is important. Make the potential customers coming to you understand this fact by using a real web designer for your all-important web presence!
Contact Us
(413) 245-3246
clark@howellmarketing.com
(413) 245-3246
clark@howellmarketing.com
© 2015 - Howell Marketing
Small Business Marketing Solutions
22 Warren Road, Brimfield, MA 01010.
Small Business Marketing Solutions
22 Warren Road, Brimfield, MA 01010.
GRAPHICS/WEB DESIGN
| GRAPHICS / WEB DESIGN |
| Howell Marketing custom designs high-quality logos, identity packages, print designs, and websites for small and mid-sized businesses who wish to present a more polished image to their target markets. If you want to stand apart from your competition, well designed marketing materials are a solid investment for your business. |
