Do i need a personal website?
Does my business need a website?
Do i need to market my website?
Do i need a personal website?
To answer the question “do i need a personal website” you must ask yourself what kind of message your trying to get across, am i trying to impress someone for a job, do i want to share information i think would be beneficial to others or do i want a website just for the sake of having a website. There are many reasons for a personal website and it comes down to expense, time & knowledge.
Does my Business need a website?
I would answer yes 99% of the time to “does my business need a website” and i’m not just saying this because i’m a web designer. I say this mainly because the internet is now so accessible from smart phones, free wifi (McDonalds etc), a huge percentage of households and business already connected to the web.
This is a huge market and if your business doesn’t have a website it’s almost certain you’re missing out!! For your website to be successful it needs to be clear on what it’s about, easy to navigate, uncluttered and easy on the eye. There are alot of different ways to get a website from the monthly cost self-serve type to the high end wow factor website.
Things to keep in mind with your business website:
- keep your content current; add ‘fresh content’ min every 6 months
- keep the irrelevant information to a minimum
- make it easy to achieve what you want them to achieve
- prove to your clients that you’re a real business ie testimonials
- don’t clutter you website with ads, i prefer none
- showcase your work, be proud of it and it will shine through
Note: if you don’t know much about websites, building one yourself won’t get the results as paying a professional, would you get a plumber to put the roof on your house? Generally you get what you pay for, spending $500 you won’t get time and effort from an experienced web designer as if you spent 2000-5000, if anything at all. So check the web design portfolio and testimonials.
Do i need to market my website?
This is an easy one, “do i need to market my website” hmmmm YES!! In my experience the clients that market there website get noticeably higher traffic, in turn gets better results. To market your website can cost money but with research, time and effort you can achieve results.
Some free ways to market your website:
- Word of mouth, my opinion one of the best
- Swap links with other sites, some knowhow required
- free online directories
- social networking, eg facebook, twitter, can be time consuming
- SEO Search Engine Optimisation, need knowhow to be free
Some way to spend coin marketing your website:
- TV, Radio, Magazines & newspaper ads
- Google adwords, need to weigh up cost vs sales for this
- Payed SEO, it’s better to go with a 3,6 or 12 month plan as it takes time
- Promo material like business cards or flyers with your website address
- Paid online directories, make sure its relevant to your business
Conclusion on “do i need a website?”
In most cases having a business or personal website will be beneficial. Keep your website clean, simple to use and information easily accessible. Don’t think that once your website is live it will do the rest, be proactive or pay someone to be, market market market and give a reason for browsers to return.
web design, website marketing
Sam M
creativepact.com