As I’ve met with people at local events here in the Dayton area, I’m shocked as how many people still have a very small online presence or still aren’t online at all. Here are some ways to get a website online and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Template Builders
One of the many ways to get online is through the template builder programs. Many hosting companies provide pre made templates that are plug and play easy. You can also find these little builders bundled on sites like VistaPrint, Intuit and Yahoo. They are an ok way to get online and they are fairly cheap (around $20 a month).
There are also nice pre made website builders that you can get for certain industries like insurance and real estate. Generally, these sites are in the same basic category so my opinion is the same.
However, these programs often limit the amount of customization available. Additionally, the SEO on these things is pretty poor as the HTML code is makes is often messy. You won’t get any sort of attention from the search engines if they find you at all.
Still, if you just want something to put on a business card and don’t mind not getting found online, it’s one way to start.
Blogger, WordPress.com, Facebook Pages and Squidoo
Another way to get online is through some free sites like Blogger, WordPress.com, Facebook Pages and Squidoo. These types of sites are sometimes called “parasite hosting.” These sites are quite easy to use and often will rank online quite easily. I did a Squidoo lens for Professional Referral Exchange a few years ago and we got several leads from it. So, yes it does work.
My problem with these sites are the lack of professionalism your business will portray by using these services as your primary website. Additionally, these sites are ad supported and it’s quite possible that your competitoor will have an ad right there on your sites. Not good! Even worse, these sites are moderated and it’s quite common for pages built on these sites to get deleted without any prior notice.
While I do not recommend using these services as a primary website, they are very good for building supplemental links to your main site. I build backlinks quite often with parasite hosting.
HTML Based Websites
HTML sites are the primary type of website that you will find online. While they can be coded by hand, most people use software like Dreamweaver or FrontPage to make these sites. The quality of the site varies with the skill level of the person disgning it.
As a business owner, building an HTML site yourself can be quite time consuming. You will have to spend several hundred dollars just for the software and then counteless hours to learn how to use it.
The next option is to have someone to build an HTML site for you. Sometimes getting an HTML site can cost you thousands of dollars. However, the prices on HTML based sites are all over the map depending on the type of website you desire and the skill level of the person designing it. The worst part is if you ever need updates, you will be totally dependent on the designer’s schedule. It can be a royal pain just to get a simple phone number or email address change.
CMS (Content Management System) Websites
CMS (or Content Management System) websites are the best of all worlds. They can be designed quickly and updated easily. This site was built with a very popular program called WordPress. It does take some time and skill getting set up. However, once it’s done, it can be updated and changed very easily. Best of all, you can use the built in RSS feed and synchronize the site’s links with Twitter, Facebook and many other services. CMS sites have a lot of Search Engine Optimization features built in, so Google will love it. CMS programs like WordPress have something called “plugins” that extend their functionality dramatically.
We offer a basic WordPress setup package at a great price that you can easily update yourself. Email us for details.
Carlos was able to affordably transform my web site from "just being there" to getting me to the top of important search engines in just a couple of weeks. My leads have improved dramatically!!
I just came from looking for a good site on Bing and came to yours. I have to say these templates are great. Thanks for sharing them in your entry. I will be sure to pass this link to others.
Hello, I found your blog in a new directory of blogs. I don’t know how your blog came up, must have been a type, Your blog looks good. Have a nice day.