Let’s just be perfectly clear about one thing – you can build a website for free. No doubt about it. But why do people build websites? Generally speaking they want to provide some type of information to other people. In most cases however people would love to make a buck from the internet. Who doesn’t? We hear stories all the time of web site successes that lead to “fame and fortune” as they say. Ok, so maybe you don’t want to be the next internet bazillionaire, but you wouldn’t be thinking about getting a website if you didn’t care how many people see it.

That’s the main difference between a “free” site that you design yourself and a professionally built site. In a word , visibility.

Now you can build a free site and then PAY for advertising through a service like google adwords, but aren’t the best things in life free? We want to be able to have a website that people find naturally on their own through searches and links. In most cases if you build a free site and don’t pay for advertising your site will be so far down in the search results it might as well be a newspaper printed underneath a rock.

That’s where professional design comes in. When your site is built by experts each page is crafted in a way that naturally attracts the search engines and presents the content in such away that you will be presented higher up in search results for terms that will make you money.

And let’s be honest, they call it web DESIGN for a reason. We’ve all seen sites that look like they’re from 1995.  And they were probably great in ’95 but today websites can really just blow you away if they’re done right. If you are searching for a service or product online and it comes down to a choice between website A and website B, what will help  you decide? Well, if website B looks like a 9 year old made it with microsoft “paint” and website A is a beautiful easy to navigate site with up to date information, you’re probably going to go with A.

A website is your face on the web to potential customers. It’s just as important as the front sign in front of an actual brick-and-mortar store. You need to let people feel trust and confidence in you, and since they don’t know you most of the time all they have to go on is their impression of your site. Do you really want to leave that in the hands of … well… a non-professional? Do you cut your own hair? Maybe. What about your own open heart surgery, would you handle that?

Maybe a pro is better. Just a thought.

New businesses open each and everday with new services or improved products that help businesses and consumers around the world. While you may have a great product or service you are still going to need a marketing plan to get your product in front of potential customers. Your marketing plan might include several different forms of advertising to increase the visibility of your brand to obtain a share in the market. One form of advertising that every business should always consider is a website. This will allow you to reach out to customers twenty four hours a day, seven days a week providing them with company information, product information or even the ability to purchase products online.

Many businesses have a website, but is the website they chose the right one for them? You might ask yourself “What is the right website solution for my business”? Well you need to take this in to serious consideration because the wrong type of website could severelyeffect your sales or how potential customers view your brand. You need to clearly understand why you need a website. Do not get a website just so you can be on the internet. So many businesses make the mistake of going with a free website or low budget website design that does not allow you to present your business and brand in a professional manner. How often have you went to research a website and they have the same website design as 5 other businesses you researched the other day? If you use a template or a low cost service like weebly or godaddy website tonight your customers are going to think the same way you do about the websites your noticed. Now, this is not to say the services are not great, they are great for “certain” types of websites to include a personal website, family websites, school projects etc. Weebly or godaddy or any low budget website solution is not the best way for a business to market its brand. When you use a service like this your customers know. So if you will try to go “cheap” on your marketing attempts why wouldn’t you go cheap on customer service or product quality? Remember in business image is everything, so put your best foot forward.

When planning a website you need a custom website solution that is tailored toward your brand. Be unique, present a professional design that highlights your brand so you can develop brand recognition. If you have a good strong brand potential customers know you will also have a good strong customer service, product quality and a good solid business structure. So whenever you plan a website you need to keep the following in mind.

• Develop a corporate color scheme and use this on your website, print material, ads, signs or any other promotional media you have.
• Use the color scheme to design your logo. Remember, be consistent.
• Obtain a website designer that understands the core techniques involved in designing a website. Remember your buddy or brother-in-law may be a website designer but he may not be the best candidate for your website design. Make sure your website designer has strong Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experience.

I always keep this in mind when thinking about a company website. Companies spend millions of dollars each year on phone book advertising, newspaper advertising, billboards, etc and never really weight the cost compared to the actual exposure they are recieving. You have to remember that 90% of shoppers use the internet to research products or companies before they consider making a purchase.