What are the best website building options available? Read important information on website builder guides and how to get your website built fast.
For all the available technology in modern times, two primary ways still exist when it comes to building a website. You have the option of building the website yourself or hiring a person or service to build one for you. A hybrid type option also exists, which allows you to build your own website with minimal online assistance on step-by-step basis. Either way you choose, if you are a small business or an individual in business for yourself, you need an online presence to succeed. Continue reading for important information about website builder guides and the best way to get your website built today.
Websites Are Important - Here’s Why
Whether you are a small business or an individual in business for yourself, you need an online presence if you expect to succeed. This might not be true for every single business in operation around the country, but it is true for most. It is also true for businesses with any hope for expanding profits or gaining new customers outside its already-established customer base. A website is the foundation upon which online presence stands. Yes, social media is also immensely important and effective pursuant to online marketing and customer generation. Some types of businesses do thrive with only a social media presence (Facebook business page, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, etc.) and no home website. The truth is, however, many consumers simply do not trust a company incapable of putting up its own website. These consumers are equally quick to move on to another purchasing option where a convenient high-quality website is displayed.
How Websites Help Small Business Owners and Individuals
Individual entrepreneurs and sole proprietors have similar marketing and online presence-based needs as small business owners. These needs might be at different levels and to varying degrees. Needs for online marketing and websites also vary based on business types but are conceptually all the same.
Online Presence
A website gives you and/or your business an online presence. People simple no longer rely on hard-copy printed media for advertising purposes. This is true for both business owners and consumers alike. Consumers want instant access to whatever they are seeking. They also want instant access regardless of their location, including when on-the-go. This means you need a website with enough flexibility and modernized design to suit the needs of consumers shopping on computers, tablets, smart phones, watches or whatever other device allows them to hop online and make a purchase.
Longevity and Viability
A website gives you and your business market viability and visible longevity. Social media accounts are extremely helpful for your business, to be clear. For example, a Facebook business page helps humanize your company, build a community demographic around it and improve your search engine optimization (SEO) ratings. A Facebook business page parallels you with competing companies (at a minimum) who also have Facebook pages. It also puts your business in front of customers and clients who use the site every day. Is Facebook the next Myspace, however? The company is currently experiencing unprecedented complications and, while it has been a powerful marketing staple for many years, what happens if it starts to fade? Building your own website gives you longevity beyond other forms of marketing likely to come and go over the years. A website also attracts customers who might pass your business by for another one with a more powerful alluring online presence.
Opportunity to Grow Your Business
Owning a website gives you power over the opportunity to grow your business. People from all over the world can find your company and make purchases, often regardless of the currency they use in their native countries. Once your website gains traction in different markets, both nationally and internationally, growth starts to happen organically - and exponentially.
Viewer Expansion
Viewer expansion refers to customers developing loyalty to your brand. These customers subsequently serve as free advertising by posting positive reviews on social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter. The same is true for positive reviews posted to online review-specific services such as Angie’s List, Trustpilot and Reviews.io.
Types of Website Builder Services
Website builder services are available in three types. Some services allow you to build the website yourself as a DIY project. These services have hybrid versions, however, where you perform nominal DIY work, while the platform (or its customer service features) handles the rest. Hiring a professional web designer is another option, and often the best choice if your website requires significantly detailed work and you have the budget to pay for the services. The third option is to sign up with a service where pre-generated website templates do almost all the work, by putting together a website based on information about your company available online. This latter option has its limitations but is also fast and convenient.
An example of a top-tier professional web design service is Lounge Lizard. This company not only delivers high quality websites, but also provides branding, digital marketing, app development and website maintenance services. Lounge Lizard clients range from restaurants, government services, gaming developers, automotive companies (including Ford) and more.
If hiring a company such as Lounge Lizard is beyond your budget or needs, it is possible to create a website through companies such as Squarespace, WordPress or Wix. These hybrid website builder services take a mostly DIY approach but offer varying degrees of customer service and assistance to help you get the best results.
For an exceptionally fast DIY website builder service with little effort required by you, try MechanicWeb. MechanicWeb is an intelligent website builder with a sleek user interface and a variety of templates. The building process automatically assimilates information about your business it finds online and creates an SEO-friendly website in under five minutes. MechanicWeb also incorporates fonts and images used on your social media and other online accounts to intelligently create a consistent online presence for your company, fast.
Thoughts on Professional Platform vs. Private Web Designer Services
The national average cost to hire a professional website designer is approximately $6,760. Signing up for Squarespace, conversely, costs between $12 and $40 per month. MechanicWeb offers a free thirty-day trial then tiers its pricing between $11.66 and $18.95 per month. Hiring a professional web builder service is going to give you almost complete customizable control over the outcome of your website, with little elbow grease or time-in required of you. DIY website builders require you to put in more time and effort, which includes learning how to use their builder systems and services properly. Their services are limited - and additionally limited per pricing tier.
Many DIY website builder services are excellent choices for new businesses, but some also work well for smaller businesses in perpetuity. A top web builder service has the experience to customize your website and online brand to attract more customers with every click, however. Ultimately, the decision comes down to comparing your budget vs. your needs. Remember, it is always possible to start at your own pace and expand your website (and online presence) as needed.