Do I Need A Website for My Small Business??
In one word, yes! The internet is the most effective marketing tool currently in existence. You have the capability of reaching far more people than any mail flyer or advertisement in the local paper ever will.
Should I create the site myself?
It all depends on your skills. If you have the ability to produce a site that looks good, then go ahead. It will save you money and will work wonders as a marketing tool. However, if your skills are limited or non-existent then I would say no. Why? The first reason is if your site doesn't look professional, then it will reflect badly on your company's image. Likewise, your time might be better spent on a skill that you are good at. There are many user-friendly website building platforms out there. Freelance sites such as Fiverr offer website building services for a variety of business needs. You can check out a comparison of the best website builders here.
Do you need to spend lots of money?
It really depends on the size of your website and what you want to do with it. If you're looking simply to get a presence on the internet, then you can easily create a site starting as low as $12/month with many offering free trials to get started.
What content do you need?
This all depends on what you want from being online. If you are selling products online, then you definitely want to show as many products as you can with any relevant information regarding your business, yourself, and each product. If you are simply looking to get your company online, then there are TWO elements that are imperative:
Information about your company
How to contact you
Without these two, no one knows who or what you are. Remember, when people look at a well-designed website, they won't know if they are viewing a multi-national company or a one-person organization until you tell them. A professional-looking website presents your business just as effectively as any corporation.
What to do now?
So you're convinced that having a website is the way to go? Excellent, this can only be of benefit to you! Now you need to find the best platform for you and a designer if you don't plan to build the site yourself. Things to keep in mind when looking is what kind of style are you looking for. I recommend finding some websites that you like and then finding a designer to see if they can produce something similar. If they can, you'll be creating what can be one of your best employees (your website)!
