Why are companies going with the “free” website option.
1. Its free.
2. They are not aware that this free site is not going to do anything for their site
3. The Businesses do not care about the web and do not realize the importance of a website

1. Its free – You get what you pay for.  A Web presence is not just about having a website.  If you are just looking for a site that people can find your information, even still a free site is not worth anything to you because usually, the potential customers are not finding you.  Also, a website is like your store.  It gives an image of your business or your service.  If the site is poor quality what do you think customers will feel about your business or service?

2. Free sites or even the $99 site is not going to do anything for your business except hurt you.  You should have someone who is keeping up with marketing the site, Optimizing the site or SEO, Running Analytics and showing you what your site is doing for you! A good site creates a buzz about your business but it also has the ability to show you that buzz.

3. I cant tell you how many clients I have talked with who say, well I think I would rather spend my money on print media or radio ads.  Another example, this one everyone should know, the presidential election, one presidential campaigner did the old school campaign route and had hundreds of thousands of viewers.  The other presidential campaigner did youtube.com videos and had over millions of viewers.  How important is the web? Well not even just a website but web marketing.  Just a simple website is not going to give you a web presence! You need Online marketing and the ability to reach to customers. Some examples of online marketing would be email campaigns, social networking, pay per click ads and article submissions.  While Online marketing spreads the word, to keep those potential customers happy, your site must be functional!

Why to choose a Web Design Company for your Business.
1. They do the work for you and give you advice so that its not a waste of money or time.
2. You get a design that attracts customers.
3. The firm should create you the ability to see analytics, search engine rankings, and also easily update the site.

1. Every website should have a plan.  The site should have a strategy and the ability to show if its working or not.  Most web design firms will create sites that do all of this. One of the things I tell clients all the time is that even a great site, that is stagnant is just hurting your business.  A stagnant site portrays a stagnant company.  You want people to see that you are thriving and have great things going on.  Also the web is primarily a source of information.  Your business changes month to month, so should your site.

2. If your company is looking to attracted customers then you need a web design that will give your website the ability to do so.  There are plenty of top 10 worst site blogs and even top 10 best site blogs. The one thing that all good web designs have in common, they do not make the user feel ashamed to look at the site.  A successful web design makes the user not really even think about the design, there just attracted to the site. Everyone can immediately hate a site, a good site should really be thought about.

3. Web page analytics is probably the number one aspect of telling if your website is successful.  I cant tell you how many times I have walked into a clients office and asked, what is your daily site visit, and they have no idea.  Well how do you know if all the money you are paying is doing any good?!  The next thing is locating the pages in the search engines.  A company should design a page that had good SEO from the start so that your site will be ranked by google and get to the top of the searches for keywords specific to your site.  Also one thing that destroys the integrity of a website and company’s web presence, not having an up to date site.  Again, so many sites I see today have not been updated for months! Distinct Design charges $50/month for unlimited hosting which includes updates each month.  Any company should have this type of offer for their website.

Three key things to make a successful website, does your site have it?

1. Successful websites have an appealing look and feel but also a functional navigation. Google has a nice clean look and feel that is appealing but it is very functional! The first thing that turns someone off your site is not being able to get where they want to quickly. This is a requirement for a successful website. Site also should have an easy design though. Think of websites you hate or just think, man these guys are unprofessional. The site has funky colors, its hard to read and it was put together by someone trying to do to much “design” and not enough “thought”. Rule number one, Always think about your sites design look but also the feel!

2. This probably should be number 1 but I am going in order that I start a new website. Search Engine Optimization! So you just made a design that could lead to a successful website, but who is finding the site? A successful website will need some close optimization of the website no one will find it. SEO is probably the leading aspect for a successful site, If the website is found it has a better chance of being successful. Although obviously if a website is not found by users it will not be successful. Rule number two, a lot of thought and research should be done for SEO.

3. Analytics is a key part to successful website design because if you cant see how your site is doing then you wont know if its successful! Site Analytics is a great way to set goals for your business and the website. You can see how well some of your marketing strategies are doing but also you can see if your SEO is working! Google Analytics is a free program that should not be taken lightly. Many People believe free software is less powerful. Google Analytics lacks no where when it comes to site tracking. Rule number three, you will want to be able to tell if you have a successful website through analytics.

rule 1 : Always think about your sites design look but also the feel!
rule 2 : A lot of thought and research should be done for SEO!
rule 3 : You will want to be able to tell if you have a successful website through analytics.