Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Do I Need a Business Website?

In this day and age, I cannot image any business that does not need a website. People like to have the option to learn more about your company, whether the products you have or how your company got it's start, from the comfort of their own homes. We live in an instant gratification society. If you can't give them what they want now, the will move on to a company that can. This is the same with information.
I guess the question shouldn't be "Do I need a website", it should be "where can I get an affordable website".
Now, if you can make your own site, the only problem you have to worry about is hosting. This is your most affordable option. Hosting is very affordable and painless. From 9.99 a month and up, you can reserve a domain name and hosting. A great domain and hosting company is kittypickles.
If you have some basic HTML, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc skills, you can simply purchase a template for your business. They come loaded with graphics, menus, and some even come with flash animations. All you have to do to them is customize it with your information. A good template site is templatemonster.
If you are not familiar with site design software and code, then you'll either need to research design firms or find a free-lance designer to create your site. If you choose to use a firm, be sure to compare. Make sure to take a look at their portfolios, check them out on the better business bureau, email past clients. Also, keep in mind that price doesn't always equal quality. Some new firms offer great rates while they expand their portfolio.
If you'd like to contact a free-lancer, place some ads in Craigslist. You'll find many great designers and coders here, all of which are pretty affordable.

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