For many in the webdesign world there are many options and opinions about the best approach to building a website for a small business. Here are a few of the most common concerns, questions, and misconceptions that we have come across while working with clients in Cecil County, Maryland.
1. Generic Website Builders: Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, etc.
These may seem like a good idea at the beginning, this quickly changes. Appearing affordable upfront, these web design sites are highly unpractical and extremely limited in their functionality. Unless an owner is very savvy with technology – the small business ends up with a sub par site that doesn’t rank with in search, and is not user friendly.
Would you hand write hundreds of business cards? Of course not, websites are normally your companies first impression, don’t take the DIY route.
First impressions are everything, don’t come across as dated or unorganized just to save some $$ upfront.
2. Friends & Family
Have a tech savvy niece or nephew? Oh, your buddy does websites?
While these situations can be a perfect fit (we help out friends all the time), more often than not, the website comes out kinda… meh. Important pieces are missing, the design is shabby, and the small business needs to eventually re-do their entire site from scratch. This can lead to problems with your company, problems with your relationship, or worse yet..both!
It’s much easier to invest in a website early on, and leave the personal relationships out of it.
3. Whoever the hell marketed to them
Hey, this works for some people! Even though most of our work comes from referral, we sometimes market to clients we’re interested in helping out too.
But, if you’re receiving emails or letters from companies not even in your same region, let alone country – be wary of what you’re actually buying from them. You may end up with a website, but you won’t end up having a relationship with the company who built it for you.
4. The Local Web Company
This is where we fall. We take pride in working closely with our clients by visiting their business, stopping by a job site, or taking their service for a test drive so we can better understand exactly how to communicate their value on a website. We focus not only on your new website, but on your business and how we can help you grow. We also don’t just dump the new website on you and run. We are here to help maintain the site, focus on local SEO, and more.
Curious to learn more? We’d be happy to meet with you to discuss your site!