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There is also a possibility that
service will require you to keep some branding on site telling people that you used their tool. This is more common with free site builders – which pay for themselves by putting ads on your site. If your goal is to build a business web site, it’s really not worth sacrificing your professional image by getting something free, which screams CHEAP.
The biggest downfall to using a site builder and doing it yourself is that it really isn’t quite as easy as they say it is, to do it right. A tool can make things happen – but if you don’t know what to make happen, it is either a useless tool or a dangerous one. There is a learning curve to knowing how to present information online, as well as for using site builder. In other word, fuller featured tool; more there is to learn. If you aren’t familiar with color theory, use of typography, information architecture, layout and design, you can potentially make something that will hurt your business more than help it. So, unless you are already computer and web savvy, figuring out all features within your web hosting and site builder package can be time consuming and frustrating.
Fortunately, there are ways that a small business can take advantage of these new options and still create a functional and professional web site. One way is simply to take time to research available tools, and find one that has most features and flexibility, meeting your functional requirements. The internet is a massive library of “how to” information, where you can literally teach yourself anything – and with enough time spent, you could potentially learn how to layout information, what colors and fonts work well together, how to conduct your marketing online and optimize site for search engines. Another approach would be to hire a professional designer simply to get you “off ground” by handling administrative set up of your new site package, creating look of site and developing initial structure. That person could also teach you how to manage content and make changes yourself going forward. This middle ground approach ensures that your site benefits your business and puts a good image forward, while taking advantage of “pay as you go” budgeting and easy content management features of a site builder.
The first step for a small business owner thinking about having a web site needs to be an honest assessment of how much time, money, talent, patience and computer savvy he or she has, with a clear understanding of available options. Once this is determined, any small business which needs to be online can be.
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© Eileen Parzek, SOHO It Goes! 2003
Eileen 'Turtle' Parzek is a veteran web designer and an online marketing & communications consultant who has been working from home and virtually since 1995. Her first business, Turtle's Web, was responsible for approximately 250 web projects. Her current business, SOHO It Goes! (www.soho-it-goes.com) functions as an online marketing department for small businesses and organizations.
