Who needs a website?
Who needs a website?
The computer is no longer a locally fixed machine; it is capable of reaching the world through the internet, searching for abundance of information in all different topics. Everyone can benefit from the net; it has becoming more and more indispensable part of modern life.
The importance of the internet has been recognized by most businesses, as one of the most essential marketing tools available. With information on demand, 24/7, all year round the internet is the place to search for products and services. Local businesses are no longer local, but are capable of reaching the world market through internet. So what business needs a website? Simply put, all do.
Getting Started – Your first online exposure
Share your photos & blogs on the internet with your friends and relatives around the world. Start having your own site is very easy, and a good way to tap into the world of the World Wide Web, it won’t even cost you a cent. There are plenty of providers out there, some of the ones I personally find useful are:
1. Multiply.com – Excellent site design, great selection of templates, powerful drag and drop photo uploading features, easy to use blogging, and you can even upload videos to share with the world. You can easily build a personal website almost instantly.
2. Facebook.com – One of the most popular social networking website. Want to find long lost friends? This is the site to visit! Stay connected with friends and relatives, and let them know what is happening in your life.
3. Twitter.com – Simple sign up, easy to get started. Tell the world what you are up to with your ‘up to the second update’! Twitter lets you post 140 words at a time, and your friends or customers can subscribe to your twitter with mobile text messaging.
4. Youtube.com – Popular video feed site, 10 minutes video upload at a time. This is particularly useful, as it offers free video storage, and video files can be really large. Youtube also indexes your video archive, to share with like-minded people.
5. WordPress.com – WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.
Self-employed? Starting a business?
Electricians, Handyman, Gardeners, Musicians, Carpenters, Interior Designers, Piano tuners, Builders or Arborists… Self-employment or starting up your own business? if you don’t have a website yet, it is time to have one!
An informative website will help your prospect customers choose your services from your competitions. What makes your website stands out from the rest? Having an attractive and professional looking website is not enough; it is what you put in it that counts. A website is a living thing, it should not stay static, and the information on your site should be updated regularly to give an incentive for your viewers to come back for more.
If you are a Musician, you can write useful articles to share with your viewers, articles such as learning tips, music advantages or basic music lessons online. If you are a carpenter, you may wish to write about simple woodworking skills to share with hobbyists. If you are a photographer, you will need to regularly add new photos and journals to your portfolio… The more useful contents you have in your site, the more hits you will get.
How can I improve my website
Please also read When is it time to upgrade my website
Already have a website, and think it can be improved? There are many ways you can improve your website:
- Template Design – Your site design is the face you put forward the public; you never get a second chance to make the first impression! A good design should be pleasant to the eye, with legible text size and text box width to welcome your readers to wanting to read on. A picture is more than a thousand words, make use of your digital camera, it helps when you have a few nice photos to go along with your article.
- Site contents – There are the static contents that describe your product or services, and your company info, and there are the dynamic contents, that inform your viewers the latest news, photo gallery, product reviews, and related articles to share. Fine tune your static information, and inspire yourself of interesting and relevant articles to write and share with your customers.
- SEO – Work on your Search Engine Optimization to help you increase your site visitors from search engine keyword inquiries.
- CMS – Upgrade to a ‘Content Management System’ for managers to log-in and edit the site contents regularly.
- Newsletter capable – Send out regular newsletters to your valued customers.
- Online directories registration – To increase your site exposure, you can register your website into popular online directories, such as NZS.com or Yellowpages.co.nz.
- Online form – Integrate online forms to your website, so your viewers can contact you quickly.
- Spam prevention – Implement a spam protection plug-in for your website, as you want to focus on your site contents, and not your spam messages.
When can I start a website for my business?
Good time to start is now.
A content-rich website is built over time, not over night, however you don’t have to wait until you have all the information, before starting up a website. To get started, all you need is some basic information about your company. Given the convenience of the CMS, you can build your website as you go, adding more contents such as news articles & photos. So, start building today, you will be rewarded!