Online site builders are certainly appealing for a number of reasons. They are incredibly cheap and advertise themselves as being easy to use. They say you can build a website yourself, with no web knowledge, in a matter of minutes.
In our experience, most businesses looking for a website are looking for a few important things. They want their website to look good, they want users to find them along with all the information that they need, and most importantly they want their business to be found by search engines. Simply said, the purpose of the website is to bring in more business, new business. For these reasons, I would not recommend using a cheap online site builder for your business. Online site builders are just a selling point for hosting companies and they don’t have the capabilities that a professionally built site can offer. Think of this; when was the last time that somebody had something great and offered it for free?
Moreover, online site builders are cheap, but you will pay for any extras that you desire and you will also be locked into a hosting contract with the same company. For businesses like GoDaddy, hosting is where the money is. They want you to build your site with them because then you will host your website with them. This means you’ll be paying monthly expenses to them along with the cost of your design. Want to move your website to host with someone else? Chances are you can’t take your design with you!
There is no way for online site builders to utilize proper SEO techniques. If your site is essentially being built by a robot, that robot isn’t going to take the time to research keywords, tag all headers properly, add alt tags to your images, and write with search engines in mind. They won’t build a site map or install analytics to understand how your site is being found. Anyone with a small amount of web design experience knows that these actions are essential to being indexed, and after all, if your site isn’t found by anyone then it isn’t really worth anything is it? With a site builder, you also won’t have anyone to consult with regarding your content- you will need to come up with everything yourself.
Want to add a cool Facebook “like” button, interesting slider, or maybe a plugin that translates your content to another language? You usually won’t be able to utilize these third party technologies on a site built by a site-builder.
In terms of customization, you have a few options with a site builder. You will most likely get to choose a color scheme, you might have some control over layout, and the service may also help you create a logo. The design will be generic and it won’t be possible to customize it in any way you wish.
Don’t think you can afford a custom built site by a professional web designer or developer? You might need to change your mindset. First of all, if your website is intended for a business, then the main goal of the page is to attract visitors and to generate sales. If your site can’t be found or used easily, then it will not be actively working for your business like a custom-built site. It will not be branded to match your business’ branding and to create a consistent identity. It will not allow visitors to interact and engage with you via social media. As a business owner you know that in order to get a return, you must make an investment. A website is the best way for a small business to invest in itself and to begin working on a PR and marketing strategy.
There are a range of price options when it comes to having a site built. When I was just out of college, I used to build websites for people while I was still learning the principles of good web design and SEO. These experiences helped me get to where I am and I also created some nice simple websites for people with small budgets. So if you budget is not that high, look for a college student. It will be a million times better that using a free website builder template. The other option is a theme build to work with a Content Management System (CMS). There are a ton of free or for a minimal fee WordPress and other CMS’s themes that work much better, are very SEO friendly and they give you a lot more options to customize the theme.
A small or medium sized design firm can give you the website of your dreams complete with an entirely customizable design and a clear understanding of SEO. A design firm that also incorporates marketing can show you how to send e-mail blasts, create content for your site, and use the web to help make money for your business.
It is essential that you are actively involved with this type of investment. You must give your designer the tools she needs to build you the site of your dreams. You must have a clear vision of your brand or be willing to help the designer help you. If all of these factors come together, your website will work for your business and you will see results. If you choose a cheap generic site builder, then you will have a cheap generic site that isn’t working for you and your brand. And if you have a site that isn’t working for you, you are wasting your time and money!
Customer Success Manager
