Homemade is for Cupcakes, Not Websites: How an Experienced Web Designer Can Save Your Business
You took an HTML class at the local community college in 1998. You taught yourself how to use Front Page a couple of years later. Who needs to spend money on top web designers when you can do it yourself, right? After awhile, though, you realized you couldn’t keep up with your business and your website at the same time, so you outsourced the site to your niece for a few years. Then she decided to go to open her own cupcake shop.
Now you’re stuck grappling with the following statistics:
- Americans spent more than $500 billion on the Internet in 2014.
- Well over half of Americans purchased something online in 2014, and that number is expected to keep rising.
The vast majority of American consumers are searching for information about your products and services online today. Gone are the days when a homemade website had a chance at generating a positive marketing experience, let alone sales. To stay competitive, you need an experienced web designer on your side.
Out-of-the-Box Website Templates = Cheap and Cheesy
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s a lot of small businesses used homemade or template websites instead of hiring top web designers. While the budget considerations are understandable at the outset, this line of reasoning is becoming increasingly impossible to support. The problem many small businesses quickly noticed with the homemade website is that it is nearly impossible to create a unique brand experience for site visitors. If one of the major goals of marketing, online or off, is to make your brand stand out from the crowd—to make it the first in customers minds when they are looking for your product or service—the homemade template website simply doesn’t give you the freedom to do this. Also, from the customer’s point of view, a template website looks unprofessional and cheap, which can reflect negatively on your brand. Online shoppers have become very savvy over the years and they expect that if you are going to do business online, that your website should look and operate smoothly, making them want to do business with you again and again. Hiring an experienced web designer may seem like a difficult expense at first, but when you consider that your website is your storefront in cyberspace—the venue that an increasing majority of customers will encounter first when they are searching for your products and services—it makes just as much sense to have top web designers in your corner as it does to invest in your brick and mortar shop. It’s an investment in your business’ future, not an extraneous expense.
An Experienced Web Designer Can Drive Traffic to Your Virtual Door
Another reason small business owners cannot afford to pass on the services of top web designers is search engine friendliness. The sheer volume of competition online dictates that you need an experienced web designer who knows how to help your website rise to the top of a Google search when a prospective customer goes online to search for your product or service. This is called search engine optimization, or “SEO” for short. Top web designers will have certified SEO consultants on staff who have specialized training in this ever-changing art and science. This is an absolutely critical element of website design today. SEO experts know how to design and write for websites so that Google and other search engines will pick them up and place them high on the search list so that they are visible when a customer searches for a product. Even if you have the most fabulous website, your competitor’s website will still get more visitors if they beat you to the top of a Google search.
Build a Relationship with an Experienced Web Designer = Build Your Future
The fact that the world of internet marketing is in a never-ending state of flux, it is impossible for small businesses to do what they do best AND keep up with all of the changes in web design and SEO. And the fact that change is the norm on the web means that small businesses need the help of an experienced web designer for the long haul, not just for the time it takes to get a site designed and online. From maintaining a fresh look and feel to rolling with the SEO punches as they come and dealing with any business changes that arise, the top web designers at Affordable Web Design have made it their business to help their clients can thrive in their businesses, now and into the future.Contact us today and we can discuss how we can help you grow your business online!