|
Free_Isnt_Always_Good_ _Why_You_Need_Your_Own_Website
| Free Isnt Always Good - Why You Need Your Own Website
Often time I've browsed sites and seen the same thing - general
rep websites or free hosted sites. Pop ups irritate me from the
free sites as does the blatant ads getting in the way of the
text, and if you have seen one rep site you literally have seen
them all. Boring, unoriginal, and unprofessional.
But after all they are free, and free is good right? Wrong - not
when it comes to your image online.
Regardless of the business you are in, it's important you have
your own website. Meaning you have a unique domain name with
purchased hosting. There are many benefits to owning your own
website and I'll explain why:
1. Ability to Track Visitors If you don't know where your
visitors are coming from, there is no way to know if your
advertising is working or not. It's a shot in the dark, and the
internet is too large to take a chance like that.
While some free hosting companies offer the ability to edit your
pages and add trackers, general rep sites usually do not.
2. Eliminates unwanted information/ads Most free hosting company
will place their own ads on your website. How many potential
customers could you be loosing with this? The same applies for
company information on rep websites. Should your potential
customer contact the company directly instead of you, you've
lost that commission/sale.
3. Ability to give your site a personal feel Company rep sites
of course all look alike. Very few give the option of editing,
so you are "stuck" with their design, their content and
descriptions, and their information. Many free hosting companies
only have templates to use, so your sites would look like many
others online. Giving your website a personal feel with your own
design, descriptions, and information sets you apart from your
competition.
4. Creates a Professional Look Not only is your website easy to
remember when you have a unique domain name, but your visitors
will take you seriously. They know you are serious about your
online business, and are quicker to trust
and buy. You've shown
them you care about your business and your customers as well by
creating a friendly site.
5. Ability to Edit Pages for SEO purposes Many free hosting
sites are frowned on by major search engines, and rep sites of
course are definitely frowned on. Most company rep sites cannot
be edited, which means you cannot add link exchange pages to
increase your rankings, nor can you edit the titles for SEO
purposes. Many potential customers are being lost from search
engines with these types of sites.
There are of course other reasons why you need your own website
- such as for many directories that do not accept links from
anything but top-level domains (like www.yourdomain.com). Domain
names are very reasonable, costing around $8 per year while
hosting costs as low as $6/month. Domain and hosting companies
are everywhere, it just depends on what your needs are. For
small websites I recommend Mommy's Helper (
http://www.mommyshelper.com/web-hosting.html )
This is cost you can't afford to cut out of your business
budget.
About the author:
About the author: Kara Kelso is a work at home mom of two, and
the co-owner of MHMM Ezine, which is an informational newsletter
just for moms in business. Recieve business tips, parenting
tips, and more when you subscribe at:
http://www.momsezine.com/mhmm.html
|
|
| |
| |
