Even today, there are many companies that feel like they don’t need a website. Some use the expression “I’m just not getting any business on the Internet” and others say that the website they designed 12 years ago does not attract enough customers to justify updating and renovating the current site. Some feel that the Internet just doesn’t have the right feel, the “fancy” look, or that the Web doesn’t attract customers who have money to spend on high-end products. Others say that theirs is a “word of mouth” business and that the web will not make a difference. Finally, many still feel that people simply do not use the Internet to search for their particular type of business. Despite all these excuses, it is difficult to find one that is relevant and valid in today’s business climate.

So what do you do, as a small business owner? Why take the plunge or update the site you’ve had since the early 21st century? Well, times have not changed much, only the relevance of the network to our daily lives has. In the mid-1900s, many people bought items through “mail order.” And what is an online retailer if not an update on that old concept? In the same way, “word of mouth” has been replaced by reviews from Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Amazon. It’s the same idea, just a different way of doing it. Even people who love and own horses generally don’t use them to shop. Why would you trust word of mouth when the person in second place was texting their comments while tasting your food, and it reached far more people than the person in first place could reach in 5 years of tell people about your food? On top of that, why write your specials alone on a dry-erase board, when you can post them on Facebook, your website, or tweet about them and have a hundred people instantly see that your “special of the day” is the one they have. waiting status? for. The Internet is a powerful tool that needs to be used in today’s business climate.

Why should it have a presence on the Internet? Simple —– provide information to prospects and clients. Information —- prices —– references —- all this is available on the Internet. Some companies care more about one area than another, but all companies must provide some information, from the phone number, the products and services provided, or simply their name and field of expertise. If you don’t have any website, at least try something. There are several free website providers, such as Weebly, Pennysaver USA, and Wix, that offer an easy way to set up a website. Pro, they are free and usually have a fairly simple way to design a website using their templates. As against, they look like templates, so your website can look exactly like the same company from a block away: your domain uses your name so it doesn’t qualify in searches and has your name as part of your domain name; And finally, if you don’t have a lot of design skills or are at least somewhat technically proficient in computers, it can all turn into a frustrating nightmare. Also, many features are not free, so you end up spending almost as much money to upgrade with the “free” companies as if you had paid someone else in the first place. The next step is to find a designer who is local, perhaps a talented student or a person who works at your home who can design it for you. They tend to use the best templates like WordPress and they can create a nice and functional website for you. They may still have a template look, but most likely you don’t have anyone in the same area using the same template. A designer of this level will also recommend that you use one of the standard domain providers, such as GoDaddy or DirectNic, so that it has a domain name mybusiness.com instead of mybusiness.domainprovider.com, so that people can see it with accuracy and will show up better in major search engines. Many times, it is well worth the investment to allow someone to take care of these things. After all, do you know your business well and is not delegating authority and projects one of your responsibilities?

The next step on the ladder is tricky. Many companies feel that they can justify hiring a full or part-time designer. For a midsize business, however, that is not necessarily economically viable. You can find many web design firms that will take care of your projects. You usually have a choice of plans, whether it’s a per project plan, hourly plans, or maintenance plans. The key to knowing which one is best for you depends on your needs. For a business that only needs one site design at one time, per project may be best. For businesses such as restaurants that want to change menu items or sales (any business that needs a “shopping cart,” for example), the best options may be a Content Management System that allows you, the business owner, change the website at any time. necessity, especially on a day-to-day basis, without going through the site designer. For a larger business that may need to regularly update their websites with information or products, for example every two weeks, many web companies offer various types of monthly, quarterly and yearly maintenance plans. These allow you to request changes and know that the web company will make the updates at a specific time according to your contract agreement. The biggest advantage of a design company is this: you will usually have different people working on your project, such as a designer, programmer, graphic designer, and content writer. This allows you to work on multiple areas of your job at the same time, making it easy for the project to arrive on time. The downside is that they may have multiple projects they are working on at the same time, so they may not always be ready for questions on the spot about their individual project.

If you’re stepping up the next ladder and you’re a larger company, you can hire a full-time designer / programmer. Pro — they are there just to work on your projects. Con: They can excel in one area such as graphics, but be weaker in another, such as programming. The other downside is that if there is a slowdown in business or lack of work, they are still on the payroll. On the contrary, if you hire, for example, a combination of IT and Web Designer, they may have to sacrifice one (usually web design) if there is a major issue with the IT side.

These days, being “fancy” or “high-end” doesn’t exclude people from the internet; On the other hand, just look at the websites of Coco Chanel and Rolls Royce Automotive, major charities like City of Hope and Thalians. even social organizations of all ranks. No business, regardless of size or classification, can afford not to have an internet presence these days. Whether you want to know the dates of the Santa Barbara Contest of Elegance or the latest items available at Prada in Beverly Hills, most people first search the Internet for information. With the growing number of smartphones, tablets and iPads that people have, the question is not, “Can I afford to be on the Internet” but rather, “How can I not afford to be on the Internet?”