Maybe you’ve perfected the art of handcrafted furniture and want to showcase your unique pieces to the world. Perhaps you’re a musician with a growing online following or a passionate photographer with a stunning portfolio. In today’s digital age, a robust online presence is no longer a luxury – it’s the cornerstone for establishing yourself as a credible brand and connecting with a dedicated target audience.
Here’s the reality: most people, when searching for products, services, or even local businesses, turn to search engines like Google. Think about it: how do you find your favorite restaurants, clothing boutiques, or that hidden gem coffee shop tucked away on a charming side street? You use your phone and start typing for what you want. It’s no mistake that especially on smart phones, search terms with the words “near me” added at the end have grown significantly in a very short time.
If your business (or even your personal brand) doesn’t have its own website – a web page with a good domain name that reflects your business or your brand – it’s like having a storefront with the lights off and the “closed” sign hanging upside down – potential customers simply won’t find you buried deep within endless search results.
The good news is that having a website doesn’t require you to go back to school or do a bunch of studying. There are many resources available to bridge the gap between your vision and a new website you can be proud of. You can hire it done for less than you think, and you can even avoid using a computer to create a website at all. If you don’t like to type or sit at a computer, you can simply call us and describe your website needs over the phone.
This article will talk more about that later, but for now know that you can avoid feeling overwhelmed just by knowing a little more about website details and some terms. Consider these choices before developing or having your website developed:
Website Focus: Why an Auto Body Business Needs a Website
You might wonder why a business like an auto body repair shop needs a website. After all, if the business just places themselves in Google My Business so they get found on Google maps, and has a Facebook page with an email address and a phone number, isn’t that enough?
This setup will get the business customers, especially those that have been in a car accident and need their car fixed right away, but can they do better? What about the customer that has a classic car they’ve been considering restoring for a few years? In other words, high value jobs that are not urgent. How can an auto body business engage with that customer and get their business?
- Gather contact information from those without urgent auto body needs by offering valuable auto body tips
- Once the email address is captured, send educational content to increase the urgency for the person to act, like the dangers of allowing an old car to sit for long periods of time or testimonials of other owners that had their classic cars restored.
- Offer discounts to this audience when the business needs customers, like during a slow time or holiday.
Because the auto body shop has its own website and a way to gather prospects with longer-term, non-urgent work and not just customers needing urgent auto body work, they can acquire more business, smooth out slow business periods, and increase revenues.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Platforms: These platforms are a great starting point, especially for small businesses or individuals with a limited budget. Many offer a free domain name to get you started, along with pre-designed website templates and drag-and-drop functionality. This makes website creation an easy way for non-technical users to build captivating web pages themselves. You can easily create a personal website to showcase your portfolio or talents, or even a basic online store with shopping cart functionality. However, you have to spend time at a computer – often many hours – and customization options might be limited. Web functions like appointment booking or advanced marketing integrations might require additional fees, and all will have additional learning requirements. One of the biggest advantages of DIY platforms is that they often come with a built-in content management system (CMS). This user-friendly interface allows you to easily update your website content, add new web pages, and manage your online presence without needing any coding knowledge. Again though, even using the best website builder, if you choose this path, you will often be required to spend too much time learning and maintaining your work. If you’re in a business that is not that internet related, like an auto mechanic or restaurant owner, this will mean time away from your core business. Consider what your time is worth before making this decision. The possibility exists that you could spend hours or days trying to build a website yourself and never end up with the online presence you want or need.
Web Hosting: It’s important to understand that a website builder is essentially a tool to create your website, but it doesn’t provide the physical space where your website lives on the internet. This space is provided by a web hosting service. Think of it like renting a space for your storefront on a virtual Main Street. Web hosting services offer various plans with different storage capacities and bandwidth allowances, depending on the complexity and expected traffic of your website. Incidentally, our service allows you to not be concerned with these details as we provide full registration and hosting services for you.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Even the most visually stunning website won’t do much good if it’s buried on page ten of search results. DIY platforms might offer basic SEO tools, but for optimal ranking, consider exploring professional SEO services. These services can help your website be seen by paying customers, ensuring potential prospects for your business easily find you when they’re searching for products or services like those you offer. You’ll want to incorporate relevant keywords into your website content, including page titles, meta descriptions, blog posts and all content you post online. Regularly creating high-quality, informative content relevant to your target audience is a fantastic way to improve your website’s SEO ranking and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Ocilon can take care of all this for you as well, making our services pay for themselves! Remember, just a few additional customers can more than pay for website development and SEO services.
complete creative control over the design, functionality, and user experience of your website. It allows you to expand on what is possible trying to do it yourself, unless you are an expert. This option is ideal if you have a specific vision in mind, require complex features like a robust online store with secure payment gateways, or want a website that seamlessly integrates with your existing marketing efforts (such as email marketing campaigns or social media integration from your company email address). While professional web development offers the most customization and advanced features, many people think it also comes with a higher price tag. To determine this, again think of what your time is worth trying to learn to do this yourself. Also consider if – when you finish doing it yourself – your efforts will actually result in more sales?
complete creative control over the design, functionality, and user experience of your website. It allows you to expand on what is possible trying to do it yourself, unless you are an expert. This option is ideal if you have a specific vision in mind, require complex features like a robust online store with secure payment gateways, or want a website that seamlessly integrates with your existing marketing efforts (such as email marketing campaigns or social media integration from your company email address). While professional web development offers the most customization and advanced features, many people think it also comes with a higher price tag. To determine this, again think of what your time is worth trying to learn to do this yourself. Also consider if – when you finish doing it yourself – your efforts will actually result in more sales?
Get Your Website Built Now!
- 5 page website built
- Hosting for a year
- Marketing for a year*
$478.80 - Click Here
*Excludes paid search costs. Month-to-month price available.No matter your budget or technical expertise, hiring a professional can provide you a solid solution to building your online presence. Make sure when you are budgeting creating a website that you include the additional *sales* a professional will be able to provide your business. Also consider that these additional sales will continue long after the professional is finished making and publishing your website. Your ongoing costs will be the same either way whether you hire someone or build it yourself: you will still have marketing costs and you will still need to devote time to creating your online content. However, a professional web developer can show you how to lower your marketing costs while simultaneously increasing incoming prospects and customers. A professional can also advise you on what content you need to publish to improve your online visibility in search results and on search engines. Again, unless you are an expert and have done these tasks before, it is unlikely you will be able to do them in an optimal fashion. Do-it-yourself (DIY) has major costs and drawbacks!
Here are some additional questions to consider:
Do you need a simple personal website to showcase your portfolio or talents, or a full-fledged online store with shopping cart functionality and secure payment processing? An online store can be a difficult and complex website element to build on your own.
Is mobile responsiveness crucial for your target audience? In other words, do you expect customers to find you using their phones or mobile devices? In today’s mobile-driven world, ensuring your website looks good and functions flawlessly on all devices (desktops, tablets, smartphones) is essential.
Get Your Website Built Now!
- 5 page website built
- Hosting for a year
- Marketing for a year*
$478.80 - Click Here
*Excludes paid search costs. Month-to-month price available.
signup forms on your website is powerful! Using a Facebook or LinkedIn company page without a landing page to connect with potential customers does not allow you to collect names for ongoing communication! You can also use different ways to communicate with prospects like live chat. You cannot do that using social media as your home page. Relying on a published email address or phone number on a social media site you don’t own is risky. There are many prospects in your industry that are interested in your product(s) or service(s) but are not ready to buy now. Having a way to keep them informed about new products, services, or your blog content will keep you in their minds. And in today’s world, with so much advertising and other content to interrupt your audience’s attention, it is important to remind them of who you are and what you offer.By taking the time to answer these questions and exploring available resources, you can make an informed decision about the best way to create, maintain and leverage your online presence. Whether you choose a free website builder to try to do it yourself, or partner with a professional web developer or service provider for a more effective website effort, a well-designed and user-friendly website is the best way to use the internet to build a prospect and customer base. It is an investment in your future success. So, take the first step towards achieving your online goals. You can contact us at Ocilon and we will walk you through the advantages and disadvantages of all options for free. You can call us and talk to us for no charge.
The digital marketplace awaits your unique voice and talents! Embrace the ever-evolving landscape, create an amazing online presence, and get more traffic and sales!
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