Small Business Websites (part 3) – Do it yourself web design
by James Agate
The following is a guide of how to get a really killer website for your small business, here I will talk about the Do-it-Yourself options available. Now for those of you that struggle with technology then the DIY option probably isn’t a good one for you. (Please see tomorrow’s post for a guide on getting someone in to design your website!)
DIY Website Design
Doing it yourself when it comes to a website can be a really good option if you are reasonably tech savvy, your business doesn’t require a complex web development and if you want to retain complete control of your web presence (i.e. update when you want to, change stuff you don’t like immediately etc).
Anybody that has a fair grasp on computers and the internet will be able to work with one of the many WYSIWYG website creation services that exist on the internet (WYSIWYG stands for what you see is what you get).
My personal recommendation is SiteMaker made by the wonderful people at Moonfruit – Create your own website
I have used SiteMaker in the past and I have found it to be an excellent product, really reasonable pricing structure and the community of users are excellent so you can often find answers to any questions fairly quickly. My only criticism is that you can only really create brochure websites although content and e-commerce sites are available they are quite clunky.
All websites are search engine friendly and offer easy ways to track and analyse your visitor numbers using Google Analytics.
Things to think about when you design it yourself
There are lots of options available like animations, word effects and gadgets etc – use these sparingly, they only serve to hinder your potential customers from reading the important bits about your business.
Set aside some time to do the site properly – don’t just select the first template and colour scheme you find. With SiteMaker you can create something completely unique if you invest a bit of effort.
Stick to your plan – read the WeLoveBusiness.co.uk guide to planning a website
