As most well known companies take on the best that technology can offer, over 50% of today’s small businesses still have not accepted that they truly need a website.

Once you have decided that you need a website, then you’ve taken that next step. It is imperative you have the right web presence for your company. In reading this article, you recognize that to stay ahead of the game or stay afloat in today’s economy, sometimes you have to pull out the big guns and have a website to even exist.

You know you want a website, so where or what do you do now?

Option 1. Build It Yourself:

Yes you could go this route. There are ads everywhere for “build it yourself” web sites, some for low cost, some maybe even free. Why pay big bucks to buy one from a web developer / designer who builds sites day in and day out, when you have all you need right in front of you?

I mean hey, I’m no surgeon but give me a step-by-step video and I’ll give it a try.

Option 2. Have Your Friend, Family Member, or Kid Down the Street Build Your Site:

This could get messy. Unless they were a true web designer / developer who actually knew how to capture what you wanted for your company presence, you might be forced to accept a web site that you can’t stand or doesn’t portray your company at all, just because they were family or a friend.

Option 3. Hire a Professional Web Design Company:

This is often the best option and could save you time, stress and usually money as well. You can hire a professional web designer / developer, one that fits within your budget, properly portrays the essence of your company, can create a visitor friendly, search engine friendly, and fully optimized website that works for your business.

Professional web designers / developers know how to bring the traffic to your site.

Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a professional web design and SEO company can factor where your website will show up in the listings. You want to be able to capture the potential visitor’s eye in the first 5 seconds, to be able to have a chance of being found in the search engine results pages – and you have to be found in the first page of search engine results for your desired keywords. It is very difficult to accomplish these goals, if you aren’t familiar with the major search engine’s ranking criteria.

A lot goes on behind the scenes so to speak, in maintaining a website.

You can find a professional web designer that will fit into your budget. It’s hard to put a price on a site without having the knowledge of what your company is looking for. Upon meeting with the designer, you can both decide what best fits the needs of your company and still create and maintain the professional presence you desire.

In the end, you have to ask yourself… Is it really worth the extra time, stress, hassle, or expense that it may take you to build your own website?

We’ve worked with dozens of companies who have attempted building their own websites. And, nine times out of ten, they eventually came to terms with the fact that their efforts failed and that their website simply wasn’t designed professionally and/or built properly to drive enough quality traffic to help their business succeed.

So, if you’re ready to hire a professional web design company, give us a call. We’ll discuss your online business goals and prepare a custom proposal for you within 24 hours!

(502) 400-4036

Article written by Sherry Douglas. Sherry is a sales executive with WebOrigination.com. Call Sherry today to discuss your web development needs!

Should I Design My Own Website?

With the onset of new and improved online website design / development tools, many companies are asking themselves this very question. While there have definitely been huge improvements in design online website tools, that does not necessarily mean that building your own website is the best idea for your company.

On the surface, the idea of saving some money by building your own website can be very appealing. But, before making this decision, you should also consider all the areas of expertise that are required for building a professional, profitable website.

Not only do you need the tools to actually build an attractive web presence, but most web development projects also require vast experience in… Graphic design; Content development / management; Search engine optimization; and several different programming languages, including HTML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and database applications / development.

You are a specialist in your field of business. That doesn’t necessarily translate to you being a specialist in web development. As mentioned above, it takes multiple areas of expertise to create a successful, profitable website.

Being a specialist in your field, you know that you can do your job better than someone not in your profession. The same is true with web development. While the tools available today can certainly help you to create a basic website, you should carefully consider your website goals before deciding to build your own company website.

If you are only looking to have a simple, 1-3 page “brochure” website – then building your own website may indeed be for you. However, if your goals are to have a professional website that ranks highly in the search engines and actually helps your business make money, then I highly advise you to consider hiring a professional web design company for the creation of your website.

Article written by Brian Douglas – owner of WebOrigination.com – a Louisville web development company, specializing in creating professional websites that look great and achieve top rankings in the search engines.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Link Building

Looking to do your own link building? If so, below is a listing of confirmed free (some require link exchange) and/or low-cost directory sites to get you started.

Free Web Directory – Add Your Link
The Little Web Directory

Good Directory

We will be adding additional directories to this list, as we confirm them.