Should Small Businesses Do it Themselves? (Websites & SEO)
Above: Small business owners have enough to do without doing everything themselves.
So this week I noticed a prominent social media expert launching a do-it-yourself tutorial program on how to start and manage a blog/website.
Should small business do website construction or search engine optimization on their own?
No, bad idea.
There are already some good programs out there that teach how to do it yourself but I have to wonder why this social media expert is going out of her normal area of expertise to teach people something that really should be left to those who have the time to waste fool around.
If you are a small business owner it is not a good idea for you to try and do-it-yourself when it comes to web stuff.
Why? Because there is too much specialty expertise needed to do it right.
This program is not the only type taking advantage of the opportunity to serve those in need.
Intuit and other folks are trying to capitalize on the lack of knowledge most people suffer from when it comes to constructing websites and optimizing them.
Now who could blame businesses from expanding their brands or offering solutions to problems suffered by the masses?
Not me–but I d have to say the problem is that the temporary fix often ends up costing a small business in the long run.
It costs you traffic, it costs your money, and you lose time in getting where you need to go.
Sure, it is tempting. I’ve been right there with you and even used a popular web hosting service that also offered templates.
Templates that were a nightmare.
They restricted what I could do.
They failed to allow me to make optimization changes (or even to optimize) plus I was vulnerable in a lot of other ways.
With as much as every business owner has to do in a day, the last thing you need is to fiddle with a website and getting it up and running.
And don’t even think about having your staff do it.
They don’t have the knowledge either.
Plus, I believe your staff is better used in customer service efforts and actual tasks that reap benefits if you have a brick-and-mortar establishment.
Shortcuts that cost you time and delay success are not worth it.
So, how can you find good help? How do you sort through the mess?
I am working on the Small Business Guide to Websites & SEO which will help you but you can start by doing a search and looking–without contracting anyone–yet.
Do a local search, “web design your town” and take a look at the web designers in your local region.
Look at their portfolio but also call those businesses and ask how their websites are working for them.
- Are they happy with the response time from their web designer?
- Do they get people calling from their website?
- Is it easy to manage?
Then take a look and see where those sites come up in the search engines.
Try searching, “business type + your town” and see where they rank.
You can also sneak a peak at the code by clicking the “View” in your browser and then by clicking “page source.”
You’ll see who designed the site usually and also some of the keywords.
Check to see if the site ranks for those keywords. Search “keyword” and see.
Top ranking gets over 40% of all traffic so it does matter.
These are a few simple ideas to help you see if your local designer might be able to help you.
Research for a week or so and then call for quotes. Call those people whose site design you like.
Keep a list of your favorite sites by URL.
Notice the colors you like, if there are trends in the layout, or if the work is by one designer.
Most sites will have a link to the designer at the bottom of the page.
Don’t be confused that you have to use a local person either–they are not always the best and on the Internet there are no geographic boundaries.
There are other sources for you to find a designer and I’ll talk about those next.
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