Would you say “I am interested in starting my own business online”? Maybe you already have an offline business of some sort but have yet to take it online. On the other hand, you might be at least thinking over the notion of starting your own business online. Either way, you want to avoid free websites and be sure to invest in your very own website.Why free websites are bad:
you often cannot put your own ads there or conduct any ecommerce
most of the time, you are required to have a subdomain in your URL (such as yourwebsite.WordPress.com instead of yourwebsite.com) – this does not make you look professional
you may have to deal with someone else putting ads on your website – where you often don’t get any share of revenue
Why investing in your own website really pays off:
this gives you a more professional appearance – your customers will see that you mean business
you have full control over what you put on your website
this is essential if you plan on conducting any ecommerce or online business
your website could act as your “24/7 salesperson” that never takes a break, never calls in sick, and never asks for a raise – questions regarding what you do, where you are located, etc., could easily be answered by your website
overall it’s like owning your own piece of online real estate where you can do just about anything you want with your online space without the restrictions of a free website service
After saying “I’m starting my own business online,” you could possibly get away with using a Facebook Fan Page or a Twitter page to make yourself known online. However, just keep in mind that if you really want to impress your customers and see success over the long haul, then you’ll want to invest in your own website.How much does it cost to set up your own website?
registering your domain – nameofyourwebsite.com – typically costs $10 – $20 per year
establishing your own hosting account – the company that “hosts” online space for your domain – typically costs $120 – $360 per year (or $10 – $30 per month depending on what features you need)
if you hire a designer, it can cost somewhere between $100 – $800
if you prefer to build it yourself, most experts recommend using the WordPress platform because you don’t need to know any special coding or computer languages – most hosting companies can help you with setting your website with WordPress
Whether you decide to hire a designer or do it yourself, the key point is to get your business online. A business without a website is just as bad as a business without a phone.