Sagara Development LLC

This week: the fourth in an eight-part series.  Read the other parts here.

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Some people create their own websites and do a good job of it. They have experience in graphic design, web design, business and marketing. Many try to save money and end up with unprofessional websites that do not represent them or their business very well.  I can't tell you how many times I see a what's supposed to be a professional website and it gives me the impression that they're not really serious about their business or their career.

One thing is for sure, creating a website and keeping it up to date can be rather time-consuming if you're not used to doing it. So unless you want to become a web designer, your time is probably better spent focusing on what you do best. You know, it's the reason you went into business (or got into your line of work) in the first place.

Remember, your website is the core of your online marketing efforts. It absolutely must look professional, it must be easy to navigate and view, it must be visually stunning and showcase you and your business beautifully. Your website is about you and your business. People should not really notice the website, they should look at it and say "What a great company" not "What a cool website."  Of course, the website CAN be very cool, that just shouldn't be what they notice most.

And even if you know how to create graphics for online use, for example, and if you feel you have good computer skills, it still may not be the wisest and best use of your time to do so yourself.  For sure, some of the clients we work with have very nice digital files and lots of information already written, and that saves them hundreds, or even $1000 because we don't have to go in and do a lot of editing. They're ready to go!

Some of what we do with clients is to help them decide if they can do it themselves, or if they should get help, and how much help. Most often, it's joint effort. You CAN save money by helping with the tasks of creating a website - like by having your images and information ready to go.

And always, at least this is what we do, we offer to teach our clients how to get into their own website and update it. That helps them save money down the road. When we do a website, it always includes an hour of tutoring time so you can at least start to learn how to update your site. Then you can get more tutoring on an as-needed basis, if you want it. Or, many clients just have us update their site and it's done at a very low cost because, again, it's a template, it has a content management system that's pretty easy to use, which means updates go fast and save money.

But if you do want to do it yourself, you will need to be an informed and educated consumer. Not all websites and systems are created equal. Some fare better in search engines than others, some are designed with an eye towards growth, some are not.

If you decide to do it yourself, make sure you're not running into a big "opportunity cost" in the process. That means the cost of the missed opportunities because you were doing something else - the website for example. Let's say to research, choose and create a template system takes you 40 hours.  How much work could you have completed in that time? How much other marketing could you have done? Think about that when deciding, and - as always - feel free to contact us if you need some help navigating these waters.

My best to you and yours,