One of your best marketing tools (if not THE best) is your website. There are several factors you need to take into consideration when developing your site. For most small businesses, being the flashiest is not one of those factors.

Save your money on websites that cost thousands that get you zero traffic or sales – invest in good SEO instead.

I’ve seen small to medium size companies spend $5-$10,000 on a flashy website that makes you go Oooo Ahhh, but gets a measly 100 hits a month. Just doesn’t make sense to me.

I also don’t recommend sticking up a static 5 page brochure site that never gets updated. If you treat your website like more than an electronic brochure, there are some really exciting things you can do to profit from the global market, even in a local business!

Here are the 4 steps to get your site up and running quickly and very cost effectively.

Hosting

There are many choices when it comes to hosting. For me it comes down to who is reliable, easy to use and has a good customer service track record. Here’s my choice for hosting and a tutorial on how to get set up. learn more

Content Management System (CMS)

Using a Content Management System for your site makes it so anyone can update the content on your website. No need to pay someone just to make simple changes. Find out why I chose WordPress as my CMS of choice. learn more

Design

Choosing a design can be as simple as drag-and-drop. With the right tools customizing your design is a piece of cake too. Find out how easy getting your own customized website can be. learn more

Analytics

Now that your website is all setup, don’t forget the analytics. Without it you’re flying blind. Know everything about your website visitors with free website analytics software. learn more