Affordable Websites for Small Business

After more than 20 years online, I've built lots of websites in various fields. I've learned from mistakes and even turned doubts into profits. I picked up some unique tricks along the way that helped me earn on the side.

Back in the 1990s, I worked for a website marketing company in New Zealand. We managed online directories for everything from jobs to car sales, real estate, and plumbers. We worked tirelessly to build more online listings as we could see the momentum of the internet wasn't slowing down. All the while businesses were still mostly offline, and while email was starting to catch on, few had their own websites. Everyone still relied on the “Yellow Pages” for advertising - which is where we took our inspiration from.

We used Microsoft FrontPage to design websites. It was user-friendly if you were familiar with Microsoft Office and part of the Office Suite, so no extra software was needed. You’d design your site offline, buy a domain name, and subscribe to a local hosting plan. Hosting was cheap, and getting online was surprisingly easy.

Looking back, our early websites were a bit embarrassing. Our team had no prior design skills. We were self-taught. We created what we thought looked good - essentially glorified word processing documents. But people paid for it. There wasn’t much to compare to, and as long as your site looked clean and professional, it didn’t need any bells and whistles to impress.

Importance of Having a Website

Why Every Small Business Needs a Website:

These days, every business needs a website. It's crucial, even for brick-and-mortar shops. Think of a website as the modern-day Yellow Pages. If you remember using the Yellow Pages, you'd look up businesses in that big book. Large companies had eye-catching, full-colour ads. Small businesses had smaller, simpler ads with basic details. This helped you decide which business to visit or call. A website gives people a snapshot of your business, making it easier for them to find and choose you.

Having a website (or not having one) works in a very similar way. We go into our internet browser and type in the business name or business industry and see what comes up. A website tells people about the business: who runs it, what they offer, and sometimes, the prices. It's like a virtual introduction to the company.

Ownership and Control:

The other thing about having a website is that you own it. Unless you stop paying your website hosting bill, your website is there for any potential customer to browse. Your business is always open, and you are not relying on another business to stay online for people to reach you. If you depend solely on social media or third-party shopping sites for your online presence, consider the risks. What if those sites go offline or suspend your account? You'd lose your connection with customers. I've seen businesses thrive on these platforms, only to have their stores shut down for policy violations. Suddenly, their entire business stops. They can't reach their customers because collecting emails from these sites is against the rules.

Publish your own website even if it is just to collect email addresses from customers and potential customers. Make them aware that by giving their email address to you, they are allowing you to email them about your products and services. You then own this email list and this traffic source.

Benefits of Having an Online Presence:

Having an online presence is crucial in today’s world. Ensure that you publish customer reviews on your own website, as well as encouraging Google reviews.

User-Generated Content (UGC): UGC is the best sort of review. Customers are doing the hard work for you, showing others exactly what the product looks like in real life and giving an honest opinion. A great UGC review can sometimes dramatically increase product sales. I bet you often check out products online before buying, just to make sure they're real, will arrive on time, and won't fall apart shortly after you get them.

Choosing the Right Platform

There are many different platforms to choose from, so you need to consider how the website will be managed and updated.

Hiring a Website Designer: If you are going to hire a website designer, will they also do all the updating for you? If so, you don’t need to be very tech-savvy, as you can relay to them what you need, how you want it to look, and see the end result. If you don’t expect to be involved in the backend of the website, then the type of platform doesn’t matter too much. You only need to be concerned with the ease of use from the end user, your customers, and the ongoing cost.

DIY Approach: If you prefer a hands-on approach, consider how fast you grasp new tech. Then, decide how much time you can spare getting familiar with the software.

In the past 10 years, I have used WordPress, Shopify, and Freedomkit.ai for my own businesses.

Pros and Cons of Each Platform:

WordPress: WordPress can take a bit of time to learn, especially if you have an ecommerce store using WooCommerce. WordPress was designed for bloggers, so if you are focusing on blogging, it is a great place to start. You can start with ready-made templates to design your site. Adjust themes to fit your brand, and move elements around with drag-and-drop features. WordPress often includes UX Builder or Elementor for simple customization. If you're setting up an online store, check out quick tutorials or online guides for help.

Shopify: Shopify is user-friendly, with lots of pre-installed themes you can customize. It was built for ecommerce and is easier to set up than WordPress/WooCommerce. But, it can be less flexible for layout customization. If you need custom elements, you might need coding skills.

Freedomkit.ai: is a newer platform that offers an all-in-one solution for business websites. You can run any type of business on it from blogs, service based, ecommerce, courses, funnels and membership sites. It also has tools for email and social media marketing. It has basic design customization and requires extra steps for digital product delivery, but once you get your head around how it works it is pretty straightforward to use. It can be a good option for those looking for a comprehensive platform with all business tools in one place. This platform can provide you with websites, email marketing, funnels and a host of other options meaning that you don't have to purchase multiple subscriptions to run your business, everything is in the one place

Budget-Friendly Website Builders

• WordPress: Costs can be as low as your domain name and yearly hosting. Look for the best hosting deals, considering your traffic expectations.

• Shopify: Offers monthly and annual pricing options. Save money with annual plans and easily connect your own domain.

• Freedomkit.ai: Offers lifetime deals with a one-off hosting fee. Extra charges for email broadcasts and SMS based on usage.

DIY vs. Professional Help

When to Consider Building a Website Yourself:
If you are starting a new business and want to save money, consider setting up the website yourself. Read about the platform, watch tutorials, and take it step by step. Platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Freedomkit.ai are beginner-friendly. Remember, a website is not a tattoo - you can always change it.

When to Hire a Professional:
If you don't have the time or need a more complex site, hire a professional. They can set up your site quickly and correctly, giving you a solid foundation. You can then handle updates or ask for occasional help.

Essential Features for a Small Business Website, Must-Have Elements:

• Home Page: Clearly state what your business does within 3 seconds. Use images, text, and a hero image with overlay text.

• Highlight key points of difference and customer reviews.

• Include a brief outline about you or your team, linking to a detailed About Us page.

• Add an email opt-in form with an incentive.

• About Page: Share your story and what makes your business unique.

• Products/Services/Blog Page: Showcase what you offer.

• Contact Page: Provide contact form, email, phone, and address details.

• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your site looks and functions well on mobile devices. Over 50% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices.

Affordable Web Design Tips

Creating a Professional-Looking Website on a Budget: Consider hiring a professional. Look for someone who offers a fixed fee service to get started quickly and correctly. You can update it yourself later.

Using Templates and Themes: Most platforms offer free or low-cost themes. You can change them easily.

Learning Basic Design Principles: Learn some basic design principles to create an appealing site.

Online Resources: Use free online resources and tutorials.

SEO on a Budget

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is like giving your website a map so search engines like Google can easily find and show it to people searching for what you offer. It's all about tweaking your site to rank higher in search results, which means more eyes on your content. Think of it as putting up a big, bright sign on the internet highway, directing traffic straight to your digital doorstep. Without it, your awesome website might just get lost in the online shuffle.

Basic SEO Practices:

• As you publish each page, make sure you look at all the settings of each page, filling in as much detail as possible.

• The title of your page is important. It should relate to what is on your page and not be too long – 4 or 5 words is ideal so that it doesn’t get cut off in search engine previews.

• The URL Slug (the part that comes after your business domain name: yourbusiness.com/url-slug) shouldn’t be too long. After you've published the page, avoid renaming it. Search engines may take time to update, and changing links can lead to broken pages, showing your customers a 404 error, which isn't ideal.

• There will be areas for you to fill in such as keywords that customers search for and help you to rank in search engines.

• Meta descriptions are important as they help search engines rank your website pages. Try to give each page its own unique meta description using keywords that relate to the content on that page.

Free Tools and Resources for Improving Your Website’s Search Engine Ranking:

Browse SEO plugins for your platform. Some of these will have free versions that help guide you to creating the best SEO for your website. Yoast is one of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress. They have a free version and a Premium paid version.

Website Analytics:
Google Analytics is the most well-known website analytics tool. It shows you your website traffic and sales information. It is free to connect to and use, but it can be complicated to understand and navigate. I suggest researching some online tutorials about how to connect your Google Analytics so that you set it up correctly from the start.

Conclusion

Creating a budget-friendly website for your small business is totally doable, even if you're starting from square one. Remember, the internet is a vast space with endless possibilities. You can use platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Freedomkit.ai to build a great-looking website affordably. Whether you're a tech-savvy entrepreneur or prefer a hands-off approach, there's an option that suits your needs.

But your website journey doesn't end here. It's just the beginning of your online adventure. As you navigate through the digital landscape, I'll be here to provide more tips and tricks to help your small business thrive in the online world. So, stay tuned for more small business insights.

And in the meantime, grab your Website Launch Checklist for Small Businesses to ensure your website is ready to conquer the internet!

DOWNLOAD THE WEBSITE LAUNCH CHECKLIST

Extra Resources and Links

·        WordPress: Official WordPress site for information and resources.

·        Shopify: Official Shopify site for setup guides and tutorials.

·        Freedomkit.ai: Official Freedomkit site for comprehensive all-in-one business tools.

DISCLAIMER

Hey there, before you dive in, a quick note: I want to clarify that I haven't been compensated or endorsed by any of the businesses mentioned in this blog. It's all based on my personal experiences and opinions. While these insights have been valuable for me, they might not be a perfect fit for everyone. So, it's wise to do your own research to ensure that what I share aligns with your needs. Just keeping it real! 😉