Getting Real Value with your DIY Website Builder and Hosting Company
DIY Sprocket Solutions
Small business owners, new entrepreneurs and the not-yet-what-you’d-call-millionaires need to account for every penny, so they are committed to getting their money’s worth when building and hosting their website. That said, it can be hard to judge whether they are wasting precious budget resources or not.
Let’s say you only have $20 for grocery shopping. Does it make sense to walk in and grab a box of $20 gourmet cookies just because they are “the best?” If those cookies aren’t going to fill your shopping needs, it doesn’t matter how great everyone says they are.
On the flip side of that coin, it also doesn’t make sense to walk in and grab twenty items from the dollar section. They might be cheap, but if you don’t need that tiny rubber spatula and mini slinky, that’s not a good bargain.
You may want your website to look like that of a Fortune 500 company, but if you don’t have a fortune to spend on it, there are probably better uses for your capital when you are just starting out. Not to worry – even modest websites can be good-looking and hard-working! Besides, we can almost guarantee that you will need to make changes in those early days as you fine-tune your business, so keep things simple.
While it’s never been easier to do-it-yourself, it pays to do some research before you go too far. You’ll want to start with your own domain name and a business email address to go with it. Super cheap web builders don’t give you that option, although you can usually upgrade for a fee. But by the time you do that, you may be better off starting off with a different platform altogether.
But don’t be tempted to buy a bunch of cheap products just because you can afford them. Many cheap options won’t fill your future needs. Not only is it not cheap to move all the content you’ve built up on a starter website you’ve outgrown, it also gets messy with broken links and all that. Instead, invest from the beginning in a platform that will grow with you. Maybe you won’t be able to afford everything you want right now, but the structure will be there to meet your “right now” needs while you plan and budget for what you need next.
Also keep in mind how much it will cost you in productivity if you are being your own web tech. Do you want to spend time wrangling with the help desk when something weirdly goes wrong? Make the effort to shop around for hosting companies. Paying a couple dollars more a month for your hosting can buy you an advocate who will clean up tech issues much faster than you could.
Not to toot our own horn, but that’s why we started our Sprocket Store. We offer the same hosting, email and other products found elsewhere, but with us as your web partners. If you ever have a question or a problem, you know who to talk to about it. In fact, if you’re ready to get started and want a little advice on what you need, go ahead and call us now. We’ll get you headed in the right direction for a successful business!
This article is an update to “More Bang for your Buck” dated 10/3/2012.
Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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