Comparing a professionally built website with one of those "do it
yourself" websites is a self serving subject. Since I create
professional looking websites packed with good SEO juice, I'm probably
biased!!! Well, not probably, I am biased. But for good reason....
There is a huge difference in a professionally created website. I will just give you some facts and let you decide for yourself.
In
my experience, I can always tell when a "free" website was made by the
owner of the company. (Free is really not always free in the end now are
they?). Sites that you get "free" from like YP.com or ATT when you sign
up for a listing (and here is where "free" is not really free since you
are paying to be listed and your "free" website is included in
there.....) are short on features. They look homemade. Kinda like when
you look at someone's landscaping. You can always tell if the homeowner
did it themselves or if they had a professional landscaping company with
a landscape designer come out and do it for them. Same thing with a
website.
Through the years I've looked at so many
websites that you could tell were "home made". Now, is this really the
impression you want to give your customers? Probably not......
A
professional website looks professionally made. Your customers will go
online and call you because your website says "professional company".
These particular types of websites (home made websites) are probably worth what was paid for....nothing!
Now
some of the free online website creation services are much better than
these "homemade" websites but are still, in the end, do it yourself
websites. I will give them credit for appearances (which is important)
but what about SEO (search engine optimization). They do have tools to
use to help you in this but really, what do you know about SEO? With
your limited knowledge of SEO do you really think you can get the
results of a professional?
With
Google constantly changing their algorithms how can you possibly know
how to get yourself found on the Internet. And if you can't get found
then what good is a website?
For example, there was a
time that back links would give you great relevancy with Google and
really kick start your ranking. The reasoning was, the more back links
the higher the ranking. The higher the ranking, the higher you were
found on Google (and let's be real, if you aren't on the first page of
Google than you really aren't anywhere. And I know that the 2nd and 3rd
pages are "good" too but most searchers don't even go that far). Well,
now if you have too many "low quality" back links Google may even
penalize your site and drop you completely off the radar (see my
previous back link blog).
Have you ever heard of the
Panda update? How about the Penguin? These are things a professional
website creation company knows about and the average Joe doesn't. So
there is incredible value in using a professional firm that can do the
right thing for your company.
So if you are serious
about getting into the 21st century with your marketing and you have a
"homemade" website, you probably aren't getting the results that you
anticipated. Creating a website built from the ground up with SEO in
mind will be a great start towards your marketing goals.
Jeffrey Dean
LMS Website Services
http://lmswebsiteservices.com
