Menu Close

FREE Websites Are Usually The Most Expensive!

main_freeGetting your company online is easy. Growing your company online is another story altogether! There are many free website companies online to choose from. It seems a new way to get your business online for free pops up every other day. There is also an endless supply of nieces and nephews or college students who “sorta, kinda” know web design and that are eager to put something up for you on the cheap.

This post isn’t meant to bash those companies or these youngsters with good intentions. Actually, Wix and many of those students can help you make a decent looking website. However, that is where the good news ends. Why? Because having a site that looks good to the casual observer is NOT how you want to grow your business online. Let me explain.

How a website looks is secondary to how it performs. This is one of the most important truths that I try to convey to my clients and one that is not easily accepted. I would much rather have an average looking site that brings me new customers month after month than a website that looks great, but nobody sees or those that do see it don’t contact me (convert) for more information. Now this does not mean ugly sites convert better, it simply means that how a site looks (visually, to the casual observer) often doesn’t mean it is going to build your business.

There are many factors in making a website a lead generating machine. This article isn’t going to go into those details, but it is fair to say, 95% of all the free sites you see are missing key elements and strategies that will grow your business. One of the biggest factors is the actual traffic the site generates. Not just any traffic, targeted traffic.

Targeted traffic is the kind of traffic that is actually looking for exactly the service or products that you are delivering or offering. For instance, if you are a roofer, it is far better to have 250 visitors per month for those searching for roofers, not 250 who found you looking for “home improvement” which is much more vague. Keyword terms and phrases like roofers, roofing, roofing services (in your geographical area) are far superior as targets for your business.

Another trap is getting the next doors neighbor’s kid or your spouses little brother to build your site. Why? Well, in addition to the reasons listed above, it rarely gets finished, changes take forever and you can’t really hold anyone accountable or get upset because it was FREE. You are stuck!

But it was FREE… right? It didn’t cost you anything. Oh, Contraire! The fact that you didn’t pay for your website, doesn’t mean you are not paying for it. Why? Because you are missing out on hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars in opportunities because your “FREE” site isn’t visible in search engine results or isn’t converting visitors into leads or most likely both. In any case, if your site isn’t actually building your business, it is expensive. No matter how much or little you are paying for it. The good news is that this can be changed relatively quickly and easily. The first step is to ask yourself one simple question. “Is my site generating leads for my business?” If the answer is no, it is an expensive site!

Related Posts