Have you just taken the plunge and started your business? Or are you established but come to the realization that you need a website? No matter what the reason is choosing a platform for your website can be really confusing. You’ve got options like WordPress, Wix, Magneto, Shopify, WooCommerce, DIY website builders and the list goes on. You’ve probably looked at that list and thought I don’t even want to go there!
While free website builders like wordpress.com and Wix can seem great you have to take into consideration how your potential clients are going to perceive you. What they sometimes don’t tell you is that with the free sites yes you don’t pay for hosting or a domain but you will have their own branding attached to yours, which can seem unprofessional.
A month after I started my business I realized I needed a website as there is only so much you can do on social media to build your brand awareness and I noticed that a lot of people after speaking to me initially wanted to visit a website to know more. I started with the DIY website builder from Go Daddy and purchased my own domain name and hosting through them. While this was a start now looking back on what my website looked like I’m surprised I got anyone to visit my website but at least I had an online presence and managed to get my second client through my website.
Personally for me I find WordPress.org to be my preferred platform. With hosting starting anywhere from $6 a month for Australian hosting, and domains from $22 you’re already half way there. With wordpress.org there are so many free plugins to use to create your site as well as free themes. What they don’t tell you with wordpress.com is that if you want premium features you have to pay and it will end up costing you more whereas some of these features actually come with the .org version. There are some paid themes available that have the ease of allowing you to drag and drop to create your website, this is great if you want to add your own personal touch and create it yourself.
Around 74.6 million people use WordPress so really that’s a good indication that it’s a great platform to use. Generally I find that WordPress.org goes hand in hand with the Yoast plugin for your SEO, this can be used as a free plugin or you can purchase premium.
So remember while free can be good it’s not always best especially if you want to grow your brand the right way. Wouldn’t you rather do it right in the beginning than later on having to spend more time and money having to change it?
If you would like more information or want to check out some of our previous blog posts you can read them here.
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