Website Builder: What Are Your Options?
 by: Mark Gerrard


Building a website is an undertaking similar to how you first started your business. You planned what you wanted and went for it. You put in the time and still do, to ensure that your business functions smoothly.

It’s no different with a website. You have to maintain the website because if you don’t the content (words and phrases) become obsolete and the information hungry website visitor won’t visit because there isn’t anything to keep them on your website. Nothing of interest translates into nothing of value.

When undertaking your website building, you need to ask yourself these questions:

1) What do I want my website to accomplish?

It is very important to know before hand what you wish your website to accomplish. For example, if you have a website that provides information for a specific disease, you may want your website to be the ‘place’ where professionals meet to give their opinions and write articles.

Other website business owners may wish their website to sell products and services. Research into what the numbers and other statistics will help you determine whether there is enough interest in order to justify owning a website.

2) How much am I willing to spend?

The cost of your website is also another important consideration. Obviously, you don’t want to spend an outrageous amount, although you don’t want to initially spend so little that in the long run, it costs you more to operate the ‘cheaper website.

3) Do I want to learn HTML?

Learning HTML is important to any website building, even if you choose not to build it yourself. Why? You won’t be held hostage and be paying for regular maintenance (that you can do) cheaper and with a sense of satisfaction. Learning HTML will also allow you to negotiate better in the long run because you will know what it takes to build, maintain, and create content for your website.

4) How much time can I devote to my website?

The time that you put into your website is important. Your website business success hinges on regular maintenance. Just like your vehicle, your health and anything else that has value, regularly devoting a specific amount of time will prevent major issues in the long run.

5) Are my expectations equal to what my website goals?

Sometimes we have expectations that do not seem in line with our goals. For example, if you wish to have your website ranked #1 within the 2nd day of having your website up and running, well that may be an unreasonable expectation considering that your website has only been ‘on-line’ for 2 days. Ensure that your expectations are reasonable and you will be able to satisfy those expectations.

6) Are my website goals attainable?

Your website goals need to be attainable. This step goes hand-in-hand with question 5. Without attainable goals, you’re setting yourself and your website business for failure even before your website goes on-line. Attainable goals may be modified after each is attained. For example, you may wish to increase your website rankings by 5 places by the end of the year by following a specific marketing plan. The key is to plan out how these goals are to be obtained and if they are indeed attainable.

These 6 questions are important when asking whether a website building experience will help you and your website business goals. By planning and mapping out what you want, you will ensure that your website building goals are on track to attaining the success you desire.

About The Author
Mark Gerrard is the Development Manager of the Freestart Website Builder Platform. See our website builder in action at http://www.freestart.com