When a business owner realizes that their website is not working for them because their customers are not able to find their business online, it can change their perception of online marketing. Oftentimes, such businesses begin to feel unsure and may even feel as though online marketing is only for big companies with big advertising budgets. This is actually not the case. More often than not, the reason that a small business owner’s website does not work for them is because it was not built specifically for who they are and what they do each day. This is a common problem with drag and drop websites that merely mirror every other website online. They are just cookie-cutter websites.
It is certainly understandable why a new small business would be drawn to a cheaper alternative to a custom website. There is a common perception that custom websites cost a fortune. By opting to go with a cheaper alternative and building your own website with a website builder, at the end of the day, all that you really have is an online business card. What you should have is a website that successfully portrays your brand and makes it possible for your customers to find your business online quickly and easily.
Here’s the main problem with website builders. Most website builders do not create a logo for you. If they offer that service at all, it is just clip art that hundreds of other businesses are using as well. While website builders do not view a logo as vital, in reality, a logo serves as the building block for your business’ identity. This is how your customers will remember you. Unfortunately, when a small business chooses a website builder, they have a website, but no identity.
Among the main benefits promoted by most website builders is that they offer hundreds of templates and will make it easy to build your own website. Your website should be as unique as your business. It should be built for who you are and what it is that you do each day. It should portray your character, brand, and style, giving visitors an immediate impression of your business within the first few seconds that they view your website. In Herolocity’s experience in over 150+ industries, they have found that 63% of small business websites in the United States are missing website branding and features that could boost their business revenues. Far too often, small business owners rely on the use of stock images because they think it will elevate the look of their website. The problem with the use of stock images is that they do not let your customers see the real you. Your website should provide an opportunity for your own talent to shine.
Additionally, we have found that many small business owners do not focus enough on content. Search engines are placing an increasing focus on the importance of content because they know it is important to customers. Unfortunately, most small businesses have no idea where to begin because their website builders do not help them. As a result, their content ends up being limited and providing no real value.
Ensuring that your website is found by your customers online involves optimizing your website for search engines. This is often a problem with website builder templates because they were not built to be search engine friendly. Sure, there are a few things you can do to customize your template, but those tweaks are not usually enough to boost your search engine ranking. This is because search engine ranking is based on a number of factors. It takes time to optimize a website and that is often time that most small business owners do not have and in which they do not specialize.
Even when a customer does find your website, you need to ensure that it is built to retain their attention. Consumer attention spans are growing shorter and shorter. When a website takes too long to load, visitors leave. How long will they wait? Usually most people won’t wait for more than three or four seconds. The servers used by online website builders can oftentimes host literally hundreds of websites. As a result, this can slow the speed of your website and cost you visitors.
While the situation may sound disheartening, it is important to understand that there are solutions available to help you take advantage of a custom website that won’t break your budget.