Having a local business takes up most of the time from the day. There are so many things you have to take care of everyday and among those things, creating and maintaining a website can become hectic or troublesome. You have to get the best local business website builder for this job.
In the current world, if you have a business then you definitely need to have an online presence. If you plan it properly, a website can be the best marketing and sales vehicle for your business.
The first question that you need to answer is how do you want to create a website. Do you want to hire someone to create the website for you or do you want to do it yourself.
Hiring someone can be a good option if you do not want to get into the hassle of creating and maintaining your own website. There are plenty of agencies out there and several freelancers who can do the job for you. All you have to do is find someone within your budget and give them the job.
One simple tip I would give if you are hiring someone else is to buy the domain and hosting on your account. This will give control to you when it comes to the name of your website and the place where it is hosted.
If you do not want to hire someone from outside to create a website for you, then you have to do everything on your own. It may seem like a big task but if you take it step by step and use one of the best tools available, then it will be an easy job.
Wix is one of the best solution to creating your own small business website. It is a very popular website builder which comes with a lot of ready made templates and many features which help you to get started on your own.
Wix is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) website builder which means that you do not need to code anything. All you have to do is add various components to your pages visually, add content and images and you are all done.
You can start with a free account right now and start creating your site on your own. You can test the waters before starting to pay. Join now and create your very first website.
Check out the templates that are offered and play around with the controls, add and edit various components, add content and images. Get the hang of it. It is a very simple tool to use.
A local business site has around 4 to 5 pages which are common most of the time. If you want some inspiration, simply look for websites that your competition has made and you will get an idea as to how you can structure your site and what kind of content you can include on your site.
A local business site has around 4 to 5 pages which are common most of the time. If you want some inspiration, simply look for websites that your competition has made and you will get an idea as to how you can structure your site and what kind of content you can include on your site.
Another point you need to know is that most of the people search for local businesses through their mobile phones and so it is very important to have a mobile friendly website. With Wix, you will have a very good mobile friendly website.
There are two kinds of websites you can create with Wix. One is the site where you just put out information about your business and the other is an ecommerce website where you can accept payments online for products or services.
You can choose based on your requirement.
Pricing
Here are the plans for creating a simple website with no online payment options.
Based on the above pricing structure, the amount you are going to pay for a year will be as follows
| Plan Type | Price for a Year (USD) |
|---|---|
| Combo | 168 |
| Unlimited | 216 |
| Pro | 276 |
| VIP | 468 |
| Plan Type | Price for a Year (INR) |
|---|---|
| Connect Domain | 960 |
| Combo | 1,500 |
| Unlimited | 2,220 |
| VIP | 3,900 |
According to Wix, you are going to get the best value if you choose the Pro Plan which means that you will be spending about $276 per year to create and maintain your website. That sounds like a very good deal considering the fact that most small business websites are setup once and updated once in a while.
If you want your Wix website to be created by someone else then you can visit a website called Fiverr. It is a marketplace for freelancers who will do all kinds of jobs. One of them is designing Wix websites. Click Here. The pricing range is different based on the freelancer. It can be anywhere from 5 bucks to more than a 1000 bucks. Look at the reviews and also ask questions before ordering a gig.
If you are going for the ecommerce option to have online payments included then here is the pricing for that.
Here is what you will be paying for a year if you choose the above plan
| Plan Type | Price for a Year (USD) |
|---|---|
| Business Basic | 276 |
| Business Unlimited | 324 |
| Business VIP | 588 |
| Enterprise | Custom Pricing |
| Plan Type | Price for a Year (INR) |
|---|---|
| Business Basic | 2,700 |
| Business Unlimited | 3,600 |
| Business VIP | 6,000 |
Looking at it from yearly perspective will help you to setup a budget for your website properly. The point is to look at this as a marketing expense. You are getting exposure for your business online and when anybody comes to your website they will have a good idea what your products and services are.
Try to be very informative about all aspects of your business. Your website should explain to your customer why you are the best person for the job. Be specific on all the things you offer and let them know your working hours and how to contact you.
If you do not have a website yet then I suggest you to make one as soon as possible. Go to Wix and create your account if you want to stay ahead of the competition.
Books to Read
Keep the juices in your mind flowing by reading great books. Spend only 30 minutes in a day. You will feel a positive difference in your life.
| Get FOUND Online: The Local Business Owner’s Guide to Digital Marketing -by Jack Jostes Available on Amazon.com |
| The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People -by Stephen R. Covey Available on Amazon.com |