Title: Building A Website For Business... Word Count: 998 Summary: Creating business websites doesn't have to be a stressful process. In fact, it can be enjoyable if you follow a simple decision making process... STEP 1 - ANSWER KEY QUESTIONS There are 3 questions that you should ask yourself before you dive in: 1. What is the budget for my website? 2. How much time do I have to spend on this project? 3. What is my level of technical experience? By answering these questions, the rest of the decision-making process will be a... Keywords: Business Boot Camp, Business Profitability Goals, Business School in a Box, Small Business, Business Article Body: Creating business websites doesn't have to be a stressful process. In fact, it can be enjoyable if you follow a simple decision making process... STEP 1 - ANSWER KEY QUESTIONS There are 3 questions that you should ask yourself before you dive in: 1. What is the budget for my website? 2. How much time do I have to spend on this project? 3. What is my level of technical experience? By answering these questions, the rest of the decision-making process will be a lot easier. So, please take a moment to answer these key questions if you are planning to build a website... …Thinking music… Now that you have some clear guidelines regarding what you can contribute in terms of time, money and expertise - we need to compare your answers to the various website building options available. STEP 2 - REVIEW THE CHOICES When it comes down to it, you have 3 choices if you want to create a website – Option 1 - Hire a professional Website Designer Although there are some fantastic designers available, there are three factors which can undermine your success when utilizing their services: • COST BLOWOUTS • MISUNDERSTANDINGS • LACK OF CONTROL 5 WAYS TO AVOID THESE TRAPS... 1. Choose a designer with a set pricing package or set a clear budget 2. Ensure that everything is documented to avoid misunderstandings 3. Find a designer who is readily accessible and offers an updating service 4. Look at the previous work of the designer before you make a choice 5. Choose a designer who you relate well with - trust your gut instinct! CONCLUSION: By using a professional designer you can get some outstanding results, you just need to adhere to the old saying - expect the best but plan for the worst. Cost is an important consideration with this option – expect to spend in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Option 2 - Purchase a Support based Hosting Package (DIY with guidance) If you want to create a profitable website, then there is no better program available for beginners than SiteBuildIt. In my opinion, it offers the most comprehensive support based hosting package when it comes to building business websites. I only wish I had discovered SBI earlier... My personal journey with business websites has been costly, time consuming and frustrating - html guides, difficult to navigate website packages, thousands of dollars, misunderstandings with designers, stress etc... Fortunately, while researching some website options for a client, I discovered SiteBuildIt. The beauty of SiteBuildIt is that not only do you have a whole set of web building and optimizing tools at your disposal - you also have a manual on how to go about creating a website that will make you money. From finding a profitable idea, to keyword generation with their BrainStormIt software, to building web pages that will rank highly with search engines - it is an all in one program. PRE-SELLING = PROFIT MAXIMIZATION The SiteBuildIt process (outlined in the extremely comprehensive and easy to follow Action Guide) emphasizes the importance of pre-selling prospective clients by providing high-quality content. It is this distinction that the majority of business owners fail to grasp - creating websites with poor content, low traffic and limited avenues to profit. By following the SiteBuildIt program you are assured not to make the same mistakes as I once did! Although SiteBuildIt is a fantastic product, it is important to consider that you may outgrow its functionality, especially if you would like to move into more advanced scripting (e.g., live article management etc). Some comments posted on forums and in reviews have suggested that SiteBuildIt can be too restrictive in terms of its functionality. For instance, you have no direct access to the server where your site is hosted and therefore, you cannot just do as you please. CONCLUSION: If you would like a website building program with an emphasis on support and you are willing to follow the user friendly "10-Day Action Guide" (available in video and written formats) then SiteBuildIt is an excellent place to start a business website. It is important to remember with this option that it still takes time to build the site – they don’t do it for you! Option 3 - DIY Website (using a combination of hosting tools and external packages) Okay, let's get down to the nuts and bolts of DIY websites - To create a fantastic business website with limited experience is not easy but it is achievable, especially if you use the right tools from the outset. What's more, it is a valuable experience to undertake, particularly if you are keen to create multiple websites or build a web-based empire! What will you need to succeed? • Time and patience • Reasonable computer skills • A budget - $500 approx. • A set of quality tools By learning the skills to create your own business website you will be able to upgrade your website with new and improved tools as they become available. Furthermore, you will be able to make changes to your site when YOU want to - not when your designer is available! (= More control) Fortunately, the DIY website tools which are available currently make building your own website considerably easier when compared to 10 years ago when you had to develop a strong grasp of codes such as html before you could even think of creating your own website. For instance, software programs such as Wordpress and ArticleLive allow you to manage content easily and they help you make your site look fantastic! Furthermore, they both offer a series of excellent site building tutorials to help you along the way. CONCLUSION: DIY websites can take a significant amount of time and energy. However, a number of programs available today make it a lot easier to DIY. Furthermore, the experience of creating your own website is extremely rewarding - like most creative processes - expect to pull a few hairs out along the way! STEP 3 – MAKE A CHOICE At this point, you will hopefully be able to make a decision on how you would like to build your business website. To read reviews on some of the products mentioned above please visit BusinessBootCamp.net.au.