DMWebZing

DIY

When you think of DIY (Do It Yourself), most think of places such as Home Depot or Lowe’s where people can find a plethora of materials to fix whatever it is they need to have fixed. Some people go to such places get the supplies and tools they need to do a project, big or small. They are able to talk to sales people who have experience and knowledge on how to work on a project yourself. For others they hire someone else to work on their behalf because they have neither the time or experience to handle the task. You simply end up having to pay them more than if you were to do it yourself.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

Like any project, website development for instance, there are those who like to do-it-themselves, and others who hire professionals to do it for them. There are a seemingly endless number of web widgets, blog gadgets, and tools on the Internet that make the process of making your own website easier. You have to look carefully and do research before you decide to start up your own website. We support both the do it yourself, the professionally designed route, and a combination approach. (Yes, we really do!)  Here are two examples of what we are talking about.

DOING IT YOURSELF

For those on a VERY limited budget (under $1500) and/or those who must be highly involved with the look, feel, and content of the site (making many small changes to get things “just right”), the DIY approach may just be for you.

One great website development tool that we created a live sample with was Google Sites. Google, in addition to providing search services, is a one stop shop for everything associated to the Internet. With the Google Sites DIY tool, anyone can make a working website for free. 

Such a DIY site is obviously DIY in appearance and flexibility, but making a Google website also allows you to easily use a variety of tools such as Google Maps, Calendar, AdSense, Spreadsheet, PowerPoint and much more. Google Sites has privacy settings so you can control who can see and edit your site. Overall it is fairly simple to use.  However, it would help to find some information on basic website development and even HTML to help get your site at a “displayable” level. Take a look at our example do-it-yourself project here.

For those who would enjoy it as a hobby or have some basic knowledge and website development, DIY would be the way to go. Even those who are part-time self-employed microbusiness owners would be able to make a great website on their own. This option not only saves money, but allows you to be creative by doing something fun and learning something new.

PROFESSIONAL DESIGN

For those who are full-time self-employed business people, or the small business looking to grow, DIY may not be the way to go. Time constraints, site size, maintenance, and other factors help business owners determine whether a DIY or professional design approach is best.  These business owners also recognize the value of having an expert do for them what they are not experts at – web marketing.  Besides, details such as the “perfect colored background” or “just the right words to sound like me” aren’t paramount because sales aren’t generated from such things, but from a customer who knows, likes, and trusts you and/or the product or service you are going to provide them.

To DIY or Not To DIY - TOP 5 KEY QUESTIONS

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself to determine if it might be cost effective to have a website developed from the outside:

1. Does anyone I know well, or within my organization have recent experience in making a professional business website?

2. If someone I know or work with can do a website, will he/she be around when it’s time to make updates/changes?

3. Would it be more comfortable for me, and compelling for visitors, if my company’s story was told by someone else (a testimonial or impartial third-party approach)?

4. Is my time better used in operating the business rather than in developing a website?

5. How important is it for my website to get online quickly and would it be more rapidly developed by an outside company?

EITHER WAY, WE’D LIKE TO HELP

Whether you decide to develop your own site, or hire a company to develop one for you, we would like to help. We can be a great resource if you have any questions on making your own site.  For those who might be interested in hiring someone to develop a website, contact any of our expert marketing partners. They can give you more information about web services, and can even give you an estimate on the work you want done.

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If you are thinking of utilizing an Internet search engine optimization campaign to generate new business leads online, here are 5 essential elements to keep in mind for making your investment worth while:

1. Clear call-to-action for visitors

What will visitors do when they land on your campaign page? What do you want from them, a phone call? An email address? A form submission? Make sure it is clear what your visitor will get for responding. Wherever possible, use video to increase effectiveness–people are more likely to understand and respond to what they see, hear and experience rather than what they read.

2. Clear plan to handle responses

What will you do with responses when you get them? Does the new contact go into a database for follow-up? Do they get a phone call after a certain period of time? Does something free get sent out to the responder? A clear path of conversion should be planned for the sales process so that your campaign can realize a return on investment.

3. Clearly defined campaign goals

What defines success in terms of conversion? How many conversions will it take to break even on the cost of the campaign? How long do you expect to run the campaign before it starts to convert visitors into sales? These are all questions to consider up front to avoid investing money aimlessly as the campaign goes on over time.

4. Sufficient budget

Very often, the budget required to attract enough fresh online visitors to even begin realizing a measurable return is underestimated. The competition for visitors can be very tough depending on your industry. It’s important to research this up front in order to come up with a realistic budget.

5. Measurement

A commitment to measuring results is essential. In the beginning, this is important because most campaigns need to be tweaked and adjusted to see what works and what doesn’t–in terms of the call-to-action, key word targets. In the long term, measurement is essential to determine whether the campaign is worth continuing.

CONCLUSION

Lacking in any of the elements above can make waste of your investment in the Internet as a way to generate new business. Make sure you have thought about all five before laying out any significant investment in an Internet campaign, and consult an Internet marketing specialist whenever possible.

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