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Why A Blog Is Better Than Your Template Site
This one goes out to all of the real estate/alternative care/starving artists out there. I know a lot of you and there seems to be a common theme when it comes to your web sites.
- I want it fast
- I don’t really know what “inexpensive” means
- I want it to “work”, but I’m also not totally sure what that means (luckily my template vendor tells me it will work)
I Want it Fast
This is reasonable, it shouldn’t take that long to get your site setup. This is the only real beauty of a template site. In my experience, the primary holdup of a new small business web site isn’t usually on the designer/developer side, but on the customer side. Everything MUST be PERFECT! According to Technorati, the average age of the top 100 blogs is almost 3 years old, so if you want to be a top site, waiting won’t help. Furthermore, search engines can’t read your design, they can only read your content, so hurry up and get your content online first and tweak your design later if need be.
I don’t really know what “inexpensive” means
I talk to people across a variety of industries where there are vendors that pump out templated web sites. The people I know who have/use them think they’re getting a great deal, typically at $50+ per month after any setup fees. Great hosting can be had for as little as $8/month with a little bit more management of your systems in the $20 range. So less than half the cost for more features and better search engine optimization. I honestly think it’s just because people don’t know any better. Plus, many of the template vendors out there change for even the smallest content change. On a small business blog, YOU control the content and it’s incredibly easy to change it whenever you want within minutes FOR FREE.
I want it to “work”, but I’m also not totally sure what that means (luckily my template vendor tells me it will work)
This is the one that frustrates me most. The three main industries I work with (real estate, alternative health care and artists) all seem to be rather willing to just believe what their vendor is telling them. Yet when I ask “How many uniques did you get last month?” or “What is the average time on your site?” I usually get blank stares. How can you believe what they’re telling you is effective without knowing how to check? A blog site has many ways from data analytics to comments to your lead generation tools (contact forms) and RSS/email subscribers. You have a MUCH better idea of if your site “works” with a blog than most template sites out there.
I’m almost done writing a free report explaining more of the benefits of using a blog for your small business web site and how to get started, so stick around.
Related posts:
- How much would you spend on a web site?
- Social Media Blog Carnival – Cinco de Mayo Edition
- Why You Need a Blog for Small Business Online Marketing & Other Interesting Articles
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