Common Mistakes that will Cost you Money!

Do you have a friend or relative that tells you he or she can create a website for you?  Although getting a free website sounds appealing, think twice before pursuing this option. This often turns into the biggest mistake you can make. Here’s why:

Your Website is the Most Important Marketing Investment You Will Make

Customers will tend to judge the quality of your website with the quality of your business. Customers will assume that if you are satisfied with a mediocre website, you are probably also satisfied with mediocre products and services. And, unlike an advertisement, which quickly disappears, a website is visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Don't cut corners with your website!

Is your friend or relative a professional graphic designer?  Is he or she a professional photographer?  If not, you are making a big mistake by letting them create something as important as your website.

Who Will Maintain the Site?

Lots of people think it is fun to try to create a website. Nobody thinks it is fun to make ongoing changes. When you need to update your site you will find that your friend or relative is a lot less enthusiastic about it, especially if he or she never got paid in the first place.

Being in a position where your website will be out of date unless someone is willing to do you a favor is not a healthy situation. Don’t make the mistake of letting this happen to you.

I'll just get a free site on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.

This comes down to credibility. If you don't have your own domain name your site will look amaturish and unprofessional. Real businesses have real websites. By all means utilise Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and as many other social networking sites as you can manage on an ongoing basis - but use them to drive traffic to your own domain.