Menu
Hardly conventional
Hardly conventional
A lot of times, we come across brands or people who don’t look authentic and for real reasons, we either don’t accept the request or invitation to communicate with them. An account without a real face or a business without a website often adds to the apprehension. A website doesn’t only guarantee the authenticity or prevent scams but it gives the viewer the right impression that the business is real and the person running it is genuine.
Whether you provide a service, sell products, are an educator or share your lifestyle on your blog, it is absolutely crucial to have your own website. I know there are way too many myths regarding websites and their maintenance. But your website is your space on the internet where you have complete control to showcase whatever you want. Your website will only need a significant one-time investment, including getting a domain, hosting, and designing and developing the website. Still, the advantages are long-term and more rewarding rather than depending on a social media platform alone. In this post, I will explain to you in simple terms why you need your own website. It will help you understand what benefits it reaps for you in the next couple of years.
Before we start and also explain a few terms for You, so you can get familiar with all the terms before you get a kickstart.
A domain is an address that people type to locate you on the internet. It is after what follows ‘www’. The first step to getting your website up on the internet is to register your domain name. There are many places you can get your domain name from. I personally use www.godaddy.com and www.namecheap.com
Depending on your needs and your skills, you will need a platform to house your website. That platform is called a content management system. Based on the purpose of the website, you will need to update it which will help you determine which platform to choose from. For instance, if you have a blog, you constantly need to publish blog posts and the most easiest and useful platform would be WordPress.
For your site to be visible on the internet, you will need a hosting provider. Depending on your visitors and size, the hosting providers will list their prices. Sometimes the CMS you choose, provide hosting with its own pricing while at other times they make it mandatory to host with them. Additionally, an SSL certificate helps to verify the authenticity.
SSL is short for secure sockets layers.
It is a digital certificate that authenticates a website‘s identity and provides a secure channel between the two machines or devices operating over the internet or an internal network. It prevents criminals from reading and changing any information that is transferred including potentially personal information.
Having your own website gives you total control. With things relating to the internet, there is always a possibility of crashing, hacking or banning when but when you have your own platform you need not worry about these things at all. If you can always back up your website in case it crashes and save all the content you have worked on over the years.
With your own website, you can have access to very specific and detailed analytics that help you target your ideal audience. You are able to study all the demographics and patterns which further helps you interact with them.
With your own domain and website, you will be able to have your own custom email. If you wish to look very professional and want to stand out you may want to generate email addresses for your company, instead of using the email provider’s generic name, having your own domain or a website will help to achieve just that. Whenever anyone finds out your name the first thing they do is google you. When your website shows up, it acts as a perfect resume for people.
Your visitors will go through your website to find out more about you. In case they need to reach out they will make sure to visit the contact page and use the contact information or an address for complaints or for updates. This makes your audience trust you which ensures and helps your new business run smoothly.
If you sell products or services, social media may be good to start with but having your own website, allows customers to pay directly via a payment gateway. You come as as more professional and dedicated.
When you have your own website, you can put up relevant content and decide if you want to have ads. Social media platforms and often bombard audeince with with forceful ads which makes them either skip or causes them to get distracted.
Consitent branding makes your brand recognisable. A website always you to have consistent branding on all platforms.
You can have unlimted number of customised pages on your website and appeal to your audeince. If you have a new collection or service you can have a page designed just to target that particluar range of audience.
A blog is a great way to increase traffic to your website. Blog post when used correctly will help you with SEO. It also helps you connect with your audience and keep them up to date.
Email marketing is a great way to have customers. If you have a website, it would be the easist way to collect email addresses by offering your customer to have benefits or rewards.
On your website, you can have a testimonial section to attract more customers. They can read about your products and services and decide if you can solve their problem.
A potfolio section on your website is a great way to show clients your style and your abilities. Based on your portfolio or past work, your client is likely to take a call.
Depending on your needs, your pricing will differ . For a portfolio, your pricing would be minimum compared to a blog or an e-commerce store.
If you want to have a basic website or a portfolio, it would be advisable to go for a template or hire a web designer or a developer at minimum cost since it is a one-time affair. But if you want to run a blog on e-commerce website, you will either have to run your own website by learning the skills or outsource it to a team.
If you want to create an impression and be consistent with your branding, then you should have a custom built website by a professional designer or a developer, and then have a team manage it. All depends on your business, budget and purpose.
Keeping in mind everything I have discussed above, I can assure you that although social media is a great place to start with, having your own website can be a liberating experience. You just need to see it as an investment. If you want to know more about hiring a designer or a developer, or want to know about the kind of work I do, then visit my service page or visit my portfolio.
The lead designer of the Mumbai-based design Studio – By Designory, I was born and bred in Guwahati and moved to the city of Dreams- Mumbai in 2013. With an M.A. in English Literature, I left academics for my love for design because why not? I love breaking norms to carve my path. I strongly refused to be conventional with my work and my beliefs.
I am here to help you launch and manage your business ONLINE.
The lead designer of the Mumbai-based design Studio – By Designory, I was born and bred in Guwahati and moved to the city of Dreams- Mumbai in 2013. With an M.A. in English Literature, I left academics for my love for design because why not? I love breaking norms to carve my path. I strongly refused to be conventional with my work and my beliefs.
I am here to help you launch and manage your business ONLINE
