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In this age of digital marketing, the answer to the question:
Is having your own website worth it?
Is an absolute yes without a doubt? In addition, having a website you own completely is even better. For those with online businesses, this question might seem obvious. However, for those just starting out online or who have had long-established brick-and-mortar businesses, this question is not as simple as it might seem.
For those just starting out as solo entrepreneurs, there still are local businesses that may do better with direct, conventional advertising. Meaning flyers, postcards, newspapers, and posting boards at various events. However, even in these direct marketing niches, an online presence can always help. If it is not in the budget or is too labor-intensive to venture into, managing your business using digital marketing, always remember it can be approached gradually as one’s budget allows. Again, it is important to stress that the number of businesses that can operate with no online presence is very small.
Then there is the other extreme, which is the business that has been around for many years, is perfect for online marketing and the owners simply have no interest in making the switch from conventional direct marketing to online digital marketing. Yes, as hard as this is to believe, businesses like this still do exist. This could be because they feel it is too difficult, or because they are thinking of retiring in the near future.
Most often, matter what the reason, the decision to not develop a website and reach online customers is a poor decision because as this blog points out frequently, creating an online presence is very inexpensive.
Unfortunately, the idea of venturing into the online community, particularly since it is competitive and if you are not technically knowledgeable just seems overwhelming. This is why almost everyone who succeeds online, stresses the importance of simply taking the first step and the rest will follow. That first step might be intimidating but it is not difficult and is the most important decision you will ever make about your business moving forward. People ask, can I make my own website or should I have my own website, of course! Another question is: Should I build my own website or pay someone to build it for me? This is an individual decision based on your IT skills and how much money you have to pay a developer. If you have any computer knowledge at all and are willing to put in the time, this website will tell you everything you have to do without knowing one line of code. Another reason why create your own website, simply put…to prove to yourself you can do it. Once you get started building a website the process of building the site and getting traffic will likely have you so engaged you will find it hard to stop working.
In terms of competitiveness, it is important to distinguish competition based on knowledge versus saturation. Unfortunately, there are many who believe that a particular niche should not be pursued because the information about the topic has been covered. This may be the case for some niches, but there are many where the knowledge base is constantly growing.
The other reason people shy away from going online is that they feel the niche is oversaturated. This is almost never the case as the internet is huge and there is a place for everyone. In almost every niche online, deciding not to pursue it, especially if it is your strength because you feel it is too competitive is a poor decision. Sure, it is getting harder to rank on Google; however, those who do the work and keep up with the algorithm changes will be the ones that succeed. Sites that rank well now, based on the days of easy keyword ranking, in some cases, are not adjusting with the times and will find themselves slipping off the front page of Google. Persistence and having a passion for what you are doing will pay dividends.
Most important, when it comes to deciding whether it is worth it to have your own website, do not listen to those around you who have no idea what is possible online. They most often will try to discourage you. There are friends and relatives who you can talk to for hours until you are blue in the face, who still will never get it. Either because they simply don’t or they don’t want to take the risk of trying something new.
That’s what sets entrepreneurs apart, the willingness to explore opportunities that are not as reliable as a 9-5 job. If not for entrepreneurs, much of what we have today would never exist. Someone had to be the first and in many industries, there is virtually no such thing as being the last with the endless sub-niches and ways to present content online.
So…is having your own website worth it based on what we have been discussing. I hope you believe the answer is yes. Sure, it is not getting any easier to develop your online presence and become ranked on Google, but the long-term benefits are huge.
Even if you should decide to sell your website in the future, the multiples of monthly income which is used as part of website valuation can be as high as forty-five! This means, your website could sell for forty-five times the website’s average monthly income.
Finally, as is pointed out in virtually every article on this site, think seriously about purchasing a domain name and building a self-hosted website that you OWN outright. The temptation is huge to choose an all-in-0ne website builder site but just remember you get what you pay for. Aside from being more expensive, you do not have full control over your website and are subject to the changes that could occur with the company hosting your website. When you read a review article about building websites, always keep in mind that WordPress is most often used as the point of reference for how another website compares. That speaks volumes about the level of authority the WordPress CMS has online.
Lastly, for those who have decided that matter what they are either going to purchase a website or pay to have one made, do your homework. The range of knowledge and expertise from one developer to another is huge.