How to jump start small business website creation in Montana? Google has teamed with Intuit to offer a free website design, a free domain name and free server hosting for a year.
While 97 percent of consumers go online to look for local products and services; a large majority of small businesses in Montana lack an online presence, according to Google. Free web hosting and a domain name could save a sole proprietor $84 or more a year. But the free is only for one year.
Montana businesses can go to http://www.montanagetonline.com get the free website as well as free tools, training and resources to help their business succeed online. But before you click through to Montana Get Online, please finish reading this article.
The belief that getting online is complex, costly and time-consuming has prevented many small businesses from taking the first step. This program makes it fast, easy and free for businesses to get online.
About 95 percent of the businesses in Montana are considered a small business, which can be up to 500 employees. Google is targeting business with 25 or fewer employees for the offer.
As part of the program, Google is providing free workshops to small businesses across the US. Still, the free website is a basic, three-page model. It doesn’t give small businesses the ability to do transactions online.
To do transactions, businesses needed a more sophisticated website that can safely house data. Anything that helps small businesses leverage technology is a good thing. Free is beautiful, but what is the “free” and what does it really cost you in the end?
Is a free 3 page website for your business and will it cost you and your business in the end? I happen to agree that a website should be part of a small-business owner’s marketing, but lets face it, a three-page website isn’t going to provide the professional presentation most businesses want.
When was the last time you visited a website that had only three pages? That’s a project that kids do in grade school. Small business owners first need to consider whether they really need a website and whether they can generate business online. That’s nice of Google, but Google is in business of collecting data and doing things with that data, after all that’s how they make their money.
But what is the real cost you ask? Offering a high-perceived value freebie in exchange for visitor information, that’s right! Then your free website is simply an upsell site for Google. What will Google upsell you may ask, Adwords and Adwords Express!
It also gives Google some good PR with the business community. If you have a Google website for free, wouldn’t you feel compelled to use their search engine just based on the law of reciprocity?
Again, searchers will click on an ad inevitably. Don’t get me wrong, Google provides the best Search Engine results… that’s why 2 out of every 3 people use Google for search. It also provides a platform for inclusion in the new Google Plus platform AND the Google Plus business profiles that were recently released.
The timing works well with their new (old) Adwords Express. Intuit and Google are going to take over a huge market share of web hosting. They will have all of the websites on their server and track who uses that small business and where. Then send more ads about that subject to that area.
If you chose to take Google up on their free website, there are some things you might want to think about down the road, if not much sooner, for improving your “free” Google website.
Unlike a brochure that’s printed and can’t change, one of the greatest things about a website is that it can. The plain truth is, that the majority of the people who set up their site through this Google program will never touch it again once it’s live. And just like having a brick and mortar store, no one will come back if things don’t change from time to time. Additional products and improvements incentivize people to return to your site.
You need a plan for your site and beyond. Your site needs to have a clear strategy so someone coming to your site knows exactly what to do when they get there.
Speaking of getting there, how will anyone know you exist on the web? Google is not promising to highly rank your site just for using their service.
Taking the free route
If you do decide to take the free route, even for now, here is some advice: Think about your audience, your client, your customer, your competition!
The typical business does not spend enough time thinking from the perspective of their customers. You start this process by asking who your customers are. How does your website (and other marketing materials while you’re at it) help turn members of those specific groups into leads and sales?
The program’s advice that “getting online is now easy, free, and fast” is great for now, but when you’re ready to step up your online presence with proven results, let the experts at Blast Creative help.
