Your website is your most valuable online asset. You, as a small business owner, should maintain complete control and have the flexibility to change it whenever you want to. Many small business owners don’t know where to start to even create their own website. Some believe it is so expensive to do, so they put it off.
Websites aren’t meant to be a one-time project…just get it published and then leave it alone. No! As you and your business evolve, so should your website. Sure, the basic framework or design may remain the same for a time, but you should be adding new content to your website on a consistent basis.
You should have control over your website
Just because you may delegate the creation and design of your website, make sure your website is created on a platform that is portable and you maintain control of access.
Small business owners typically work with other small business owners. That is fantastic! The downside… What happens if the web-developer you chose no longer designs websites? What if the freelancer you hired is now working a full-time job and no longer will be working with you?
It happens. We must expect these types of changes. But if you had chosen a web-developer who insisted on complete control over your website and you don’t have access to it, when they move on, you are stuck with starting from scratch. So how can you protect yourself? More specifically, when it comes to your website, how can you get the help you need and remain in control?
The answer…Use WordPress as your platform to build your website. And here are four reasons why.
WordPress is Widely Used
WordPress is ranked as the top website platforms for small businesses. It holds about 25% of the market share on all the websites.
What does this mean for you? It means that there are a ton of people out there who know how to use it. You have a vast pool of individuals who you can delegate getting things started and then if you make a shift in your business, or that person is no longer available, you can have someone else pick up where the other person has left off.
WordPress is Flexible
WordPress is an open source platform that has been around since 2003. Open source provides a lot of freedoms. There is a large community of developers out there collaborating and contributing making things better. With all the design templates and plug-ins readily available, you have an endless amount of opportunity to create a unique and effective website.
WordPress is Economical
Being an open source program means it’s free. Yes! WordPress is free.
You may start a website for free by going to WordPress.com. But, I don’t recommend that because you will have wordpress.com in your URL. It’s still not your very own URL.
You must invest in a place to host your website. I recommend BlueHost [use my affiliate link] for hosting. Hosting is the space you need to put all your stuff that goes into putting your website together. Your website is comprised of files and programming and all that stuff needs to be accessible out there on the web to make your website function…so you need a place to host your site.
WordPress does have hosting plans. So do sites like GoDaddy, but I prefer and have been using BlueHost for years with all of my website hosting needs.
Once you purchase your website address and hosting, you simply download WordPress to your site and voilà!…you are ready to create!
WordPress itself is free. You have more options and freedoms when you have your own hosted web address versus using the WordPress.com version. You switch over to WordPress.org features and products. I don’t want to geek out here because I could…so I’ll move on. Just remember…using WordPress is free.
WordPress is Easy to Learn
Even if you don’t want to take the time to create your own website, partner up with someone who uses WordPress and learn enough of how it works in the background so that it’s no longer a mystery to you.
Getting a gist of the workings of WordPress allows you to have more control and delegate what you’d like as outcomes better. Creating and maintaining your website shouldn’t be a mystery. It’s simply a process. You shouldn’t be scared about logging into your own website. Get comfortable with the basics of what goes on in the background.
You may hire someone to get things started for you by creating and designing your website. But then you should be able to upload new pictures or to publish your own blogs.
You may have inspiration at midnight one evening and feel like updating your About page. Maybe the wording isn’t quite right, and you want to change it. Maybe you’ve received a new certification and you want to add it. Maybe there’s a missing comma that is glaring at you and is driving you nuts. Or, maybe you want to update your profile image.
In Summary
You should have enough basic knowledge and have the confidence to hop into your WordPress site and make the change if you want. Or at the very least…maybe your assistant can do it. You shouldn’t have to rely on a web developer to do minor things.
A word of caution. Although I believe that we should all have complete control over our websites and be able to login and make changes whenever we want, know your limits. Don’t hop in there and start changing things that you aren’t comfortable or familiar with. Your web developer got you started, so don’t make his/her job harder and making it costlier for you in the future. Take the time to learn the basics so that you are better equipped and knowledgeable to delegate when you need to.
Remember, by using WordPress, there are a ton of skilled people out there who know how to use it at many different levels. Your website may start out small and basic. You don’t have to invest a lot into one at first. Then, over time, you may evolve into needing someone who can really dig in and make significant programming changes in your WordPress site.
If you don’t have a website and are fuzzy as to where to start or how to find the right person to help, I invite you to join us in the Accomplish More Academy community. With your membership, we dive into subjects just like this. We take the mystery of what is involved with systems like developing a website. Especially designed for the solopreneur just starting out, hop over to AccomplishMoreAcademy.com and sign up and let’s connect.