Build a website in an hour or less does not a complete website make!
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of those silly commercials that imply that you can have your website online and ready for your visitors in under and hour. Oh yeah, I am quite aware that this is NOT what the commercial actually states, but it is implied.
Many Canadian small business owners are getting caught up in the hype of it all. The hype obviously works, so now several other hosting providers are starting to make similar claims.
What most Canadians do not realize is the TV commercial that promises you this may actually host your local business website in Kentucky or maybe even somewhere in Arizona.
Now, is that wise?
No, it is not. If you have a local business, then you will definitely gain Search Engine Optimization (SEO) advantage simply by having your website hosted as close to home as possible.
For example, if you live in southern Ontario then having your local business website hosted from a Toronto server would be recommended; As would having a local business in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan having their website hosted from a server in Regina.
Many Canadian local businesses have enquired as to why their website is not showing up in local searches for their business. The simplest, least expensive way to have your Canadian local business appear in Google searches would be to have your website hosted locally.
However, you could still have your website hosted down in one of the southernmost United States, and then spend thousands of dollars monthly on SEO that is required to be done monthly and that MIGHT get your Canadian local business listed in Google’s search results.
But I’m betting your site won’t rank very well for very long, simply because of your website’s loading time will suffer when trying to view your site in a device located in Canada… yes, even southern Ontario (the most southern portion of Canada).
Many of your potential customers who try to visit your website will become impatient when your website seems to take forever to load. When a website is hosted so far away from the user, the loading time will definitely be exaggerated due to the geographical distance from the user.
With so many Canadian web hosting businesses available, offering inexpensive hosting fees, I really do not understand the need for any Canadian business owner to ever think it a better idea to use a web hosting provider in another country.
Now I will let you in on the little “secret” about the claim that you can build a website in under an hour. That would give you your domain name registered (providing you know exactly the name you want to use and it is still available) and the installation of WordPress with a basic theme only… nothing else.
Yes, your website would then be technically on the internet in under an hour, but far from being ready to share your website with the rest of the world. Wouldn’t you agree?
Once you have done all of that then you need to select a quality theme that will represent your business best, and make it less necessary for using several plugins. The reason for that is this… the fewer the plugins the quicker your website will load.
So, if your website needs 20 plugins to provide you with what you want your website to look and perform like, then chances are, you need a premium theme.
Oh… and don’t forget, Google now expects all website owners who want to rank high in mobile search results to not only be mobile-friendly, but also protected by a website security certificate. That will cost you extra.
Okay, so… now how are you going to add your content? Are you familiar with WordPress?
No?
Then, there is training on learning WordPress online… and it’s even FREE!
Do you have time to learn WordPress while you are trying to run your local business?
No?
As a business owner, did you know that you can write off the cost of your website as an operating cost?
Yes you can!
You may find your money and time better spent on hiring a website designer to do the technical side of your website for you… perhaps even manage it monthly. This way, all you need to do is provide the content.
What I highly recommend any business owner do is to own your own hosting account and domain name. This way, no one will every hold your website for ransom, as some unsavory website designers have done (and some still are doing!) to their customers.
You may want to think about what you want to use for your domain name too. Here’s some great advice for you… 15 Tips to Help You Select a Domain Name.