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Florida small business website services

Choosing the Right Small Business Website Services

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The Future of Your Small Business Begins with Choosing the Right Website Services

As a small business owner, your revenue is directly connected to your website and your online presence. We understand the importance and influence your small business website has on both the consumer (visitor) and the search engines.

When considering website design services or marketing solutions, you should consider every detail to ensure success. Here are the most important decisions you will have to make to ensure the future of your small business:

  • Choose the right hosting company. **We do not recommend combining your hosting with your web development/developer.
  • Make sure that your website designer understands optimization. A business website that looks good must also be properly optimized prior to launching.
  • Decide what type of commitment you can make to promote consistency in maintaining and marketing your site considering both your time and budget

You Don’t Have to Sacrifice to Get an Affordable Small Business Website

If you have tried a DIY approach using web builders or even WordPress and you are stuck, you’re not alone. When WordPress first came out it was plausible for some people who had limited knowledge of web design to figure out the basics. WordPress has changed in leaps and bounds and you really do have to have a working knowledge of website development.  From your WordPress installation to WordPress plugins, themes and security, it is highly recommended to work with a web design firm to get you off to a good start.

Nice Looking Website Templates.. How Bad Can it Be?

There is truth to the fact that there are plenty of nice templates offered with web builders. But, depending on what route you take, web builders can be highly restrictive to the growth of a small business. Once you figure out that you need more features to manage and promote your website properly, that’s where web builder themes, templates and bundled services become problematic. Generally speaking, when you choose this option, you are paying for hosting. The templates are provided as a “selling point.” The most frequent complaint we receive from clients who used web builders, was that they were locked into monthly fees that never ended and costs increased to get the functionality they needed. In essence, they weren’t just paying for hosting, they were paying for a site that wasn’t truly theirs because they didn’t own the license to the templates. If for instance, they wanted to move their website and contents including their theme or template to a WordPress platform it wasn’t possible. They could keep their domain name but would lose their website and have to start all over again. In short they never truly owned their website files and would have to pay every month for the “extras” rather than owning their website by paying one time for the development, while keeping their hosting separate.  **This is how bad it can be and why we do NOT provide bundled hosting and only recommend hosting companies that we know will suit our client’s needs.

WordPress Website Maintenance & Updates

When you opt for a WordPress website, after it’s launched you must perform basic updates on a regular basis. This is true with any website. This is not “updating” as in adding new content which is also crucial if you want your website to rank well and to remain engaging to your visitors.  WordPress updates, plugin updates, theme and other changes that may be unique to your website need to be preformed fairly regularly.

If you are not familiar with WordPress or content management platforms, we can teach you how to do the basic updates.  Most small business owners simply don’t have the time to maintain their websites, so we’re here to help as needed. If you have already attempted to self manage your website and you need WordPress troubleshooting services Bay Area Graphics & Marketing offers affordable, flexible website maintenance and SEO solutions that are geared towards small business owners. You really can afford these services without getting locked into contracts and services that you may not need every month. Keep in mind we bundle our website maintenance with SEO so that you can get a better return on your investment.

Contact Bay Area Graphics & Marketing 

The success of your small business website is up to you. Begin with an affordable, professional website design package and then opt for our Pay as You Go SEO Services for maintenance, marketing and optimization. Learn more about our website design packages and SEO pricing by calling 813-778-9548 or email us for a no hassle quote.

Read: Avoiding DIY or Bundled Website Design/Hosting Services

tampa web design & marketing

Small Business Web Design & Marketing on a Minimal Budget

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Can You Market Your Florida Business on a Minimal Budget?

Developing and marketing your small business website is a must for any Florida business. If you’re a true small business, a mom and pop business or a self-funded entrepreneur, finding room in your budget for website services can seem challenging at best. But, allocating funds for website design and search engine optimization services should be on the top of your list of necessary operating costs. How do you know where to begin to find quality, affordable website services? If you choose incorrectly, how might it effect your expenditures and success going forward?

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing can help you to understand your options. We offer affordable website design and marketing services that will accommodate your business at every stage.

The Cost of Website Design Services in Tampa Bay

The cost of website design and the subsequent costs of website maintenance and marketing can fluctuate greatly from one firm to another. There are often very obvious reasons for the fluctuation. If you’re like most small businesses, you must first understand how to find the right Florida website design company , one that is small business friendly.

“You Deserve to Get the Best Return on Your Marketing Dollars.”

It can be extremely confusing for small business owners to  understand the ins and outs of web design and SEO.  Most do not know what they should look for, the questions they should ask and how to discern between the massive amounts of information provided online and by local website service providers. Small businesses are always searching for affordable web design and marketing firms in Tampa Bay and in Florida and there are many to choose from. Below are some quick tips on how to get the help you need to build and market your small business website, even on a minimal budget.

1. Do your research. Spending your money wisely doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone who promises you the moon. Anyone who promises you a top ranking is just not being honest. Look for a company who follows Google’s Best Practices and understands the importance of content, website health and functionality as it applies to visitor appeal and search engine ranking.

2. Web design and SEO pricing that seems affordable to some, may not be cost-effective or affordable for others. Know your budget, then, ask the company you are considering how they can work within your budget, and exactly what you can expect.

3. There are Florida web design and marketing firms who charge enormous fees for their services and yet they do not necessarily produce better results for their clients. Alternatively, the cheapest SEO and website design services may not have the longevity and stability that you want. Take your time, ask questions and be forthcoming with your answers, as well.

4. Understand that marketing your website to rank high on Google also means maintaining good health and functionality of your website. If your SEO firm cannot do both at a reasonable price, then you may wish to look elsewhere.

5. Social media marketing. Social media is important. How much time or money you allocate to it depends very much on your industry and your budget. Spending all of your money or time on Facebook and other social media platforms while ignoring the organic ranking of your website is always a bad idea. Using these platforms properly will get you more bang for your buck. Look for a company who combines services, such as SEO and Social Media Marketing as well as website maintenance. Not all firms have the experience to help you with each of these most needed services.

6. Work with a website design and marketing firm who isn’t opposed to working together WITH you to market and promote your business. After all, it’s YOUR business. How does this benefit you? One example: Many small business owners are contacted directly by companies who are selling paid directory listings. We have seen many businesses ruin their ranking simply because they were roped into paying for services that served no purpose at all, other than propping up the directory.  To avoid costly errors, your SEO firm should be agreeable to work together with you, to help you to determine where your money is best spent. Additionally, ask if your rep can teach you or your staff the proper way to update your sites or even how to engage properly on social media.

7. Once you begin looking for a Tampa website design and marketing firm to assist you, remember if the company you are considering is using paid ads it doesn’t say much for their ability to get you ranked high organically. We would suggest moving away from these companies.

8. Maintain realistic expectations. Keep in mind that doing something is always better than doing nothing at all. If you have a very limited budget, discuss this with your website design & SEO firm. If they are truly small business friendly, they will be able to offer an affordable SEO package without contracts or strings attached.

9. Speaking of contracts. Avoid them. SEO contracts lock you into services that may or may not be beneficial. If your SEO firm is doing a great job, then you’ll stay with them. We think it’s just that simple.

10. Look to consolidate the tasks that you need the most into one service. In other words, avoid paying a web designer to maintain and update your website and an SEO & Marketing company to build your online business. Streamlining your services, get rid of services that are not producing results and put those funds into areas that give you the best return on your investment.

11. If you do not have a website, it is very important to understand the difference between a designer and an SEO specialist. Once you understand why, it will make sense to use a website designer who will optimize your site prior to launching. More often than not, we are optimizing websites that should have been optimized and were not. This is simply not cost effective.

Our Love for Small Businesses 

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing has been providing help for Florida Small Business owners since 2001! We have always had a heart for the Florida small business owner, and we continue to derive great pleasure from their success! Find out how we can help your small business succeed too!

Reach out to us below, or call 813-778-9548.
You can also direct message us and chat with us on Facebook.

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    “You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.”
    Larry Page, co-founder of Google

    Florida Small Businesses Website Design & Marketing Services. We Call Tampa Bay Home!