If you are a startup or sole trader, you may be thinking about saving some time and money by using one of the free website templates that are available online from some of the main domain hosts.

A number of things you should consider before making a decision:

1. Where will you be getting new customers from?

If you intend to get new customers from the internet, then you should perhaps review your competitors websites, as you will probably need to create something as good if not better than theirs. Do you have the necessary skills to do this?

Free website templates tend to look very similar and to make them look good can sometimes require time and skill.

If you don't intend to get new customers from the internet, you should still think about your website image and the fact that people may evaluate your website before doing business with you.

Your company/business image is important and you need to ensure that you have a consistent brand across all your marketing.

2. Once your website is up and running, what happens if you need help?

If you have managed to get your website up and running for free, well done! However, what happens if you decide later on that you need to add more functionality; have you checked to see if such things are possible and what are the costs involved? Also, how quickly will they respond to your requests and do they understand what you and your business are trying to achieve?

3. Speed is an issue

If your free website is hosted on a server with lots of other free websites, the speed in which people are able to navigate your website may be less than up to speed. Google has started to rank websites on how quickly they are able to load.

These are just some of the things to consider if you go down the free DIY route, if you would like to discuss some alternative options please give me a call.

William Withers