Free Websites for Business

Every business owner knows that value of cutting costs.  It’s hard enough in this economy to create a steady stream of revenue; you don’t need to spend one dime more than necessary.  Free WebsitesBut this is one of those times that a free website for your business can cost you more than you'd think; It could cost your business!

Unfortunately, some business owners are choosing to find those savings in their website designs.  With the hype about “Free” website design it’s hard NOT to be tempted to go ahead and create your business page yourself.

There is nothing wrong with using a “free”, “DIY” site builder if you are using it to show your family the meals you cooked or the pictures of your kids at the beach but slow down and think this over…………… You are an authority in YOUR field.  You understand everything about your product or service, your business revolves around it.

There is no such thing as a FREE lunch.  This old saying has never been so true. 

Before you dive head long into your cost savings venture of creating your business presence via those free, DIY packages do your research.

Where are these companies that are representing your business located?

•  How could any business afford to maintain employees and multi country locations if they give you the product for free?
•  What are others saying about the experience?
•  How are the search engines ranking your free site?

Let’s explore these questions

For this article I picked the top two “free” website firms.  Wix and 1and1, did a little Google search and discovered that Wix is a Tel Aviv company with locations in New York, San Francisco and Dnepropetrovsk.

Not to bang on the Made in America drum too hard but if your business, home and family live in the United States and the economy determines your success; it is not logical that you would be spending your money overseas.   Doing business in America will save our nations businesses.   That means your business as well.   

1and1 is based in Europe, here are a few stats

Employees:

•  5,800 total
•  Technicians:
•  Over 1,600 employees in product management, development and data centers
•  Customers:
•  Almost 12 million customers on paid services
•  Earnings per year based on worthofweb.com is $15,712.920.00

Wix is based in Tel Aviv

Customers:

•  Over 30 million customers
•  Earning per year based on worthofweb.com is $48,383.280.00

How could that be? How could they be so very profitable with a free service?

How could any business afford to maintain employees and multi country locations if they give you the product for free?

The answer is again, there is no free lunch.

It’s a brilliant concept and it has proven to be a very lucrative way to get business: You offer a free product but you know that your product, out of the box, is pretty much worthless.  You get customers to invest enough time and energy to be vested in making their websites work so you can upgrade them for a fee.  You sell the functions and services that are mandatory to make your free product really work……… But does it work, even after you buy all the bells and whistles?

Well here is where you’ll find yourself when you finally get your site built to be functional.  You find yourself living inside the master WIX domain.   Why does that matter to you?

How are the search engines ranking your free site?

Search engines rank your website using over 200 factors.  Your domain and the authority that your domain is one of the factors.  When you are a site using Wix and a search is done for your product, your domain will not show up.   The domain is a Wix/yourcompany name.  Much like your face book business page.  Google is not giving your facebook.com/yourbusiness name an authority rank. 

You also find yourself in a server pool where your neighbor’s actions can impact your reputation.   It’s like living in a huge apartment complex and having no control over the actions of your neighbors.  But when those neighbors are constantly doing bad things and the cops are always visiting your complex; you become a “person of interest”.   What’s that old saying?  Sleep with the dogs, wake up with fleas?
Are you getting bit yet?

But maybe I’m wrong, maybe people are just thrilled with their free websites and there is just no reason not to use these companies.

What are others saying about the experience?  Let’s check out a few review sites and see what people are saying.
I surfed several review sites.  I seemed to see a lot of the same theme.  Take a look for yourself.

If you’d like to add your reviews or defend these companies, here are the links to the sites I visited.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/1-and-1-internet-chesterbrook
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Wixcom/internet/Wixcom-Wixcom-Scam-Sham-Un...
http://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.wix.com

Complete Web Solutions is United States Based and works with business owners to create well optimized, professional websites for their online business sites.  We can help you as well.  Call us today 719-302-5029.