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Are Free Websites Worth It?

Why Site Build It is Worth Its Weight in Gold

I have read many articles on other websites and in magazines that you can set up a website for free and be online within an hour. Why don’t you give any information about this?

Margo

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I want you to be able to maximize your profits; in other words, to make the most for the time and effort you expend. Also, I want to try to help you avoid the many pitfalls that will make your efforts much harder and costlier than necessary.

It is true you can easily start free websites and have them up and running within a matter of hours. I can give you some reasons why I don’t think this is a good idea and several more why I recommend the Site Build It program.

In my opinion, you don't make much money with a free website for the following reasons:
• 1. With a free website you get a long convoluted address, such as www.geocities.com/xyz123. You don’t get your own .com domain name. This is like dealing with a business that only has a post office box rather than one that has an actual street address.

  Studies consistently show that internet surfers feel much more comfortable dealing with someone who went to the trouble and expense (neither of which is great) of getting their own domain name.

• 2. Usually with a free website address, you have to carry someone else’s ads as part of the deal. When you are struggling to establish your own Internet presence, do you want to be promoting someone else’s business?
• 3. There can be problems with these free websites. You might suddenly find that your hard work has disappeared overnight.*

• 4. Free websites generally get no respect from search engines. If you want a lot of free exposure for your site, you must be ranked highly by Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. Otherwise you will have to pay for advertising. Don’t reduce your options by using a free site.
• 5. Many affiliate programs require a real domain name and will not allow those with free websites to join. If you plan to do affiliate marketing, a real web domain is a must.
• 6. When you approach your website development this way, you are putting the cart before the horse. You need to get traffic to your site before you can sell your product.

Merely putting up a page devoted to selling your craft will do nothing to get customers to see it. 98% of commercial sites whither and die on the vine.

* [Note on point 3: This just happened to several of my craft blogging friends. Apparently the host service company was having financial difficulties.

First the bloggers were told that, as of a certain date, the host company would assume copyrights for all of the content my friends had created over the years. A few left and took their copyrights with them immediately.

A short while later, the host company sold out to another company. Several of my friends had their blogs terminated. A few were asked to stay on, but under pretty onerous terms.

The bottom line is that six artists I know personally, who had built up quite successful blogs, suddenly found themselves starting over from scratch. Do you think they paid for their new Internet platform? You'd better believe it!]

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Now for the reasons I strongly recommend Site Build It, especially for beginners:

• 1. If you follow the Site Build It website development program, instead of concentrating on the product, you first concentrate on content and traffic building by using the extensive research and brainstorming tools built into the program.

  You will receive an extensive guide to take you step-by-step through the website development process, especially keyword research. If you follow the guide, you are almost assured of success.

• 2. Once you are ready to proceed, everything is taken care of. Domain registration, website hosting, webmail, and follow up tools, such as search engine submission, keyword tracking, tracking analysis, etc. are all included in the price.

  While you can purchase all these tools separately, it is much more affordable when purchased bundled into this one program.

• 3. You do not to be a techie to build the site. All you need to do is cut your words from a text editor and paste them into the program. Site Build It is deliberately made very easy to use.

  All you do is stack blocks of text, one on top of the other to create a page. Simple to use templates are provided and linking or adding pictures is quite easy.

• 4. The company is very reputable and easy to deal with. All your questions, no matter how basic are answered within hours. You are treated like a human, not a number.

  New features and updates come frequently.

  You become part of a community made of or other users along with the managers and owners of the company.

• 5. The program comes has an optional shopping module, including a shopping cart, merchant credit card account and everything else you need to sell you product from your site.
• 6. Site Build It websites are consistently ranked among the top performing websites in the entire Internet universe.

For even more reasons to consider Site Build It click here.

If you are considering other options, ask the promoter to provide proof of the success of their products. If you get any response at all, you will find there is no comparison.

Your Guide to Selling on the Internet

• Build Your Own Website?
  While not for everyone, your own website, if done right, can set you on the road to success.
• Do I Need a Website?
  Should a crafter market her crafts on a co-op website?
• eBay Selling Tips
  How to maximize your profits when selling crafts on eBay.
• Four Mistakes Online Sellers Make Every Day
  Maximize your profits by avoiding these common errors.
• Marketing Your Website
  Some tips on getting visitors to your website or virtual store.
• Online Auctions
  What better way to get involved selling online than using these resources. Learn how to get started.
• Simple Steps to Promote Your Crafts Website
  Simple steps you can take to promote your craft website, to draw more visitors and to increase your sales.
• Site Build It
  Why you should choose Site Build It as your website development program.
• Virtual Stores
  More ways to get your crafts in front of millions of potential buyers.

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