Building a website: Go pro or DIY?11 July 2006
The internet is gradually encroaching on various aspects of our lives, succeeding traditional technologies and past-times to become an essential part of 21st century life.
Recent figures proved that television looked likely to decline in popularity, as the amount of time Britons spend online exceeded the number of hours spent watching television for the first time. A survey carried out by Google found that the average person in the UK spends roughly 164 minutes surfing the net a day. In contrast, the research found that Brits now spend just 148 minutes a day watching the box.
And one only has to look at the phenomenal success of e-commerce and e-auction sites such as eBay and Amazon to recognise the massive potential of the online consumer marketplace. A recent study by the Interactive Media in Retail Group found that of all the retail sales in the UK, ten per cent are conducted online. It estimated that Britons will spend £30 billion buying products and services over the internet during the course of this year.
As a result, it is clear that businesses of all sizes need to keep up with the pace of consumers and their internet use and build themselves a web presence. But for small businesses, creating and maintaining an effective website can be time-consuming and complex. A new report from analysts Yankee Group revealed that small to medium sized firms do have the time or the knowledge to create their own website. While 65 per cent of these companies have a website, the study found that many were choosing to outsource the management of the site.
So which is better?
Whether you decide to create and manage your company's own website, or opt to hire a third party to take care of it, there are advantages and disadvantages.
- Ability - attempting to build and manage the company's website could be a steep learning curve for those with little background in web design and could prove to be a waste of time and resources if implemented incorrectly.
- Control - but enlisting the services of a third party could mean relinquishing control over the image and information the website gives out about the business and also limits the SME's ability to update and amend the site at will.
One way to meet in the middle and achieve a professionally established website without breaking the bank or losing control is a web design package. BT's Web Design Studio follows a consultative approach to allow BT experts to create a truly bespoke and tailored website for small businesses. For those firms looking for a basic online presence, BT also offers the Internet Business Pack which offers a wide variety of website templates to choose from and supplies step-by-step instructions to creating the company website.
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