Build Your Own Website?

With the invention of various DIY website builders out there on the internet, just like the DIY home improvement boom, more business owners are spending their precious time and money trying to do it themselves.  While it’s admirable to be a do-it-yourselfer, there are times when it just doesn’t make good sense.  Case in point: my husband and I are avid home improvement DIYers, however, after may years and many failures of various projects in our home, we have discovered which DIY projects are the best use of our time and money and when it is time to hire a pro.  Drywall, for instance, is a pro job in our house, as is anything to do with concrete or roofing.  These things are just not our kind of gig, if you catch my drift.  However, tiling is something we do well and can do together, saving us a lot of money.  Having said that though, even with that, we have to find the time to do it.

My husband has a saying, “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.”  I always cringe when a successful business owner tells me that they want to build their own website.  I think that’s all well and good but do you really want to spend your time doing that?  What happens to your business while you’re side-tracking on building a website?  Who is running the show for you?  Do you have to pay someone to do your job while you learn how to build a website?  In my humble opinion, that just doesn’t make good sense.

At Webs by Cheryl, our motto is, “Let us build your website while you build your business.”  The other part of that is, “How much is your time worth?” and “Do what you do best, and leave the website building to us!”  Think about it: if you make $100-$200/hour running your business (or maybe more!), why on earth would you want to waste that amount of money by spending your valuable time working on a profession you know nothing about?

When Webs by Cheryl builds a website, there is so much more going on than what you see on the front end.  There is a lot more that goes into a website on the backend.  But, if building websites is not your profession, you may not know that.  Webs by Cheryl has been building websites since 2009, so we have 12 years of learning what works and what doesn’t as well as all the mechanics of building your website.  When you hire us, you are hiring our experience, just like when I hire a roofer, I am hiring his experience.  I don’t want a guy who is going to make my roof his training ground.  No! I want someone who knows what he is doing, including tricks of the trade, so I don’t have water dripping on my head when I’m inside my house.

So, if you’re tired of DIY and you want to hire a pro, give Webs by Cheryl a call.  We are pros at building WordPress websites that work.

248.786.2497.

P.S. Duct tape doesn’t work on websites!

Is Your Website Mobile Friendly?

Responsive Web Design

Is Your Website Mobile Friendly?

I have been coming across a lot of websites lately that are not mobile friendly and I keep wondering why. Over half of the people currently browsing the internet, do so on their mobile phones. This means, if your website doesn’t look good and provide a good user experience on a mobile phone, you’re losing viewers and if you’re losing viewers, you’re losing business.

It would be easy to pretend that if a website is still operational and looks ok on a desktop PC, then it’s ok to leave it alone. After all, if it ain’t broke, why fix it! Right?  Well, the truth is, if it doesn’t look right on a mobile phone, it is broke.  I know you are thinking that to have your website rebuilt is going to be very costly and you just can’t afford it right now.  I would challenge you to consider the cost of losing business because potential customers can’t use your website on a smart phone.  According to a recent article published on cnbc.com (Jan. 2019) “Nearly three quarters of the world will use just their smartphones to access the internet by 2025.” That’s only 5 1/2 years away as of the writing of this blog post.  According to a blog post written by Christo Petrov on a site called techjury.net, 51% of the time spent online in the US is on mobile devices.  Hopefully you are beginning to understand that a website that is not optimized for smart phone users is losing market share.

At Webs by Cheryl, all of our websites are built to be mobile friendly, so no pinching and zooming. Our websites are also easy to navigate, user friendly and have eye-pleasing, clean design. If you need an affordable, mobile friendly website, call Webs by Cheryl 248.756.2497.

Website Security

website security

Website Security

These days you can’t be too careful when it comes to website security. If you’re a website techie or guru, you can skip this article because you already know this, or at least you should. If you are just the average business person with a website or are considering having one built, then read on.

There are two basic pieces of security your website must have: a Secure Socket Layer certificate (also known as an SSL certificate) which protects visitors to your website, and a firewall which protects your website from hacking.

Most people who hire someone to build a website don’t know much about website security, but knowing this and bringing it up with your website developer will save you some headaches. If your website developer scratches his or her head when you mention these security issues, then find another developer fast.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate should only cost around $75 to $100 per year per website. (As of this writing in 2019).  SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, and is a method of encryption that involves obtaining a verification from an SSL provider and installing that certificate on your site.  It’s what makes your domain address go from HTTP to HTTPS, that “S” lets users know the site is secure. Sites that use HTTPS safeguard their visitors’ information, and also earn better rank in search engines—even Google has prioritized sites using HTTPS.  When you visit a site on Google that is not using SSL encryption, you will be notified that the site isn’t secure.  If you complete even a basic contact form with name, email address, etc., you run the risk of having that information stolen if the site you are on is not secured with an SSL certificate.  Furthermore, if your site isn’t secure, your users will know and they may leave immediately — if they even find you at all.

Firewall

A firewall can be as simple as a free plugin on the back side of your website if you use WordPress or some other CMS website building software or it can be something implemented by your hosting company, depending upon who you host with.

Whatever the case may be, don’t ignore security.  Everyday websites get hacked and hijacked because of lack of adequate security.  Having adequate security really isn’t that hard or expensive so don’t let it go by the wayside.  Webs by Cheryl carries a full product line of security tools. LEARN MORE

And, as always, if you need help with this or other website or SEO issues, please give Webs by Cheryl a call at 248.756.2497 or drop us a line by visiting our contact page.