Are free web sites a waste of time!
Do free web sites really deliver?
I received a message from a connection on Linkedin singing the praises of a free web site provider that allows you to automatically create a new web site from the content of your Linkedin profile.
While, on the surface, this sounds great . . . I wonder if it really is!
My reason for saying this is simple. Why have a showroom on the web if no-one can find it!
SEO – while I’m aware Google now indexes and ranks a web site on the words on it’s pages, it also looks at the percentage of key words on each page and within the code and image content of the site (resulting in your web site appearing on the first page of a service and, or, geographic specific word search on Google, or not as the case may be).
So, while you may build and manage a web site for free, there are usually catches –
- Does this all singing, all dancing, free web site have features that enable you to SEO (Search Engine Optimise) it’s content – allowing people searching online for what you do, and where you are located, to find you while searching online on the likes of Google!
- What support will this free web site provider give (and how fast will it be given) if you have queries or problems when building or managing your free web site!
- Will you be forced to pay charges to add features over and above the most basic provided gratis to get you hooked!
- What happens to this free site of yours if the service provider is bought out by another company who decides to hit you for fees to continue using your no longer free web site or, worse still, said free web site provider company takes a dive and your beautiful new site (and all the work you put into it) goes south!
- You might also want to consider what the provider of a free web site does with your email address and the other information you provided when you signed up!
The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is usually true.
I’ll get off my soapbox now . . . I’m getting light headed up here!
peace, Stephen Bradley
creative director, veetoo
veetoo are Belfast SEO consultants who specialise in delivering first page Google search results for companies competing online in major cities in the U.K. and U.S.
