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A lot of what I do is online. Maybe it’s the same for you? But with the constant growth of the internet and the shrinking of our personal experiences, online has become the default to get things done. That’s not all bad, I’d much rather send an email than talk on the phone, and I expect I’m not the only one.
One of the challenges of working on the internet, though, is knowing where to go. We all have favorite social media platforms, even those that fall out of favor have millions of users, well, maybe not MySpace anymore, but Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and more are here to stay.
Sometimes you join just to stay close to your friends and family, then an opportunity comes along, and you think, wow, I can use this to reach my customers too! And you’re right, you can. We regularly advertise and post through FB because that’s where our customers are for our businesses.
As good as social media is, we don’t own those platforms. We’re building our business on someone else’s platform, and as we’ve seen recently, they can make decisions that keep you from continuing that. It’s a danger that every business faces. You can have a great Etsy store that gets shut down, a FB group with thousands of users, an Instagram account that you lose access to. Imagine losing your whole business because you’re only on social.
Every business, big or small, needs a website—a place to call their own. There are so many ways to build a website these days, and most often, if it doesn’t happen, it’s because you don’t know where to start. Starting is the most challenging part; once you’ve got it, it smooths out considerably.
I have more domain names than I can count. I love a great idea and will buy a domain just to confirm that I can build on that idea in the future. For $30 or less, it makes sense to me. I’ve always operated on a theory called “less than lunch.” Websites fit that; they cost less than lunch.
But how, where, and what do you do next. Owning a domain is not the same as building a site. It’s just the beginning. I have a webmaster who builds my business websites. He’s great; if you aren’t ready to tackle those things yourselves, I can make a recommendation – just let me know.
But just because I’ve got a guy doesn’t mean I don’t love a good DIY site. If it’s mostly going to be text-based without a lot of fancy coding, I am more than happy to tackle building a site myself.
I buy my domains through Siteground, for a couple of reasons.
#1 – they aren’t Go-Daddy. Apologies to my friends who work there, but Go-Daddy has some perceived predatory practices that I simply don’t like.
#2 – Siteground allows me to buy their GrowBig plan with Unlimited Websites for $9.99 a month. Right now, I have 11, five are active, some will never be, and that’s ok. Once I buy a domain, I’ve got time to let it mature, let my ideas grow.
#3 – I don’t know about you, but when I start something new, I often screw it up. I’ll make an error in building a website and get the BSOD (Black screen of death) – when that happens, I don’t stress anymore, I know that Siteground has a backup. I know I can hop on chat and ask for help. I know that at the end of the day, Siteground has my back. They have proved it repeatedly, so even my baby steps into site-building have always worked out ok.
If you are just now looking for a place for your website, a place to call your own. Consider Siteground, either for your domain purchase, or your hosting, or both. You won’t be disappointed.
