Anyone willing to invest time in their own website can save considerable money. The only requirement: some technical understanding. (Photo: © alphaspirit/123RF.com)
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Digital Crafts - Theme specials
January 2017
Industry 4.0: According to studies, 37 percent of small businesses do not have their own website. They are thus missing out on valuable potential – for acquiring new customers and securing skilled workers.
Figures from the Federal Statistical Office clearly show that small businesses in particular are still hesitant to go online: So far, only 63 percent are taking advantage of the benefits of having their own website. Yet it's an open secret that younger generations, in particular, look for their service providers almost exclusively online. And skilled trades businesses with their own websites also have a leg up when it comes to securing skilled workers, because applicants and trainees want to get a first impression of the company online. Therefore, having their own website is worthwhile for all businesses – regardless of whether they operate regionally or nationally. This allows skilled tradespeople to present themselves not only as professional service providers and good employers, but also to showcase their services, products, and special skills.
Small businesses in particular can now easily create their own website at a manageable cost. The most convenient way: outsource the entire project to an external service provider – for example, an internet agency. This agency takes care of all the necessary tasks, such as providing web space, layout, programming, and producing text and photos. A simple website with just a few pages often costs no more than €350 to €600. However, special requests and unique technical solutions can quickly lead to four-figure prices. It is significantly cheaper to outsource individual projects to various freelance service providers – for example, programmers, photographers, and copywriters. Fees are freely negotiable and usually start at the level of a master's hour.
Anyone willing to invest time in their own website can save significantly more money. The only requirement: some technical understanding. Then it's easily possible to create a "homemade" website. The first step is always to reserve your own internet address (domain) in the format www.mycompany.de. Providers like Strato or 1&1 offer such domains for less than one euro per month. Ad-free storage is even available for free, for example, at bplaced.net or 111mb.de. However, it's often more sensible to purchase a package that includes not only an internet address and storage space, but also several email addresses. Such all-inclusive packages rarely cost more than a few euros per month.
Programming knowledge isn't necessarily required to design your own website: So-called website builders offer various design templates, layouts, and fonts that allow you to quickly put together a page. These website builders cost between €3 and €10 per month from various providers (see table). However, the standardized templates mean that these pages aren't very individual. Truly unique designs can therefore only be achieved with your own programming. Beginners can use special programs like NetObjects Fusion 15 to help with this. For more demanding requirements, Adobe Dreamweaver CC is a good choice. However, this professional program also requires significantly more prior knowledge, which you should acquire beforehand.
Operations management
Craft policy
Operations management
Especially when creating your own website, it's important to avoid typical beginner mistakes—for example, unprofessional-looking photos or spelling mistakes in text. Customers automatically judge the company's services based on the quality of the website. Regular updates to your website are also important to ensure customers keep clicking back and become loyal to your business. This could include, for example, the latest news about new products, reference projects, or special offers. This way, your website can consistently generate new customer orders, which can recoup the costs of website production in the medium term.
Checklist for a successful internet presence
- Check whether your website is displayed the same in all browsers – especially Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox.
- The layout of your website should adapt to small smartphone displays so that all content is visible without zooming or horizontal scrolling ("responsive design").
- Optimize your website for search engines. Free tools at seo-summary.de
- Promote your homepage on all channels – for example in email signatures, advertisements and brochures, but also on letterhead, business cards, on Facebook and Twitter.
- Provide regular updates: What changes are happening in the company? What interesting projects, new services, or products are worth reporting?
- Monitor your success: How many visitors found your business through your website? Tools for tracking success are available at web-analytics-tools.com.
Technical terms
Web Browser
Programs for displaying websites, for example Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Apple Safari.
Domain
The address at which a website can be reached on the Internet, for example, www.meinbetrieb.de. ".de" stands for German websites. International companies usually use the ".com" ending.
E-mail
Abbreviation for "Electronic Mail." It refers to the exchange of digital messages over the internet or a network.
Hosting
Hosting services include, among other things, the provision of website storage space on a server (a computer accessible via the internet 24/7). This allows websites to be accessed online at any time.
keywords
Keywords are search terms under which a website should be found in search engines.
Provider
Companies that offer Internet access and services – for example, email accounts or web space.
webspace
Online storage space where content can be stored and later accessed via the Internet.
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