No Cost and Cheap Website Myths

The world is full of no-cost and cheap websites. Some work, but most don’t. Not because the technology is wrong, but because the basic principles of creating and maintaining the marketing tool of the website, are either not known or forgotten. Too often websites are hammers, where spanners are needed.

1. Everything’s social these days so why bother!

Increasingly large brands are directing their clients and prospects to Facebook or other social media rather than their website. Why? Because they know that whatever the web property, it is all about communication and conversation.

That’s why building a website and then not touching it, is like going out into the Forest of Dean and shouting loudly; and going back a year later and expecting to hear the echoes or finding people waiting to talk! The difference between websites and social media is purely conceptual. It is not a choice for most businesses of either/or, but both with a conversion strategy.

2. All web designers are the same!

Not true. All websites must be designed in order to achieve their objectives. Choosing a people carrier won’t win you a F1 grand prix! Turning up in the racecar is perhaps not the right image for a plumber or management consultant! Designer has at least 4 meanings for websites:

· The graphic designer. What does it look like- colours, layout, font?

· The IT techie. How does it work- if the user clicks this what happens?

· The marketing adviser. What does it want the viewer to do next?

· The marketing consultant. How does this fit with the brand and the other sales and marketing materials?

3. Why pay for hosting and domains?

No-cost hosting usually means no fee hosting. Your web-space can be shared with various unconnected advertising diluting your message so that the hosting company can generate revenue. For some businesses at the start, this might be a cost worth paying. Not so your domain, as the costs are so minimal, while advantages on being found and protecting your identity are significant. If you hold the domain registration, you control your site.

4. Content is King and Killer

Site content is governed by contradictory ‘rules’. The ever-changing Google Game sets which pages are found by those who search. Others are set by the target audience who either like reams of words. Or very few. Content can be static (core web pages) or fast-moving (blogs/news).

Without content there is no site. But content is equally killer as king. It’s a killer because for most of us it is difficult to know what to write, so is a painful task; or we copy someone else and get hit; or we tell everyone how brilliant we are so even our closest family read it through gritted teeth!

Most people think of content as only words. But people scan webpages, they don’t read them so using an image is usually essential. An image is anything including photos, diagrams, sketches, drawings, videos and words. Yes the last one is correct- most logos are images of words.

5. Website Done-Tick

Effort and money about to be thrown away- tick. As the customers you serve and the market you operate in evolves so should your website. Regularly adding fresh content aids the communication with those in your sales funnel. How much, how often or what can be tracked through various tools, which should lead back to your business objective eg make 10% more sales.

So let me be open with my aim in writing this blog. If you want to know more about building website basics, then come along to one of the negligible cost half day workshops run by the Forest of Dean Entrepreneurs. For details or to book. http://www.fodentrepreneurs.co.uk/fode-events/forest-of-dean-entrepreneurs-events-calendar/

Fibre To the Home (FTTH)

Hyperoptic gigabit broadband has been available in London since 2011 and this service has now become available in three more cities, namely, Reading, Cardiff and Bristol together these four cities are labelled “hypercities”.  This allows the residents of these areas to have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK.

Hyperoptic is continuing its expansion across London whilst simultaneously looking to rollout the service in other cities.

The company’s plans are to have the service available in over 35000 homes in 150 of London’s major developments and the aim is that by 2018 to have half a million of the capital’s households covered.  One area to benefit is the former Olympic Athletes’ Village in Stratford.

Praise has come from Karin Ahl of FTTH Council Europe on the steps being taken in the UK to improve broadband.  However, the downside is that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has stated that the Government’s Digital Communications Infrastructures Strategy will be a key player in Britain’s installation of the necessary infrastructure between 2025 and 2030.  It predicts that the UK will remain on the world’s leading digital nations!

Apparently the EU member governments have a responsibility to introduce “future-proof broadband plans” and at national level.  According to Miss Ahl “In this context it is key for the British Government to take a leading role to have a clear vision and develop a long term strategy for future-proof broadband deployment”.

All of this leads to a “wide range of benefits” with businesses and key public sector services.  Hopefully all of this will also help home workers and small businesses that are being run from home.

Beta Telecoms

www.betatelcoms.co.uk

The funniest Insurance Claims and Quotes (genuine scenarios, incorporated into a comic act by Jasper Carrott)

A bull was standing near and a fly must have tickled him because he gored my car.
A lamp-post bumped into my car, damaging it in two places.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car
A truck backed through my windscreen into my wife’s face.
Accidents with other vehicles.
After the accident a working gentleman offered to be a witness in my favour.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.
As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before.
Car had to turn sharper than was necessary owing to an invisible lorry.
Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I haven’t got.
Cow wandered into my car. I was afterwards informed that the cow was half-witted.
First car stopped suddenly, second car hit first car and a haggis ran into the rear of second car.
Going to work at 7am this morning I drove out of my drive straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.
I am responsible for the accident as I was miles away at the time.
I am sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
I blew my horn but it would not work as it was stolen.
I bumped into a lamp-post which was obscured by human beings.
I bumped into a shop window and sustained injuries to my wife.
I can’t give details of the accident as I was somewhat concussed at the time.
I collided with a stationary tramcar coming the other way.
I collided with a stationary tree.
I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way
I consider that neither vehicle was to blame but if either were to blame it was the other one.
I didn’t think the speed limit applied after midnight.
I had been driving for 40 years when I feel asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
I had one eye on a parked car, another on approaching lorries, and another on the woman behind.
I heard a horn blow and was struck violently in the back. Evidently a lady was trying to pass me.
I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was any risk.
I knocked over a man. He admitted it was his fault as he had been run over before.
I left for work this morning at 7am as usual when I collided straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.
I left my Austin Seven outside and when I came out later to my amazement there was an Austin Twelve. 
I left my car unattended for a minute, and whether by accident or design it ran away.
I misjudged a lady crossing the street.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
I pulled into a lay-by with smoke coming from under the hood. I realised the car was on fire so took my dog & smothered it with a blanket.
I remember nothing after missing the Crown Hotel until I came to and saw PC Brown
I saw a slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.
I saw her look at me twice. She appeared to be making slow progress when we met on impact.
I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.
I thought the side window was down but it was up, as I found when I put my head through it.
I told the other idiot what he was and went on.
I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat I found I had a fractured skull.
I unfortunately ran over a pedestrian and the old gentleman was taken to hospital, much regretting the circumstances.
I was going at about 70 or 80 mph when my girlfriend on the pillion reached over and grabbed my testicles so I lost control.
I was on my way to see an unconscious patient who had convulsions and was blocked by a tanker.
I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
I was scraping my nearside on the bank when the accident happened.
I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
I was thrown from the car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
Ice on the road applied brakes causing skid.
If the other driver had stopped a few yards behind himself the accident would not have happened.
In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
Mr. X is in hospital and says I can use his car and take his wife while he is there. What shall I do about it?
My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.
My car was stolen and I set up a human cry, but it has not been recovered.
No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert.
No witnesses would admit having seen the mishap until after it happened.
On approach to the traffic lights the car in front suddenly broke.
On the M6 I moved from the centre lane to the fast lane but the other car didn’t give way.
Q: Could either driver have done anything to avoid the accident? A: Travelled by bus?
She suddenly saw me, lost her head and we met.
The accident happened because I had one eye on the lorry in front, one eye on the pedestrian and the other on the car behind.
The accident happened when the right front door of a car came round the corner without giving a signal.
The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.

( This is one of my favourites )
The bloke was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again
The car in front stopped suddenly and I crashed gently into his luggage grid.
The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing.
The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intentions.
The other man altered his mind so I had to run into him.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run so I ran over him.
The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him.
The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.
The telephone pole was approaching and I was attempting to swerve out of its way when it struck the front end of my car.
The water in my radiator accidentally froze at 12 midnight.
There was no damage done to the car, as the gate post will testify.
There were plenty of lookers-on but no witnesses.
Three women were talking to each other and when two stepped back and one stepped forward I had to have an accident.
To avoid a collision I ran into the other car.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck a pedestrian.
We had completed the turn and had just straightened the car when Miss X put her foot down hard and headed for the ladies’ loo.
When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.