When I speak with prospective clients or even curious business professionals, the most common questions I get asked is: “How can I buy a website?” In the past, there were three basic options in building a website – buy a template website from one of the many providers available, hire a professional design company to build a custom site or design one yourself using one of the several software programs available on the market. For most small-medium business owners, building their own site is not a viable option due to the time and money that needs to be invested. For years, the choice between template and custom sites was difficult. You wanted your site to look special, but you also needed to get it up and running quickly. Template sites could be created in less than a week, but “Bob’s” HVAC company site might look the exact same as “Susan’s” bakery site. Custom sites were expensive and took a long time to build, but looked great and functioned extremely well. Today, the gap between the two is shrinking. Before making a decision, here are a few things to consider. First of all, remember that content and lead generating is KING. There is more to owning a website than merely having an online presence with your business name and logo on it. A good and resourceful website requires content so that your visitors not only come to your website, but they keep returning to it as well. Give your clients and prospective clients something to new to come back and check at their leisure. The ultimate question boils down to: Is your time better spent working on your website or selling your products and services? Asking this question will help you make the decision between leasing your template website vs. owning your custom website.

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