Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

To be honest, it seems like the traditional "website" is starting to phase out. The reason is simple: THE CONTENT IS STATIC!!! With all the social networking sites on the web, information is being created faster than people can absorb it. You used to be able to get away with a website that read, "last updated 4 months ago," but I think that will be less and less the case as time goes on.

So what are your options? You can learn HTML, or hire a web designer and pay him to update your site weekly or bi-weekly, or you can make use of the FREE social-networking platforms that are already out there. Try these three to start:

MYLOCALSPOT - Like a MySpace, but for businesses. Easy to use site lets you upload pictures, contact info, business description, current specials and a products/services list. Update it at any time and keep your customers up-to-date.

WORDPRESS - Let`s you create a blog and prove that you`re an "expert" in your field. Great to backlink from (if you can get some traffic and good content). Templates are available everywhere, so u can make your blog`s appearance relate to your business. Keep it updated!

SQUIDOO - Create your own "lens" (a.k.a. webpage). Customize it and talk about your business. Edit it`s look and feel and use it to keep customers up-to-date.

Social web marketing is a fabulous way to promote your business - and even a better tool to promote your own web site.  It`s better to start with your own domain - and incoporate the social web site marketing into your plan.  There are a ton of free places to set up a web page to position yourself as an expert in your field and move traffic to your own site. 

You will have a higher profit marging working off your own domain.. By all means use all the free tools out there - but position your site in the middle of it all.

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Web Site Design
Internet Marketing
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NewWard Development, LLC http://www.newward.com
"We Make Your Web Site Your Best Employee"

I agree social networking sites are great and a great way to promote your product/service/yourself and the hottest way to spread the word.

The effective way to use such sites is to promote, create some buzz... not to use them as your only/main website presence.

There is value in having your own domain name and website rather than a subset of squidoo, youtube, etc.

~Roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

I disagree that "traditional Web sites" are phasing out. Instead, I think "crap" Web sites are being clicked out of faster and faster by an increasingly educated online population.

Yes, new languages and tools, all are going to help make the Web even more useful. But ultimately, it comes down to interesting and/or useful content.

I was a musician in my first life, and learned very quickly that everybody thinks they`re a performer. Everybody thinks they can get up on a stage and fascinate an audience. Of course it`s not true, and "American Idol" is an example of how those people get used by business people in the profession.

So too, everybody thinks they`re a writer. Everybody`s got a "fannnnnntastic idea." That`s not true either. But with the free-and-open accessibility of the Web, the rest of the world ends up with the results.

Google spends BIG bucks, BIG time, and hires MAJOR talent to figure out how to use technology to sift out the junk from the *relevant* (and interesting). Why is that?

Social networking (whatever that means) isn`t some new tool. Nor are blogs, forums, marketing, advertising, and so on and so forth. They`re just another option in an overall strategy. Note that with wireless technology, cellphones, and digital video, people still use a paper flyer or postcard to ALSO market.

Would we say that "traditional pieces of paper are being phased out?" I`ve been hearing that now, for about 20 years, and paper is still around. :-)

Craig,

  You`re 100% right that personal websites will never go away, and there will always been those people who are better at designing sites than others...my point was simply that static content sites are phasing out (i.e. the traditional "billboard sites") as people become more online savvy.

  I just wanted to point out some alternatives for people to take note of before they just throw in the towel and decide that they can`t keep up with how fast content is updated these days.

I don`t think this has anything to do with your website.

I think if your business is static, the world is going to pass you by anyway. Your website is merely a tactical reflection of that.

Nikole...!

I`ll disagree also that "static" sites, content or otherwise are phasing out. A well-written, well-designed site acting as a gateway for order-taking doesn`t need to change. If you`ve read how Google (and presumably other search engines) rank Web sites, you know that *relevancy* is at least as important as changing content.

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Web and Graphic Design

LOL!...IdeaGenerator.  I suspect the point of many of these topics, where the original poster quickly fades away, is a mistaken tactic of driving visitor traffic for an artificial purpose. :-D

CraigL.....agreed....

The "correct" way to do this is to become a "long standing" member, (I`m guilty of this too) provide a photo to make you seem more human than just a faceless name within the Internet ooze, and over time provide content helpful to other users. In other words...be a giver and not just a taker.

Working on the photo...let me see if I can dig one up on this laptop here while I`m thinking about it :)