We get inquiries all the time at Anvil from start-ups and SMBs alike asking, I don’t have much budget, is there an affordable website solution for me? On the rare occasion that we cannot provide an affordable and effective solution, we offer advice that will help establish a website presence at a cost SMBs can afford. With many low-cost entry website platforms to choose from, simply consider the options available that suit your business and marketing needs before taking that first step.

‘Affordable’ is the operative word here but these solutions won’t break the bank and will help you get up and running in a number of hours. Steve has a run-down on all the website builder platforms here. Keep in mind, it may be easy to build, but will the website really help your business beyond the initial website launch? Important considerations include:

• Is the platform mobile optimized?
• Is the platform responsively designed?
• Does it have an SEO solution included?
• Can you easily add social share buttons?
• Do you need to support e-commerce?

Assuming you have a service, non-profit or similar organization, I would recommend developing a website using Weebly. Weebly is one of the more simple platforms to manage and use to hang your digital shingle. Non-tech people can use it without coding, and its image centric which allows you to showcase your company or cause and  be up and running in just a few hours. When compared to other platforms, Weebly is one of the few that is mobile optimized, which will save you future headaches of having to adapt to that in the future. Google notes website speed and mobile friendliness as key ranking factors and you will be penalized if your site is not mobile friendly.

For small business owners to gain credibility they need to follow these steps:

1. Build a website – Weebly is recommended as it is a simple platform that non-tech people can use to build a website. You can be up and running in 1 to 3 hours.
2. Make sure it is mobile optimized – Over 70% of Amazon shoppers used mobile devices this past holiday. Weebly is the one website platform that is also mobile optimized.
3. Claim Google Business – google.com/mybusiness

Bonus – Create and manage your social media footprint. Establish a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms depending on your type of business. Use SproutSocial or Hootsuite to manage the platforms and distribute content.

In addition, here is my blog post on 5 Reasons Companies Should Use WordPress.