Increasingly, companies communicate with their users through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. However, having your own website is still necessary. We explain why and what the possibilities are.
Your own website: you're not going to build a house on land you're renting, are you?
Having your own website on the Internet, connected to your own domain name, is an important virtual property. It is yours, and you are the boss. You determine the rules of the game, carry out the necessary optimisation of the content so that your website is easily found by search engines, etc.
Apart from your own website you can also use the strength of social media to communicate with users of course. Creating a page on Facebook, Instagram and the like is very simple and allows you to entertain your customers with games and fun promotions. But it is still rented land, and you are at the mercy of every change the network implements. Content or photographs can be considered inappropriate, an algorithm decides whether your post is seen by users, etc.
Your branding is also very important. What is easiest to mention in an advertisement, what is the user most likely to remember: your own, short web address www.mijnbedrijf.be or the long address www.facebook.com/mijnbedrijf? And you know, that sentence "Find us on Facebook", forget that - you put your phone number on your business card, don’t you, and not "Find us in the telephone book"?
Having your own website is important. It is the central location where people find your corporate details, contact details, opening hours. This is where you refer to your Facebook page, your Instagram, your Snapchat, etc. and any other social network. This is where you post movies and information that is permanent, and you alone are the boss over.
For small-sized businesses it is also very simple to make a website. Allow us to explain the possibilities.
What do you need for your own website?
- Hosting : the space on a server for your files.
- A domain name: the web address linked to your hosting. This can be a domain name with extension .be, .vlaanderen, .com or one of the many new extensions such as .guru, .news, .club, .xyz. If a visitor enters this domain name in his/her browser , he/she will go to your website.
- Content: you create the files and upload them to your hosting space. This can be done with simple input forms in a "content management system" or via File Transfer Protocol. (FTP).
What are the different possibilities for your own website?
- Website builder package: many hosting companies offer a website builder package, such as SiteBuilder. By clicking and dragging you can easily make a website using the provided building modules.
- Content Management Systems: you choose the background and layout for your website from one of the existing themes, add add-on modules for certain functions such as sending a newsletter, and your site is ready. Input forms allow you to easily add new content which is published immediately.
- One of the most commonly used CMS for simple websites is Wordpress.com. It allows you to create a free website and link your domain name to this address.
- CMS-hosting: your hosting provider installs, against payment, a CMS on the server space you rent and is prepared for you. This is used for more complex websites, which need more computing power, one or several databases, etc.
Commonly used CMS-hosting:
- Wordpress: hosted Wordpress gives total freedom of action and the possibility to put advertising on your website
- Drupal and Joomla: these CMS are used by organisations that work with different user types.
- Magento: nice and easy launch of your webstore with this ready-made e-commerce system.
Tailor-made website: if you have specific needs, work with a web developer or web agency. They will make a CMS for you, adapted to your requirements, or build your own website
In short: for every company, big or small, with simple or complex requirements, with a small or big budget, a website is the ideal way to make your presence on the Internet permanent. Your website should be your fixed home, your base that leads to the more social or experimental forms of communication with your users!
Make sure your website contains all the data required by law. Not only will you avoid a fine, it also shows your site is trustworthy. Find out which information is obligatory on your company website.