I came across the question on Onstartups.com. You can see the actual question right here
What is the easiest way to get a small business website online
My one-word answer: WordPress! More specifically though, WordPress.org, not to be confused with WordPress.com.
So let me answer the question in a little more detail.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a hosted version of WordPress.org. Both offers open source software that allow you to have a blog on the Internet. The software is VERY user-friendly, has a lot of features, is constantly being updated and very widely used. With a WordPress.com blog your domain name looks like yoursite.wordpress.com and it is free. With a WordPress.org blog, you need to buy your own domain name, arrange and pay for hosting and upload the WordPress.org software to design and update your website.
It is highly recommended to start your business site on a self-hosted WordPress.org platform instead of the third-party hosted, WordPress.com platform. With WordPress.com, you do not own your domain or hosting and as such your site could be terminated at any time. It also does not look professional to have a business website with a domain name that looks like www.yourbusinessname.wordpress.com Start off with your own domain and hosting, build links to your website, brand your site and input your own content, right from the beginning. That is the best way to go.
For domain name and hosting, I recommend Namecheap.com and Hostgator.com both of which I personally use. You can find their exact links on my resources page here: Resources
To download WordPress.org, just go to WordPress.org.
Theme
After that you will need a website theme. The default theme that comes with every WordPress.org installation is Twenty-eleven which is quite basic but a very good start. For more free themes, you can also find them on WordPress.org. For a more professional look, flexibility and features I recommend the StudioPress suite of themes. My blog is run of one of the Studiopress themes called Genesis.
Search Engine Optimization
WordPress.org sites comes with access to plugins that helps to enhance the functionality of your website. One of the first functions you will want to start with is optimizing your business site for the search engines. There are quite a few plugins and even themes that helps you optimize your site and get found by your prospective customers and clients. Two well known and effective plugins for search engine optimization are the All-in-One SEO Plugin and Headspace.
Versatility
Depending on your business and your goal for your small business website, you can customize your WordPress.org website in many ways, within the framework of the theme you have chosen. You can choose to have a basic layout with a home page, about us, services, products, contact us. This will allow you to have a more static layout and look and feel as opposed to the blog layout. You can build your site with those same pages and have a separate page for blog posts. There are additional options to use sales pages for products and services, opt-in pages for free gifts and more.
So get your small business website online today (yes it can be done in one day) using WordPress.org.
If you prefer to outsource the technical stuff, click here to look at a few of my packages or contact me for a customized quote.
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