Top 10 Reasons Small Businesses Should Use WordPress
Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by admin in Advice
It seems like it was only a few years ago, that if you wanted a small business web site you had to pay thousands of dollars to have one designed and built for you. Then you’d have to pay hundreds of dollars each time you wanted it updated. Content Management Systems (CMS), like WebSphere, came along later to make it easier to to manage content, but those were expensive and had confusing user interfaces.
Today we have choices. Open source CMS’ such as Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress have made it easy and cheap to launch and maintain your company’s web site. We may be a little biased here at Appsalon, but we’ve tried them all and we’re sticking to our guns. WordPress is the best CMS to power your small business web site. Let me tell you why…
1. WordPress Saves Time
These days time is a precious commodity especially for small business owners who usually have multiple roles within their company to manage costs. With WordPress you don’t need countless clicks to get your content published as you can do it with just 2 and the process is simple when compared to Joomla or Drupal.
2. WordPress is easy to grasp
You don’t need to have a PhD in Computer Science thanks to WordPress’ flexibility and easy to use interface. Add the fact that the template system is the most user friendly yet and you can see why millions of small businesses use the WordPress platform to enhance their businesses.
3. WordPress has great security features
You don’t have to worry about your small business’ website being hacked by competitors or deviants looking to destroy what you have built. WordPress provides millions of small business owners a secure platform giving them the peace of mind to get on with the day to day running of their businesses.
4. WordPress has a vibrant community
There is a reason why the WordPress community is talked so highly of and it is because of the word “support.” Because of its supreme extensibility and widespread support throughout the open-source community it is the first choice amongst small businesses around the world today.
5. WordPress has unlimited variety
Due to its unique open-source community a fantastic selection of themes and plug-ins are always at hand and constantly updated to make sure your website keeps up with the times and provides that dynamic content.
6. WordPress is easy to install
Not only is it easy to grasp it is also simple to install meaning that you avoid the usual countless hours of trawling through manuals or internet help pages before paying a professional to do it for you.
And with Appsalon’s Easy Website Builder it’s even easier.
7. WordPress makes it easy to modify, manage and build anything
With WordPress’ constantly evolving modifying your dynamic content is no longer a hassle as you can build anything you want or manage easily your website at the click of a button.
8. WordPress can do it all
Millions of small businesses continue to use WordPress today due to its vast extensibility, supreme flexibility, and widespread support right through the open-source community. So there is no reason to look for other expensive software as WordPress can pretty much do it all.
9. WordPress: Because everyone else is using it
Remember when your mother told you not to do something just because everyone else was doing it. Well she was wrong. OK, almost wrong. Because so many web sites are powered by WordPress, you can expect an abundance of new features, tons of support, and easy integration with other systems.
10. WordPress is freedom
Whether you are a creative professional like a designer or just an amateur wanting dynamic content for you small business WordPress is for you. By designing themes any way you want and constantly discovering new ways to set your business apart from the rest, you can help your business thrive whilst cutting your workload down at the same time.
WordPress logo image by koka_sexton.
SEO – First Doesn’t Mean Best
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by admin in Advice, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization
Open up the Yellow Pages to “Insurance” and you’ll see the problem right away. The Yellow Pages list businesses alphabetically, and insurance companies’ entire marketing strategies seem to revolve around being first. So you get listings like this:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaable Agency…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaable Agency…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaable Agency…
… and so on. To the customer it’s annoying. It’s also a disservice, both to the customer and the agency itself. To the customer, this sort of gaming-the-system is insulting. Rather than trying to attract your business by offering great products and service, the agency assumes that you’ll call the first insurance company you see (how do they say their name on the phone?).
And the business hurts itself by missing an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. These listings scream “Look at us! We’re just like everyone else!” Yes, I know insurance is a commodity product but your company doesn’t have to be a commodity company.
I see a lot of this in online marketing as well. Companies will spend a small fortune trying to be first in Google search results. They’ll hire big time SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firms, do expensive link building campaigns, and buy lots of traffic through pay per click campaigns, all in pursuit of First. Don’t get me wrong, First is great! But that can’t be your entire internet marketing strategy. First will get you a lot of traffic. First will get you a short-term boost in visits. And First will give you SEO bragging rights at your next industry conference. But First doesn’t do anything for conversions. Its long term effect on your brand is minimal; and First does nothing to build trust and customer engagment.
At the risk of sounding like Seth Godin here, our advice at Appsalon is rather than focusing on being First for your keywords, instead focus on being Best. Let the other guys blow their marketing budget on being First. Then read their ad copy and visit their site and ask yourself how can you give your site visitors a better experience?
The answer to that question is your internet marketing plan.