If I had to identify the biggest downside to a having a blog on one’s website, it would be that it gives the owner of the website too much control over what is happening with their site.

I’ll explain…

As I was preparing for my post this morning, I decided to take a look at client’s sites. I was sadly surprised to see so many of them out of date.

The idea of a blog is to keep the content fresh and to grow the site on a regular basis. However, what I’m starting to see is a lot of websites that haven’t been touched in months… And not just in the blog posts, but on the pages as well!

What happens is that my clients start to get really busy and then put off posting on their blog until later… And then later becomes never. It is a vicious cycle that doesn’t stop.

Before long, it starts to show a business owner who doesn’t care about their image and attention to detail.

Elaine in Waycross asks:
Why can’t I do this?

There are a couple ways to read the question…. one as a specific item, and the other as web design… I’m going to assume that it’s the second.

The answer to the question is: You Can!

Absolutely! You can build your own website… and there are a few different options out there, ranging from the free cookie-cutter sites, to blog options all the way to buying web-building software and learning to use it.

I kinda look at it this way… I can change my own oil… theoretically, speaking! I know I would make a mess of it, and I’d always be wondering if I did a good job of putting that oil filter back in.. and hopefully that little screw at the bottom of the oil pan, too.

I’d rather pay someone else to do it, because I know it gets done right every time, and I can get in, get out, and get on my way, staying clean the whole way.

At the same time, I know a lot of folks who enjoy changing their own oil and working on their own cars.

Ok… so it’s not as simple as changing oil…

How about a cake?

I have a friend named Nicky who can take a carrot, some flour, a spatula, a couple eggs and a bunch of other stuff and make the absolute best carrot cake in the entire world. If anyone ever needs a cake for an occasion, we ask Nicky because he is really good at it. Never a singe, never dry, and a perfect balance of icing to cake every time.

Now when I go to the kitchen, I can make a real mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I know that we have an oven because that’s where I keep the pots and pans.

If someone were to ask me to bake a carrot cake, I would go online and find a recipe. Then I’d have to go to Kroger and buy things… like milk… and those white things that come out of chickens that people makes eggs out of…

Then I’d have to figure out how to turn on the oven… and find pot holders real quick because I forgot to take all those pots and pans out of there.

I would follow that recipe to the letter. It would take about five times as long as it would have if Nicky baked it, and I’d make a big mess out of it… and at the end of the day, my cake wouldn’t look, smell, taste or be anything like Nicky’s.

So while the answer is you can, the question I would ask back is “should you?”

Give it a shot… Intuit and GoDaddy have website builders, as do a few other hosting services. WordPress and Blogger have a lot of things you can use, also. It’s definitely worth a try.

Worst case scenario, you burn your cake while playing on the computer!

Common Sense Web Design Says avoid website templates unless you really know what you are doing.

Just like doing your own hair color, when you screw it up, it shows! When a man puts that stuff in their hair without knowing what they’re doing, they go from salt & pepper to jet black in 8 minutes flat… and everyone notices, but they don’t say anything.

I would love to meet the owner of a certain Italian restaurant here in Marietta. Anyone with garlic rolls that taste that good needs to know that their do-it-yourself website has a couple really big problems…

To quote that great philosopher, Brittney Spears: “Oops! They did it again.” Their template-made website includes a hit counter and access to administrative tools and information that they probably don’t want the public to be looking at.

Ninety seven percent of people with internet access look up products and companies before they buy, and over half of these local searches result in a purchase.

A well planned and executed online advertising campaign can be the fastest way to turn Internet users into paying customers as long as that company doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

There is a growing number of people today who make a living providing Internet services to business owners. Jared, a restaurant owner north of Atlanta just hired an Internet PR type of firm to help him get the word out about his food and to bring customers in.

Hiring an expert to hone in on your market can be a good choice. It can also drain your bank account if you choose the wrong one.

Buyer Beware! Social media is a nebulous thing and while the numbers are easy to measure, it’s effectiveness in a number of customers is hard to know for sure unless you see an influx of new business.

Internet marketers say that they would rather have a good list of 200 customers than a bad list of 20,000 who don’t know who they are.

When it comes to social media, it is a powerful tool in the right hands. It is also always changing. If someone is telling you that they have mastered it, then Check their work and talk with their clients. If you feel good about their ability to produce after doing so, then give them a shot.