TL;DR
Not every business needs a website. Many do just fine with an online presence (Medium, Reddit), social media, or specific marketplaces (eg. Etsy, Udemy). Granted, these are mostly hobby or affiliate marketing businesses that don’t require any kind of customer engagement or follow-up.
But for bonafide businesses with marketing plans and goals, this article shines a light on your options with an emphasis on avoiding 3rd-party subscription-based services in favor of a self-hosted website where you can manage every aspect of your online presence.
Do You Really Need A Website?
There are times when a full-blown web presence might seem irrelevant. For example, crafters, artists, and freelancers are common patrons of subscription-based marketplaces like Etsy, Patreon, Fiverr, Upwork, Udemy, etc. In these cases, a 3rd-party subscription platform can be the most economical option.
Or you might be doing just fine with a social media account. Of if you’re into affiliate marketing, there are so many other channels to exploit than maintaining a website.
On the flip side, if your business represents a larger commercial base with multi-faceted demands on management and growth, you likely consider a subscription-based platform an undesirable expense. Because after all, you’re in the business of building assets, not expenses.
And if your business model involves interacting with online traffic and converting it to consumers, the most productive and profitable thing you can do for your business is to create an asset that allows you to control every aspect of the conversion process. Naturally, I’m referring to a website.
And yes, your website is your biggest online business asset! Of course, this may be subjective depending on the industry you’re in, the audience you target, and your business goals. But by and large, your website really is that important.
Hidden Hassles Behind 3rd-Party Providers
While the fastest way to create an online presence might come in the form of a monthly subscription to a 3rd-party service provider, “Caveat emptor” is an appropriate cautionary tale.
These SaaS (Software-As-A-Service) solutions, are basically cloud-based models that lease traditional IT assets via subscription. They’re convenient because of the availability of playing in the same sandbox as everyone else without having to invest in full ownership of the same toys. They bypass licensing, maintenance, configuration, and can be a short-term solution to securing an online presence for the average bear (think Microsoft, Adobe, HubSpot, Gimp, Canva, Etsy, email, social media, and similar cloud- and/or browser-based software), especially when revenue is still proving itself.
If the consequences of using a proprietary platform don’t affect your reason for being online, you’ll probably be fine.
However, when you build a business around someone else’s software, you’re beholden to them for everything – the setup, the learning curve, the tier-based financial commitment, the limited access to features based on that tier-based financial commitment, access to data. All of it.
Should you leave the platform for whatever reason, your business loses its ‘storefront,’ previously indexed SERP exposure, all your marketing systems, your customer database (you might be able to export your data but it’s no longer structured), and possibly your customers. Everything. Not to mention the down-time of going dark until you arrange another option.
And heaven forbid that you employ multiple SaaS accounts (eg. client management, educational deployment, marketing platform, email provider, etc.). This isn’t an uncommon scenario. But at some point, the multiple expenses and restrictions associated with your level of subscription dictates finding a better solution.
Other elements beyond your control are data security, data ownership (some “vendor lock-in” scenarios prevent migration or make it very difficult to export), and of course, the lack of brand identity in the URL where you operate from (the domain name usually reflects the platform, not yourbusiness.)
The $64,000 question should be, is the convenience of doing business on someone else’s platform worth the expense, the restrictions, and eventual hassle of starting over if you move off?
Replace Business Expenses With A Business Asset
A self-hosted website is different from subscribing to 3rd-party SaaS applications in that you own every aspect of designing, developing, and deploying your business offerings –workflow, project management, marketing campaigns, automated actions, educational programs, transactional emails, client onboarding and follow-up, customer support, analytics, etc. You’re also in no way hindered in the way you build and foster customer relationships.
You also own every asset resulting from the tools you use – the client database, content, correspondence, demographics, design and functionality, you name it. You. Control. Everything. All without limitations of any kind. (You can thank open source ecosystems for this, of which WordPress is a huge part.)
In contrast to SaaS, you can host your own business website for free without the fear of vendor lock-in, restricted access to delivery, or threat of losing access to your data. The IT assets that make up you website don’t need to be on par with the same SaaS models that offer them via subscriptions. That would be overkill.
What’s The Catch?
The investment. There’s no getting around the fact that setup is an investment.
The learning curve. But ownership is a great motivator.
These are the two things that drive people to SaaS solutions. But for the savvy-minded who do the math and are in it for the long haul, SaaS simply doesn’t compare to the benefits of a self-hosted website.
There’s one more catch: DIY or outsource it.
DIY vs Hire a Website Designer
Much like the conversations that revolve around home renos, most of us look at website builds with rose-colored glasses. Watch a few home reno shows (YouTube videos) and we can do anything.
Like renovating a home, building a website is something that anyone can do, with the right knowledge, tools, patience, and common sense. That’s what you’re buying in a web designer. But if you have these and more, you won’t need one.
To be fair though, it’s not the competency level, it’s the experience – knowing what pieces work together under the right circumstance.
So, Where To Start?
You either have to choose a website platform that you’re familiar with or take the time to learn how to use it. (And install and configure it, and integrate APIs with it.)
A certain degree of tech savvy is required to not only build a website but also configure the supporting infrastructure – hosting account, payment provider, marketing tools, landing pages, booking system, eCommerce solution, a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, a customer support system, analytics, etc.
Not only does it take time to put all basic the pieces together but experience plays a huge role. In particular, knowing which tools are natively integrated (and are known to work) and which features can be acquired through free tools (without upgrading).
Without experience, you can always hobble together free tools easy enough but that approach can result in inferior performance and troubleshooting idiosyncrasies related to formatting and/or functionality.
If time isn’t a factor, learning how to put together an efficient website can be seriously fun. But when time and frustration become trigger points, know that you’re looking in the range of 4-figures for a professional build. You might need time to get your head around that.
On the plus side, consider the monthly expenses for a self-hosted domain with no limitations in functionality or delivery.
- Monthly hosting account ($27-50)
- Annual domain registration fee ($14)
- Transactional email account (Amazon SES is as low as $2/mo for 5K emails)
- Maintenance plan ($50-100/mo)
Comparatively, SaaS solutions garner similar fees for bottom-level subscriptions, demanding higher rates for more flexibility in features. Since many SaaS platforms are single-purpose solutions, you may be looking at additional fees for additional solutions. At the end of the day, long-term SaaS expenses are considerably less sustainable than self-hosted websites.
Remember that a website is an asset and therefore likened to any other major business asset. It all depends on how you prioritize your business needs.
What Exactly Are Your Business Needs?
You value having 100% control over your business, I’m guessing.
You want to build an authoritative brand that consumers recognize and refer. And you want to be the reason your competitors have to up their own online presence.
You want to collect as much information as legally possible about your visitors, prospects, and clients. And you want to provide as much information as possible about your offerings. All without restrictions.
You want a reliable channel to expand your market reach and promote your wares, generate leads, and acquire customers. And it would be nice to be able to measure your efforts and know where to make improvements, including user metrics.
You want to automate as much as humanly possible, and still be available for those times when a hands-on approach is valued and unexpected.
You want to do business online with as much convenience and little expense as possible.
While all these things (and more) are totally do-able, the biggest challenge is creating a presence quickly, efficiently, economically, and in anticipation of sustainable business growth.
The first step in getting online is deciding whether you want to invest in time or a professional web designer.
Shameless Promo & Next Steps
If you’re happy paying a monthly subscription to do business on a shared platform, we’re not your solution.
If you’re looking for a sustainable and uncomplicated option to operate your online business independently of 3rd-party service providers, MapleFish websites delivers professional solutions that run every aspect of your business, including a CRM solution if you feel so led (an all-in-one solution that automates everything from prospecting to onboarding and the in-between nitty gritty details including billing and marketing.
At the end of the day, you collect and own everything related to your client base, your website, and your offerings (say good-bye to subscription limitations and vendor lock-in hassles).
We’re here to answer any Qs you have about the web creation process. Reach out to tell us what you’re wanting to do, and learn if we can help you get there. No question is silly or tacky (except the ones you don’t ask). And if we can’t help you, we’ll recommend other options.
