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Long gone are the days where every website needed to cost a small fortune to get created and go live. Expensive web designers, programmers, hosting companies, professional writers and copy editors have almost all been replaced with simplified and streamlined software and sites. Now, there is more than one easy way to make a website for free!

Even though HTML experts are still needed in some cases, many people choose to do things the easy way, and they are finding and using free templates online that are actually pre-programmed, and the user needs to know nothing about web design in order to develop a fully functional and robust website without expert assistance.

The advent of template based websites took over the industry. Small companies, large companies, sole proprietors, and stay at home moms offering babysitting services learned how to build their own websites that included everything from pictures, graphics, animation, newsletter generation, autoresponders, RSS feeds, and fully integrated user friendly shopping cards. For free.

Companies that allow you to build free websites are easy to find. Anyone familiar with Microsoft and Windows Live has probably taken advantage of building their website there for free (for one year). You have a choice of whether you want to buy your own domain name, or have a free URL which would include not only your company, but theirs as well. Depending on why you have a website should help you decide if you want to pay for a domain name. If you are a babysitter, or you simply want to be able to share family activities with others who live far away, you probably don’t need the added expense of having your own domain.

The only difference would be this: www.yourwebistecompany.herearemynewpix.com OR www.herearemynewpix.com. Getting your own domain can be as little as $6. 95 a year.

Another option is to use a blog site as your website. Some blogging sites are better than others depending on how much you can manipulate it or add your own code. Certain blogs provide a variety of templates, and each one can use certain gadgets or widgets that can be customized to your needs. Other than that, most of these websites will be very similar.

If you don’t want to use a blog, then you can use a free template provided by one of the many companies out there who do this, but then you’ll need to find a reliable and cheap hosting company.

Many people have the idea that “free” automatically translates into unprofessional or cheap. This is far from the truth. Even an expensive website, designed by professionals with years of experience, can still look unprofessional – no matter how much someone paid to get it done. Some of the best websites out there were done using free software, free templates, and cheap hosting companies. Check out some local companies you know of – gardeners, babysitting agencies, or even small retail stores. Look at the bottom of their home page for the name of who is hosting their website – it most probably is a free online service!

Dhruv Patel is a customer of DreamHost. He has created site to help new DreamHost customers and to promote DreamHost by giving DreamHost coupon.

Are you a business owner who is looking for a way to promote the products you sell or the services you offer? The Internet can be a valuable tool which can allow you to do this. You may be unaware of the range of advantages of websites for small business owners. It really is a wonderful tool to help you grow your business at the speed you are looking for.

From reaching a wider client base to more effectively marketing your business to that global market place, a website can be an important tool for you to use in growing your business. You can reach more of a varied clientele as well as provide more frequently updated promotional materials to those clients using a website. However if you do opt to go online, it is important that you do it properly in order to get the largest return on your investment.

Are you finding that there are a number of people in your area who are providing the same goods and services? Have you dreamed of having access to a much wider marketplace than your advertising and promotional dollars will allow? A website can help you reach outside of your immediate market and reach clients on a global basis.

Promotional materials are a critical part of your business’ success. But for many small businesses it can be difficult to produce completely updated catalogues or brochures. Printing can be costly and unless you find a good short-run printer than can help produce quality work, brochures and catalogues that are poorly printed or out of date can have a negative effect on your business. A website can offer you the ability to update product information and images. If you have a site with a content management system built into it you become in total control of text and images on the website.

Although a website can be a great asset to your business there are a few factors you need to keep in mind. Don’t be tempted to save money by creating it yourself unless you have a serious programming or graphic design background. A website can be inexpensively built for you by a professional designer who can talk to you about which features you need. You need, at a minimum, a website which is well laid out and which makes it easy for clients to find the information they need. Every time they are unable to find something easily you run the risk they will leave your site and shop somewhere else. This extends to elements such as your shopping cart and payment collection methods.

The speed your site loads at is also very important. If everyone had high speed Internet access and could download files quickly this would not be an issue. If you incorporate animation and other elements such as large image files you run the risk that a client will become impatient while waiting for your site to load on a slower connection speed. If they never get to the point where they are seeing the products you offer then it does not matter how wonderful your site looks. You will have lost your sale.

Your website can mesh with your business and help you improve the level of profits you are earning. For a relatively low price you can get a well designed and beautiful site which promotes your company and the products you are selling.

Brett Nordin at BC Web Design offers plenty of tips and free information about websites. Brett specializes in website design for business’s, cBrettck out his website BC Web Design!