We often find that with a small business comes a small budget. As a small business, much of your energy and funds will undoubtedly be dedicated to retaining your loyal customers. This means meeting your needs with excellent products and excellent customer service. This is to be expected. However, all too often, small businesses lose sight of marketing. Everything has moved to the Internet, and it is almost impossible to find solid local help to create (or expand) a web presence. We realize that it can be a sacrifice to find the funds, but we also believe that it is an investment more than anything. A local web developer who manages your site is expensive and unreliable, so all companies should consider switching to online content management.
It started about five years ago, when large corporations got tired of coding and restructuring their entire web platform whenever they had a new need. Then they used their own development teams to create online content management systems. The days of rigid coding of each line of text, each image, each tool disappeared instantly. Suddenly, web developers had programs that structured each piece of digital information. Webmasters could edit, create and store information in the blink of an eye, which greatly reduced costs and allowed for organic growth.
It is unlikely that your local bookstore or cafeteria has the funds to hire a full-time webmaster, but as everyone knows the importance of an online presence, they hire a local developer or create a generic site using some online template. Problems abound with both. Those template-based sites generally seem "cookie cutters", do not attract visitors much and are almost impossible to customize. For a high price, local web designers can create a beautiful site, but companies have to rely on them for any modified store hours, uploading photos, news and special events, etc.
The only solution is for small businesses to find the means to carry out online content management themselves. Several open source online visitor management and check-in system have appeared. This relieves companies of the need to create one from scratch. However, for non-technical entrepreneurs, learning to master these systems is as daunting as creating them. Fortunately, consulting companies have appeared that help companies convert their existing websites into a content management system. With experience in these open source programs, consultants not only assist in content migration, but also train business owners to manage their sites independently. Of course, this consultation is not free, but considering the importance of an online presence and the high costs of most web developers, it is insignificant and will save you in the long run.