by 
By: Kelly Donahue-Piro
President: Agency Performance Partners
Co-Founder: Agency Appeal
There are some very simple and low cost ways to put up a website. Before determining what website company may be right for you there are a few questions that you can ask. First, what are you trying to accomplish with your website? Is it simply an online placehold where you are directing people if they ask you about it? Or do you want it to be your best referral source, identifying your ideal clients and pushing them into your sales team? Are you okay simply picking the template that you like the most or is closest to what you want? Or do you want to build the unique website for your agency in your own vision? Finally, do you want to have full control over your website, not just today but well into the future?
There are many options available in the insurance space to buy a templated website for a low cost. This option allows you to get something up on the internet, but it doesn’t give you an advantage in the online space over anyone else? It doesn’t distinguish you for prospects or search engines. Within the 7 seconds that people judge your website, you want your brand to scream out to them. You cannot accomplish this with a template.
When you own your own website, you are free to make it anything you want it to be. You can update it regularly and add any compatible third party app or widget that you want. With full control, you can tell people and Google exactly who you are and what you stand for. This is the only way to attract your target clients AND move them from simply browsing your site to getting in touch with your team. We want Google to send them to you and then have them so blown away that you view them as a referral versus a website lead.
A lot of effort goes into building and maintaining a website whether you own it or are paying a monthly fee. When you are paying a monthly fee, there is always a chance that you don’t want to do business with that vendor any longer. You could be unhappy with the product, the service could diminish, or the price could rise. Regardless of the reason, when you leave that vendor, you lose your website. This means all of the hardwork and effort you put into it is gone and you need to start from scratch. Owning your website takes this issue off the table because there is no vendor. You own it! You make changes as you see fit and keep it until you want to do a revamp.
Building and owning your own website can be more expensive than buying a templated one. Like all business decisions, price can’t be the only factor. It’s about setting expectations as to what the total cost is taking into account price AND performance. Also, look at the total price you’d be paying over 3-5 years and compare that to the cost of building your own. Typically you will find that you can build your own at a price that isn’t significantly more than leasing one with the added benefits of you owning it!
