In today’s digital world, an effective website can make or break a business. DIY website builders like Wix and Squarespace have made it easier for anyone to create website quickly and affordably. While these platforms have their place, there are clear advantages to choosing professional web design if you’re looking to build a serious online presence. Here’s a breakdown of why professional web design often outperforms DIY sites and is worth the investment.
1. Customizability and Brand Identity
One of the biggest limitations with DIY site builders is the restricted level of customization. Although these platforms offer templates and drag-and-drop features, they come with limited options to truly differentiate a brand. With a professional web designer, you can build a website tailored specifically to your brand’s vision and needs. This level of customization ensures that your website doesn’t just look like every other template-based site but stands out and reflects your brand’s personality, values, and unique identity. In a crowded online market, standing out is essential, and a custom site shows customers that you’re serious, professional, and invested in your brand’s success.
2. SEO Benefits
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key factor in driving organic traffic to your website. While DIY platforms include some SEO tools, they are typically basic and don’t offer the level of control and flexibility that a professional web developer can provide. A professionally designed website can be optimized from the ground up for search engines, ensuring that you’re not only ranking well for relevant keywords but also avoiding common pitfalls like slow load times or poor mobile optimization that can hurt SEO. When it comes to long-term growth and visibility, having a strong SEO foundation is crucial—and professional web design can deliver on that better than DIY platforms.
A website’s performance directly impacts user experience and can make a significant difference in how visitors perceive your brand. Site speed, mobile responsiveness, and overall usability are essential, as they can affect not only user engagement but also your site’s ranking on search engines. DIY website builders often come with heavy code and extra scripts that can slow down load times and make it difficult to optimize fully. A professional web developer can streamline your site’s performance, ensure it’s fast and responsive, and reduce issues like long load times, which often drive potential customers away.
3. Scalability and Future-Proofing
DIY platforms may seem perfect when you’re starting, but as your business grows, you might find yourself needing more advanced features, integrations, and flexibility than these platforms offer. A professionally designed website is built with scalability in mind, allowing you to add new functionalities, manage increased traffic, and expand your offerings without having to completely rebuild your site.
With a professional web design, you can rest assured that your website will grow and adapt with your business rather than hitting a wall once you’ve outgrown the limitations of a DIY builder.
4. Long-Term Value and ROI
It’s true that DIY website builders often cost less upfront, but a professional website provides a greater return on investment (ROI) over time. The enhanced performance, customizability, and scalability of a professionally designed site lead to better user engagement, conversions, and ultimately higher revenue. In contrast, a DIY site that you end up having to rebuild or redesign frequently can end up costing more in the long run.
With a professional design, you’re not just paying for a website—you’re investing in a tool that will support your business’s growth and success.
While DIY website builders have made it easier than ever to get online, the limitations of these platforms can restrict growth, visibility, and performance. Professional web design, on the other hand, offers the customization, SEO advantages, performance optimization, and scalability needed to support a serious, long-term online presence.
If you’re aiming to make an impact and build a brand that can grow sustainably, investing in professional web design is a smart choice that can pay off exponentially as your business evolves.
We all dream of having the freedom to define our destiny, don’t we? While remote working is gaining popularity, some people want to build their own business. But do they have the traits of successful entrepreneurs?
In this post, we’re going to uncover the top ten traits entrepreneurs have, so you can see if you’re cut out to take the competitive world of business and come out on top.
Creativity
Creativity is a lot more than painting a nice picture or writing poetry. A lot of entrepreneurs are creative thinkers because they need to come up with new business ideas and be ready to solve problems.
Entrepreneurs think outside the box because they have to think of a product or service that offers consumers something they need and separates them from competitors. The big question is, are you born creative, or can you learn how to become creative?
Becoming More Creative
While many believe creativity is born, others think anyone can become a creative thinker with the right techniques. Try these strategies to get you started:
Repurposing – Use items at home or on your desk to create something new that has a purpose.
Dictionary Technique – Pick a random word from the dictionary and write a short story based on that word.
Question Assumptions – If you have a product or service to sell, put yourself in the buyers’ position and think about the good or bad assumptions they will have towards your business.
If you’d like to learn more strategies to build your creativity, Indeed has an excellent guide here.
Empathetic
Did you know that empathy is an essential entrepreneur characteristic? To connect with your employees and consumers, you need to be able to put yourself in their shoes.
While some people aspire to be Donald Trumps, you’ll go a lot further if your workforce respects and admires you. As a business owner, one of your most challenging times will be navigating a balance between being the boss and treating your workforce like people, instead of numbers.
Are You an Empathetic Boss?
If you’re not sure how your employees perceive you, then it’s best to analyse your behaviour. Think about your previous employers and make a list of the things they did to either make you feel good or upset you.
Once you have the list, you can look at changing your attitude and become a more empathetic boss.
Discipline
There’s a reason that not everyone is an entrepreneur; it’s so hard to build and run a business. If you’re new to entrepreneurship, you’ll soon realise that there are so many things you have to take responsibility for and many people decide it’s too much for them.
According to the DC Incubator, 60% of new businesses fail in the first three years. For a business to succeed, the owner must have a lot of discipline.
If your workforce sees you slacking off and feels undervalued, they’ll become disengaged and lack motivation. But if your team sees you leading them through tough times, they’re more likely to contribute to the effort.
Being Disciplined
Not everyone has healthy discipline levels. If you’re the kind of person that gets distracted easily and puts everything off until the last minute, you should consider if you’re ready to execute your new business ideas.
To become more disciplined, think about what your goals are and write them down. It would help if you aimed to meet each goal and give yourself a reward when you do. Some people also find it’s helpful to have an accountability coach.
Willing to Take Risks
Fear is only a four-letter word, but for many of us, it governs how we live our lives. Giving in to our worries and insecurities is only natural, but for entrepreneurs, it shouldn’t happen.
Risk-taking is a central part of running a business, and it differentiates the barely floating to the flourishing. But there’s a big difference between taking a calculated risk and jumping into something blind.
A calculated risk means that while nothing is certain, the individual understands what could go wrong and the possible implications for the business.
Resilience
Risk-taking and resilience go hand in hand. If you’re willing to take a risk, then you have to be resilient if it goes wrong. Nobody can predict the economy or if changing consumer trends will impact their business, but it’s about having the confidence to learn a lesson.
The classic entrepreneur will most likely start a few businesses before one takes off. They finally succeed in their goals by learning lessons from their failures and implementing them in each new endeavor.
How to Build Emotional Resilience
You can learn to build resilience by taking the following steps:
Challenging Your Views – Instead of looking at failures as losses, consider them to be opportunities where you can learn a valuable lesson.
Be Positive – Instead of expecting things to go wrong, look on the positive side and make sure you believe in your abilities.
Build Strong Relationships – It’s essential to have a support network, especially when you’re taking on new challenges. Build strong relationships with family members and colleagues, so you feel able to deal with setbacks when they occur.
If you’d like to learn more about building resilience in the workplace, Mindtools has an excellent guide. You can access it here.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Some entrepreneurs spend all day every day working on their business, while others succeed by balancing their work and home lives. The question is, how do they do it?
Well, there’s a noticeable difference between working hard and working smart. Smart workers are process orientated, which means they look for ways in which they can streamline their business operations.
Smart entrepreneurs look at areas they can decrease their workload and utilise technology to drive forward their results. They also find ways to improve their marketing strategy, such as operating a blog and using a range of SEO tools to boost organic rankings.
Learning how to become process-orientated will help you balance your workload, manage your employees and scale your business.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. For example, you might be a strong creative thinker but lack analytical skills. If this is the case, you know how to problem solve and often think out of the box, but struggle to work out the intricate details of your plans.
When you know how to capitalise on your strengths and deal with your weaknesses, you can make intelligent decisions. For example, if money management is slowing you down, it might be beneficial to get an accountant so you can focus on new business ideas.
It’s also worth mentioning that self-awareness is about how you treat others too. While many people think they’re great bosses, their employees might think differently. When you put yourself in another’s shoes, it’s easier to look at how your behaviour impacts them.
Motivated
Being your own boss means you must be able to hold yourself accountable. If you’ve never run a company or have no experience working from home, you might find the adjustment incredibly tricky.
Successful entrepreneurs never lose their drive, because when they do, it’s over. Businesses always go through difficult times, and it’s not always possible to meet consumer demands.
If you’re the type that gives up at the first hurdle, then you should consider if starting a business is the right step to take.
How to Remain Motivated
You can remain motivated by asking yourself the following questions:
Why did I start my business?
What’s going wrong at the moment?
Do I need to make changes?
Can others support me?
By asking these questions, you’ll be able to provide yourself with some useful information and become more motivated.
Sometimes, all you need to do is remind yourself why you started the business and take some time to reflect on why things have gone wrong.
Motivation is central to your success as an entrepreneur, and it’s hard to remain motivated when things go wrong. But by looking at your long-term goals, you’ll be able to focus on the steps you should take to reach them.
Flexibility
If you’re a rigid person, then you might struggle as a business owner. One of the essential traits of successful entrepreneurs is their ability to remain flexible.
Things don’t always go to plan, and you might need to make some changes to the products you offer or how your business operates. Being open to adaptations and meeting consumer demands will ensure your company remains in operation.
The Case of Blockbuster Video
One of the best examples of how rigidity can destroy a business is Blockbuster Video. The company was a global success, and during the 1990s, it reached its peak.
When the DVD player became popular, Blockbuster adapted to the changes and provided DVDs and console games. But then a small company called Netflix emerged as a competitor.
Netflix offered film rental by post but soon began its streaming service. The company reached out to Blockbuster for a merger, but the video giants refused. They didn’t want to make changes to their company and didn’t prepare for the impact Netflix would have.
Online streaming became a convenient way to access movies and TV shows without having to leave the comfort of your home. As Netflix grew in popularity, Blockbuster went into liquidation.
If Blockbuster had been open to adapting their business model, they would most likely still be here today.
Team Player
As the saying goes, two heads are better than one, and a team of talent can make great things happen for your business. So why do some entrepreneurs want to do it all alone?
When you include your team in the decision-making process, you might uncover some unique ideas that can change your business. Team players are central to building a strong workforce, and it’s helpful to think of how your employees feel.
According to CIPD, employee retention is one of the trickiest issues to navigate. When people feel overworked and undervalued, they’ll take their talent elsewhere. As an entrepreneur, your priority should be creating a talented and happy team.
Don’t forget to offer rewards and incentives to your team, especially when they’re central to the growth of your company.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, our list of the top 10 traits of successful entrepreneurs gives you an idea of how to make your new business ideas work. The main recipe for success is not giving up, even when things seem impossible.
Your business needs time to grow and thrive, so take small steps forward and keep your end goal in mind.
One essential aspect of building a profitable company is having a responsive website and keeping it updated with new content ideas.
Your website is the hub of your business, and some entrepreneurs prefer to outside their maintenance needs to a company offering website management services UK wide. Zapp sites are ready to support your site maintenance, and management needs today. Contact our friendly team for more information.
Until 2018, the law surrounding data protection had a lot of grey areas. Now, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is in place to remove any ambiguity about the information a company is allowed to share.
In this post, we’ll talk about what GDPR means for companies and the guidelines you need to think about.
The Seven GDPR Principles
There are seven principles to help companies understand the importance of GDPR. While these aren’t set rules, they are essential guidelines you should follow.
Fairness, transparency and lawfulness
Data minimisation
Purpose limitation
Storage limitation
Accuracy
Confidentiality and Integrity
Accountability
Failure to comply with GDPR guidelines can result in fines of up to €20 million or 4% of your company’s global turnover. As you can see, the GDPR guidelines are in place to protect the rights of any individual that uses your company, and you need to take them seriously.
How to Navigate the GDPR Act of Parliament
It’s only natural to worry about the GDPR act and how it might impact your business. But, following these guidelines will give you the best chance of adhering to the rules.
Know Your Data
Learn about the types of data your business holds. For example, do you take people’s names and addresses? Or does your company operate mainly online? These things are essential to consider because if you hold sensitive data such as IP addresses, bank details and personal information, you need to explain to your customers how their data is used and protected.
Consider Consent
You need to check if your business has to obtain consent from customers before you can process their data. Most companies find that they only need to collect the essential data from their customers, as the rules surrounding consent can be challenging to follow.
Security
You must use encryption to protect your customers’ information. There are many other things you can do, but if you want to cover the basic GDPR guidelines, then encryption is essential. PC Mag has a list of the best encryption software in 2020, and you can see it here.
Access Rights
Individuals have the right to request access to their data. You should set up a system where people can get hold of their data because you must fulfil their request within a month.
Offer Training
You can’t expect your employees to know about GDPR, so it’s your job to train them. Remember, if they make a mistake, it affects your company. Hence, it’s essential to give them the information they need to understand the impact of breaching data regulations because it’s your company that will receive a fine.
Check Your Supply Chain
Every single person in your supply chain should be aware of GDPR. Whether it’s other agencies, contractors or suppliers, you should make sure everyone is compliant.
Employ A Specialist
If you’re worried about potential data breaches, you can employ a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to manage your teams date regulations and violations. Doing this means you’ll minimise the possibility of future penalties and could save yourself a lot of money in the future.
The Wrap Up
Now you understand GDPR; it’s time to put them into practice. Remember to be vigilant and take the time to learn the rules for yourself. Doing this means you can make sure your team has all the information they need to make choices regarding protecting the data of others.
Project management tools help companies stay on track and improve collaboration between team members. With so many available, we’ve narrowed it down to the best five project management apps in 2020.
Asana is ideal for small and medium businesses that need to streamline their projects. The platform features intuitive design features and updates changes in real-time. Suppose you’re looking to improve your workflows. In that case, a premium subscription to Asana comes with expert automation tools where you can assign tasks, and move completed projects to separate folders at the click of a button.
The only downside of Asana is that it can be tricky to navigate, especially if you’re not used to project management software. If you want to organise your team and analyse their productivity with Gantt charts and reviews, then Asana could help you to streamline your operations.
Monday is a relatively new kid on the block, but its popularity is undeniable. Its ease of use and range of flexible features means teams of all sizes can take advantage of Monday and the platform is one of the simpler ones to navigate. There are lots of integrations, so you can maximise your team’s productivity and a new feature enables you to build apps on Monday.
With everything it has to offer, Monday is a strong competitor. The only drawback is that if you want to access all of their features, you’re looking at paying £14 per month per user. Due to its pricing, Monday’s task management software might not be an excellent option for start-ups or small businesses.
If you want to save on costs, Trello is the perfect project management tool. It has a free version for small teams, which includes the ability to create, assign and mark projects as complete. With Trello, all you have to do is move your project cards to different folders, which saves a lot of time.
Trello has plenty of advantages, but if you need advanced features, then you’ll want to look elsewhere. There aren’t any reporting apps, and the platform isn’t suitable for complicated projects.
ProofHub is a heavy hitter in the project management world, due to its features. Teams from all over the world can collaborate on the platform as it supports a range of languages. You can also add your company logo and branding colours to ProofHub, which is a useful tool if you want to white-label the software.
Other features include assigning employees varying levels of access and the pricing is based on the number of projects you’re running rather than per team member. The main downside of ProofHub is it has a reputation for bugs, and it can’t handle complex tasks.
If you manage complex projects, then Wrike has the capabilities to support you. It has a unique three-pane view that lists your projects according to the tasks associated with them, and advanced analytics to make sure you get the most from your team. The forms feature means you can automatically assign tasks and save your team a lot of time.
For simple project management, teams of up to five people can use Wrike for free. The business variant for large companies is expensive, but it includes all of Wrike’s features. We should mention though that if you’re not very technology-friendly, then you might want to go for a platform with a more straightforward interface.
So now know which project management apps in 2020 are the best. Stay tuned for more helpful business and web design tips. You can also join our Facebook tribe here.
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