While it is critical for all businesses to have an online presence, creating and maintaining a Web site is not always that easy for small and home offices, as well as for small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
So says Carolyn Holgate, MWeb Connect GM, who says Web sites have become an integral part of having a business, “making it easy for potential customers to see what you have to offer, how they can get hold of you, your pricing and more.
“SA is now firmly entrenched in the digital age, and customers expect to find your business online. A good Web presence is crucial and clients may turn to an alternative supplier if they cannot find your Web site, or if your site is not as professional and up-to-date as it should be,” she notes.
According to a survey conducted by the South African Optimisation and Marketing Affiliates (SAOMA) this year, more than 85% of South African businesses have an online presence that provides no return on investment, and yields no monetary value.
In addition, SAOMA estimates that up to 25% of South African businesses have no strategy at all for positioning themselves online, as an integral part of their business plans and marketing strategies.
On average, the survey found, these companies spend anywhere between R10 000 and R150 000 annually on their Web platforms, with generally poor results. As the online market continues to evolve, the organisation says, in SA, and the rest of the world, this is a wasted opportunity for countless enterprises.
MWeb this week unveiled Web site SelfBuild, DIY site-building software that the ISP says makes creating and maintaining a Web site quick, easy and affordable. The software forms part of MWeb's Uncapped Hosting package, which offers business owners a hosting solution.
According to MWeb, the package provides businesses with a MySQL database for managing product catalogues and libraries effectively. MySQL is an open source solution, which easily integrates with most Web site development tools, it notes, adding that Microsoft SQL databases can also be integrated.
“Web site SelfBuild allows you to simply point and click through a step-by-step setup process. The software has 750 ready-made designs and templates, which can be customised,” says Holgate.
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