Getting online is important at this point for any small business. Even if you are a small brick and mortar store or a service business catering to a very localized area, it is essential to have an online presence. In the past, potential customers turned to the yellow pages first when looking for service businesses or local shops. Now, they’ll just as likely turn to a search engine or local online directory. For this reason, every business should be online with at least a “brochure” type site—one that displays hours of operation, directions, and contact information.

If you’re a small, local business owner, chances are you don’t have much time, or extra capital, to build an extensive website. Luckily, many web hosting companies offer free website builder tools with a purchase of a low-level hosting package. While these website builder tools do not usually allow for creating a complicated or flashy website, they are a great option for small business owners who want a simple web presence that is easily created, updated, and maintained.

The reason for creating a site online is to have a presence that can be found in search engines or pointed to on brochures and business cards. When taking a look at potential free website builder options, it is important to take a look at examples of sites that have been created using the website builder. Can you easily navigate from the home page to the contact page? Does it include a contact form that can be filled out? Does the form function properly? Is the content (text on the website) visible?

Here’s something you might not think of if you’re not in the know: when checking out the examples, take your cursor and see if you can highlight the text on the websites. If yes, then great! If not, then the text on these sites will not be visible to search engines and the site will be far less useful to you. Better to move on to another tool.

After you’ve looked at the examples, take a look at the tools available to you from the free website builder. Some things to look for include an account manager or admin panel that allows you direct access to make changes once the site is live, drag and drop functionality, a large selection of templates to choose from when creating the website, and a photo gallery with stock images to choose from. If all of these are present, find out if there is a demo or free trial. Play around with the free website builder and see if it fits your needs. If there is no demo or free trial, take a look at product reviews and feedback online.

A number of free website builder tools online use Flash technology. While these sites can be more visually exciting, they are not good for being found in the search engines as often the search engine spiders cannot read or locate the text on the Flash pages. If your goal is to create an online brochure or business profile to be found online, these Flash website builder tools should be avoided.

To take advantage of a website builder tool, you’ll need to purchase web hosting and a domain name. The domain name will be your online address, and the hosting package can be seen as your “real estate.” Most website builder tools are packaged along with domains and/or hosting packages.

Getting online is a big step, but it doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve created your website, to get found you’ll want to continually update your site and expand it in order to attract attention for the search engines. But just getting online is a step in the right direction.

The Web experts at Network Solutions® have been helping small businesses get online since the first domain names were registered. Helping businesses find the right solutions, from website builder tool options to search engine marketing, is our company’s mission.