Yahoo Offers Free Web Sites to Small Businesses. Should I Do This or Pay to Build my Own Site?

Yahoo Offers Free Web Sites to Small Businesses. Should I Do This or Pay to Build My Own Site?

It seems as though I answer all of these questions with "it depends." The short answer is: Yes, do it. The longer answer is: Do it as a short-term solution and then build your own site.

If you've already got a site, skip to the article Where should I put my money, toward a better Web site or more online marketing?

Be warned, the free Yahoo sites are quite basic. It's a five-page, wizard-driven product. One significant drawback is that you can't use your own URL -- you get an extension of a Yahoo URL (e.g., http://ca.local.yahoo.biz/yournamehere).

Here are the steps in the process:

• Choose Style (basic layout and site colors)
• Site Settings (fonts, font sizes and logo/image)
• Home Page (text that describes your business)
• About Us (text and testimonials)
• What We Offer (more text fields)
• Additional Links (option to include links to other sites)
• Contact Us (hours, address, phone, directions)
• Save and Publish

As you can see, it's fairly straightforward. You can preview and edit or later go back and change any of this information. However, take a look the pages in advance to get an idea of what information you'll need to provide. You'll find the front door to this process at Yahoo! Local.