…. but luckily, SEO can help you fight this battle.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving the visibility of your website in the search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. –  in other words, getting your site on the first few pages of the search engines (and preferably on the first page) so that people can actually find your site when they search for you or your specific services.

You can think of SEO as your ticket to make more money, because more visitors to your website, means more money in your pocket.

So, how does SEO generate leads for your business?

Well, most people these days are using the internet to search for information.

When you apply good SEO techniques on your website and people are searching for a Virtual Assistant, they are more likely to find your site within the sea of VA websites on the internet. Only when someone find and enter your website, you have a chance to convert that  visitor into a paying client with the content and info on your site

In contrast, if you don’t use good SEO, there is a big change that potential customers will never find and visit your site.

This translates into the simple fact that if you’re having a Virtual Assistant website without using good search engine optimization (SEO)….,

….you’re literally flushing your money down the drain.

I believe more and more Virtual Assistants are trying to “make it out there”, but are they REALLY growing their businesses into viable, profitable enterprises?

The most important Question you have to ask yourself as a virtual assistant business owner is …

Do I have a website?

The word virtual says it all.  The synonyms for virtual are:  practical, fundamental, near, effective and essential.

To be a virtual assistant means that you are not physically present in your client’s location, but you are virtually present which imply that you are almost present, effectively reachable and nearby.

In my eyes “virtually present” means that you are “present on line” and to be present on line you NEED to have a website!  Full stop. 

And if I may be particular, not only “just a website” but a professional looking one.  With a professional website, your business is open to the World 24/7, 365 days a year. 

A website is your online brochure where you are going to establish client confidence and rapport and to a great extent improve your overall business image.

When internet savvy clients are looking for virtual assistants in a VA-directory, odds are that they will be looking for website links and if you don’t have one, they will nine out of ten times move to your opposition’s listing, click on their link and never even return to yours.

Having a website means that you are not that local little business anymore.  It means that you have crossed all geographical borders and are an internationally recognized virtual assistant business.

 Can you really afford not to have a website of your own?

 And the answer is ….

…  NO!

Well, most VAs, at some point in their business, realise that a website is just the marketing tool they need to skyrocket their VA business.

Some then take the bold step, opt for a free webhosting site, get a domain name, choose a site template, write the best content possible and wait for the streams of customers to arrive at their doorstep.

After a few weeks they look at the web counter (that little tool that tells you how many people visited your site) to see that they had a whooping 23 visitors – of which more than 20 counts were probably the times that they’ve accessed the site themselves. They feel dismayed and wonder if this online marketing “thing” via a website is really working for them?

Online Marketing via a website can do wonders to any VA business ….

….but ONLY if you own a website that works for YOU!

During the past week, I first did a small experiment with the few sites that are listed on the BVAW Virtual Assistant directory.

Now, normally if you Google the name of a business, you stand a pretty good change of finding its website if it has an online presence. OK, I know, sometimes you may have to go to the 2nd or 3rd page on the Google results to find what you’re looking for, but 8 out of 10 times you will find the business – even if you have to tweak your keywords and search results a bit to narrow down the possibilities.

Well, in my experiment, I just entered the names of the businesses with websites that are listed on the BVAW Virtual Assistant directory as a search term in Google.com to see if I can find the actual website of this business.

It was interesting to find the following:

1. I could NOT find the actual website of any VA business when it is hosted on a free webhosting site – not even up to page 20 of Google and not even if I optimised my keyword search with the names of the owners. These are websites with a domain similar like www.freehostingsite.yourdomain.com
2. I found 68% of the actual websites that have their own domain name e.g www.mywebsite.co.za within the first 30 google results. These are typically websites that are hosted by a proper webhosting company.

So, what in actual fact does this mean?

Well, in my opinion, it boils down to the fact that “you get what you pay for” and that free webhosting sites might cost you traffic and potential clients in the long run.

Disadvantages of free webhosting sites

With free webhosting sites, you are only piggy-backing on someone else’s website and you are not the master of your own destiny. Some free web hosting providers also force ads on your website that sometimes have nothing to do with the content of your site – because that’s how they make their money.

And apart from little to no support, the most disturbing of all the disadvantages is that your site is NOT visible in some of the search engines. You’ll have to rely on directory listings to direct traffic to your site. This is not an ideal situation if you want your website to be a key online marketing tool.

Advantages of free webhosting sites

Free webhosting sites can have some advantages in that it can be a good learning experience of setting up a website for the first time, you can play around with

• ideas for content,
• your site’s look and feel and
• it is an easy way for a “non-techie” person to get online.

But don’t stay there. As soon as you have built some experience with the internet, rather move on.

The best way to ensure that the work you put into your website will pay off is to pay for a unique domain name and for a hosting service that will give you better capabilities. It will furthermore enhance your professionalism in the eyes of your potential clients when you have a domain name that is the same as your company name e.g. www.yourcompany.co.za.

There are great web hosting companies out there – it might be worthwhile to explore some of them – even before you take the step of putting your business online for the first time.

We can really recommend Site Build It! and Afrihost.

Join the discussion – How do you feel about free webhosting sites?

Please use the comment box below and share with us the advantages and disadvantages as you see it? We would love to hear from you.

There is no hard and fast rule on this.  However…

…most well-known and well-established VAs do.

Is it a critical component for VA business success?

Again, there is no scientific proof that it is.

However, if we look at the bigger picture it become obvious that each VA business  have in principle 3 main strategic areas (i.e. your clients, your own business and also your competitors) to consider when developing an overall business approach.

Therefore, to decide if a website is necessary and a worthwhile investment for your VA business, it should definitely benefit at least one, but preferably all three strategic areas. Thus, let’s break it down into a few questions and after evaluating each area, you might be in a better situation to make a decision  whether you need a website for your Virtual Assistant business.

Area 1: Your Clients / Potential Clients

1. Will your potential clients use the Web to look for information about you?
They may have heard about you from a friend, seen your business card or heard that you’re doing something they’re looking for.  If they know who you are and they search the Internet to find out more about you, will they find you?

2. Will potential clients search online for the specific service that you offer? If so, and you’re not listed, that opportunity will be passed on to the next VA who is online

3. Do your potential clients or niche market have web sites themselves?
If they do, they will without doubt consider the Web to be an important business tool and might find it strange if you don’t have an online presence.

Area 2: Your Own Business

1. Do you want to reach a wider customer base?
A VA business can have clients in any part of the world. With a website, you can increase your business exposure and new clients can find you and your services across the globe.

2. Is it important that your business projects a professional image?
Even if you work at home in your pyjamas (who needs to know? 🙂) a well designed web site can project a professional image to the world.
3. Are you running on a tight budget and want to reduce marketing costs?
Getting a website online, can be an initial capital outlay. However, thereafter, continuous on-line marketing is cost effective and using it to drive traffic to your website can lead to more business.

Area 3: Your Competitors

1. Do your competitors have web sites?
The internet opens up the availability of choices and most web users love to “compare before they commit”. If you don’t have a website, but your competition does, you are losing out on potential income. However, with a website you can pre-sell interested prospects into paying clients with all the reasons why your services are better than your competitors’.

2. Are your competitors longer in business?
If you’re just starting out, the Web can help you level the playing field. A professional web site gives the appearance that your business is well-established already and can instil trust and professionalism.

The bottom line: Having a website is an individual choice and there might be many reasons that withhold VAs from developing one. However, there are millions of active internet users worldwide and a lot of them are searching for the services you provide.

I believe it can be compared to the quote of Stuart H. Britt (I just altered it a little bit…)

“For a Virtual Assistant not having a website, is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but no one else does”

Get in on this debate. We’d love to hear your comments. Do you consider it important for a Virtual Assistant to have a website? What can prevent VAs from having one?