Is it necessary to have a website in order to be a successful VA? My answer is, YES IT IS!

I get asked that question quite often by new and emerging VAs. My answer is, how can you NOT have a website? With all the free and low cost site blog building tools out there, there is hardly any excuse not to have website.

In my opinion, one of the most important marketing tools a Virtual Assistant must have is a website. You are Virtual, aren’t you? As a Virtual Assistant, you spend a lot of time in the virtual world working on your computer and on the internet. And according to Google, an awful lot of people search online for Virtual Assistants (Approximately 201,000 Global Monthly Searches according to Google’s Keyword tool). If you are serious about your VA business, you need to have a presence on the web and should be towards the top of your star-up to do list.

I know to a new VA, the thought of making a website can be overwhelming, especially if you are not savvy in web design.  But I am here to tell you, there are places where you can build simple no-frills sites for very little cost, if not free. Even if it’s just a one-pager, it is a good way to just get your online presence started.

So if you are determined to design and build your site yourself on a small budget, here are some options.

Free website sources -

• Start with a blog by using something like Blogger or WordPress.com. These free blogging platforms offer a relatively easy to use interface, many design and customization options, and you can get some content up quickly. You can set up a simple site that promotes just the information you need, plus you can get in the practice of blogging regularly.
• Google sites – Everyone love Google. And along with their other tremendous products and applications, they also have a site builder. If you are familiar with Google at all, then their site builder can be easy for you to design and manage and have up quickly.
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  Image via CrunchBase

  Using a free site builder like Moonfruit. Moonfruit is a site builder that really does allow you to create and host a simple site for FREE, and with no ads. It’s no joke. There are a few limitations, but you can get up a simple no-frills site quickly and it can cost you nothing. And as your needs get more advanced, you can move up to their other super affordable packages that include more features, space and email addresses.

Low cost website solutions -

• The popular site where many people buy their domains, Godaddy.com, also provides affordable site builder and hosting. For as little as $3.99 per month (depending on how long your contract), you can pick one of their ready-to-go designs, customize it, and have a new site up and running in one evening.
• Affordable site with Webstarts. Webstarts does offer a limited free site plan, but their next package up starts at only $3.94 per month for Pro and $.83 per month for Pro+. Their packages are feature rich and they have many professional site designs that look great and you can have up and running in no time.

The options I outlined above are if you decide to build your site yourself, and you want to do something quick and not too advanced. Of course, there are many more free and cheap site building options out there other than the ones I mentioned above. Just search Google and you will find numerous options.

If  you don’t have the time or the desire to build it yourself and you have room in your budget, you can always enlist the help of another VA or a pro web designer to build it for you. If that is the case, try submitting an RFP to one of the great VA forums or organizations (IVAA, VA Networking, VA Forums) to find the right fit for you.

Now if you still have no website, I am telling you that you have no excuse. Move it to the top of your priority list and get going!

Well this fabulous article, Seven Deadly Sins of Home Office Security, was brought to my attention by my husband and I wanted to share. The article is geared towards anyone that works from a home office, and I think it gives us VA “old-timers” a great reminder, but also is a great resource for new and emerging VAs who are just setting up their home offices. So just how secure, accident proof, fireproof, or otherwise if your office files, equipment and network?