Ad-sponsored Websites Are Bad For You

However, some dance business still cling to the free website they get through such companies like Geocities (now owned by Yahoo). These websites include ads that advertise other businesses.

I can understand not wanting to pay for websites that is for personal use only. If you can get away with it, why pay to put up a website that will be used only occasionally or only by a few people. I can also understand using ads to pay for a free resource, such as a website that provides free information; someone has to pay for the cost of running the website, even if the webmaster donates his/her time to the effort.

However, it's really a bad business practice to use a website that's paid for by allowing ads on your website.

• First of all, some of these ad-sponsored websites create pop-ups. That generally annoys the readers. It takes time, even a moment, to get rid of that pop-up, especially when it's covering up the information we're looking for. (Note: If you use a browser like Mozilla's Firefox, you can install the NoScript add-on to block popups)
• The owner of the website typically doesn't have any control over what ads show up; the ads are generated from another website. Imagine if some objectional ad appeared on *your* website? In the case of a dance studio, imagine if an ad for *another* dance studio showed up on your webpage?
• Dance venues (those that are suppose to make money) come off looking cheap if they use an ad-sponsored website. Even worse, it conveys the image of a business that's not doing well because they can't afford a paid website.
• A user who is looking at an ad is going to be distracted from looking at the information on the webpage itself. Is that what the dance promoter wants?
• Some readers are just going to be annoyed with having to deal with ads. It's bad enough to be getting spam. It's bad enough to be seeing everything in the world covered with ads (especial sports stadiums). Why do the users have to deal with ads when they're looking at a commercial website so they can spend money at that business?
• Added 04/16/07: I had a GeoCities URL listed on my newsletter and the Spam policies at Harvard.edu rejected the email just because it had that URL buried somewhere in the newsletter. I had to remove the URL just to get the newsletter through.

If you have any sort of broadband Internet access for home or business use (through companies like Covad, The World, or AOL, for example), you're going to have a freej or inexpensive webpage with your account. Likewise with people who subscribe to the Internet through Verizon, RCN, or Comcast (yes, there are tons more providers but I don't have the space to list them all). Use that account to host your website and you can have a website for your business without having to clutter it with ads.

But is it really expensive to get your own domain name and website? Not these days, no. Remember, you can deduct your website as advertising expenses so the final price is lower than what you actually pay. There are plenty of do-it-yourself website providers who provide the basic website and domain for a very low cost. Getting your own domain and website (not to mention getting a nifty email address) makes your business look more professional and successful.

Ultimately, a dance venue should be using their website to attract as many readers an customers as possible. The websites should look as professional as possible and that's possible without having to pay someone hundreds of dollars to create and maintain that website.

Updated October 2, 2007