If thinking about your company's website makes your head explode (even just a little bit), you'll want to listen to this week's episode. I talk with Carol Lynn Rivera, a digital marketer at Rahvalor Interactive and the co-host of the Web.Search.Social podcast, and she shares great information about how to think about a website for your yarn-related business. You can find also Carol Lynn online on Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter. This week's episode In my interview with Carol Lynn, we talk about different ways to approach your website. Carol Lynn brings many years of experience working with other small businesses on their websites and digital marketing and answers questions like, "Do you need to have your website, or if it's alright to rely on a digital marketplace like Etsy or Ravelry?" and "Should you do your website yourself, or hire someone to do it for you?" Spoiler alert: The answer to both questions is "It depends" (but it all sounds much more elegant when Carol Lynn explains why). So, do you need your own website? Carol Lynn recommends developing an ecommerce site for your yarn-related business only if it can be done well. If that is outside of your current capabilities or financial resources, tap into the ecommerce and marketing strength of a larger site like Etsy or Ravelry. Even if you don't want, need, or can't manage ecommerce cabailities, what about having a website for other reasons? Carol Lynn recommends thinking about what your website will do for your business. What are your goals for it and what do you want the site to do? Once you have your strategy, you can decide whether it is a DIY project or something that needs additional resources. In general, a site with more complexity will require more resources. If you aren't already familiar with the technology, think about whether you have more time to invest in training yourself, or whether hiring out is the best appraoch. If you take the DIY approach... Carol Lynn recommends taking an inventory of other sites to start. Look at websites in other industries as well as some in the yarn industry and your specific niche(s). Examine what is being done wrong (hint: avoid those things) and what's being done well. Try not to copycat, but think about what is appealing and what makes you interested in browsing the site. Are there similar elements that you could incorporate into your own site? Don't forget to start with the strategy and purpose for your website, but understand that a website will continually evolve. It can't (and won't) be "perfect" on your first try. Start where you are and then build towards your goals. Carol Lynn also reminds you that your website isn't just a visual aid. The content is more important than the design (though pretty looking designs don't hurt). If that isn't something you are prepared to develop yourself, it can also be outsourced (or, you can work with a digital marketing company to develop a strategy that you can implement on your own). There's a continuum between DIY and pay someone else do everything. Based on your budget, available time, experience, and comfort, choose the approach that makes the most sense for your business. If you decide to hire  someone... Carol Lynn shares 5 important tips for finding the right company (or individual). 1) You should be able to communicate easily with the company before you contract with them. Ask a lot of questions so you can understand the company's approach to your site and their services. If you can only communicate via email, that's a red flag. You should be able to have a consultation over the phone or using Skype/Google Hangouts before making a decision. Consider whether your communication styles work well together.  2) The company should have an online presence that you can preview. If the company is in the digital marketing space, it should have an online presence i