If you need to create a website for your business or professional blog, there are lots of options out there now. The first choice you’ll need to make is whether you do it yourself or if you need to hire someone to do the work for you. It’s useful to think about the problem the same way you’d approach a home-building assignment. Should you hire a professional contractor or should you go to Home Depot, get the parts you need and do it on your own. There are often various factors that play a big role such as what you need done, your level of comfort and of course the big one – what your budget will allow for.
When it comes to websites, if you’re building a personal blog or a “hobby” site, a free online website builder may do the job. Some online site builders are owned by web hosting companies and are offered for free with a hosting agreement, others are stand-alone builders and offer interactive templates for a minimal cost per month. The trend as of late and going forward appears to be services that let you build a site without having to know any HTML or having any real CMS (content management system) experience, which can be a big help for people who aren’t fluent with web technologies.
Here are the options you face and some of the pros and cons of building a website with each option:
Many of today’s site builders actually have great user interfaces and are template-driven designs can be quite attractive. Unfortunately, you’ll find that features you really need tend to have additional price tags, many of which are tagged to the monthly hosting bill. If you choose not to pay the premium prices, these sites end up putting advertising onto your site. If you want to sell products, you’ll definitely need to purchase that feature “a la carte.”
Consider the whole thing to be a freemium model where software features are disabled until you sign up for the “pro” account. Furthermore, once you check in to these services migrating your site elsewhere becomes a big issue. Furthermore, the template you use to setup your site may even be “discontinued” after a series of updates and your site’s design will vanish without any warning. If you decline to continue the relationship with the site builder, your site may have to be rebuilt again from scratch and doing that may even cause you to lose SEO credit which can stunt your rankings and your growth.
If you’re looking to build a business site, building it with WordPress is likely a good idea. You’ll need to pay for a hosting plan that supports it but the whole idea is well worth the money. With WordPress, you can edit and publish content more easily than with any other CMS. Furthermore, there are thousands of useful free and paid templates and plugins, plus it’s excellent for SEO.
The more important question when it comes to this whole effort is whether you’ll have the time for all of this. Most business owners and upper-level employees would rather spend time on the business rather than building a website. This is exactly where you end up running into your next big decision.
The cliché in many of these situations is the infamous “my nephew can build a website for me for $200.” Chances are likely that if he’s charging that little, he doesn’t make websites for a living and that itself should be a big warning in itself. You need someone that is dependable and will take accountability for a successful site launch along with the maintenance and updates that will follow over time.
Think of the same analogy as before with the home building assignment. Would you rather live in a house built by a licensed professional home builder or a weekend-only handyman – we think the answer is obvious. There are many reasons why an amateur website designer will give you headaches. It may seem like you’re saving money but in the long run, you may end up paying more than you would if you hired a professional to begin with.
Your site designer/developer can give you many options that are tailored to your vision for the site size and business model (are you running a subscription model, maybe eCommerce or advertising, etc.) Developers can even take advantage of some great WordPress templates as a starting point but it should be noted that it’s usually a mistake to limit yourself to any generic design because you’re going to have a lot more trouble when it comes to creating a recognizable brand online. In the long run you’ll be better off with an original design that conveys the look of your business branding.
At this point you’ll still need to decide whether a single designer should do the job or a full-service agency. Freelancers can often get the job done economically because their overhead – something you can get a good value from. Sometimes however, the project can get too big for a single designer to handle. Freelancers though may not be able to offer the broad marketing support and skill set that is available with an agency. Need SEO, SEM or content marketing services? If so, the freelancer may not be able to help you. Furthermore, once your site is built, your relationship with your hired freelancer typically ends.
At a small- to medium-sized agency, a group of designers and marketers often collaborate on ideas and help market your business with your goals in mind. These extra resources can typically help you grow your online business much faster.
Now that you’ve explored several scenarios, you need to evaluate what your goals are and what your budget is to move forward!
I like to call myself the 'cool guy' in the office, even though all of my work is virtual. If internet marketing is the jam of business these days, I am the nutella.
If you need to create a website for your business or professional blog, there are lots of options out there now. The first choice you’ll need to make is whether you do it yourself or if you need to hire someone to do the work for you. It’s useful to think about the problem the same way you’d approach a home-building assignment. Should you hire a professional contractor or should you go to Home Depot, get the parts you need and do it on your own. There are often various factors that play a big role such as what you need done, your level of comfort and of course the big one – what your budget will allow for.
When it comes to websites, if you’re building a personal blog or a “hobby” site, a free online website builder may do the job. Some online site builders are owned by web hosting companies and are offered for free with a hosting agreement, others are stand-alone builders and offer interactive templates for a minimal cost per month. The trend as of late and going forward appears to be services that let you build a site without having to know any HTML or having any real CMS (content management system) experience, which can be a big help for people who aren’t fluent with web technologies.
Here are the options you face and some of the pros and cons of building a website with each option:
Many of today’s site builders actually have great user interfaces and are template-driven designs can be quite attractive. Unfortunately, you’ll find that features you really need tend to have additional price tags, many of which are tagged to the monthly hosting bill. If you choose not to pay the premium prices, these sites end up putting advertising onto your site. If you want to sell products, you’ll definitely need to purchase that feature “a la carte.”
Consider the whole thing to be a freemium model where software features are disabled until you sign up for the “pro” account. Furthermore, once you check in to these services migrating your site elsewhere becomes a big issue. Furthermore, the template you use to setup your site may even be “discontinued” after a series of updates and your site’s design will vanish without any warning. If you decline to continue the relationship with the site builder, your site may have to be rebuilt again from scratch and doing that may even cause you to lose SEO credit which can stunt your rankings and your growth.
If you’re looking to build a business site, building it with WordPress is likely a good idea. You’ll need to pay for a hosting plan that supports it but the whole idea is well worth the money. With WordPress, you can edit and publish content more easily than with any other CMS. Furthermore, there are thousands of useful free and paid templates and plugins, plus it’s excellent for SEO.
The more important question when it comes to this whole effort is whether you’ll have the time for all of this. Most business owners and upper-level employees would rather spend time on the business rather than building a website. This is exactly where you end up running into your next big decision.
The cliché in many of these situations is the infamous “my nephew can build a website for me for $200.” Chances are likely that if he’s charging that little, he doesn’t make websites for a living and that itself should be a big warning in itself. You need someone that is dependable and will take accountability for a successful site launch along with the maintenance and updates that will follow over time.
Think of the same analogy as before with the home building assignment. Would you rather live in a house built by a licensed professional home builder or a weekend-only handyman – we think the answer is obvious. There are many reasons why an amateur website designer will give you headaches. It may seem like you’re saving money but in the long run, you may end up paying more than you would if you hired a professional to begin with.
Your site designer/developer can give you many options that are tailored to your vision for the site size and business model (are you running a subscription model, maybe eCommerce or advertising, etc.) Developers can even take advantage of some great WordPress templates as a starting point but it should be noted that it’s usually a mistake to limit yourself to any generic design because you’re going to have a lot more trouble when it comes to creating a recognizable brand online. In the long run you’ll be better off with an original design that conveys the look of your business branding.
At this point you’ll still need to decide whether a single designer should do the job or a full-service agency. Freelancers can often get the job done economically because their overhead – something you can get a good value from. Sometimes however, the project can get too big for a single designer to handle. Freelancers though may not be able to offer the broad marketing support and skill set that is available with an agency. Need SEO, SEM or content marketing services? If so, the freelancer may not be able to help you. Furthermore, once your site is built, your relationship with your hired freelancer typically ends.
At a small- to medium-sized agency, a group of designers and marketers often collaborate on ideas and help market your business with your goals in mind. These extra resources can typically help you grow your online business much faster.
Now that you’ve explored several scenarios, you need to evaluate what your goals are and what your budget is to move forward!