Advantages of a Custom Website versus using a
Website Builder Tool
by: Rodney Ringler
Advantages of a custom website versus using a Website Builder
Tool
The internet has revolutionized business all around the globe. Almost
every competent new or existing business wishes to exploit the incredible
potential of the internet, and the first step is to have a web site designed
done and maintained by a professional web site design service or build and
maintain it yourself. One of the first things to consider is your computer
ability. If you despise computers and software and find them
confusing and frustrating then building your own website can be quite a task. One that you may not want to undertake. However, if you
enjoy working with computers and learning new things or if you just have the
patience to stick with it, then building a website is within your grasp. You may
also decide to do it yourself to save cost. If you still feel that you want to
build your own site you should choose software that is easy to use and user
friendly.
Your website should be as unique as you and your business. You should select
the website that is specialized in what will meet all your needs, both now and
in the future. Custom based websites are for those who already have a website
but are looking for those special finishing touches that quality custom
graphics can provide. Designer graphics can make your website stand out above
the rest and a custom website specializes in taking your original graphic or
photo and turning it into a unique work of art. Quality graphics make an
incredible difference i 737j913h n the visual appeal of your website.
Actual site "content" continues to be essential to the success of a
website. More often than not though, visual appeal is the determining factor as
to whether or not a client or customer will remain on a website long enough, to
actually see the product or service the business is providing. Custom websites
are for those who don't have the time to design or create, but want to get
things mush better and fast with a nice graphics.
Web site builders are online tools which anyone can use to build a professional
looking Web site without programming and have it hosted instantly. No software
to buy, no code to learn, all you need is to be a little Internet savvy and
know how to click your mouse.
Most business owners today know that having a web site is an essential
component of marketing. In the past, the choices were to hire a professional
web designer, hire a local teenager to create a site for mall money, or learn
to do it yourself. The last two options, are the least expensive, and were the
preferred method for small businesses. The results are often not what
businesses need to grow, reach, and impress new potential customers, however.
They seem good at the start but quickly become limiting.
If you operate or manage a business, you surely must realize the increase in
e-commerce taking place today. Many businesses find themselves searching for
the best way to increase their exposure on the internet, and for most a website
is the first course of action. As most businesses operate on firm budgets,
finding cost effective solutions are usually one of the first thoughts when
looking to make new purchases. When it comes to creating a website there are
many affordable software programs that can produce professional results.
Business software should be capable of handling your needs today and in the
future. Business are always changing, adding new products, changing or removing
old products, offering specials, having sales, etc. By choosing a business
website builder over a professional web designer you will be able to make
changes to your website whenever you want to. Another benefit is that you will
be avoiding the high costs associated with developing the website and costs for
making any necessary changes.
Website Builder tools advantages to you are increased revenue, cost control,
caters to the large demand existing for web designing in the SME sector and can
increase the client base without adding to your overhead. The advantage that
your customers gets is a professional quality website, up and running in
minutes and a User friendly and easily customizable interfaces that gives a
complete website with all its frills and features and a nice attractive design.
The downside is that you are limited to the look and functions of the tool and
the templates or designs they provide.
On of the advantage of a custom website design is that the web site will look
and function exactly as you want. A custom made web site can promote your brand
and increase sales. The functionality and design of your website is important,
because the images and text on the screen can make an indifferent visitor turn
into a keen client, and the goal is to optimize your site to evolve maximum
traffic conversion.
As more and more people are starting their own small home business many are
finding that having a website is an important factor to consider. When one
starts to consider building a website, especially the novice, many questions
arise including.. can I create a website myself or should I hire a
professional?
Hiring a professional is a great way to go if you can afford it. Although there
are several things to keep in mind: how much will it cost? How much will
ongoing maintenance cost? What will changes cost? How long will changes take? etc. As a result, many people opt to build their own website
and begin searching for software that can easily help them.
As you start searching for an easy web site builder, there are some factors
that you should take into consideration so that your new software will serve
you now and the future.
There is quite a variety of easy web site building software and content management(CMS) based websites on the market today. In
addition, some of the software available today is very expensive, geared more
for the professional web designer, and come with a huge learning curve.
The options for small businesses to get a site developed have changed from the
past. There are now sophisticated "site builder" tools available to
small business owners, bundled with many web hosting packages. By using
templates, and a content management system to manage updates to the site, it
became easier to set up and maintain a web site, and many development companies
have canned this functionality, for a fee. Hosting providers are increasingly
offering tools to automate the web site building process, and with good reason.
This new option has many benefits, as long as the business owner recognizes
that there are trade offs and limitations to getting a web site this way. Some
of the downsides are.the design is limited to their predefined templates. The
functionality is limited to the tool. Also, in most website builder tools it is
hard to perform search engine optimization, which is essential for a site to be
found in the major search engines.
One of the biggest attractions for site building tools is the cost. It won't
necessarily cost less to get your site this way, but it does provide a way to
spread the cost over time. The cost for a custom website varies as per the
feature and function it carries with itself.
Many people are concerned with building their own website, fearing boring
designs and complexity. However, it is now becoming apparent that there are
many custom web site builder software products on the market that promise
dynamic layouts, professional templates, and user friendly web design tools.
The professional web designers know there are a few more things to know, but
sometimes they find some irony in the fact that web developers, in their quest
to improve and better the web, have made themselves "optional". Most
site building tools today are very robust, making it simple to add forms,
searching, maps, guest books, calendars, and a whole variety of elements to a
web site. Even better, the hosting company sometimes offers an entire suite of
services - the site builder, email marketing, search engine optimization and
statistics, all in one package along with the hosting.
There is also a possibility that the service will require you to keep some
branding on the site telling people that you used their website designs and
tools. This is more common with the free site builders - which pay for
themselves by putting ads on your site. If your goal is to build a business web
site, it's really not worth sacrificing your professional image by getting
something free, which screams CHEAP.
Low quality websites sometimes attempt to sell expensive products or services.
These websites cannot succeed. Studies reveals people spend more time on a well
designed web page than on a low quality web page. There is a comparative
relationship between the amount of time that an average visitor will spend on a
web page and the amount of time that was spent building the web page.
Websites are an important aspect of online businesses. They are the first face
of interaction between the user and the business. The website creates the first
impression on the user and hence needs to be effective and impressive too. It
is the job of web design services to make the website user friendly and search
engine friendly too, so that it can serve the purpose of both effectively.
A tool can make things happen - but if you don't know what to make happen, it
is either a useless tool or a dangerous one. There is a learning curve in
knowing how to present information online (called information architecture in
the profession), as well as for using the site builder. In other word, the
fuller featured the tool; the more there is to learn. If you aren't familiar
with color theory, use of typography, information architecture, navigation and
interface design, and page layout and design, you can potentially make
something that will hurt your business more than help it. So, unless you are
already computer and web savvy, figuring out all the features within your web
hosting and site builder package can be time consuming and frustrating.
In the end there are ways that a business can take advantage of these new
options and still create a functional and professional web site. One way is
simply take your time and research the available website templates, and find
the one that has the most features and flexibility, that
meet your functional requirements. In other words, spend the time to learn the
things a seasoned pro would bring to the table. The internet is a massive
library of "how to" information, where you can literally teach
yourself anything - and with enough time spent, you could potentially learn how
to layout information, what colors and fonts work well together, how to conduct
your marketing online and optimize the site for search engines. The second is
choosing the best suitable custom website design company and work with them to
build a professional website that meets your needs get your imaginations
carried and make business a greta success.
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