Cheap Websites – An Assembly Line?
First off let me say that in general this is not a new subject. Low-cost website packages have been around for sometime. You will find them everywhere on the web. But this recession has done a strange thing.
I am seeing more and more marketing consultants, web designers and developers and graphic designers offering low-end websites. And a lot of these are the same people who frowned on them only a few months ago. So what the heck is happening?
First of all, it’s obvious: the economy. As businesses cut back on spending, we all need to find the perfect price point that gets us in the door. Secondly, platforms like WordPress are making it easier to create a website for very little money. But….
“We’ll get you started on the web with a 5-page website for only $500.”
“Give us a few hours of your time and you will be on the web for only $300″
“Build your own site and have a web presence for only $49 a month.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Recently I overhead someone talking about the low-end websites they do for clients. Basically I heard this, “Heck, we can pump those things out like crazy, takes us so little time!”
Makes you feel real confident in the end product, huh?
So what’s the freakin’ point you may ask. What I see are three huge vital elements lacking.
You get what you pay for! Sure they will get you on the web, and most of them get you a decent brochure website. It will tell people landing on your homepage what you do, but I really doubt it will “sell” what you do. Even if you are paying just a few hundred dollars, you want your site to do more than just sit there.
Where’s the accountability? Are these people “pumping out a site” or are they working with you? Do they really take the time to understand what it is you do, what you want your site to do, and then walk you through the process?
Finally, the content. Amazingly in these promos for low-end sites, I see something like this: we will do you so many pages, provide SEO (yeah, right), throw some stock images on it and maybe even give you the hosting. But do they ever mention the copy? The real selling point. Web copy is an art in itself. Web copy can provide great SEO, and it can sell your product or service effectively. Most importantly it needs to pull your customer in, keep them there and make them take the next action. Without good copy, a website is nothing.
So, with that all said, if you are thinking of taking advantage of the low-end sites, think about what I said and ask questions. If they promise the world, get it in writing.
I know as small businesses we have tight budgets, especially in these times, but all I can say is, “Be careful out there.”
WordPress Themes – Free Vs. Paid
A couple posts ago I talked about the basics of a theme. Now let’s talk about the free versus paid.
If you use WordPress, you know how many free themes are out there —literally hundreds. There are a lot of good ones, and some that are okay. If you are using yours for a blog, the choices are endless, depending on your needs. But if you are choosing WordPress as a platform for your website, you may want to consider the benefits of a paid theme.
Now don’t get me wrong. Again, there are plenty of good free themes out there, and I’m not slamming any of them.
But, let’s look at what you may get with a paid theme:
You get what you pay for. Hey, that’s life. I don’t need to explain this one. In fact you will find that many of the “free” theme developers, have paid one’s as well. Get the point?
More bells and whistles. Yes, the paid themes will be more widget-friendly. They may already have a lot in place that you don’t even need to bother adding.
Support. Here’s a big one. Again, someone that offers a theme for free, how much time can they give to supporting that theme. Sure, they may have a forum on their site, but still the opportunity of being able to contact someone when you need them, is so much more beneficial.
Updates. Another biggie! When WordPress does its updates (and they can be often), this can send your theme into oblivion. I’ve seen it happen with clients. Sites that offer paid themes have a bit more reason to make sure that their themes will work with the next update. In fact, many get hold of the “beta” version of the next update, just so they can be ready!
So the choice is yours. Just give it a bit of thought as you choose your next theme. What do you want it to do for you? Think long term.
Of course you can always change midstream and that works will with blogs. But a complicated website — changing the theme can cost you time, money and several ongoing headaches!
Here are just a few links to some great paid themes:
Again, just a few. Look around, ask around. I’m sure you will find just what you need.
