When it comes to building a website, most individuals and small
business owners think you either have to do it yourself or hire
someone to do it. Web builder software is often the better
option for this group by far.
Even if you're a seasoned web professional, you should know what
web builder software can offer private individuals and small
businesses. Designers regularly waste time fielding inquiries
from small-time website owners who don't realize the time,
effort, and therefore cost involved in making a website from
scratch. Or your brain may be picked endlessly by a would-be
developer. Recommending a good web builder program is a great
way to help this group--you can even monetize these
non-prospects by reselling web builder software or referring it
as an affiliate.
The 3 Web Design Options
DIY (design it yourself), usually using software such as
Dreamweaver or FrontPage. Pay someone else to design it.
Use a "website builder" that includes everything you need and
builds the website based on a setup wizard that asks questions
about your website goals.
Most people just stumble into one of these three options without
really comparing. In fact, if someone is even considering
whether to try to do it themselves, hire a pro, or use a website
builder program, it's extremely likely they really do need to
start with a website builder program. After all, with the small
investment required by web builder software, you can easily
decide to go the DIY or professional design route later. But the
money and time spent on professional services or DIY cannot be
un-spent.
If you don't have the web design skills that would lead you to
make your own website without questioning, or the budget to hire
a designer just as easily, your time, money and other resources
are probably better spent on other aspects of your website--such
as promoting it, planning it, or getting content for it.
Website Options Comparison: Cost
: Cost of software (Dreamweaver, the most popular, runs about
$300) + many hours of your life--what is your time worth?
Web Designer: $500-$5000
Website Builder: $100-200 (if a software package); $15-40/month
(if a subscription service)
Time
DIY: Depending on your skill level, a week to a few months.
Web Designer: A few weeks till completion (but little time on
your part).
Website Builder: Five minutes to an hour (depending on how much
you want to play with the options).
Graphic Design: Most people who build their own websites use
graphic design templates, or at least ready-made graphics. But
there's still the problem of how to bring the elements of the
design together into an attractive whole.
Web Designer: If you want to be taken seriously, a graphic
designer will go a long way. Still, many people manage to
sabotage the designer's work with too many demands. Also, some
designers are really programmers rather than graphic designers,
and will use templates anyway. In the end, though, the biggest
drawback is cost: graphic designers can do it better, but can
you afford them?
Website Builder: The advantage of a website builder over DIY
templates is that the builder will save you the time of coding
the website to stitch all the parts together.
About the author:
Joel Walsh recommends you check out
http://www.ezgenerator.com/documents/167.html? web authoring
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