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?%20web%20authoring%20software
