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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
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