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
DIY: 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.
Joel Walsh recommends you check out this
website
authoring software:
http://www.ezgenerator.com/documents/167.html
