We all see the ads in our feeds and on tv, commercials from GoDaddy and WIX and others, with claims to build a small business responsive website design… in a day… for free. We get the business calls and emails daily from companies that say can build custom websites for less than if we shop local.
Thus far this year, 83% of new small business responsive website design orders have been from entrepreneurs who tried building their websites internally. Some customers have bought into monthly payment plans with a local media outlet promising do-it-yourself training, regular updates and local SEO. Six months later, the local business owners website is out of date, they can’t fix it, and they don’t even own the website they paid thousands of dollars for! A quick glance at reviews could have saved them money and time.
When small businesses know it’s time for a professional website design:
- Website is out of date and there is no time to make updates.
- Business has grown but the professionalism of the online presence has not.
- When their “free” website gets hacked and they can’t access it anymore
- When their customers experience confusion or frustration when visiting the site
- They have spent more of their time attempting to build a functioning site instead of building their business.
- Junior or Intern or ____ gets a life and can’t be bothered to keep it current.
There is no easy button to create a fully functional, attractive, and responsive website design. It takes an understanding of graphic design, color, website navigation, user interface, marketing and coding — yes, knowing a bit of code is a lifesaver!
All content management systems (CMS) are not equal.
Some CMS, like WIX, are proprietary and can’t grow with you, or take them with you if you go. There are some online registrars with CMS responsive website builders that limit features depending on your monthly budget. You can’t make custom changes or additions. And just try and get them on the phone.
Our customers have come from these examples and more. Our own research landed us on WordPress as the most comprehensive website CMS choice for us and many of our customers.
Why is WordPress a good choice for responsive website design?
Plethora of plug-ins available to customize and automate features- 1,000s of responsive website design themes
- Features targeted to e-commerce and events
- Features connecting social activity and news
- Attractive user interface (UI)
- Popular format for developers
- Ease of updating
- Hours of YouTube WordPress How-To videosLastly, the ease of training customers for DIY edits is invaluable to those who invest time in keeping content current. For those who choose monthly website maintenance, WordPress administration is fairly standard and experienced staff can quickly implement most changes and updates.
What are the drawbacks to choosing WordPress for a small business responsive website design?
With all of the capabilities and features offered for small business responsive website design today, the more you add on a limited budget some
- Software needs to be updated
- Can be susceptible to hacking if software is not maintained and updated when required
- Plug ins don’t always play well together
- Custom plug ins can add one -time or monthly fees
- Pre-purchased themes do not include support or troubleshooting
- Can load slow on shared servers
If you’d like a professional website design, shoot us an email or call today. Let’s connect, you won’t be overwhelmed by the process.
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