Nishadha SilvaOne of the biggest hurdles for the aspiring entrepreneur is establishing a solid and unique web presence.
We all know the importance of having a business website. Without one, you’re missing out on the 85% of consumers who turn to the web as their primary method for finding local businesses. But with over 785 million websites in existence, simply having a website isn’t going to make a huge change to your bottom line overnight.
It’s no longer a case of “if you build it they will come.” You need a web presence that supports your message, reinforces your brand image and really stands out from the crowd.
A customized website brings a strong web presence
The DIY Movement
As the need for a web presence has developed, so too have various do-it-yourself web development and design services. There are a vast number of hosting services, CMSs and website templates that allow even the least technically adept to get their own website up and running within 30 minutes.
But there’s a huge problem with free or DIY sites. They’re incredibly generic.
It’s easy to spot when a site has been built off a template. After all, there are only so many templates to choose from, and the majority of small business owners aren’t well versed enough in coding or design to make any drastic changes.
In the grand scheme of things, focus should be placed on the service or product on offer. However, we live in a world enamored with the aesthetic. Good design has fast become a deciding factor in how prospects view the value of your service. Poor design = perceived poor value.
You can’t underestimate how important the aesthetic is in establishing a positive first impression and having your brand stand out from the crowd.
So what can those who want to stand out from the crowd do to tailor their website? Well, there are two options:
- Learn to code and change the HTML and CSS of your template yourself.
- Hire a professional developer to manually convert your design dreams into code.
Learning to code is no easy feat. It’s akin to learning another language. There’s also the very real risk of making a minor mistake, which can cause some serious problems or long-term downtime for your site.
Hiring a professional to do the work for you makes far more sense. But pro web developers don’t come cheap, and manually converting designs into code is a slow, cumbersome process. You’re also entrusting your design dreams to a third party who might not fully understand your vision.
New Solutions
Thankfully, there are a handful of cloud-based services that give you better control, without having to rely on a front-end developer to publish designs to HTML.
Webydo, a NYC based web design platform is a service that enables professional designers to build visually striking, unique websites without the need to manually convert their designs into HTML. The service has already attracted over 140,000 web design agencies, studios and freelancers, and it’s easy to see why.
Webydo gives designers the ability to design, craft and host their websites all in one place and with absolutely zero coding. If you’re a designer creating websites for clients, Webydo also a comprehensive management suite, which includes the ability to bill the client straight from the platform itself.
Another service, Webflow, provides a similar direct design-to-publish functionaliy, generating W3C-compliant websites without the need to manually encode designs into HTML and CSS3. Webflow does accommodate collaboration with developers, if the need to do extensive custom programming arises.
The application supports a variety of backgrounds, type styling, shadows, borders, transitions, transforms, floats, and other elements. The platform supports drag-and-drop editing, easy selection of elements in the design toolbar, and the ability to layout on-page elements freely.
One difference between the two platforms, however, is that Webydo comes bundled with client-management tools. Both applications are targeted at designers and design outfits looking to improve B2B capabilities.
Weebly is another simple-to-use design platform that lets both novices and experienced web designers to publish without having to go through the tedious encoding process.
Among the platform’s recent additions are its apps specifically tailored for building content on mobile devices. Recently, Weebly for Apple Watch launched as a means to take advantage of the uptick in interest in wearable devices.
By combining what are often separate elements of website hosting, CMS services and the ability to fully customize designs these platforms have provided and easy to use all-in-one service. These enable small businesses to focus on providing a good service for customers and other designers, as well as the ability to reach out to their community through an effective and impactful website.
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