With a proactive Starting-Block SEO plan
General questions we’re frequently asked about hiring a web designer:
1. My budget is limited but I need an affordable website of good quality. My friend insisted he could build me a decent site from a template if I buy it. Why shouldn’t I go with one of these options instead of hiring a web designer?
The problem with these do-it-yourself template and theme options is that they are quite limited and difficult to modify. This goes for WordPress, Joomla, or any of the templated web-builder kits. Worse still, if you’re not very experienced with the site-building aspects of WordPress, for example, the “Pro” theme packages are not much better than the free themes: either of them can cause your website to break or go down completely when the WordPress platform itself gets updated. You will then be using all your available time and energy attempting to build, repair or rebuild your site, pulling you away from your most important commitment in the web development project: preparing and submitting your content, and networking to market your enterprise and your new website.
For these reasons, our clients on smaller budgets take the easier route of selecting one of our low-priced packages for a reliable, secure and expandable website. They have us do the “heavy lifting” — the technical work of UX design and coding, so they can focus their efforts on providing good content for us to include in the building of their site.
As you are the specialist in your business or art form, your web project time will be much better spent if you concentrate on providing us strong content. Your content is your marketing ammunition. Focus on organizing and sending that material to your Forward Web Solutions project manager, and let us build the canons that will target it to where you need it!
Being specialists in custom WordPress Content Management websites, we can build your site with the look, feel and functionality you need, and enable you, through the best in CMS, to easily add a wide variety of fresh content whenever you wish. And, remember… we’re here to help you, in case you need assistance or a WordPress tutorial.
2. My brother started to built his own website using a fairly expensive WordPress theme package. But after several weeks of frustration and too many support emails, he still can’t get it to look nearly as good as the seller’s demo site. What are the barriers and what can he do on his limited budget?
We sympathize with his frustrations. If the support from the “pro developer” is not good, your brother just may keep spinning his wheels. Without adequate coding skills, it can be daunting to get the website look and feel he really wants, even with a high priced template package. Before jumping into a whole back-to-college scenario, your brother may want to consider some WordPress-specific tutoring. We have WordPress private tutor sessions available, and we make it affordable for non-local clients at no extra telecommunication costs to them. Here’s our Contact page for phone and e-mail options.
3. Recently I learned I could build my own with a free template after I buy my web name from a certain web host. Plus, another company offered me a free domain name if I host with them for a few dollars a month; I’d be able to use their website-builder tools, and get a website up. Why, then, would I need your company’s web design services?
There is a lot at stake here for you. For several strong reasons, we don’t recommend these 2-for-1 options. Both of these types of arrangements come with hidden hooks. It is generally unwise to purchase your domain name from the same company that will host your website. Your first frustration is that you will find the template tools very limiting and frustrating, and will want to have more flexibility and control. You will most likely want to change web editing platforms to get the website features you need. The web host will likely then require an upgrade to a monthly fee that you may not be pleased to pay. So, you’re “stuck”.
Furthermore, if you want to move your web hosting elsewhere, you may actually have to abandon that “free” domain name and start new with another one. Be careful not to jump into those seemingly cheap, easy options that usually lead to website abandonment. We see plenty of poor, unfinished abandoned websites in cyberspace, because of this risk.
4. In business college, an instructor was talking about SEO. I didn’t really get it, and what’s worse, I have a website which the teacher said has poor SEO, especially because it’s a static website instead of a CMS site. I couldn’t understand what he was getting at. Can you explain a little about all this SEO / CMS stuff and how it connects?
Sure! We’d be glad to explain. Our FAQ page about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) should help. See you there!