Best free website templates?

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Hayley865

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Hi guys, anyone know the best free website template provider? I currely use moonfruit but fancy a change and they are limited in the amount of free templates they have!

Sitting here on a quiet wednesday thinking what can I do to get more clients in! Been open since Nov 2011 and get busy days then quiet days, finding it a struggle and would love some marketing ideas! Feel like I'm all over the web, gumtree, flyers didnt work for me... just said NO to groupon as would be running at a loss. Stuck! Any tips would be appreciated xxx
 
Look on the other posts and ask a guy called jack straw for his advice. He knows about this stuff.

Sean

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Hi guys, anyone know the best free website template provider? I currely use moonfruit but fancy a change and they are limited in the amount of free templates they have!

Sitting here on a quiet wednesday thinking what can I do to get more clients in! Been open since Nov 2011 and get busy days then quiet days, finding it a struggle and would love some marketing ideas! Feel like I'm all over the web, gumtree, flyers didnt work for me... just said NO to groupon as would be running at a loss. Stuck! Any tips would be appreciated xxx

I wouldn't bother to be honest. It seems like a waste of your time given your particular circumstance.

A website (whilst essential in the long term) is often a "reactive" marketing tool- in that people have to come and find your site first. Unless your site is REALLY rubbish then I'd suggest that it's not top priority if you're looking to attract new people sharpish.

If you're struggling for clients then you ought to do something more "pro-active" that's going to put your business in front of people rather than waiting for them to stumble across you on the web.

Have a search for Lynn Bakers marketing thread and see if there are any promotions and ideas you can borrow.

Come up with an "excuse" to market to people (A loyalty scheme or "sale" perhaps?) and then create a marketing campaign around that.
 
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Look on the other posts and ask a guy called jack straw for his advice. He knows about this stuff.

Sean I am not a politician :D

And sorry I cannot advise on Free websites, all I can advise is how bad they are for many many reasons.

If you're struggling for clients then you ought to do something more "pro-active" that's going to put your business in front of people rather than waiting for them to stumble across you on the web.

If people have to "stumble across you" then sorry to say your online marketing is, in a word "Pants"

I could get a business in front of your target market online, in a shorter time, with less spend and get conversions from it. Pro active and Cost effective.
 
I disagree.

Jack- the premise of your argument is the word "online". It's not safe to assume that peoples clients are going to be looking online in the first place. You could have the world's most amazing website with fantastic online promotion, but if people aren't online to see it. It's a waste of time. Because we're all on an internet forurm- we can't fall into the trap of assuming everyone looking for services in this industry is doing it online. "Pants" marketing or not, if someone isnt looking they're not going to find you.

A website is utterly essential, and getting people like Jack to do them is a good idea, but it has to be part of a "marketing mix". Putting all your eggs into the online basket, because it's cheap and fast, is a mistake hundreds of busineses are making.

A website, is always a reactive marketing activity, like it or not. Whether you can brute-force a site to the top of (some) Google rankings or not is irrelevant- a site cannot function in a marketing vacuum.

The OP was asking about "free" templates- so any chance of successful SEO is even less.

My advice was based on the fact that swapping one free template based website for another free template based website isn't going to attract many new clients.

I'm also speaking from the, very particular, perspective of owning a salon ourselves. If my business was suffering from a quiet period, a new website wouldnt be the method I'd choose to rectifty that in the short-term.

My other business, the graphic design business, wouldn't have any choice but to market online as I don't have premises where clients visit me, and 99.99% of the time I deal with people over the web.
 
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Out of the "free" website providers, I've found one of the best ones to be Weebly - Weebly - Create a free website and a free blog - although of course, the end result will depend on how much time you want to put in to customising the site to do what you want. Yes, you'll almost certainly get something better if you pay for a website, but Weebly would be a very good choice if you are just starting out and funds are tight.

I would agree with Carl though that a website is best thought of as part of a combined marketing strategy; and here, it helps to take time to think about branding, and the sort of image you want to project for your business; getting this right, and then using it consistently across all channels (from the sign outside your salon, to your flyers, price lists, website, Facebook page and Twitter) will help with making your business easily recognisable and memorable in the minds of your clients and potential clients.
 
How about using a wordpress theme, they're so easy to customise. And then get yourself a good SEO plugin.

A lot of free sites are Flash based, so therefore are unable to be 'read' by google and also as a lot of people browse the web using their iPhones/iPads Flash sites can't be viewed on those.
 
I disagree.

Jack- the premise of your argument is the word "online". It's not safe to assume that peoples clients are going to be looking online in the first place.

With this day, age, technology it is not safe to assume that a "Beauty Salons" target market is not going to be online, I am assuming that most Beauty Salons target markets age is going to be 16-34, with an average 97% of this age group accessing the internet in 2011, then its pretty safe to say they are online....and a dam good place to start finding them.

You could have the world's most amazing website with fantastic online promotion
You could also have the worlds worst website and be very successful with it, as long as your Calls to action are right and you hit the right sales buttons then it will sell for you

A website is utterly essential, and getting people like Jack to do them is a good idea, but it has to be part of a "marketing mix". Putting all your eggs into the online basket, because it's cheap and fast, is a mistake hundreds of busineses are making.

Totally agree and I have not said you should not do offline marketing, you are spot on with the "Marketing Mix", I personally think the mistake made by hundreds of business start up's are not doing correct market research and finding where their targets are, go, use etc etc.


A website, is always a reactive marketing activity, like it or not. Whether you can brute-force a site to the top of (some) Google rankings or not is irrelevant- a site cannot function in a marketing vacuum.

Thats one big mistake people make...Google is not the be all end all of Internet, yes it helps, but if you get a website to page 1 of google then sit back and say well I am at the top of google now so they will come, then more fool you, its about getting your web address into "Target Markets" face, then getting them to react and the website to convert

The OP was asking about "free" templates- so any chance of successful SEO is even less.

My advice was based on the fact that swapping one free template based website for another free template based website isn't going to attract many new clients.

If any:D

I'm also speaking from the, very particular, perspective of owning a salon ourselves. If my business was suffering from a quiet period, a new website wouldnt be the method I'd choose to rectifty that in the short-term.

My other business, the graphic design business, wouldn't have any choice but to market online as I don't have premises where clients visit me, and 99.99% of the time I deal with people over the web.

Horses for Courses, if the op has a website already and has a quiet Wednesday then I know what I would be doing and it certainly wouldnt be jumping from the frying pan into the fire with a new free website, I would be pro active in finding new customers either online or offline...depending on where my market research tells me they are, then that is the primary avenue I would attack.
 
"I am assuming that most Beauty Salons target markets age is going to be 16-34"

Well- thats a very VERY dangerous assumption that would be the end of most salons business. In fact, probably 50% of the people who visit our salon are over that age- and they're the people with the disposible income.

We'll agree to disagree- and you're probably right on a number of other points :)

Without wanting to sound terribly patronising (and this is genuine advice from a designer and salon owner- so I can see the needs of this industry from both angles)- would be it be best if you did a survey of people in this industry (as you want to specialise in it) and find out the very particular needs and wants in it? As well as exploring the demographics as well? I think it'll help you in the long run. Maybe visit a few salons, as it seems to be that you're viewing it from a very acute techie "by the book" corporate angle.
 
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"I am assuming that most Beauty Salons target markets age is going to be 16-34"

Well- thats a very VERY dangerous assumption that would be the end of most salons business.

We'll agree to disagree. :)

Yep, a very dangerous assumption indeed! I know a number of people on here who offer high-end facial and skincare treatments, for example, where an important target market is older women who have more disposable income and are happy to pay extra for something that is going to deliver results.

I'm 38 myself, so 4 years older than that "target market", and far from over the hill yet!
 
I created one with Weebly but then stumbled accross WIX who I thought were much better so I re-created it with them. It looks very professional and has saved me a fortune.

As a little start up I am very proud of it and feel my WIX one looks a lot more professional that the Weebly one.

Good luck xx
 
"I am assuming that most Beauty Salons target markets age is going to be 16-34"
Well- thats a very VERY dangerous assumption that would be the end of most salons business. In fact, probably 50% of the people who visit our salon are over that age- and they're the people with the disposible income.

Slap on wrist taken on board and I will change my figure's, 95.15% of the UK population aged between 16-54 have used the internet in Q1 of 2012, im sure that will cover MOST salons Target, but if you wanted 16-64 then its 92.59% of the UK population have gone online in the first 3mths of the year, if people want to ignore those sort of figures then that is their prerogative.

Ruth mentioned flyers, so looking at the figures of how many people aged 16-54 take any notice of flyers, law of averages says that 98.5% will ignore or throw them away, being really generous then 96% would throw or ignore them.

Which will bring me back to a point I am making, if there is a 95% chance that my target will see me online in some way, shape, form or a 97.25% chance they will throw away my hard earned cash then my thoughts would be "Errrrmmmm which way do I go to try and drum up business whilst I am sat here bored, do I, open photoshop/corel and design a new flyer or do I open up google and attack all the places that 95% of the UK population go"

Without wanting to sound terribly patronising (and this is genuine advice from a designer and salon owner- so I can see the needs of this industry from both angles)- would be it be best if you did a survey of people in this industry (as you want to specialise in it) and find out the very particular needs and wants in it? As well as exploring the demographics as well? I think it'll help you in the long run. Maybe visit a few salons, as it seems to be that you're viewing it from a very acute techie "by the book" corporate angle.

Whatever industry I decide to do web design in then I would be fully clued up on "My" target market, so yes a little patronised.

As a designer then it is up to me to know how to target a clients market not what their target is, nobody knows their business more than them, and who am I to say any different, as a designer all I can do is advise.

Whatever industry, I would find out their target by the design brief, research their market and then once happy build to attract them, by the book, yep, the same book that has been proven on many scales, and probably why professors teach from that book.

And I will state before you jump on my back, by no means am I saying do everything online, I am saying do things that will attract your target, online or offline.(Flyers were an example)

You can be just as pro active online as you can offline, and the worm is slowly turning into which one is getting to be more effective, hence the downfall in High Street Retail sales, the introduction of 4g, the amount of printers going bust etc etc etc etc The internet is a revolution in itself.

You may not like my opinions but sorry to say none of us can argue against fact.
 
I created one with Weebly but then stumbled accross WIX who I thought were much better so I re-created it with them. It looks very professional and has saved me a fortune.

As a little start up I am very proud of it and feel my WIX one looks a lot more professional that the Weebly one.

Good luck xx

Have you tried testing your new site in IE8 and Safari, chances are it will look broken
 
No need to be defensive. This is a forum to discuss opinion. My opinions aren't fact either. I'm quite happy to discuss how wrong I may or may not be. I learn things on this forum every day.

As I said I didn't mean it in a patronising way- but I've been designing for this industry for 10 years now, so I know a thing or two. It was meant as helpful advice- because, with respect, I'm not sure you do know this market.

When I finished my degree I assumed I knew the lot- but it wasn't until I started to run a few small businesses that I started melding theory, academia and practicality.

We've hijacked this thread a little and I don't think its helping the OP too much- so all the best :)
 
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I created one with Weebly but then stumbled accross WIX who I thought were much better so I re-created it with them. It looks very professional and has saved me a fortune.

As a little start up I am very proud of it and feel my WIX one looks a lot more professional that the Weebly one.

Good luck xx

When I saw WIX in the past, they seemed to be heavily Flash-based - which could risk compatibility issues with Macs, iPads and iPhones (which don't run Flash) - so I'd seriously check to see how a WIX site performs on a Mac, iPad or iPhone before committing to using them. As the last thing you want to do is to have a site that looks really sexy on a Windows PC, but looks pants on an Apple device. Whereas Weebly sites don't use Flash, so should work fine on both Windows and Apple.
 
Well.

Im a fan of moonfruit, and when you spend the time on it, It can do alot. Thats my first point to the OP.
Whatever self build site you use, It will take time, dedication and learning.

Now, In repose to the other points.

I disagree about SEO been not likely in a free site builder. I worked hard on my on site optimisation, and got to page 1 pretty quickly for my main key words, which were highly competitive. So it can be done.

Flash based sites ARE readable by search engines. It used to be the case that they were not, and this has been the cause of great debate. but its been found that they are. (and my site is a good example of this again).

I think - and i have salon experience to back it up, most of our client base had internet access. Now I would suggest most clients came from word of mouth and repeat bookings, followed by passing trade (good high street position). But I know a fair few came after using the internet and searching for local salons, then calling to make an appointment. - So it has Its place.

I have actually been speakig to Jack a fair bit offline, about SEO and Web Design. Im no expert but I know enough to know whats what, and I would say Jack has a fantastic understanding of the industry (web design), and marketing in general, going as far as offering advice on things that I overlooked such as 'fat' and 'thin' numbers etc.

Not trying to take sides, just give my experience. Im sure everyone here has something to offer, Id hate to see it turn into an unproductive slanging match, thats not going to help the OP.

I guess ultimately its down to each salon to come up with their own marketing plan. Different areas will attract different client groups, and require different marketing techniques. Some salons will have the money to pay for expert advice, some wont need it and some wont have the money. I think it would be good if we could support each other in finding our own stratergy, and support each other in achieving the end goal, on the budget they have, with the resources available?

Time for a brew
 
I use weebly & the main reason is so I can access it on my apple devices. Most people use their phones for searching for things & most people (that I know anyway) have an iPhone. You have to think about these things when choosing the host :) xx
 
I use weebly & the main reason is so I can access it on my apple devices. Most people use their phones for searching for things & most people (that I know anyway) have an iPhone. You have to think about these things when choosing the host :) xx

You can actually get very professional results with a Weebly site too if you put your mind to it - have a look at Waxing for Men, Glasgow and Lanarkshire Waxworks Glasgow - Waxing for Men, Male Beauty Salon Glasgow and Lanarkshire, Waxworks Glasgow for example, which another of the salon geeks created with Weebly.
 
When I saw WIX in the past, they seemed to be heavily Flash-based - which could risk compatibility issues with Macs, iPads and iPhones (which don't run Flash) - so I'd seriously check to see how a WIX site performs on a Mac, iPad or iPhone before committing to using them. As the last thing you want to do is to have a site that looks really sexy on a Windows PC, but looks pants on an Apple device. Whereas Weebly sites don't use Flash, so should work fine on both Windows and Apple.

WOW . . . thanks Ruth. I never knew any of this!

Better get updating the weebly one! What is that saying about going with your first answer?? lol.

Just seen your other post too about the Scottish website and agree!

Thank you so so much. I don't know where I would be without this site!

Salzgirlie xx
 
WOW . . . thanks Ruth. I never knew any of this!

Better get updating the weebly one! What is that saying about going with your first answer?? lol.

Just seen your other post too about the Scottish website and agree!

Thank you so so much. I don't know where I would be without this site!

Salzgirlie xx

I'd check your WIX website on an iPhone/iPad/Mac first though before ditching it though; they may have improved their support for iPhone/iPad/Mac since the last time I checked; if it looks fine, then you may as well stay with WIX.

But if not, then Weebly would probably be your best bet, given the popularity of iPhones and iPads especially!
 

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