Free/Cheap websites Vs Professional

[Web geoff]

Just wanted to open a debate on the issue.

Many are using free websites to get their business online, but at what cost to the overall business image itself.

In short, a website is a promotional tool that is their to entice people to read about the products and services the business/person has to offer, and as such should lead them to the conclusion that the business/person who's website it is, is also at the top of their profession and at this stage the web user will more than likely use the services, or buy products on that basis.

Many users of these free websites are very proud of what they have built within maybe a matter of minutes or even hours, and so they should be, they have no experience.

But, just to save money would you purchase cheap stools from the pound shop? Would you use a jug to rinse hair instead of a professional rinser, in short...NO!!

We all understand that at the begining of a business venture cash flow is tight, but at what cost to the long term of the business does the need to keep every aspect of the businness professional change?

Many studies indicate that a user makes up his or her mind on a website within a few seconds.

Out of two websites, if you were looking to buy an Armani handbag, and two websites came up in Google, one was cheap homemade looking and the other professionally designed, which one would you buy from?

Professional web designers have to create friendly, appealing and useable websites, just like the professionals here they work and train hard.

This is why they cant offer them for nothing, or a £100 or so.

Its not easy creating websites that look the same in all the different browsers that people use, hand crafting graphics in professional graphic programs, at the same time making sure the mass can view the website and that it loads quickly, even on computers that still use dial up and not broadband.

I just wanted to share this, I hope to get a good debate going here full of pros and cons regarding this discussion.

May I wish all professionals here a prosperous year!

Web geoff

 

[number1kitty]

Well Web Geoff, Obviously your panicking over the number of easy to use web builders that not only host your site but also offer a DIY design and build service all for FREE, meaning those IT people that thought there profits would roll on for years to come are worried especially in the current recession - which by the way is not affecting the beauty industry.

Most web designers use the same templates we have for free these days.

And we are not dumb therapists, most of us are high flying business people that understand the mere basics of creating a user friendly website. After all we are consumers ourselves and know what makes a website good or bad.

SOme therapists sites are awful and need some help but the more that these companies offer better and easier to use templates such as microsoft small business live then they will only get better and better.

We don't need an all singing all dancing site, they annoy people more than entice them in. A website should be clean and easy to use and for that reason a free one is just as good as any amount of cash spent with a web designer.

 

[Exquisite Touch]

Im quite proud of my website, thank you very much. It wasnt free I pay for my website but i design it myself but it didnt cost hundreds and thousands. Friends of mine have had website designed and cannot change the web layout without being charged more money. If prices change More money. If they want to add out More money......
so thanks but no thanks

 

[Northern Nails]

I went with Yola. They are free and you can add as many pages and pictures you want. They have an excellent toolbar to help optimize your site. Initially i did pay for a website whi untill to be honest was ubbish, none of the search engines picked it up and i only had one page. I was charged for alterations and extra pages. In fact i was paying through the nose for a load of rubbish. It wasn't until geeks on this site started doing their own (& let me add how professional thet look) that did mine.
To add...I'm a complete novice with websites too, so if i can do it anyone can

Oh and by the way, when i wanted to cancel my website they charged me over £100!!

 

[Ruth Mills]

However, some points to bear in mind are:

(1) Some of the free web providers will put advertisements on your page, e.g. Google AdWords; this will detract from the overall look of the page, and there is also a chance that some of the adverts displayed on your page may actually be for your competitors in the area!

(2) There will often be a limited number of templates to choose from, so you may end up with a site that looks very similar to someone else's salon web site.

(3) Some things can be tricky on some of the free template web sites, e.g. aligning text on price lists. I've seen quite a few sites where the prices may line up on one web browser, but then be out of line on another.

(4) Some of the template sites and site builder software can turn out mal-formed HTML - the vast majority will show errors when tested using the W3C validator, The W3C Markup Validation Service - this can cause issues with accessibility, browser compatibility, and even the ability of search engines to read your site.

However, even though a professionally designed site will stand more chance of conforming to a valid HTML syntax, it is still dependent on the site's designer to ensure conformance with the standards, e.g. by validating each page.

(5) Having your own domain name, e.g. mysalon.co.uk, looks a lot more professional than a sub page on a free web site, e.g. somefreewebsite.co.uk/mysalon - and will also give you better placing in the search engines.

Even so, it is still possible for people to design and maintain their own web sites to a perfectly respectable level, without paying a "professional" web design company to do so. Many companies such as 123-reg, 1and1, etc, offer cheaply priced domain names and hosting packages, some with their own web design templates - which will likely be a decent step up from the totally free web site providers, but still significantly less than a completely bespoke web site. So my advice would be to shop around and consider all the available options before committing yourself; don't rule out the free web site providers without giving them a try, but be aware of their limitations.

My opinion is that in order for professional web designers to remain an attractive option, they must offer something above and beyond what is available from most free websites or template-based websites, e.g. at the very least, visibly better graphic design, and unique branding, as opposed to a carbon copy template, whilst maintaining excellent browser compatibility, accessibility and standards conformance. At the same time, pricing must be competitive. It would only be worth paying several hundred pounds, say, for a web site, if it would bring in at least that much in additional revenue compared with a free web site. Otherwise, the salon would effectively be making a loss compared with having a free web site.

I would also be inclined to ask for interactive features that would really benefit your business, e.g. being able to sign clients up to a mailing list, and things like a shopping cart for retail products, and perhaps online booking. Perhaps also the ability for you to easily edit things on your own site without having to call someone at the web design company to do it for you (e.g. updating your price list or adding details of new treatments) - i.e. a simple content management system that does not need a PhD in computer science to use.

 

[number1kitty]

Clients can sign up to a mailing list on a free site, and google checkout and calender can also be added to allow customers to book an appointment and make purchases.

I give all my clients my google calender and they book them selves in - its soooo easy and not techy!

 

[Web geoff]

Good debate so far.
To number1kitty

Well Web Geoff, Obviously your panicking over the number of easy to use web builders that not only host your site but also offer a DIY design and build service all for FREE, meaning those IT people that thought there profits would roll on for years to come are worried especially in the current recession - which by the way is not affecting the beauty industry.
Im affriad you are well off the mark here, most of use have seen an increase in work as companies realise they need to push harder to sell their services or products than ever before, and with the web so important now for any business this is the way they are doing it, so for me personally, I am full for months as it happends.

Most web designers use the same templates we have for free these days.

And we are not dumb therapists, most of us are high flying business people that understand the mere basics of creating a user friendly website. After all we are consumers ourselves and know what makes a website good or bad.
I fully agree that you are professional business owners and are NOT and have never thought 'dumb therapists'.

SOme therapists sites are awful and need some help but the more that these companies offer better and easier to use templates such as microsoft small business live then they will only get better and better.

We don't need an all singing all dancing site, they annoy people more than entice them in. A website should be clean and easy to use and for that reason a free one is just as good as any amount of cash spent with a web designer.

I fully agree with you in respect to not having all singing and dancing annoying website, yes it should be clean and easy to use, just remember that these templates will not usually meet the W3C (world wide web consortium) guidlines, and therfore may look 'good' on your home computer, but may look totaly out of place on others using different browsers and screen resolutions.

To: Northern Nails,

Im sorry to hear about the design company you had experience with, there are in all industries people who will expliot you for everything you have, Id just like to say that we are not all of this nature.

Have a great wekend everyone.

Web Geoff

 

[Martin Duffy]

I use Microsoft Office Live so cannot comment on free sites in general, but the only feedback I've ever had was of a positive nature, as is evidenced by the number of clients that I gain through it. I've never once had a client who had a problem with the way it appeared on their browser.

 

[essentia]

I go agree with what you are saying and some websites are not up to the mark - most people think about this last rather than first! which is crazy as it is one of the most powerful adverts for a business. However I have been let down by a professional designer and I ended up building my own in Dreamweaver and it is validated by W3C. I also put my own shop on it so it is possible to be pro looking by taking a short course. If you are a bit more creative some build your own sites allow for a lot of input and look very good - so it depends on the individual. Some new people join pushing their services and it may annoy some so :lol:tread lightly.

 

[Vanilla Pod]

mine is made from a free website but i paid for the domain name www.naturelle-spa.co.uk , it is still in progress, i dont think its that bad so far

 

[champagne]

Mine seems to be doing ok, im at the top of the page if you search the village name & nails. tan or wax .....

Im quite happy with mine.....Office Live.....I actually enjoyed creating it !

 

[SusanEvian]

Good debate so far.
To number1kitty
I fully agree with you in respect to not having all singing and dancing annoying website, yes it should be clean and easy to use, just remember that these templates will not usually meet the W3C (world wide web consortium) guidlines, and therfore may look 'good' on your home computer, but may look totaly out of place on others using different browsers and screen resolutions.

To: Northern Nails,

Im sorry to hear about the design company you had experience with, there are in all industries people who will expliot you for everything you have, Id just like to say that we are not all of this nature.

Have a great wekend everyone.

Web Geoff

someone who just joins and pushes there services, seen so many do this.


Su x

 

[lucie-jo]

mine is made from a free website but i paid for the domain name www.naturelle-spa.co.uk , it is still in progress, i dont think its that bad so far

I got my website free too from vistaprint. www.fakebakemobiletanningbylucy.co.uk I'm very happy with it so far, i think it looks ok. Ive just started out, so all this marketing and advertising is new to me! Still can't find myself on google, but maybe that will change in time! lol :lol:

I've had a professional website built before for something completely different and it cost me nearly£500 and the monthly charge from what i remember was a lot too! Also, i was unable to make changes and develop it myself, which in the end was costing more moeny and time.

 

[Urban Geek]

I use freewebs and I am very happy with my site. It looks good enough (needing updated) but my clients love it and it brings me loads of new business. It does a very successful and professional job for me.

The fact that you think we judge the success of our website simply through appearance is rather patronising!

 

[shell28]

I use freewebs and I am very happy with my site. It looks good enough (needing updated) but my clients love it and it brings me loads of new business. It does a very successful and professional job for me.

The fact that you think we judge the success of our website simply through appearance is rather patronising!

I use freewebs to and i love my design i like the freedom of it you can add as many pages as you like and i have to say just because it is free makes it in no way unprofessional!

 

[zibabeauty]

I too use a free website from vistaprint, Ziba Beauty - Home
I designed it back in october 2008 and it has boosted my mobile business greatly, and i am happy with the minimal cost i pay out for it