Best free website templates?

[Jack Shaw]

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.

And you say I make assumptions, I am a mature student who has plenty of life skills, not some spotty teenager who has gone from college straight to Uni thinking I know everything about nothing. Rant over and subject dropped back to topic

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!

Wix should work with iphone, ipad etc etc, its more to do with html5 why wix wont work in certain browsers, IE8 and earlier Safari Browsers, wix are also a very hungry beast and can have a large page file size in some cases over 1mb, which in itself can cause problems, its a good job wix have the sites on their own servers, if you start putting a 1.3mb home page on most shared servers then your host could and will ban you without notice.

 

[Ruth Mills]

if you start putting a 1.3mb home page on most shared servers then your host could and will ban you without notice.

I guess it depends on how many people view the site though! At least there's less of a chance of being stung with a huge bill for excess bandwidth these days, like I was just over 10 years ago, when a certain Spiderman bodypainting that I did suddenly became *very* popular...

Most good web hosts are pretty generous these days though... even more so if you have a dedicated server or colocation... I think my allocation is 4 Terabytes a month of bandwidth for mine, although I don't shift anywhere near that amount of data as yet...

 

[Verve Designs]

And you say I make assumptions, I am a mature student who has plenty of life skills, not some spotty teenager who has gone from college straight to Uni thinking I know everything about nothing. Rant over and subject dropped back to topic .

Eh? I meant me- not you. I'm not casting aspersions on anyone at all, again, it's all about opinion, and we actually agree on most points if you read back

Be a bloody boring forum if there wasnt a heated debate every now and again!

ps i've just finished work at 12.50am - what a sad case!

 

[Jack Shaw]

I guess it depends on how many people view the site though!

It certainly does, but I would never build a site with a file size of 1.3mb, upload is not going to be great, another floor in some free website packages..some CMS packages have this floor too

At least there's less of a chance of being stung with a huge bill for excess bandwidth these days, like I was just over 10 years ago, when a certain Spiderman bodypainting that I did suddenly became *very* popular...

You know as well as I do that Hosting companies still play the "Unlimited Bandwidth" but we dont mean "Unlimited Bandwidth" card.

I think my allocation is 4 Terabytes a month of bandwidth for mine, although I don't shift anywhere near that amount of data as yet...

As yet...come on Ruth get your finger out And in response to your other forum post (freelance) pm me what you need and I will put something together, actions speak louder than words etc etc

Ooops, have done it again, back to OP

I have spent a couple of hours looking and I agree with you Ruth Weebly do seem to be the best, not perfect, but very good for a start up on a tight budget, still not the worlds greatest fan but if your going to go down the Free site builder route then it gets my vote.

But:- OP don't change your site for the wrong reasons, like I mentioned in an earlier post you could have the worlds worst site but still get sales, its how you present, convert the viewer that matters, sorry if you get bored of me saying it "Calls to Action"
If you want the viewer to pick up the phone and call then use this as your call to action
ie
Call now for 10% off your first treatment

If you want the viewer to click to another page then
ie
Click Here for a 10% discount

Also another tip is urgency, ie

Click here for 10% Discount, offer ends/two days left

Using Salon Geek as an example I would put my call to action in the top right of the screen, just below
"Welcome Settings, Log out Help
Put a huge contrast on the colour of the CTA, you have drawn the user to that spot as it stands out like a sore thumb now make them do something, if you can get the user/viewer to react you are half way to converting them.

I could tell you many many ways to present your web address to your target and make them click on it, but if you get the website wrong then your bounce rate is going to be high so the chances of converting are almost zero

Bounce rate = Visits that left after one page /Total number of visits

Do not go out and change your free website to another as you will be in the same boat, just floating down a different river.

 

[Jack Shaw]

Be a bloody boring forum if there wasnt a heated debate every now and again!

Thats what I love about forums

ps i've just finished work at 12.50am - what a sad case!

Glad you have got some work done, I am putting a block on Salon Geek tomorrow, I have got no work done today, either testing free web builders, or debating, its not good this forum lark