Over the years, I have worked with a number of web developers and graphic designers.
It is true, there are great web development companies out there, but, there are also some not so good ones. The big problem for most people is knowing who to trust when you know little or nothing about the technicalities of the web.
To add to this, the budget you are expected to have varies wildly from company to company.
Furthermore, the uninitiated will not realise that some website creators use their own proprietary software, which means you will always need to use them and cannot easily move your website should you need to. Another issue for me is when you cannot update your own content, you need the web developer to update your pages for you. In this day and age this is not acceptable in my opinion!
Well, over the last few years people have repeatedly asked me where or how they can get a good and cheap website. I should know, I run several website based businesses.
My answer for the last few years has always been WordPress. This is because the core software is free and it is very flexible, very reliable and is supported by a development community, which means it is great for the long term. The software is used by many individuals, companies, bloggers and marketeers.
Now, if you are tech savvy there is a 5 minute install process! Hmm… I am yet to meet anyone who has got their blog up and running in 5 minutes. The reality is that it will take several hours to get everything installed and configured for it to work correctly and look good.
Having set up a few of these myself, I can tell you that there are numerous dos & don’ts and the process can be quite a challenge for the non-technical. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that the learning curve realistically takes a few months and there are always new things to be aware of.
So, generally… it goes like this… When asked, I recommend using WordPress, but inevitably, this is soon followed by phone calls about the hurdles they face trying to set it up, so I end up helping them with their WordPress journey.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to help, but I recommend WordPress to many people and with my busy schedule, I don’t always have the time to help everyone, as much as I would like to.
The entrepreneur in me decided that the best way forward would be to start an affordable service to set up websites for individuals and businesses. This way I am helping people set up their WordPress blog / website without the stress and steep learning curve involved and also, I have another web based business to add to my growing portfolio. Win win!