A Better Kind of Instant Website - NOT a Replicated Website! Unique, Affordable, and Simple
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Installed Business Website Package
Installed Membership Website Package
Problems With Replicated Websites
Providing friendly services to the US and Canada from the Wilds of Wyoming.
Problems With Online Site Builders
Online site builders aim to create a fast and easy solution for people with no web experience, which allows them to get a site up and functioning. The problems with them are subtle, and deadly to success. In the simplification, critical flexibility has been removed.
Some desktop site builders also have problems creating a quality website, due to oversimplification. They force you to work within a drag and drop environment which then creates code for the page only when you upload it or export it. Some force you to work with templates that you cannot fully alter or control, and most of them fool you into thinking that you do not need to learn anything to produce a good website.
Online site builders also have a range of other issues which will interfere with your ability to produce a workable site long term.
Problems include:
- Inflexible templates. No matter how much you work with it, you will not be able to produce a site that looks professional - because you cannot alter the template in key ways. Those limitations are what make the difference between a site that looks like a canned website, and one that suits your business appearance completely. When your site is visibly recognizable as a canned website, people will think that you might take shortcuts with your product or service that they would not want also.
- Page limitations. Online site builders typically limit you to 5, 10, or 25 pages. In general, a business requires at least 10 pages to effectively showcase the business, serve a purpose of presenting information of value to the site visitor, and to present the standard information that validates your credentials and answers the questions your visitors are most likely to have. When you are restricted to a page limit, it may force you to make choices about information presentation that make you look like you took shortcuts.
- Limited Templates. You can usually only really choose from one or two actual templates - you get a choice of colors, and a variety of headers to choose from, but they are usually really the same template, just with different colors. If you want a different layout, you can't get it. If you want custom colors, you can't do that either. And your header must fit the space and shape that the template allows - if you can even put a header in. Some only allow you to put in text. Because the templates are so similar, they are easily recognizable as a web-builder template, and your site will share an appearance with thousands of others.
- Limited Hosting. Many web builders do not allow you to put any other elements into the hosting space. You cannot add on a separate shopping cart, or integrate other elements into your site.
- The instructions do not help you know what will really help your site succeed. Instructions are typically limited to over-simplified answers, and to using the site builder. They rarely give you information that is helpful specifically for micro-business or a shoestring startup.
- Lack of truly helpful support. Support is also limited only to technical use of the sitebuilder. They will not answer questions about marketing, site design, content creation, or other topics which you need help with, but which are not directly related to the site builder itself.
- Limited Search Engine Optimization options. Most site builders DO give some degree of ability to control title tags, and meta tags. But they do not help you to understand other SEO tactics which are actually MORE important, or how to create a good title tag for a startup or micro-business. SEO issues are different for very small businesses, and you can waste a lot of time on things that don't matter while missing things that really count, unless you have good instructions that apply just to your business.
- Bloated Code. Many templates use JavaScript instead of more compact CSS code, and they often use frames, or other coding elements which make your site less readable by search engines, and slower for browsers to access. The templates are often heavy on glitz, and short on practical elements, which means that they look good as a template, but do not perform well in core areas where you need them to - this costs you money long term.
- Relatively high cost for very low value. Critical elements are missing, and long term hindrances are build-in to the system. This means that the value of what you are getting is not worth the price you pay for it. Free web builders tend to be more limited, with even more long term problems.
- Lack of good site tracking statistics. You may not care now whether you have these, but in a few months, you are going to wonder whether anybody is actually SEEING your site, and whether your site is growing. Good site stats can be a HUGE help in letting you know what works and what doesn't, and how well things are working.
- Limited page types. Most offer you only plain content pages, and perhaps a contact page format. No ability to build a simple catalog, or to put in a news blurb, etc. Those that do offer shopping carts are either very expensive, or have limited function.
- You don't really own your site! You cannot move the site to another web host, if you want to change services, you lose all your work and have to rebuild your site from scratch. The design may be copyrighted by someone else also!
These issues are why we developed a system that gets you a custom appearance, combined with professional support to learn what you need to learn to do the rest yourself, in a site structure that makes adding content very simple and easy to learn.
- Get going fast. Because we are offering a custom solution, it is not something you can buy and automatically use the same night. But you WILL have a functioning site installed and ready for you to use within 48 hours after we receive your domain information (usually faster, except weekends). It will take a little longer to create your graphics and get your template right (because we make changes, then let you decide whether they are right or not), but this can be finished within a week if you are quick in getting feedback to us to let us know when it is right, or if it is not.
- Customized Design. It uses templates, but we give you a wide range of template structures to choose from, and we'll custom code the colors of the template for you, as well as put in a custom header to make the site look like YOUR site, not like someone else's. Want a two column layout? We've got one. Right or left hand navigation? No problem. Three column or single column? You choose. We'll even give you a guideline for choosing a good template, so you make a good choice right from the start.
- Custom Header Design. We'll hand-create a header for you (the big graphic across the top of your site), with your logo if you have one. We'll help you create a logo if you don't have one.
- The site is administered through a web interface, so you do not need special software, and the program takes care of the coding issues. It uses relatively compact code which helps your site behave well, and keeps pageload times quick, as well as being more search engine friendly.
- Full instructions for use, which includes ALL aspects of using your site. Instructions include creating content, processing images, Search Engine Optimization, effective marketing, long term maintenance, and everything else you need to know to make this work RIGHT.
- FULL support. Call us or email us and we'll answer your questions, no matter what aspect of your site they deal with! Need someone to brainstorm marketing ideas? Not sure what to put on your About page? Trying to get just the right words to describe your site? Don't understand the instructions? Whatever you need, we'll help you.
- Simple form interface to add pages, makes it as easy as copy and paste. This is every bit as simple as any site builder, and easier than most, because you do not have to worry about the site appearance. We take care of that. You never have to muck with code!
- No page number limitations. You can add as many pages as you like, as long as your webspace will hold them all (you get a generous amount of hosting space).
- Multiple page types. You can ask us to install a catalog module if you want catalog pages. You can ask for a gallery. In fact, depending on the package you choose, you have a lot of options for different kinds of pages, and many of them are included in the package price!
- Your site will be fully registerable with the search engines, so you can use any kind of free marketing, link trades, directory links, etc, that you want.
- You can create a Links page, or put traded links at the bottom of content pages. There are no restrictions to what you can create in it.
- Review and Critique Services. We'll give you up to 1 free critique per month. That means you can ask us to look at your site and offer suggestions on how to improve it or polish it to make it more professional.
- You have full control over Search Engine Optimization strategies. You also get full instructions on how to optimize your site in the most effective manner for startups and micro-businesses, so you get it right, and so you don't waste time with things that DON'T matter. This is information that will REALLY help you!
- Full Site Traffic Stats. Good stats can give you more information than just the number of site visitors! We'll give you monthly stats, which tell you a lot more than just how many people visited. Not only that, we'll give you instructions on how to use the stats to improve your site and your marketing.
- Very Flexible Long Term Options. Depending on the package you choose, you have a lot of options for improvements long term. Packages are NOT cross-gradable. Each package is only upgradable to a certain point. But there are many options for adding more features within each package. Some feature additions are free, some have a small fee attached to have them installed initially.
- No Hidden Gotchas. You won't find that we left out something you needed to know, or that we neglected to provide something that would stop your site from growing. These sites are exactly what we say they are, and they have EVERYTHING you need to succeed.
- Priced for Micro-Business and Startups. We know what it is like to be where you are. We know that no matter how good it is, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it! That is why we created a package that provides a service that is designed just for your unique needs, but which also has room to grow.
- You Own Your Site Completely! We do restrict moving the site during the first year only, to make sure that we are paid for our design work (otherwise we'd attract scammers who just wanted a free website setup and design). After that, if you want to move the site, you can - it is fully portable because YOU own the software, the design, the content, and all. The software can be moved to any business class hosting service, and we'll cheerfully help you do so if you want to.
This is a solid website value, which lets you do what you are able to do, while we take care of all the messy technical stuff, in a way that gives you a truly good quality outcome.
Call Us!
Better Instant Website Services are Provided by Firelight Web Studio. Call us and talk to us about YOUR unique business needs!
307-379-2502
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