Often, we entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of time to build a website, or find someone to build one for us … so we tend to find the fastest, easiest solution that requires minimal work.
We hop on google and search for website builder which leads to a lot of options that seem to be just the thing that we need.
There are two main options that I run into often when I am working with a client that needs a website
Vistaprint or Godaddy Website Builders…
Don’t get me wrong, they are simple options to build a quick personal websites that contains basic options, but they aren’t ideal for businesses, especially businesses that plan on growing.
So to help you I put together a list of reasons why you should avoid the website builders and invest in reliable hosting and website services. I will use Vistaprint for my example.
Problem #1: You pay anywhere in the range of $5.00 monthly to $30.00 per month for a domain that you don’t own and limited services.
For Example: The Basic Vistaprint package is $5.00 per month.
For $5.00 you get 1 basic web address, unlimited pages, 1 email address, basic site activity, and Basic Phone Support. Sounds good, but what if you need more email addresses for your team or growing business.
Problem #2: You don’t have any freedom to use custom html coding
I know this one sounds a little confusing for you, but to let me break it down for you. If you decide that you want to add a blog or some special feature to your site it may not be supported since VistaPrint sites give you limited freedom.
Problem #3: You don’t own your domain.
You’ve decide to hire someone to redesign a site for you. So you email them the login and password info to redesign your site…easy right? Not so much. When you sign-up and register a web address with VistaPrint maintain ownership of your domain name. If you decide to go else where or upgrade to a custom developed site, you actually have to buy your own domain name from them. You have to basically buy your domain back from vistaprint and transfer your domain to a site that can host your domain and website.
Solution: There’s a light at the end of the website builder tunnel. For less than the cost of Vistaprint, you can purchase a web hosting package through a reliable web hosting company. I personally recommend Bluehost for domain registration and web hosting.
I won’t get into too many technical details, but for $3.95 per month, you get 1 website, and 100 email accounts, and 5 parked domains…meaning you could have mysite.com, mysite2.com, mysite3.com…etc….
Most importantly…you own your domain! That’s right it’s all yours ….and you have the freedom to install WordPress for blogging, or redirect to a temp site, or add future products and classes.
Let’s do the math 3.95 X 12 = 47.40 for 1 year of hosting, domain ownership, 100 email accounts……and creative freedom.
Or
5.00 X 12 = 60.00 for 1 year of 1 website, 1 email address, and limited options
I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. The choice is totally up to you ( no Judgement here)…I just want you to be informed when you make your decision.
Do you use a websitebuilder?Have any questions? Leave your thoughts below