Category — Web Design

A web design service is a web design service…or is it?  Wix, a relatively new do it yourself web design service, aims to prove that not all web design services are created equal.  And while the service’s drag and drop site builder is great, one could argue that it’s not substantially different than other drag and drop editors.  Wix’s extras, however, are what truly set this company apart.  If you’re a smart consumer, you won’t purchase a web design service because of its extras alone…but if you’re savvy, you’ll realize that the addition of these perks to a rather sophisticated site builder make Wix a noble competitor in the running to become the best do it yourself web design service.

What makes Wix stand apart is that it looks like a web design company but acts like a web hosting provider.  While hosting services such as iPage and Just Host offer free advertising credits, few (if any) web design services offer similar credits…until now.  As a new partner of Network Solutions, Wix is now offering $50 in Facebook ad credits and $75 in Google AdWords credits.  In addition, Network Solutions will be hosting any site created by Wix for free for one year.

Another benefit of the Wix premium plan is integration with Google Analytics, a feature that is not only rare in the world of web design, but is not especially common in most web hosting packages either.  Google Analytics is a program designed and supported by Google that allows site owners to see who is coming to their site(s), where their visitors are coming from and what pages are getting the most traffic.  It is a great way to learn about your user behavior so that you can maximize the success of your site.  And, while it may be a free tool, having it integrated into the Wix package (and having support available to help) provides a dramatic advantage.

A final perk of Wix is that it makes it incredibly easy to create a Flash website.  While many other web design services support Flash files or offer Flash templates, none offer the customization abilities that Wix offers.  Although this is not a specifically new offering, it’s important to realize that if you want to create a Flash site Wix will offer unparalleled options.

There’s no uniform do it yourself web design service that will serve the needs of every webmaster or business owner.  I am merely suggesting that if you’re looking for a reason to choose one from a handful of do it yourself web design companies it’s worth looking beyond the standard offerings to see how each service enhances their service.  Because after all, being a smart consumer is about getting the best bang for your buck with a product or service that works – and Wix is clearly giving other web design companies a run for your money.

In these days of tight budgets and constant expenses, it’s normal to want to find free alternatives to paid services.  Web hosting is one area in which there are several respectable free options – if you’re willing to compromise on certain aspects of your website.  The question becomes, however, when it is necessary to pay for web hosting services and when is free hosting a viable option?  Here are some things to consider when making this important decision.

1. Do you want a custom domain? Many free hosting services require you to take their domain name onto yours.  In other words, instead of having mysite.com, you’d have mysite.yolasite.com if you’re using Yola’s free hosting service and a similar extension if you’re using the free services offered by Wix, Network Solutions or one of the other dozens of free hosting providers available.
2. Do you want an ad-free website? Many free websites impose placement of advertising on websites built through their platform.  This may not bother you if you’re starting a family blog (or even a personal blog) or are just using the website to test out the features of the web host before committing.  If you’re looking to create a professional web presence, however, you may not want irrelevant ads cluttering the design of your site.
3. Do you need significant storage space or bandwidth? If you’re planning on hosting a site that contains video or audio files, you may need more storage space or bandwidth than most free web hosting service offer.  Likewise, if you’re planning on having heavy traffic to your site or hosting a database for your site, you’ll need a significant amount of storage.  Many free web hosting providers offer only 5-10 MB of storage, which is insufficient for sites that are more than just a few pages of text.  If you’re looking to post your artistic portfolio, to sell items through a product database or to stream videos directly from your site, you may want to pay for a web hosting service such as FatCow which offers unlimited storage for a very reasonable monthly fee.
4. Do you want a completely custom design? If you’re choosing free hosting services through a web design company that offers a free package you’ll likely be limited to specific design options instead of having the flexibility to choose from the full array of options.  If you’re choosing a free hosting option through a hosting provider such as i6Networks you’ll probably have full customization abilities – if you have the technical prowess to design and build your own site (and if you don’t, you’ll need to pay a significant sum for this service).
5. Do you plan to expand the scope of your site in the near future? If so, you’ll need to consider whether you’ll eventually outgrow your free hosting plan, and the expense that will be involved in transferring it to another web host, domain name or design.  These fees can add up – so if you think you’ll need to pay them soon, you may end up saving more money by paying for web hosting straight from the outset.
6. Do you want a search-engine-friendly site? Many free websites are not particularly search-engine-friendly and will not assist you in achieving natural web traffic.  If you’re looking to expand your audience through search engines, you may want to consider a paid web hosting service that is located in your country so that you can better target the audience you’re looking for.

Although free stuff always sounds appealing, when it comes to free hosting it’s important to remember that saving money now may not actually save you money in the long run.  However, the true benefit of using a free hosting package is because it allows you to test out the hosting service (and web design service when relevant) to see if you like it and whether you want to continue using this service in the long run.