Don’t Get MySpaced or Squarespaced
Don't get MySpaced by being overly reliant on Facebook, or a template site like Wix or Squarespace.
Old Site/ New Site
Comparison slider in Action
The old Squarespace site forced a side-by-side comparison layout that lacked impact. The new comparison slider shows the transformation more effectively. As a bonus, the site can be backed up, and hosted on any WordPress platform
Many people feel overwhelmed when faced with “web-design tools” and end up locked into hosted Template Sites like WIX or Squarespace, or —worse yet— abandon the web and settle for a Facebook Business site.
RoomRethink did the former. They set up a quick site on SquareSpace thinking it would be easy for them to manage as they grew. However, they discovered they were limited in basic functionality. They couldn’t show before-and-afters in a compelling way and the promised ease of use started to feel more and more like a trap. Plus the monthly fees were billed yearly, forcing a big bill on them just as they were starting.
If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know this is a common occurrence in the history of the web.
The Ghost of Lock-in Past
The reaction to complicated tools is understandable, and both template sites and Facebook can make sense for some. However, if you’re building an enterprise, or simply building a company up from a hobby, you’re not served well by being locked into a template host. And all the AOL, MySpace, and GeoCities customers that have gone before you are rattling around your desk like so many Dickensian ghosts telling you “Don’t get chained to a platform you don’t control!”
All the AOL, MySpace, and GeoCities customers that have gone before you are rattling around your desk like so many Dickensian ghosts telling you “Don’t get chained to a platform you don’t control!”
HIMSELF
What can a company do to side-step lock-in and not need an on-staff webmaster? Call a generalist (and I’d prefer you call me first). As a generalist who started hand-coding pages when the NC Bankers Association launched a weekly online newsletter in 1997 I can help you get comfortable with the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing tools that these open-source platforms provide.
Own Your Website
Site hosting can be as little as $20/mo. Emails to your domain can be set up using inexpensive solutions from Google and others. Custom web-design packages based on open source and easily portable code platforms are affordable. Contact me for current pricing. In the end, you’ll have a custom site (and a staging site where you can test changes and provide backup data security) that you can edit yourself on a framework that you can keep or move at your discretion—just in case fame catches up to you.
Build for SEO
Once your site is ‘live’ I recommend you start working on improving your ranking on Google and other search engines. While there are lots of companies promising rocket-like climbs to page one, many who use them find themselves in ‘Google jail’ thanks to the efforts of these so-called experts. Instead, simply work to create a constant stream of content via activity posts and newsy updates. Google spots good content and rewards engagement, especially for local service businesses.
Call Me In
I can help you build a website designed to be found, seen, and read.
Don't Get Locked In
Own your domain, own your content, own your code. Pay heed to Dickens. That dude wasn’t kidding when he wrote The Tale of Two Geocities, or How Oliver Got Twisted When He Asked for More.