Times are changing

Before 2005, most websites were created manually. By this, we mean that the source code is written by hand. A web designer has to know various programming languages such as HTML, CSS, javascript, and PHP, for example, in order to be able to deliver a professional website that meets the client’s requirements. Nowadays there are many more website software possibilities for creating a website. Even without knowledge of programming languages and source codes, you can have a professional website made. There are various software packages that write this programming language for you, as it were.

3 possibilities in terms of website software

Roughly speaking, the possibilities for creating a new website can be reduced to 3 main categories:

• Manually coded websites
• SaaS solutions
• CMS systems

This enumeration is somewhat simplified. There are solutions that fall between the above categories, so-called niche products. Because these niche products do not necessarily add anything to this article and we would like to keep it clear, these have been left out here.

1. Manually encoded website

Manually coded websites are tailored to the exact needs of the client. They can be as simple or as complex as you like. Design and functionalities can be put together completely according to your wishes. You really start with a white sheet and everything is built completely ‘from the ground up’. Commonly used software for creating manually coded websites is Adobe Dreamweaver, Google Web Designer, WebStorm, KompoZer and for example Coda.

Advantages of this website software

Because it is completely custom made, a manually coded website can fully meet your requirements. It has been developed specifically according to your wishes and situation. Another advantage of a ‘hand-coded’ website is that it is almost always safer than a CMS system, provided it is well developed of course. By ‘good’ we mean according to industry standards with an extra layer of security if necessary. Hacking a ‘standard’ CMS system is generally more attractive than hacking handmade software because with the popular software a hacker can abuse many websites at the same time.

Disadvantages of this website software

A handmade solution will cost you more time and money, as opposed to using a standard system. The starting rate for a complete custom solution is quickly about € 5000,- to € 10.000. If you have a more extensive website with specific functionalities, this can be as much as € 25.000,-. For an extensive website with advanced functionalities, the amounts can be as much as € 100.000,- or a multiple of this.

2. SaaS solution / Website builder

In addition to a hand-encoded website, you can also opt for website software in the form of a SaaS solution. SaaS (Software as a service) is a service in which a software application is offered via the internet instead of being installed on a computer or server. With a SaaS solution, your website is hosted on the server of the provider. You pay for the use of the software and receive a license that allows you to use the platform. You do not own the software, but by purchasing licenses you have the right to use the software. Examples of SaaS solutions such as website builders are Jimdo, Wix, and Weebly.

With ‘website builders’ you can build a website without design skills and knowledge of programming language. Website builders offer various themes (designs) and built-in functionality. You choose a theme and can start filling the content, i.e. placing text, images, and videos. With most website builders you can also make a number of standard changes to the design of the theme by moving certain blocks with the so-called ‘drag and drop’ function.

Advantages of this website software

The biggest advantage of website builders is, of course, the ease of use. Without technical knowledge, anyone can make a professional website.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is their lack of flexibility. The adjustment options will be largely limited to choosing colors and shifting ‘movable’ blocks. So you can’t add custom functions or styles that aren’t included in the website builder. Although website builders like Wix or Jimdo seem attractive because of their simplicity, they lack a dynamic power compared to a CMS system.

3. CMS platforms

Content Management Systems are systems that allow you to create a professional website without any technical knowledge. CMS systems differ from website builders because they contain basic functionality that can be expanded with various ‘add-ons’.

A CMS is a piece of software that has already been built by a company or an individual and is now offered for mass use. Some of these CMS systems are commercial, so you have to pay a license or usage fee for them. Other CMS systems are ‘open source’ and therefore free to use. Open source means that the source code is completely open and freely available to absolutely everyone. You can download the code for free, after which you can get started yourself or together with a development team.

The CMS market is very diverse. The solutions differ per form, functionality, and cost. In general, CMS systems can be divided into 2 categories:

• Open-source CMS platforms (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal)
• Enterprise CMS systems (Adobe, Microsoft Sharepoint, Oracle WebCenter).

3a. Open Source CMS systems

Open source is software whose source code (sources) has been published and is freely available to everyone. Anyone can and may copy, modify, supplement, and distribute this software without any cost in terms of copyrights and/or surcharges.

An open-source CMS system can be used for free and can be modified as often as you like. A lot of work is done with add-ons, parts or functions that you can add to your website. Some parts (themes and plugins) can also be paid for or work with for example license fees. Even with paid parts, you are free to change them to your own wishes.

Because of the diversity, knowledge of the CMS is a prerequisite for a professional result. You have to think carefully in advance about which functions you want to implement and make a choice in the various add-ons (called plugins) that meet this need. In most cases, these plug-ins have to be configured manually.

For setting up a website based on a CMS platform, technical knowledge is an advantage. Basically it is possible to use such a CMS platform without technical knowledge to create a website. If you are not demanding and have the time to get to know such CMS systems, then this is certainly possible. If you really want to provide a professional website with various functionalities, then you still need to hire a specialist who can help you with the technical realization of your website.

TOP 3 CMS platforms

The top 3 CMS platforms are:

WordPress (58.9% market share)
Drupal (7% market share)
Joomla (4.7% market share)
WordPress is by far the most popular platform with a market share of almost 60%. open-source CMS is a perfect solution for small and medium-sized companies with an average budget. You can develop fairly quickly, are flexible and have a scalable website that can grow with your business. When it comes to webshops (e-commerce), Magento is the most popular CMS platform.

Advantages of this website software

Compared to website builders, CMS systems offer much more flexibility. You have thousands of themes (designs) to choose from that can still be adapted to your own wishes, provided you have the technical knowledge (HTML, CSS, PHP, javascript). In addition, you can add all kinds of functionalities with the help of plugins. These functionalities can also be adapted to your own wishes if you have the technical knowledge. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but start from a base developed by another company or individual and adapt it to your own wishes.

Disadvantages of this website software

A disadvantage of an open-source CMS system is that it is more vulnerable than a manually encoded website or an enterprise CMS system that we will discuss in the next chapter. This is mainly because it is more interesting for hackers to attack a popular open-source system than a custom-made website because with the popular systems a hacker can ‘abuse’ many websites at the same time. Technical knowledge and understanding of the CMS system is very important in this respect. You have to know the do’s and don’ts to be able to adequately secure your website. Open-source CMS systems are not necessarily unsafe, but you need to use them properly, secure them and keep the software up-to-date.

3b. Enterprise CMS systems

Enterprise CMS systems are complex proprietary systems designed for large organizations. According to research, organizations go for an enterprise solution in the following situations:

• Complex websites in terms of cross-channel, contextual and interactive customer experiences for robust websites
• Integrations with other systems
• System must support multiple websites with many languages
• Have a substantial budget
• In other words, these systems are made for large companies with complex user interactions and complex operations. Therefore, enterprise CMS systems are also robust and feature-rich to meet these needs.

Advantages of this website software

Enterprise CMS systems are highly advanced and rich in functionality. Because these are commercial products, there is often good support. This applies to both system updates and technical support.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is the price. An enterprise CMS solution can easily have a price of six digits. Another disadvantage is the limited flexibility compared to a manually coded website. The capabilities of such systems are very extensive but at the same time the limiting factor.

Conclusion

Manually encoded website software

Manually encoded websites offer a great deal of flexibility. They are built from the ground up and can be developed entirely according to your own wishes. Yet, the development time is quite long and the costs are high. Manually coded websites quickly exceed € 10.000,- and can cost up to 6 digits depending on your wishes and the size of the website. Manually coded websites are in a good solution for large companies with a large budget and very specific needs.

SaaS solution

Website builders or SaaS solutions (such as Jimdo and Wix) are the easiest to use and the fastest development time. Nevertheless, you have to be satisfied with the functionality and styles they offer, because you can’t change much and the flexibility is nil. Prices for using a website builder are quite favorable compared to the other options and are about € 15,- per month depending on your needs. A SaaS solution is an excellent option for a hobbyist who wants to make his own website.

Open-source CMS platform

Open-source CMS platforms (such as WordPress and Drupal) offer more room for customization, but you do need to have some technical knowledge or hire a platform expert. Possibilities are almost endless, you are flexible and your website is highly scalable so it can grow with your company. The development time is short and you should be able to launch your website pretty quickly. Security is a point of attention, especially when processing personal data. It is important that you call in a platform expert who can take precautions regarding the security of your website. Prices for a website based on an open-source CMS are between € 500,- and € 10.000,- depending on your wishes and the size of your website.

Enterprise CMS platform

As far as enterprise-level systems (such as Adobe Experience Manager) are concerned, most of them offer advanced functionality for managing multiple websites, channels, and complex organizational processes. Enterprise CMS platforms are very expensive and quite flexible. An enterprise CMS is a good option for a large company with a large budget without very specific requirements in terms of functionalities.

About FML Marketing 

We thank you for reading our blog What website software? Choose the best website software! FML Marketing is a digital marketing agency located in Estepona. Our team specializes in web design, search engine optimization, social media solutions, and graphic design.

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Small Business Website

As of January 28, 2019, FML Marketing launches its complimentary Small Business Website Services. This is a web design solution created for companies with smaller budgets and often no direct need of a website, other than using it as an online business card.

Quality should not be expensive

Damn right! Quality does not have to be expensive. And we prove it! We offer business website templates from €395! All our templates are built in WordPress, include Yoast SEO plugin, Schema.org tools and a PREMIUM version of WP Rocket! In other words, with the addition of quality content, your website is ready to rock the search engines….for only €395!

Your Business Website ready in 48H

WordPress Installation

All the websites are built in WordPress. This means that there a no limitations, full possibilities to scale up or install your own plugins. Moreover, the website is yours! You are the owner and nobody else. This might sound strange, but try telling that to people that have monthly or annual contracts with Wix, Squarespace or other online website builders…

Premium Page builder

All the websites we deliver come with a page builder. This means that you don’t need any coding experience to alter or add new content to your own website. Embrace the flexibility and enjoy the ease and speed of building your website!

Yoast SEO for WordPress

With every website, we deliver a free version of the Yoast SEO plugin built in. To ensure your content is optimized for SEO!

Premium WP rocket

Pagespeed is becoming increasingly important! Google loves a fast website, so this is vital for your Search Engine Optimization! WP Rocket is recognized as the most powerful caching plugin by WordPress experts and included in all plans of Small Business Websites. WP Rocket is GDPR compliant and worth €45 stand-alone.

Small Business Website Features

Check our business website templates for more information and all functionalities. Moreover, we off integrated Online Marketing services to kickstart your business website!

More about affordable web design

Why choosing a free website builder is a bad idea
Website builder and 8 must have tools

The post New! Affordable Business Website Service by FML appeared first on FML Marketing.

The purpose of a website is selling, convincing and informing. So we have to look for an agency that focuses on making the company more successful instead of creating a nice website.

Average costs for having a professional website made

How is the price for a new website established? The price of a website is generally determined by the hourly rate of the designer (and the other employees involved in the design) x the complexity of your desired website. The hourly rate of the designer is determined by his experience, knowledge and the overhead costs of the agency. A freelancer costs + -35 euros (beginner) 175 euros (very experienced) per hour A small web design agency costs 50 to 125 euros per hour And large development agencies can ask 75 to 250 euros per hour. With web design and development, in general, applies; the more costs, the more you get. Experience, knowledge, and creativity simply cost. Fortunately, the investment in a well-designed website is a long-term investment  (Return on investment/ROI).

The situation of what a website exactly costs is more complex

There are self-employed people who offer a website for 800 euros on a custom website (but technically they are never quite well). Two web design agencies that resemble at first sight, can come up with two totally different quotes for the same job. Due to the process used, the number of employees, the support, the expertise, creativity and the experience of the employees, the price can differ by a few thousand euros. And unfortunately, it is not easy for the untrained eye to see which web designer and web builder delivers quality and which does not. What a website looks like does not immediately say something about the quality of the website.

How much does web design and development cost?

Let’s start with a simplified answer.

1. With many (starting) independent web designers, you can get a nice simple website for around €800 that is reasonably structured (in terms of user-friendliness and design).

2. At web design agencies you can have a good website built for 1,500 and 5,000 euros. You pay for the extra experience, a team with specialists who will work on your website and that everything works just as well in 5 years from now. A professional, well-connected website.

3. Large complex websites, such as government websites, large web shops, well-known brands or companies with a lot of content, can even expect prices between €8,000 and €100,000 

4. If you have a limited budget as a starting self-employed person and / or a lot of time, you can of course choose to create your own website (manual), blog (manual) or webshop and buy a professional WordPress template. at Themeforest. You spend approximately €50 euros (and a fair amount of time).

Are there any costs per year or month?

Yes. With each option comes the costs of web hosting and the costs of a domain. A good professional WordPress hosting package costs around 10 euros per month. A domain name costs about 5-20 euros per year.

What makes a web design agency good?

What should you look for when choosing a web design agency? An excellent question. However, This question is difficult to answer. ‘How do we know that web design agency X is better than web design agency Y? The purpose of a website is selling, convincing and informing. So we have to look for an agency that focuses on making the company more successful (online) instead of creating a nice website.

Help to distinguish the good from not so good

• Read the text on the website. What is it about? Do they mention something about goals, sales, and conversion?
• How does their website work? Was it immediately clear what they are doing and what makes them unique? View the portfolio. Are these websites also easy to use? Is it obvious on every website in the portfolio what they do and what the visitor has to do? No? Then it is possible that they have only used their ‘skills’ with their own website.
• Are they moderately readable standard (bullshit) texts? Then chances are that they do not pay attention to marketing, usability, and conversion. Or do not value this.
• You can request a quote or information from the agencies where you have doubts and look at the professionalism of their offers.
• Do they ask before they send a quote to you about your goals? What do you want to achieve with your website? Then there is a reasonable chance that they have an understanding of things.
• Do they have a personal ‘about us’ page? Do they show their employees? Often the more personal and open they are, the more proud they are of their work (and that usually means that they also do a good job).
• Do they use a hard-to-read font? Then it may be that they do not focus enough on usability.

Web Design and Development: Price buying not recommendable

Do you want something that looks okay and costs a few hundred euros or do you want a user-friendly website with a wow factor that sells?

The post web design and development Marbella appeared first on FML Marketing.

Website Builder: 8 characteristics of an effective website

This manual is intended for entrepreneurs and self-employed people who wonder what a good website should look like. With this knowledge, you can confidently evaluate various web design agencies based on, for example, their portfolio. Once you work with a professional web design partner, you can think along with the tips below.

1. Clear targeting

Do you see a visually striking call within 3 seconds that stimulates the visitor to take action?

What is the main purpose of your website? Do you want to generate more online sales?  

Pick a clear target

One single target. It is advisable to pursue one single goal. Combining multiple goals brings risk along that the website visitor gets signals in different directions during his visit. You do not want that. You want everything to point in one direction.

A precise goal. Formulate your goal very precisely. This makes it easier to adjust each part of your website accordingly. Generating more income is too vague.

Examples. Some good examples of website goals:

1. Subscribers to your newsletter
2. Improve relationship with customers
3. Quotation requests via your website or by telephone
4. Reservations or bookings via your website or by telephone
5. Attract extra visitors to your store
6. Online sales
   

Secondary Goals

There are also secondary goals, which can easily be combined with one of the above goals. For example, increasing brand awareness, informing customers they can count on 24/7 support instead of having to call you all the time (eg address, opening hours, price list, etc.), etc.

Translation to call to action

If you want something, sometimes you just have to ask. Ask your website visitors to do what you expect from them. This is often called the call to action. Examples: Subscribe now to our newsletter!, Participate in the competition!, Request a free quote, Book online, Buy now

Short and powerful. You notice that every call to action is formulated briefly and powerfully. Preferably in the imperative way, which is the most action-oriented approach. Besides, Your call to action must at appear in the visible section at the top of your home page and at the bottom of all other pages. It must stand out. That is why the call to action is often placed in a framework and reasonably space is provided for. The call to action is almost always clickable, with the link leading to a next window in which the visitor can proceed to take effective action.

2. Customer orientated 

Is it immediately clear who the target audience of the website is?

Your website should not be about yourself, but about your customers. Few are interested in your history, strengths, awards or unique approach. Your website visitors only want to know how you are going to solve their problem. Therefore follow these tips: Replace the words “I” and “We” with “you” or “you” everywhere. Describe who you are, what your target audience is. Clarify which problem you solve and preferably also for which price. Do not mention the technical characteristics, but the advantages the customer gets from your solution compared to that of your competitors. Check which important questions your customers are asking and make sure that you answer them all on your website. Do not create pages that do not answer any customer request. These only ensure that your customer finds the important pages less easy. Speak in a language your customer understands, instead of trying to make an impression with jargon. A good website is therefore focused on the visitor, not on the owner of the website.

3. Get to the point

Does the website count a limited number of pages and are the texts short and to the point?

Your website visitors are impatient: The more information you provide, the less you will read. People have very little patience when they surf the web. When someone hits your website, you have to awaken his or her interest within a few seconds or your visitor has already left. (Tip: Check your websites bounce rate. Anything above 60% is a problem!) 

Less is more

Limit the amount of information on your website. You thought one A4 was enough? No! Time to cut. Show only the red meat. In most cases, 3 to 4 short paragraphs are more than enough. If people only spend a few seconds on your website, you can not distract them with all kinds of irrelevant information. You want them to immediately see the main message. It goes without saying that you limit yourself as much as possible to conveying that main message and omitting the details. The reason that many people fill their website with all kinds of details is because they are not aware what the most important message is. Think carefully about this! Do not try to entertain your visitors! Your visitors are not interested in beautiful animations or technical design delights. They come to your website to solve a problem. Everything that distracts them from it is a waste of their time and your budget.

4. Be crystal clear

When you ‘enter’ the website, is it immediately clear what you are doing/offering?

This has everything to do with removing mental barriers. People experience all sorts of questions during their visit to your website. For example: “what is this about?”, “Where do I click now?”, “How can I contact?”, Etc. A clear website answers each of these questions the moment the visitor asks them or, better still, just before. Avoiding questions is better than answering questions. The first thing you see The first thing your website visitors see is the top part of your homepage. A clear website provides at least the following crucial information in this visible section in order to avoid asking questions immediately:

Company name (logo)
Slogan
Service or product offered an
Attractive call to action
Link to contact page

5. User-friendliness

Does the website count at most 5 pages in the main navigation and do you find the contact details at a glance?

Make sure that people can navigate to the page they want in a matter of seconds. One long list with 10 pages or more is not a good navigation structure. Your website visitors do not know what the most important pages are in this list. If you think that your visitors find the pages “price”, “product properties” and “contact” the most important of the 10 pages on your website, put these pages in the main navigation and link to the other pages via a secondary navigation or via links in the pages themselves. Left Put enough internal links. These are links that go from one page on your website to the other page on your website. By placing these links in places where you know that the visitor poses certain questions, you reduce the chance that he will drop out. Also make sure that the links are visually easy to distinguish, eg. via a different color and/or bold font. Contact details Put your contact details preferably on every page, for example at the bottom of the footer website. Especially when customers often need your telephone number or address, this is essential. In addition, create a contact page with your company name, address, telephone number, email address and possibly a ticket and contact form. Keep the contact form as short as possible. Here too, the less fields one has to fill in, the greater the chance that something will be filled in at all. If you have enough with name and telephone, do not ask for an email address.

6. Mobile experience

When you visit the website on a mobile device, is the content clearly displayed?

The internet is becoming more mobile every day. People not only search information on the internet from their computer in the living room, but also from their smartphone or tablet. If your website is unreadable on a smartphone, you visitor and therefore lead, is gone! It is therefore important to optimize the mobile views of your website. Making a mobile version of your website often costs the same amount as your website itself. A more affordable alternative is to make your website “responsive”. This means that the design is automatically adapted to smaller screens, so that everything remains user-friendly and workable.

7. Attractiveness

Do you think the website is beautiful and pleasant to look at?

People consciously or unconsciously form an image of your business based on your website. An attractive website contributes positively to your image, while an ugly website can damage your image. This is largely subjective, but we try to give some guidelines. Some of these guidelines also apply to painting, the design of car models, etc .: At most 2 or 3 different colors are used (in addition to shades of gray). The colors fit well together. The whole has a symmetrical and harmonious appearance. Sufficient whitespace is used to prevent the website, and different elements, from looking cluttered. At most 2 different fonts are used and 3 different font sizes. Next, there must always be at least one creative element, something surprising. Finally, all photos are of the same quality and breathe consistency. Old-fashioned illustrations or clip art is anno 2018 like cursing in the church as an old Dutch saying goes!

8. Findability

Do you find the website when searching for it specifically in Google?

Importance of findability

In many cases, the purpose of a website is to attract new customers. It goes without saying that it is a huge plus if the website is easily found on Google. These are free leads. A website that is not found in search engines like Google, loses a large part of its usefulness. It can only be used as an information channel for customers or as a supporting sales tool for convincing potential customers.

Minimum requirement

Free potential customers via Google sounds like holy music to many, but it is not easy. Not everyone can be in first place in Google. So a lot of money is invested to take that first (or second, third, …) place. So you have to decide for yourself how much budget you have to score high in Google. And that depends on what a potential customer found you through Google can deliver you. The minimum requirement, however, is that you will be found in Google if people search you. If you type in your company name and related services in Google and your does not show …, then something is wrong.

FML Marketing – Website builder Estepona & Marbella

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