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why bother
- Thread starter julian
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Er, no, I don't think so, as these people never were a market. (Or did I miss something?)
My point is 2 years ago you would see localclub.org.uk or mycharity.org.uk etc
now I see more and more just go to WiX etc and bang out webpage for zero and seem to be happy to live with the url localclub.wix.com - because its 'good enough'.
So we have the loss of work for a web dev agency who would have setup/hosted that site, and the loss of domain reg to nominet.
So the question is will the DIY WiX thing be a fad and user go back to buying a domain in the future or is it s a gradual decline for small websites.
now I see more and more just go to WiX etc and bang out webpage for zero and seem to be happy to live with the url localclub.wix.com - because its 'good enough'.
So we have the loss of work for a web dev agency who would have setup/hosted that site, and the loss of domain reg to nominet.
So the question is will the DIY WiX thing be a fad and user go back to buying a domain in the future or is it s a gradual decline for small websites.
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Some don't even bother with a Wix style site at all and are happy with a Facebook page.
In a similar vein I'm always amazed at the number of traders vans you see emblazoned with hotmail or gmail addresses. In some cases they have a co.uk website address but obviously don't know how to/cant be bothered setting up their email properly....Perhaps I'm a snob but as soon as I see that it puts me off ever dealing with the company in question.
bonusmedia
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It's all over. Domain names were never going to catch on.
Quit while you're ahead.
Are you pissed off because you're sat on a load of worthless .org.uks?
Quit while you're ahead.
Are you pissed off because you're sat on a load of worthless .org.uks?
So what about all the people who used to use geocities etc to make sites instead of registering a domain name and hosting?
I also remember using ".cjb.net" and ".tk" domains for my sites because they were free.
People have been setting sites up for free on Wordpress and all the others for years.
Nothing has changed.
I also remember using ".cjb.net" and ".tk" domains for my sites because they were free.
People have been setting sites up for free on Wordpress and all the others for years.
Nothing has changed.
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I think a distinction needs to be drawn between businesses and clubs/societies (e.g. a book club, walking group, am dram players etc.)
Businesses could certainly benefit from the "professionalism" of a polished-looking website with a matching domain name and email address. The more that other businesses in their chosen market sharpen up their own web presences, the more this becomes true.
Clubs and small charities/non-profits on the other hand have more tools than ever to choose from when it comes to setting up something "good enough". Where once they might have used a Frontpage template and free hosting (or as noted, Geocities or other site of that ilk) they can now get hosted blogs, sites, etc. with functionality that would have cost tens of thousands of pounds to custom-build about 10 years ago absolutely free, or for pennies a day. You can even have a perfectly "good enough" social network (e.g. Ning) for a couple of hundred pounds a year.
Add to that the fact that you can get cheap one-click setup Wordpress hosting, plus a choice of thousands of perfectly servicable blog and web templates for free or from a few pounds and up. Many of these will be responsive thus ticking the tablet/mobile box too.
Plus many such tools allow a domain name to be used with them at a later date at almost no additional cost for a "custom" look. For instance, in the case of a Wordpress.com blog, it costs just $13/year to use a custom domain instead of whatever.wordpress.com
Given that, it's hardly surprising if the very low end of the "web design/development" market has shrunk and those who are "happy enough" with the kind of solution I've outlined above are unwilling to fork out on what they see as "unnecessary" expenses.
Businesses could certainly benefit from the "professionalism" of a polished-looking website with a matching domain name and email address. The more that other businesses in their chosen market sharpen up their own web presences, the more this becomes true.
Clubs and small charities/non-profits on the other hand have more tools than ever to choose from when it comes to setting up something "good enough". Where once they might have used a Frontpage template and free hosting (or as noted, Geocities or other site of that ilk) they can now get hosted blogs, sites, etc. with functionality that would have cost tens of thousands of pounds to custom-build about 10 years ago absolutely free, or for pennies a day. You can even have a perfectly "good enough" social network (e.g. Ning) for a couple of hundred pounds a year.
Add to that the fact that you can get cheap one-click setup Wordpress hosting, plus a choice of thousands of perfectly servicable blog and web templates for free or from a few pounds and up. Many of these will be responsive thus ticking the tablet/mobile box too.
Plus many such tools allow a domain name to be used with them at a later date at almost no additional cost for a "custom" look. For instance, in the case of a Wordpress.com blog, it costs just $13/year to use a custom domain instead of whatever.wordpress.com
Given that, it's hardly surprising if the very low end of the "web design/development" market has shrunk and those who are "happy enough" with the kind of solution I've outlined above are unwilling to fork out on what they see as "unnecessary" expenses.
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What is likely to be improving is the quality and usability of these website building services. If they are good enough, I'm sure they will have some impact on web design businesses that serve small businesses.
My own attititude is you can't really complain about the impact of new technology upon your business, you have to anticipate it and evolve with it, otherwise you won't be working in the tech sector for long!
Rgds
My own attititude is you can't really complain about the impact of new technology upon your business, you have to anticipate it and evolve with it, otherwise you won't be working in the tech sector for long!
Rgds
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I think that about 80% of people who set up a free WIX style page once set up they don't touch it and it soon becomes out of date and useless especially if you are selling a service or product.
Prices change, services change, scope and USP's change but the website generally doesn't because the person cant be bothered to update it.
Also the free version are plastered in adverts, and if you want to have any real control you have to pay for it.
If you look at WIX support page http://www.wix.com/support/html5/se...eo-basics/faq/how-can-my-site-be-found-online the top questions is 'How can my Wix site be found online in search engine results?' and it always is the top question.
Just read some of the recent comments.
WIXs' standard answer is that it can take 1-3 months got google to index your site, which we all know is rubbish, if you submit it manually via Webmaster tools, ad a site map, some backlinks it will be indexed in 1-3 days or even hours.
In most instances if you want something with a bit of quality you generally have to pay for it.
Also if you think about the time you spend setting up the free site, submitting support tickets, reading emails that they continuously send you trying to get you to pay for premium services, you could have fitted another boiler if you are a plumber or something and made enough money to have a decent small site designed, hosted, SEO optimised that might actually give you a ROI.
Prices change, services change, scope and USP's change but the website generally doesn't because the person cant be bothered to update it.
Also the free version are plastered in adverts, and if you want to have any real control you have to pay for it.
If you look at WIX support page http://www.wix.com/support/html5/se...eo-basics/faq/how-can-my-site-be-found-online the top questions is 'How can my Wix site be found online in search engine results?' and it always is the top question.
Just read some of the recent comments.
WIXs' standard answer is that it can take 1-3 months got google to index your site, which we all know is rubbish, if you submit it manually via Webmaster tools, ad a site map, some backlinks it will be indexed in 1-3 days or even hours.
In most instances if you want something with a bit of quality you generally have to pay for it.
Also if you think about the time you spend setting up the free site, submitting support tickets, reading emails that they continuously send you trying to get you to pay for premium services, you could have fitted another boiler if you are a plumber or something and made enough money to have a decent small site designed, hosted, SEO optimised that might actually give you a ROI.
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