Affordable Website Builder

Are you sick of trying to find an affordable web site builder that works?

The sad reality is that millions of people each a month are searching the web looking for just that .. but most don't find an affordable easy to use web site solution.

If you share in the frustration of trying different web site builders to only learn that they don't work then I'm excited that you've found this web page.

Why? because I have some important rarely discussed facts about the IT industry that once you're armed with you'll quickly be able to clearly identify who has a affordable easy to use web site builder that you and millions of others search the web looking for.

Now let me quickly get to the meat and potatoes as my father would say.

First you need to know up front that it's most likely not your fault that you don't have the professional website you want yet. You're not a stupid person nor have you been gullible, you just need a few pointers from a industry insider to weed out the good from the bad.

Rarely Discussed Pitfalls Of The Web Design Industry

It's no secret that the computer and Internet are changing how we communicate with other .. these changes are occurring more and more quickly with each passing year.

A web site can be an effective method of communicating with others and as the web and technology continually develop keeping up with the fast paced changes can be very difficult.

Today you have three common methods of getting a web site built and up and running ..

1. Use a Web Site Builder or Content Management System (CMS)

2. Outsource the web site duties and pay the related IT fees

3. Learn HTML and CSS and Java and PHP or ASP and also some database software yourself or hire a staff member with some or all the above skills or have them trained.

The sad reality is many small business owners choose number 3 out of desperation or a desire to keep control and defer business resources that are needed in the delivery of the primary business products and services.

Since the web is changing so very quickly keeping up with technology is a never ending battle .. as such many business owners that choose this option the past several years saw little or no financial return and so abandoned their web sites.

This is very evident as you and I do searches and frequently get dated content packed with broken links to web sites that no longer exist in our results. The first two options frequently represent a even slower death which I'll call the long term squeeze. This long term squeeze wastes millions of hours and dollars each year for millions looking to get a website up and running.

The Long Term Squeeze Looks Something Like This ...

You need a site built so you either pick a instant site builder or CMS application which claims to create a ready to use web site in just minutes or you decide to go the more expensive route and enter into a service agreement with a web design professional that will cost in the ball pack of $100 per hour in North America.

But neither after you've spent a few months and a little or a lot of cash seems to be getting you any more business.

Most likely you've bounced back and forth between these two alternatives in the past.. using a combination of CMS or a site builder along with the services of a web site designer in hopes of squeezing a more productive third option trying to find a balance between costs and ease of use and earning some profit.

Just maybe the squeeze may have started when you decide you won't or can't pay $100 per hour for a web design professional's help so you decide to save money by hiring someone off shore to do the work for a lot less but you likely find out that less expensive IT support is also less responsive and it's not an option to get on a flight to India to resolve matters. Not to mention the language barriers in such a relationship 

Or just maybe you hired on the cheap a close friend or family member to work on it during their free time. But they never seem to have the free time they once spoke of and little or NO site development progress has been being made in months.

Sound at all familiar? If so then you're a victim .. of the long term squeeze .. now this may sound silly but you're being squeezed off the web, which happens to be the largest market for growth that exists for your business, so what you need is the workable 3rd option.

A Real Third Web Design Option That Releases The Squeeze !

What you need is a third option that's real .. one that's not a squeeze of desperation between the free or low cost site builder products and the high end web designer that charges $100 per hour.

Why Is The Third Option So Difficult to Find?

Web design professionals and software Content Management Systems (CMS) vendors have tried to bridge this gap and offer the much needed third option but to be blunt they are each in the business of making money for themselves and not for you.

The software tools available to web designers are getting better with each passing year but still the software lacks the automation required for designers to build good sites quickly.

All reality is most web sites need much the same core functionality and features and yet still today designers build in this same core basic functionality by hand page by page, which is totally ridiculous not to mention very expensive.

As designers struggle to eliminate this ridiculous manual rebuild of the core site functionality or framework they'll investigate using a readymade CMS software package that ought to offer the core framework.

Now CMS web site licensing costs vary between free and $100,000

Thousands of software developers of sprung up creating these CMS products, which they either give away as open source or freeware or charge as much as $100,000 per web site.

When you yourself or the hired web design professional buys a CMS software application generally the first step is to pick a hosting company where it's upload and some time is spent struggle to configure the software correctly and then you struggle to learn how to use the CMS software for weeks or months reading through technical manual(s).

The reality is you nor any hired web designer wrote the CMS software so some learning curve is expected .. even if you choose an experienced web designer that is familiar with the CMS software .. the software in continually being updated and thus changing and a relearning process is required which will cost both in time and money.

The Above May Sound Like A Workable Solution!

Just hire a web designer and demand that they use a CMS software as the framework for the web site you need built. This will cut costs ,, and increase productivity, right?

The primary issue with this is that MOST CMS packages don't actual work .. so as the designer builds the web site .. the CMS software is restrictive or buggy and the web designer can't actually build the web site required.

With 1600 Different CMS Packages On The Web One Must Work, RIGHT?

The web has more then 1600 different CMS products readily available for sale or free download. And you could spend the next few years downloading them and trying each one. Trust me it's no way to spend the next few years.

The important point you should right now take out a pen and paper and write down is that less then 1% of the 1600 site builders offer an option which they'll host for you a site built with their own software, if you're asked why this would be so important that I had you write this down just continue reading ... and don't for a second put down that pen!

I think you may have read already between the lines ... but let me spell it out ... the software company makes MORE money selling software to the public that doesn't work then if they used their own software to build the sites they say the software could build.

Write that down .. "A CMS or site builder software company that doesn't offer to host web sites built with their own software is making MORE money selling you a piece of buggy software just once then if they got it right and could charge a monthly fee for a workable solution."

In this IT industry we've all become accustomed to software that doesn't work as advertised and software vendors sell for profit or give away for free software that wastes millions of man hours each year.

It's now so common we all except that we must wait for the next service pack release to fix this or that functionality and get what it is we paid for maybe months or even years ago.

Commonly I see software that is promoted as offering certain functionality that when tested doesn't work. So I've waited months and years for the software vendor to fix it.

Sometimes the software will even have a major release that I must pay again to get the functionality I was originally promised a few versions earlier.

In most businesses such practices would be considered fraud but IT related products this is a common and acceptable practice.

When you sit back and think about this .. it's no wonder why you nor the hired web design professional often can't get that web site built .. this is why I said earlier that it's most likely not your fault that you don't yet have a professional site build and running.

So the golden question is .. how do you find the workable 3rd option between option 1 and 2 mentioned above and break out of the squeeze that's keeping you off line.

I've described a few of the barriers now let me explain why it is you should trust me to tell you the truth and then I'll show you how to jump over the barriers and weed out the good from the bad and find that affordable website solution you've been searching for.

I hope what I have already explained makes a lot of sense and that you can tell I'm not feeding you some piece of self promotion. To continue building the trust you need to know a little about me.

I'm a software developer and for the better part of the last 24 years I've spent my time in small and large companies fixing the messes left behind from other IT personal.

Generally my new clients are ones that have spent nearly all their annual IT budgets on IT solutions that did not work and now need a workable business solution that could be put into action yesterday and all for pennies on the dollar.

I've gotten very good at salvaging companies again and again from IT crooks.

I started my IT business when I was just 15 years old .. I began my chosen career selling Apple clone computers to my teachers and friends parents and quickly caught the software development bug when a small business owner asked me to build him a inventory control application for his plumbing company.

I started really helping people with computers when I started teaching at just 16 years old Adults accredited continuing education classes.

Since then I've taken every chance that crossed my path to help people use technology to better their lives .. now this may sound silly .. but most people I've come across are frustrated with the technology around them and I just love seeing the looks of satisfaction on the faces of the people I help.

Now I hope to put a smile on your face .. to do this I have a valuable check list that if followed iwill help you find an affordable web site solution that works.

Still got out that pen and paper I hope ..

If not get them and write down this check list.

Now every item on this checklist is a must have.. not a suggested guide line ..

I don't want you posting here later that the check list did not work .. when you did not follow and check off every item.

I'll explain why each item on the list is so very important and how it benefits you below the list.

1. The web site must be built with a CMS or site builder framework

2. The CMS or site builder software company MUST offer to host the web site using the software they developed.

3. The company you choose MUST have web design professionals, software programmers and IT Network engineers working together to offer you a web site.

4. The company MUST offer a fixed low monthly all inclusive service month to month terms no long term contracts.

5. The company MUST offer personal one and one phone and/or chat support during the site building and design process and be available when site changes are required.

6. The company MUST offer training services the will allow you to manage or even build the site yourself with some guidance if you so wish.

7. The company MUST be able to collect the design preferences and initial site content in a clear systematic process which will get the site build and up and running quickly.

8. The company MUST be able to update the site and add functionality promptly as your business grows.

9. The company MUST show an interest in your personal success and treat you like a real person and not a case number when you communicate with them.

10. The company MUST NOT sell empty server space and bandwidth and offer you other companies free software or scripts.

That's the check list .. just 10 items.. now I'll quickly go over why each item is very important and why if you are careful and select provider that covers all 10 items you'll have a winner for life.

Checklist Explained ...

Item # 1

If you build the site using a site builder or CMS software the web site will be much easier to manage month to month and will be built and up and running much more quickly and for less money then if you don't have a CMS framework.

Item # 2

If you recall .. with 1600 different CMS solutions available you have options but if you limit the choices down to the very few that will host the site themselves for a low fixed monthly fee you'll have narrowed the search to very few.

Remember you won't find a buggy software vendor offering to host the site using their own software .. because they'll go out of business trying to put out all the fires the buggy software will create for them and you.

Item # 3

To offer you a stable site takes lots of skills behind the scenes. It's when all these IT professionals work together that magic happens .. you want to be a customer of a well organized team of professionals.

Item # 4

Don't be fooled into paying huge dollars to get the whole group of professionals working for you. You can be a smart shopper using this check list .. the company you choose should offer you an all inclusive web site package which includes hosting and support and any software updates all covered for a low fixed monthly fee of less then $100.00.

Don't ever try to get all the above for $5.95 because you won't .. you do get what you pay for and I promise you that $5.95 or even $20.00 a month won't be enough to get a stable web site provider. You should be willing to pay between $30.00 and $100.00 dollars a month for an all inclusive package.

Don't be tricked into any long term contracts .. you ought to be able to pay month to month. If things don't work out you ought to be able to leave and take your money with you!

Item # 5

I don't think this item need much explanation ... the site can't be built without good communication. Communications does not happen in a click next web site wizard.. you need to pick a company that you can call and speak with a live person when you have the need.

Item # 6

Frequently a hosting and/or software development company will drop the ball when it comes to support materials .. and with technology and videos and audio being what it is today .. I'm not talking about downloading a 500 page manual to read over.. but rather the company ought to have very specific videos and/or audio training that covers a given web site topic so the easy part of web site ownership is realized.

Having instructional material will fast pace the learning curve. Plus when you see something working in video most likely it works when you try ... unlike a manual which could explain how something ought to work .. but doesn't when you try it.

Item # 7

It's not enough to have a great mouse trap .. or site builder in this case .. the company may have friendly staff .. but unless they can collect from you the content and site design preferences to get a personally designed site built you'll be wasting time and money.

Be sure that the site provider you choose has a organizing process of collecting and storing the materials needed to build a personalized web site.

This process ought to quickly put you and them to work .. you MUST be prepared to provide input on site design elements like colors and themes that appeal and also provide the initial raw content needed for publishing the initial site.

Item # 8

This check list item is the toughest to check off .. but you need to pick a company that offers site options that are beyond what you need today .. but that could be added to the site as your business grows and your budget.

You need to pick a company that provides you options that your online competitors have and hopefully a few they don't.

Item # 9

The company you choose should use a help desk and use tracking numbers so they can be organized but the content of the support tickets ought to be personal and tone ought to express that you are a person of interest.

We all understand what it is to feel like we are being heard and that a sincere effort to make things right is being made.

Item # 10

This is the only DO NOT item on the list .. and if followed does weed out a lot of the web site options in the market place.

Now you may be able to find a hosting company that offers lots of space and bandwidth and get the support needed to get a few scripts installed.

But mostly likely you've tried this route .. and I personally found many of the barriers this list eliminates have been brought into the market by web hosting companies.

I use a number of host providers .. but I understand how to meet my own web site needs. I never would host a product selling web site or lead generating site on a low cost shared hosting plan ..

I hope you wrote a few notes as you read this list or you print off this page and use it as you search for an affordable website builder solution.

I promise ... this whole check list can be checked off. The companies are out there and when you follow this check list you'll narrow the options and will more quickly find a suitable long term web site solution provider.

Don't get discouraged the perfect option is right under your nose ... soon you'll have a nice site up and running on the web.

Now Hubpages won't allow me to just publish links to all the different web site providers that I have short listed that cleared the checklist.

But I'm allowed one or two links to the same site. So below is a link to my short list. I hope the short list will save you hours of searching the web using the check list I provided above.

Online WebSite Builder Short List

Right above .. is the only link within the article .. and it's not my self promotion site. Rather you'll find a short list of web site builders that meet the check list above. Of course I have a link on the short list .. but you'll have to find it.

The greatest benefit you'll find visiting this short list site is that I invite all the site visitors that deal with those I place on the approve list to return and record audio feedback so you can hear the testimonies and also hear about any problems .. I'll adjust the short list accordingly .. and will continue to evaluate new companies using this check list.

You'll find a affordable website builder that does work for the long term if you follow the check list.

Have a Good One :)