Hands-on reviews about top website building options available today

    Hands-on reviews about top website building options available today

Remember, there are more than thousand options for building websites, but below is a quick review that should help you make the right choice from the few good short-listed options.

Broadly i have classified website building options into two categories. SaaS based and Custom.
Cloud based will of-course be cheaper, but less customize-able, whereas with on-premise, the development and maintenance costs are higher but allows you to have great custom features and complete control of the website.

If your intention is to make your website, a full fledged e-commerce application with features like Inventory and Order management, Shipping and Payment management etc...it would require a different strategy than what is described below. I will be covering that on another date on another blog.

A. SaaS based: Building a business website using, online or cloud based Website builder tools

1. Using Google Sites
         - Very easy to add forms, Geo-location and many other Google widgets
         - There are few limitations on customizing the look and feel (e.g. Google Site provided footer cannot be customized);
         - Standard edition is Free and easy to setup, can expect high uptime if signing up for Google Apps for Business
         - Good content editing features, low maintenance costs
         - Cannot easy add non-google social media plug-ins and scripts (e.g. Facebook like button cannot be added!) 
         - Customizations like payment integration to a custom payment gateway supporting local currency won't be possible

2. Using Office 365
        - SEO Friendly (Search Engine Optimization features help you promote your site, click here to learn more on how to promote your website, the more popular your site, better chance of earning money through your website)
        - Fully customizable
        - Excellent content editing features, including staging and authoring
        - Slightly buggy compared to Google Sites and Yahoo site builder
        - 6$ per month, expensive if you are not interested in Intranet and business collaboration suite that comes with Office 365.
       
3. Yahoo Small Business
       - Limited Site templates to choose from
       - Cheap, and can get a lot of email addresses for free along with hosting.
       - Works for small business, but limited customization compared to other platforms
       - Yahoo is losing out the market to others- hence risk involved.
       - Hosting support is primarily for PHP or Plain HTML sites.
       - Customizations like payment integration to a custom payment gateway supporting local currency won't be possible

4.  Zoho Sites
       - Free version is pretty good, but will come with zoho watermark on footer
       - Integrates well with Google Apps, but ZOHO itself is a completely smart solution for apps
       - Can create website Blogs easliy as part of your website
       - Very good Mobile Support including Mobile preview, which is not found in other site building options
       - Very Good content editing features, low maintenance costs
       - Customizations like payment integration to a custom payment gateway supporting local currency won't be possible easily

5. Tools like Weebly, Wix, DoodleKit, Tumblr, BigRock - using their free Website Builders
       - Typically much easier to setup the site, cheaper too
       - Much less customization possible, but makes it for ease of use with content editing features.
       - Risk involved, as these companies are not big enough to last all seasons!
       - Limits on number of pages are likely
       - Not meant for SEO features,
       - Customizations like payment integration to a custom payment gateway supporting local currency won't be possible

       All of the above cloud based website builders, advertise their product saying that, you can set up a website easily, and you don't require HTML knowledge etc.. Yes, it is true, you don't need programming skills to work with any of the above. But if you are looking to create some elegant website that attract and retain visitors, that speaks for itself, you would still need the help of User Interface (UI) Designers and Developers.
        My recommendation would be to choose one of the above cloud options, and get your website spruced up using the help of a UI Designers and Developers.

B. Custom: Building a business website using, custom development efforts (with/without using a CMS platform).

1. Plain Simple HTML websites (without content editing features) on Amazon S3
      - Requires a UI Developer
      - SEO friendly
      - Limited feature set possible, but best for one page sites or for hosting your email campaign's etc...
      - Will work out very cheap to run, and can still expect high uptime
      - Cannot have even simple features like Contact Us form
      - Not recommended, unless it is a single page website.

2. Use Content Management System (CMS) platforms like Wordpress, Joomla or DNN, and have the site hosted on shared/dedicated Cloud hosting providers of the above CMS platforms
     - Requires developers, better still to go ahead with an IT firm. To learn some cool tips if getting your website custom developed, please click here
     - Customizable, Plenty of Adds and Themes available with out losing the content editing and SEO features
     - Many extensions and integrations possible in the long run
     - Pricing may be tricky, and depends on offerings and modules or Add-Ons that you choose.
       Wordpress based option is highly Recommended , since you get tonnes of Website themes, off the shelf for a nominal price.

3. Get the Website custom developed from scratch using CMS platforms (like Wordpress, Joomla or DNN), get it hosted on Cloud on your own cloud servers(e.g. on Amazon EC2)
      - Costlier to develop, and unless you are very clever you may not get what you want.
      - Can make it an as intelligent a site as possible when it comes to feature, look and feel and SEO features.
      - High maintenance, but gets almost complete control over the content and features of the website
      - Cost of setup could be high
      - Better option, if planning to sell online and make your website a e-commerce website.
      - Low hosting charges on cloud, and easy to scale in case of huge sudden traffic on your site.
     - Customizations like payment integration to a custom payment gateway supporting local currency will be possible as it is open source and can make changes

4. Get it custom developed from scratch with out using CMS platforms, get it hosted on Cloud on your own(e.g. on Amazon EC2)
      - Smarter website developers with no experience on cloud hosting knowledge could advice you on this option.
      - For developers, it is very easy. But, for you, it can become a night-mare as for even the silliest of changes, you have to depend on the developer.
     - Cost of setup can be high, based on your level of ignorance about development costs!
     - Low hosting charges on cloud, and easy to scale in case of huge sudden traffic on your site.
     - Very limited feature set, and also you won't have CMS features for content authoring etc...

5. Get it custom developed from scratch with out using CMS platforms, get it hosted on traditional hosting servers
      - This option is what majority of the neighborhood website developers will advice you.
      - For developers, it is very easy. But, for you, it can become a night-mare as for even the silliest of changes, you have to depend on the developer.
      - Cost can be high, based on your level of ignorance about development costs!
      - Higher hosting charges, Not easy to scale in case of huge sudden traffic on your site.
      - Very limited feature set, and also you won't have CMS features for content authoring etc...
      - Not recommended

        Remember, with any of the above options, you still may have to write quality content and design compelling Logos and Images, and have stunning cool features to attract and retain visitors.

To learn more on structured approach to promoting your business on the net, click here
Looking for some personalized help, drop me a comment

How to make money from your website or blog

 Do you have a website or blog, and are seeing good number of visitors, but not sure how to monetize it?

There are some do's and don't when it comes to promoting your website and

I. Google Adsense

Setup Google AdSense and put it on your website. Please be extra careful to follow Google Adsense guidelines. If you don't do this, you might get banned by Google, and there is generally no easy way to bring back Ad-sense on your website.

II. Free Trial display of Ads

1. Display Banner advertising Ads on your website itself with a 'Free Trial display of Ads', if the click rate is good, Advertisers will continue to come back and be even ready to pay a fair amount. Advertisers are ready to trust Google, not your website, so you have may have to provide the trial feature to entice interest.

2. Target and accept only Ads that are relevant for content of your website.
3. Allow a simple sign-up form for Free Trial Display of Ads

III. if trial goes well, display a full size stunning banner that says 'Advertise Here' , with contact details

IV. Keep a 'Donate' button, if your site is giving a lot value to the visitors for free

Placing a “Donate” link or button on a website can be yet another efficient way to earn money, especially if your blog or website is on a niche where visitors learn and gain value from your content.

V. Allow users to buy from website! (Please do it only if it fits your website content)

E.g. If your blog is about food, allow users to buy an e-book

VI. If you are using the right platform for your running your website, turning it to an e-commerce website, won't be difficult. Trust is everything when it comes to e-commerce and if you cannot deliver, don't commit! that is the simple mantra. But if you can deliver, and have a tie -up with a logistics firm, go ahead and start few items on sale on your website. Look out for items that are unique and not available easily with large retailers and this way, you are not in direct competition with giants. Targeting your locality than the whole world first is another good strategy to get started.
     - Becoming resellers of Amazon or Companies like Infibeam are other options in the e-commerce model

Last but not least
1. Find more ways to promote your website, be active on forums- the more the number of visitors, more attractive your 'Banner Ad Space' will be.

2. Do display honest stats about visitors per day on your site. better still, if you can display real-time stats on current active sessions.
3. Participate actively in local events-which are relevant to the content of your website, and advertise  'Trial display of Ads'. Soon your website will be seen and will be recognized as platform for reaching out.

Creating a website for your business? - Tips for business owners

Creating a website for your business? - Tips for business owners

If you have decided to take developer help or the help of an IT firm, to create a stunning and powerful website for your business, this blog will help you make some decisions.

If you believe,  creating website is very simple and cheap, chances are, you may and may end up 'paying for it' forever. So, if you don't have all the time and money in the world to pay for what you want as a website, multiple times, please read further!

There are tons of ways to get yourself a website.

And even if it is website with a few simple web pages, there could be lot of cost and quality difference, depending on what you specify as your requirement, and what you communicate to your developers, and how the requirement is understood by the development team and how the solution is built.

A real world Analogy.
  Consider this "I need a place to stay, and be able to call it a home". This specific requirement can be understood in many different ways. Because, it is not very clear whether you are looking for Buckingham palace or a shack!.
That may sound like an exaggeration. let us talk about a more real- example. Consider this "I need a house in city, which is pretty similar to some of my friends" 
 Which city? New-york or Cochin?
 Apartment or Independant House?
 Sq ft, Area? What all ameneties needed?
 Any special needs? Swimming pool? a resto-bar?
 The list of questions can go on.

Hmmm... i am trying to scare you? No,
But, your website or your house/office is an address that people can find and about you/about your firm. Creating a website may look like a very simple task to achieve, unless you are with the right set of people, and unless you are getting the right set of questions regarding what sort of 'website' are you looking for? you may be in a big shock, when finally the 'developers' deliver the website to you.

How to proceed?

1. Clearly articulate and document your requirements.
2. Provide a sample site
3. Ask questions on whether features requested is likely to work in all browsers and devices without additional tweaking and downloads
4. Check if you have the need to do Authoring of content on your site, yourself

Hope this useful. For more in-depth, step by step help on promoting your website and business on web and mobile, please click here

When to go for a free Listing and when to go for a paid listing for your Company or Products and Services

  Choosing between Paid Listing and Free Listing in Online  directories

A. Most online directories are free for basic features:

B2B or B2C directory listing are generally free, and it would have basic features using which you can create a business profile your company, and could even add few product or service offerings listed.
If you are offering a product or service, which are very unique and there is not much of competition!, a paid listing for your company nor your products/services is generally not required.
But majority of us have, product or service offerings that are not so unique or are perceived as similar to other offerings from many other companies in the market. So, how do you create awareness about your products and company? one easy way is to register your company and products with online directories.
But then, should i go with a paid listing or free listing?

    B. So, it is important to know, when to go for a free Listing and when to go for a paid listing for your Company or Products & Services 

Directories usually offer paid membership in addition to paid memberships, so how do they differentiate between the two? Simple, if a potential customer is looking for business similar to yours, the paid ones are sure to come first in search. Yours will be listed way down, and you may loose out. If you have more demand than supply, you could survive without a paid listing. but, if you are interested in high growth, a paid listing is likely to fetch you more inquiries and business opportunities.

  C. But customer searches for Products/Services and not for your Company!

Why would a customer search and find your company, rather they may be interested in finding products/ services, that you may be offering, so they are more likely to search for product or service in the directories.

Here is why you should opt for directories that offers 'Featured Listing' of your Products/Services.

With such directories, you have better control and you could decide when to go for Paid listing of your company Vs Featured listing of your products/services

  D. Paid listing for my company profile or paid listing for my products and services?

Remember,

1) Paid Company listing for your company is generally expensive compared to Paid listing of Products/Services.

2) Check if Paid  Company listing portals are also offering you the ability to have free unlimited featured (paid) listing of products/services - this will be useful if you many products/services to sell/promote.

3) If you have less than 10 products/services, a paid Featured product/service listing will be work out better than a Paid Company listing

 'Nothing comes free!',  so the moment you start digging more to the features of directories, you will find that, it will ask you to pay right at the time you want to get more value out of the listing.

So it becomes very important to know how to choose the right b2b directory.  Once you decide on registering your firm with an online directory, the next question would be ' How to choose the right directory' - which is well explained in some of my blogs about choosing b2b directories and b2c directories

                   

How to to choose the right b2b directory for listing

Sometimes, it does hurt to list your company on many b2b directories, your time (or your staff's efforts) is money. So, it is important to have this focused on directories trusted by world

How to to choose the right b2b directory to post your company details?
 Easy answer is: Find the top few websites that comes up on your google.com search for 'b2b portal'.

Here is a quick help on two few business listing directories in the world
1. Alibaba.com - For Large companies; Strong Chinese focus; paid listing is very expensive
2. Toboc.com - For Small and Medium businesses - Strong in China, India, Brazil, US and Europe; Trusted world-wide

Alibaba incidentally is one of the biggest b2b portal, where as Toboc.com is world's most trusted b2b portal, probably due to Canadian roots and social mission. Indiamart does have a very strong presence in India.
If your Company is a large firm and can afford to have Premium membership with Alibaba, please go ahead. if your is a small and medium company, Toboc.com's pocket friendly affordable pricing of membership may work out better. Also, with Toboc.com. you may also have the option to a free profile, but still have paid, featured listing of products that you would like to Promote.

3.  Indiamart - Small and Medium businesses; India focused 
4.  EC21 - Strong Korea focus


Traditional businesses and companies always had the trouble in understanding where to start, when it comes to promoting their business using the power of Internet - especially now in the age of Social Media and Mobile. How much should i spent? and more importantly where to start?

If you are an entrepreneur and are looking to spend every penny wisely, Please read 3-stage approach to promoting your business online.

Step 3 - Go Apps , WOW On cloud for small business

 Step 3 - Go Cloud Apps, WOW On cloud

Traditional businesses and companies always had the trouble in understanding where to start, when it comes to promoting their business using the power of Internet - especially now in the age of Social Media and Cloud Computing. How to strategize? How much should i spent on marketing? and more importantly where to start?

If you are an entrepreneur (with limited understanding on doing business online) and are looking to spend every penny wisely, below is a ready reckoner that can act as a step-by-step guide to help you get started. Please read How to promote my business Step 1 (Internet Incubation) and  How to promote my business (Step 2 - Social Incubation) if you have not read it already

If you have completed Step 1 and Step 2, i.e the first 6 weeks successfully, and since you are reasonably happy with the response received online, time it to take to the next level.

  1. Get Online trust seals by getting your factory/premises audited. Many b2b portals provide these services for a nominal fee. Trust Seals like Dun and BradSheet (DnB) has high value.

 2. Run Email Marketing Campaigns - Email Campaigns typically are more complex than you think it is, and it is important to NOT To be labelled as Spams. Many b2b portals provide these services for a fee. There are self-service options also available, but you can do that after a couple of successful marketing campaings from Email Marketing experts.
    - One important point to remember is, Email marketing Campaigns has an inherent risk element, email campaigns has a likely-hood of resulting in black listing of your company and your domain/Email. Hence use it with extreme caution, and that too with limited number of emails going out from your business account, preferably to a known list.

 2. Create a simple survey form to get much needed feedback about your business, and understand what customer is thinking - This is not a big deal to do, you can use sites like SurveyMonkey or even Google Sites and create a free survey form easily and put it up on your own website and on b2b profile page, all by yourself. (This is where the content editable (CMS powered) website created in Stage 2 will become really useful)

 3. Go for Mobile advertisements - SMS advertisements are not allowed as per regulations in many countries and the same is the case in India as well. So, look out for more innovative Push Notification service providers like AirPush.com. You can also tie up with Apps manufacturers for Before Start and After Exit Ads. Mobile banner advertisement has not really proved its value, and hence don't spend money on that that yet.

 4. Set up a toll-free number with an auto SMS response using Services like ZipDial.com. This helps in collecting the phone numbers and also it helps in providing a prompt response, increasing the customer confidence.

 5. Build Facebook Apps, Mobile Apps for your website - Expensive proposition, but you are anyway having significant success by stage 3

6. Just like the real world, there are lot of scary elements (called hackers!) who are trying to hack your data or destroy your online presence, especially when you are successful. (I will be soon writing another blog on how to be secure on web - with targeted information for small business)
  

Watch out this space, book mark this link and come back if you have liked the article.
I would really appreciate your comments as well.

Step 2 : Social Web Incubation, creating the right social foundation Small Business

Incubation on Social Web - creating the right social foundation for Small Business is the Step 2 towards reaching a WOW on cloud for Small Business 

Small Business Companies looking to reach WOW on cloud, i recommend you to go through Stage 1 i.e. Internet Incubation before going through Stage 2 called Social Incubation

  Step 2- Social Incubation:

Traditional businesses and companies always had the trouble in understanding where to start, when it comes to promoting their business using the power of Internet - especially now in the age of Social Media. How much should i spent? and more importantly where to start?

If you are an entrepreneur  (with limited understanding on doing business online) and are looking to spend every penny wisely, below is a ready reckoner that can act as a step-by-step guide to help you get started. Please read Internet Incubation (Internet Incubation, creating the right webaddress for your business), which is the Step1 in the process if you have not read it already

4th Week - Set up your own Company website, which allows you to make quick changes.

Time to create a dedicated web address (www.yourcompanyname.com) that is registered on your name (if you have completed Stage 1, you already have a domain and business email);

If you are looking for practical tips before you get your website created, read this blog


   1. Approach your trusted b2b portal again, have a live chat possible, and find if they can create the website for you. You can do a google search and look for Website builders with content editing and SEO features.
      -- Good examples are Weebly.com and OLX.com
   3.  Google itself provides very simple solution around this called Google Sites, which is free. But the catch here is that, if your looking for some heavy customization and some stunning pages, it will he harder. But, there are many Certified Google Apps Resellers, who may help you in setting the website up with a custom design or template.     
   4.  Whether it is Google/solutions from your b2b portal/others, opt for a Website solution that are having powerful features for Content Editing and SEO. You may not use all that in fourth week or second month, but rather than doing a lot of costly re-work later, better to act smart and spend wisely here.
   5. Google Sites is Free, but you may have to spend around 5-10K for UI face-lift/to add the right content.
   6. Ensure your company website is working well on Smart Phones, Tablets/iPADs, and PC browsers like IE, Chrome and FireFox.


5th Week - Go Social in a small yet elegant way.

 1. Create a Facebook page for your company and link it your website
 2. Link your website from b2b portal listing that you have done in Stage 1
 3. Enter the b2b profile URL in Facebook.

 4. Open a twitter account for your company, and post some interesting facts about your company on twitter with link to your b2b profile and own website.
 5, Use YouTube to promote your business, upload some self made videos to youtube

6th Week onwards - Increase you advertising spend, wisely
 1. By now, you have made some serious investments of time and it is important to support that effort through a long term paid subscriptions from b2b portal and also look for banner advertisement with top sites that catches lots of eyeball, this will bring steady and quality visitors to your company profile and from there to your own website.

2. Also consider setting up pay per click or Google Adwords Campaigns (Look for a firm that can manage and run Adwords campaign for you, if you do not have the right personnel or time)
3. Even Facebook provides, pay per click advertisement options, try that too - Remember, Social Media sites like Facebook allows you to do some serious filtering of visitors, and sometimes allow you to get to the exact target group, so you only pay for Visitors that are from your target group.
4. Divide your total advertising bucket equally into Google Adwords, Facebook Ads and banner Advertisements.
 Create a free account with Google Analytics and analyze which channels above are fetching more visitors (Facebook Ad Vs Direct google visitors Vs Google Adwords paid visitors)
5. Monitor and analyze which advertising channel is working out better, do this analysis via trial and error for a couple of months. For more detailed Social Media strategies, you can refer this link in future

After 6thrd week, check in which page of Google Search, your company is appearing, for a given text (keywords) that mentioned in your Company or Product descriptions, and make a note of it. Started seeing some positive changes already? In any case, it does make a lot of sense to move to Stage 3 and get to the next level

Step 1 - Incubation on Web