Times have certainly changed since the time I first opened my business. The principles of marketing remain the same, but the methodology has certainly evolved to accommodate the Internet. It has actually broadened the range of possibilities as far as promotion and sales are concerned.

Web Design Philippines

I own a party supplies and event planning business. Ever since I commissioned Web Design Philippines to build a website for my company, sales have multiplied significantly and inquiries stream in practically nonstop. It’s a good thing we were ready for growth because we were really forced to increase our manpower and make further investments.

Allow me to enumerate the many ways having a website was able to benefit our business.

1. A website provided me and my people with a better form of advertizing and presented our business with a marketing edge. Internet space is definitely cheaper than one for print advertizing. We are able to put all the essential information on the website, have it up as long as necessary, easily update it if we so wish, etc. Since our targeted clientele is expected to have online access, we are also able to reach a wider audience. Besides this, SEO allows legitimate searchers to find their way to our site.
2. A website allowed our company to expand its market, to be exposed globally and to have unlimited growth opportunity. Whereas before, our clients were pretty much limited to our area, comprising of people who passed by our office, those who’d heard about us from their friends, those who’d seen our fliers and ads, etc., now we actually have global exposure. People from far and wide bring their business to us. This made it imperative for us to expand our business as well.
3. Through the website, our sales did not only increase, we were also able to expand and diversify our revenue streams. Other businesses have actually paid us to place ads on our site, so ultimately our source of income has also grown.
4. Having a website is like having the office open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We do not take breaks for holidays. All the pertinent information is on the site. Potential customers do not have to put off making inquiries; they can just use our Contact Us page and we’re sure to get back to them. We are always available and accessible.
5. Our website shows people that we have a legitimate business and reinforces our credibility through the information it provides. Our webpage design is also a testament to our standards and our commitment to innovation and growth. It made better branding possible and helped build an impressive reputation for our business.

Depending on the purpose of your website, if it’s there to serve multiple purposes or merely act as a brochure, you have to choose whether to go with a static website or a CMS (Content Management System) one. Both kinds have their advantages and disadvantages, but these days, most businesses find it more productive and proactive to use a CMS such as WordPress or Drupal.

A static website is the old school way of building a website. It is made with a markup language like HTML. The overall look and content are arranged with a fixed code. To update it, coding knowledge is essential or the site’s structure could end up broken. A CMS, on the other hand, involves software and server side scripting languages like PHP that enable the easy management of a website’s content. It also allows many functions like online sales and capture of customer details. Any edit is done quickly through accessing the administration section.

It is easy to see why CMS websites are more in demand. The following are a few specific reasons:

1. Easy Creation and Update of Content. Putting in and editing content can be done as frequently as you wish without having a web developer assist you or you needing to learn code yourself. This gives anybody with access to the administrator’s section extensive and complete control over the content. It is very user friendly and interactive. Changes are immediate and can be done at your leisure.
2. SEO Readiness. CMS websites are search engine friendly since their content is updated on a regular basis, earning them more attention from Google and other search engines, and making them rank higher in SER (search engine results) pages. A website that is on the good side of Google, as you know, gets exponentially better traffic compared to a website that does not. A CMS allows you to have fresh content, Google-friendly link structures, and Meta tags that give further details about your content.
3. Browser Compatibility. CMS websites are standards compliant and are tested in all the popular browsers before being launched. With static websites, it is not as easy to have them compatible with various browsers, and they often favor one browser over another, looking perfect in Chrome, for instance, while appearing broken in Internet Explorer. This does not mean that a WordPress site can never look broken in a major browser, but a person has to do something incredibly bizarre to make that happen.
4. Long Term Practical Option. Static websites may be cheaper to order from a web design company, but in the long run, CMS websites are more practical for the simple reason that they are easier to maintain. Ultimately, a CMS doesn’t make you dependent on a web designer to run your site.

Marketing these days always involves the Internet, and to market online, you need a website to be really effective. Of course, not just any website will do. Your website has to serve all its purposes, one of which is to be attractive. To come up with an appealing website, you have to have a template that is not only eye-catching, but operative as well. Its design must be strategic, catering to various needs and meeting requirements with regards to holding the attention of visitors as well as conveying to them the necessary message.

Web designing or web development is a very much in demand service nowadays, but not everybody can afford to hire a professional. Thankfully, there are numerous web design tutorials online as well as free website builders. Those who have picked up some know-how on how to make a website can even try their hand at actual web design. Free templates are available on many sites, so it’s not such a gamble to DIY in this respect. These are templates developed by professionals, the same people who come up with premium or customized templates, so you can easily find high quality options.

The following are some of the places online that offer free website templates:

freewebsitetemplates.com – This site offers a multitude of choices when it comes to free website templates. They are essentially pre-designed websites and all you have to do to make them your own is to add your own content. Customization is possible to better suit your needs and target audience. All the templates on Free Website Templates have been coded in CSS.

websitetemplatesonline.com – Another site with a wide selection of free web templates, Website Templates Online’s templates are ready for immediate download. As much as it encourages visitors to use their free templates, it also urges web designers to showcase their templates on the site in exchange for publicity.

quackit.com – Quackit has a broad collection of HTML templates that even professional web developers choose to use instead of creating websites from scratch. They offer both free and premium templates, but all of them are user-friendly and can be up and running at no time at all.

These free templates are generally available for any purpose. There are virtually no limitations as to their use and there are no obligations imposed by the sites other than keeping certain links intact. Their galleries are ever growing, so it’s good to check back often for new templates.

Building websites has levels. Sure, anybody can make a website. With the free platforms and the innumerable how to make a website tutorials available on the Internet, even a child could do it. However, the question of quality creeps in. If you have a legitimate business for which you want to create a website, you want it represented by something that appears professional and well-made. Fortunately, the free tutorials do not stop with the basics. One way to achieve a high quality website at next to no cost is to make it yourself, but before you do so, you have to teach yourself the various tricks of the trade. Once you’re confident that your skills pass muster, you can get started. If you don’t have the time to invest in self-taught web development, you can simply use one of the good free website builders out there. The following are just 3 of them:

• www.yola.com – This site has earned awards as a website creator. It also offers free reliable website hosting and guarantees no unwanted ads, such as pop-ups, in exchange for the free service. It boasts of professional designs and excellent editors. Everything complies with standards and works with all browsers. Users are assured that while they can make their websites free with Yola, the end product does not look it. The whole point is to make it appear as though you had hired the services of a web design company.
• www.wix.com – Another DIY website building site, Wix offers a free online tool that allows you to create a customized website. It has a powerful interface that is also very easy to use, giving you plenty of control over the design process even if you don’t know the first thing about coding or programming.
• www.doodlekit.com – This is a really nifty site for those who want to create a personal website or a small business one for free. It is a fully hosted online website builder and CMS that offers a completely free plan. Other sites suspend the free account after a certain period, but Doodlekit imposes no such time limits. There is no need to download and install anything and users do not have to be familiar with coding. You can do anything from adding a blog or a forum to making a shopping cart.

With these website builders, everything is completely free. Using them is a smart and practical way to come up with an awesome-looking web design.

Freelancers are admirable. They have the courage not to tie themselves to an established workplace for the security of a stable monthly salary and benefits. There’s freedom, of course. When you freelance, you are pretty much your own boss and you have the advantage of owning your time. To succeed in this kind of setup, plenty of discipline and conscientiousness are called for. In reality, the freelance arena is a hodgepodge of every kind of worker. At times, hiring the services of a freelancer is the better choice, but generally speaking, the risk is greater. When it comes to getting a freelance web developer for a project, the following are some reasons why this decision just might end up backfiring:

• Freelancers can give whole new levels to the concept of “flexitime”. It’s a question of availability for whatever nature of communication. Most freelancers work from home. If they decide to spend the day running errands and just work in the evening, there’s not much that the client can do about it, unless they have an agreed upon work time. They hardly ever have an assistant or a partner who can deal with the client in case of an emergency. Unlike a web design company with very established work hours, freelancers cannot be expected to be available during the usual 9-5 workday. Their main concern is to deliver output before the deadline. While this may be ultimately the end of any contract, it’s certainly more comforting to have your service provider easily reachable when you need him.
• The level of professionalism may leave a lot to be desired. Freelancers do not have bosses or an HR department to regulate their practice and conduct. While many freelancers are very conscientious about their work and dealing with clients, there are also those who are too easy-going for comfort. It’s good to know that there is somebody you can complain to in the event of lackluster service.
• You work with limited resources. Freelancers do not have the same equipment or work force capabilities that companies do. In the event of sickness, who can take over? When large amounts of content are involved, will file sharing be difficult?
• In terms of security, working with freelancers can often be akin to jumping off a cliff.  You just can’t be sure if your web page designer isn’t going to run off with your down payment. Reliability-wise, many freelancers do not work with written contracts, and even when they do, clients can’t be bothered to pursue legal action involving small-time projects. There is always the risk of fraud and scams in this type of transaction. In fact, the opposite can also happen. A client can renege on a deal after the work has been delivered. This is why working with papers is so important.

Of course, the reasons mentioned here are mere possibilities. There are plenty of responsible freelance web designers out there, but as a rule, you can have more peace of mind working with an established company.