Clients and potential freelance writing clients often ask me, “Are you a web designer?” Some clients have viewed my resume and noticed my graphic design experience. They automatically link this to web design — they do go hand-in-hand. I’m interested in web design; however, I’m waiting for the day when web coding becomes more streamlined. Until that day, I’ll do-it-myself the best I can or hire a web designer.
If you’re a freelance writer with a graphic design background, tell clients they could build their websites on a budget. Most companies use WordPress which is a user-friendly content management system that’s easy to customize. You don’t have to get fancy (advise against it) with a website. Keep it clean and user friendly, offer unique and informative content (hire a freelance writer), and enjoy the web traffic.
How freelance writing clients build websites on a budget
1. Sign up with Weebly.com. Offers a ‘drag and drop’ platform, making it easy for you to customize your website. Weebly is free; however, you can purchase a domain through Weebly (uses Registrar.com) or transfer a domain. Weebly offers over 100 templates which can be customized to fit your needs. You can add media such as audio, video, and graphics; create a photo gallery. You can also create a ‘customized’ contact form specifically tailored towards your target audience.
2. Hola! Actually, it’s Yola. Choose a free plan or purchase one from $99 to $499 per year. Yola offers customers over 100 themes which can be customized to suit your business needs. Features include premium styles, site hosting, and analysis. Both plans include advertising credits for Facebook and GoogleAdWords. The $499 per year plan includes a consultation with a professional web designer.
3. It’s hip to be square with Squarespace. College kids created this platform in 2004 from their dorm room. Go figure! Squarespace costs $12 to $36 per month and includes hosting, a content management system, design tools, widgets, and add-ons; you can use your own domain. The Business Plan ($36/month) includes priority support, unlimited bandwidth, pages, and storage; management staff, and access to features such as FAQs, SSL, form builders, and member registration.
4. Snap to it with SnapPages. Like Weebly.com, SnapPages is a ‘drag and drop’ website platform. Choose a free plan (doesn’t include the use of your own domain) or the Developer plan at $30 per month. The latter includes features such as premium themes, 10 GB of storage space, use of your own domain, CSS control, project management tools, SEO settings, and much more.
5. Buildor Pro or BuildorLite. Obviously, the ‘pro’ has more features than the ‘lite’ version of Buildor; offers a 50-day free trial. Most website development companies have a 10-day or 30-day trial period. You build and design your website ‘in the cloud’ as opposed to a WYSIWYG environment. BuildorPro costs $10 per month and is billed through PayPal. BuildorLite is free. It may be helpful if you have an ‘intermediate or advanced’ knowledge of web coding.
Building a website doesn’t have to be a lengthy process. With the ‘click of a button,’ you can have a professional looking websites that attracts customers. Don’t overload your website with graphics and multimedia because it will look cluttered. Avoid bombarding customers with paid advertisements because this could deter them from visiting your website. If you like DIY projects, consider using one of the above website platforms. The alternative is to hire a web designer. Happy web designing!
Rebecca
Related articles
- What the Heck Is An Infographic? (savvy-writer.com)
- IM Creator takes on Squarespace with an easy way to build beautiful websites in your browser (thenextweb.com)
