Are you looking for a way to build a quick stable website? You can do that. Build a website doesn’t take much time as you expect. Of course, I don't say that you can build every type of website in some days. It's what methods you're using. Determine what resources you have, what you can and cannot do will get half the job done. Let’s inspect some elements before deciding with your website development.
Use a website template
Someone has done a good job of creating an existing website template. Now you only build or customize your website from here. In the technical world, they are the content management system (CMS). And there are so many of them, but the most popular are Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento.
As a beginner, the first task before starting with your website process is choosing a CMS. Most new users will go with Wordpress, it's the simplest & friendliest CMS. But it's limited in its extendability compared to other CMS. We've talked about this in our post. The main point here is that if you just want a personal blog, Wordpress will not lose your expectation. But if you want a more complicated website with lots of functions, with advanced shopping features,..., don’t limit your choice to Wordpress. Drupal, Joomla, Magento,... have their own strength that Wordpress doesn’t own. See this gardening website in the garden and hydroponics category built with our Pinteros D8 theme.
Learn it yourself
Of course, you don’t need to know coding, the web language -PHP, Ruby, Python, HTML, CSS, java, mySQL to have a website. If you use an easy platform like Wordpress, you don’t need to know those web languages listed above.
But what if you are an entrepreneur who wants to take full hold of your website? What if you really want to change the appearance & add some features to your website. Or you do wish to make a living as a web developer. Then you need to learn coding.
There are lots of places to go for: code academy, udemy, bento.io... Getting some books and start learning. Watch some videos and start applying. You can start with HTML/ CSS first, then go for other programming languages (PHP, Ruby, Python).
Be assured that it'll consume you tons of time. If you need a quick website with an advanced feature for your business, patience is a must. Imagine you can not run a marathon on your first running. You need to practice to build enough stamina for a long time before staying for the contest.
Besides, there are some very complicated websites, and functions you should consider hiring some experienced developers. Clearly, someone with expertise will do it better & faster. They will save you countless valuable time & money.
Hiring someone
Admit that there are some tasks hiring someone will do you better. Getting someone to do the job can save you time, money
To get an overall view of this matter, let’s divide this section into 3 groups: Individual freelancers, small companies. big companies
Individual Freelancer:
Freelancers can work in team, but many of them works individually. There are some super freelancers with well-built reputation, but most freelancers are just small individuals looking for a job. Their rate is normally low to medium depending on their expertise, and location. But it is not so high, except some special freelancer.
When do you need an individual freelancer?
You can get some freelancers from your connection. Or there are many places to outsource international freelancers: elance, odesk, freelancer
The cons of a freelancer is their expertise, the low cost of hiring, their flexibility. But there are some downsides: language barrier (if you hire one in a country with a different language), different working time, the trust of freelancer.
- When you don’t have time or don’t know how to build a website, how to design it and how to create some functions.
- When a company wants to have flexibility & money saving. They don’t want to hire a full time employee, paying him some fees like insurance, vacancy fee,... They don’t want to have ties with him after the work is done.
Small teams/ companies:
They work in a team with clear specialization. They can be your local web design agency or an offshore company.
The cost is averagely higher than freelancer, but you'll find some good teams with very attractive pricing. Don't be afraid to hire someone outside of developed countries (US, Europe,...). Their abilities are not less capable than.
Again you can find them via your contact, or from freelance market like elance, odesk, freelancer, or you can find a good company via google search, web directory.
The advantage and disadvantage is the same as an individual freelancer. But normally small teams/ companies are more trusted and skilled in their expertise, and communication as they have apparent skills division & work process.
Big companies:
You’ll feel more secure working with them as they have built their reputation in the field. However, as one can guess, their pricing will be relevant to the experience & the brand they’ve got. If all you want to do is a good website without concerning much about the money issue,you can’t miss them. But mostly, as I see individuals & small companies can handle the similar job well.
Sum up
- Beginners building an easy website: Use a CMS template (Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla,...)
- Entrepreneurs who take full hold of the website; developer who build website for a living: Learn coding yourself
- Company or any individual who want to save time, needing to have a good website with some functions: Hire someone.
Tips:
Buy a template from the developers. Play around with the theme. Or you can dig into his demo to get the idea of your website. If you need other advanced functions. Ask him to do to the job.
You can pay him to create some good functions for your website. This way you can save much money.
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