Hello again!
I want to talk about the "sameness" that has spread across the Internet.
Have you ever noticed that almost every business website looks almost the same?
Why is that you ask. It is that everyone seems to use the same WordPress template. Besides the sameness, the sites take forever to load because of all the extraneous code WordPress adds into the template.
Website "designers", or so they call themselves, charge thousands of dollars for a "design", load on a WordPress template, plop in a logo, add a little text and call it a "design". This is NOT designing!! There is NO creativity in this process. Most of these people have no graphic art background in order to be really creative.
Don't be fooled! Ask questions! Ask what you are really getting for your money. Look at
the sites the designer has done. Is everything in the same place for every site? If so,
then it is all the same template and the designer has NO creativity. Ask why you need to have a WordPress or other Content Management site. If you are not going to be managing the content yourself or needing fancy plugins for your site, then don't get a WordPress site. Ask for a CUSTOM website - one that sets you apart from every competitor. And lastly--save your money! Do your homework!
This has really become irritating to me!
A fellow designer was recently asked to do a site for a business. He designed a CUSTOM WordPress site (yes, a REAL DESIGNER CAN DO THIS). The client then sent him to a layout to see that they liked. It was the "SAME" WP layout used by thousands of businesses. If I went to that site, I would probably leave as I figured the company wasn't very creative since they looked just like all their competitors.
Check these important items:
1. You want your web site to stand out from your competitors.
2. Load quickly in order to keep your visitors on your site.
3. Look creative so customers are interested in what you have to say.
4. Add important text to your front page (SEO) not just a huge, fancy slide show.
5. Add a "call to action". Usually a phone number or contact info so people can quickly get in touch with you.
As time goes by, I will be adding other important website facts and comments.
