If you're unsure whether to choose a free site or a professional one, this article is perfect for you, as I'll show you the differences and clear up all your doubts.
It all depends on your intention, so it's necessary to evaluate what suits you best. Find out here when it's better to create a free site or develop a site with professionals. General file storage without the need for unknown people to find those files.
Communication with limited groups of people, only for those you have personally sent the site's address to.
Functions of a professional site:
- In promoting or selling products, services, and brands for industries, businesses, schools, etc.
- Having greater visibility on Google, i.e., the intention to appear for those searching for terms related to your site.
- Communicating with a large number of people interested in your site's subject.
What are the differences between creating a free site and a professional site?
After knowing your goal, you should evaluate the benefits offered by each type of site. This way, you can definitively decide which option is best. First and foremost, the best thing to do is to consider the cost-benefit ratio.
FREE SITE
- Initial investment: none
- Creation time: faster
- Appears on Google: almost never
- Technical support: non-existent
- Custom design: limited
- Data analysis: inaccurate
PROFESSIONAL SITE
- Initial investment: costs vary
- Creation time: slower
- Appear on Google: if done well
- Technical support: personalised
- Custom design: no limits
- Data analysis: detailed
Actually, at this point, everything depends on your goal and the budget you have available.
For example, if your goal is a website to promote a wedding party. That is, your page doesn't need to appear to strangers in Google searches. If you just send a link to all the guests, they will already know the details of the party. Therefore, a free website would be enough to meet your needs.
Even so, if you want a highly customised page and have the budget for it, then the best option would be to create a website with qualified web designers.
Furthermore, if the website aims to promote a company's service, appearing in Google searches is a priority. There are many people searching the internet. In other words, the website that appears more prominently will have a much better chance of making more profit. Therefore, the best option would be to invest in a professional website!
How to Create a Free Website?
Nowadays there are several tools to create a free website. So just investigate which one best suits your style or which one you like the most. For that, you can also look up videos on YouTube to find out the best options for what you want to do. Then, still on YouTube, there is content from the platforms themselves that teach you how to create a free website. Similarly, you can see content from people unrelated to the platforms also showing various ways to achieve what you want.
How to create a professional website?
If you do a little research on the internet, you will find several companies specialised in the subject that will execute the design you want perfectly. Just contact the chosen company using the contact methods they provide on their website, show what you want and if you have any inspiration material, give it to the company and then ask for a preliminary quote to see if it is affordable.
How to evaluate a professional website?
First of all, you should be careful when hiring a website development company. As with any other investment, there are good and bad professionals in the market. Make sure that what the company offers you is actually what will be delivered.
Since you will have this cost, the website needs to offer a minimum set of advantages. After all, if that's the case, it's better to use free platforms. Find out the 5 things every professional website needs to have.
1- Have a good ranking on Google, that is, SEO must be done well.
Firstly, if you don't know what SEO means, it is an acronym from English (Search Engine Optimization) and means 'optimisation for search engines'. In other words, the acronym is a set of techniques used to make your website appear in a good position in Google searches.
All professional websites need to go through SEO, because through it you will improve your ranking on Google.
2- Pages with optimised loading time.
First of all, this is one of the topics that directly influence the performance of your website. In other words, the faster the page loads, the more it will appear in a good position in searches. Additionally, visitors will stay on the page due to the short waiting time. However, there are ways to reduce the size of files and the loading time of a professional website.
3- Design that works on all devices
Most internet access is done through mobile devices. Therefore, it is important that your website is compatible with all of them. In other words, compatible with smartphones and tablets. This is also a factor that helps improve your position on Google.
4- Layout that conveys trust.
A website needs to have an attractive and intuitive look. On the one hand, it must convey a message that is compatible with your brand. On the other hand, the customer needs to find the information easily.
5- Having tools that analyse website traffic
At first, many people do not know, but it is possible to find out how consumers behave on your website. There are tools like Analytics that accurately show everything that happens on your page. This is essential to better understand your audience and further improve your approach.
A professional website needs to have tools to measure customer behaviour.
How much does it cost to create a professional website?
First of all, prices for hiring a company specialised in creating websites can vary a lot. There are some factors that contribute to this difference in values, but if you have the budget, they are a positive investment:
The quality of the company
Some companies charge very low prices compared to the market. In this sense, it is quite likely that the quality of the service will be inferior. Above all, evaluate the cost/benefit ratio. If your website does not have the five elements mentioned in the topic above, it will be a bad investment.
The available resources
In the case of a professional website, several resources can increase the cost, for example if it has a shopping cart, live chat, etc.
The delivery deadline
First of all, it is important to know that many companies increase the price if the delivery deadline is short. In this sense, try to close contracts with a delivery deadline of at least 30 days. If you want your website ready immediately, you will probably have to pay more for it.
In summary, in this article I hope I have helped you understand which of the two types of websites is most suitable for your situation and that you have made the most advantageous decision for you.