WordPress has revolutionized the way we use our websites. You can have a website up and running in minutes, that is professionally done, and easy enough to add your own touch. However, there seems to be a certain taboo with using WordPress as an official web developer.
In all reality you are hardly doing any work and folks who are not savvy with the web may not know the difference between a WordPress site, and a site that is manually coded. So the question is which is more valuable, and how can you sell you WordPress development of a website to potential customers? This is a pressing issue, and doesn’t always have an immediate answer.
The most common question businesses or individuals may ask upfront is how much is this going to cost. Of course, this a question that ultimately does not have an answer right away. There are a number of things that go into a website.
Will you need a CMS, do you have a custom design in mind, do you need us to update content, will you be updating content yourself, and are there any other special attributes on your site you would like? Obviously things can add up. Things like custom logo’s, advanced programming, etc. However WordPress can often solve many of these issues. But, can you sell WordPress templates to someone? Is that even ethical?
With web design one thing is key, and that is communication. If you are performing web design tasks that are highly customizable, and in depth programming tasks, obviously this is going to take a lot of your time. In web design, time is money, the more you spend on one website, the more it will cost to build. Of course, you can not be lazy, and unskilled or someone will do the same job for less.
So, using WordPress can be a great alternative to develop sites fast for those whose requirements are within the WordPress boundaries. The first step to designing someone a WordPress site is upfront honesty. Let them know that you are building them a website from a customized template that you will be purchasing. Never use free ones, because you do not want the WordPress theme indicator anywhere on your website. However, honesty is key. If you pretend you are coding this from scratch you are in a world of trouble, and for really no reason.
Essentially WordPress lets you build websites fast, and at very low cost. You could really charge as little as $200 per project granting you have limited graphical design needs, and deepening on the needs of the website. If you are to upload content for them, the price goes up. If you have to show them how to use the CMS, the price goes up. If you have to spend any more time on it than needed, the price goes up.
If you have to show them how to use hosting, and servers, the price goes up. The key with designing in WordPress is keep the designs simple, and fast for a professional website at an extremely affordable price. If someone can get an amazing content management system for $200 dollars and it fits the needs of the client, then essentially you are a great web developer. The key is to inform them exactly what you are doing, so there is no surprises and no unhappy customers.
So how exactly do you set up a proper business model. Maybe you do not want to gear your entire business around WordPress design, but rather incorporate all aspects of web development. For example provide SEO services, provide from scratch web design, and anything that your talents can provide for. If you can provide link building services then by all means include it in your business’s repertoire. Consider WordPress the “Five Dollar Footlong” of your website. Just another piece of great web design.
WordPress is a great way to build web sites fast and easy. Along with WordPress being a dynamic CMS, you can bring clients some great websites, with fascinating designs. The answer to this article is of course, you can use WordPress as a business tool. Just make sure you define it what it means to clients. Some might even be happy at getting a discounted rate for developing a website so fast, and so cheap, that is very professional.
Honesty is key. Now, do you want to make an entire business around WordPress? Maybe not. However, you can definitely include this in your business model for your company or small venture.