Learn about all the different options that are available today for building websites. Some are completely free and can get you up and running in less than an hour. Some companies charge tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Which is right for you? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each type? Where does Web Rock Star fit into this mix? Check out this interactive table to learn more. It should be noted that this table is based on general averages and the data will vary depending on the characteristics of the specific project.
Type of Website |
|---|
Wordpress.com, Blogspot.com and Other Blogging Sites |
Website Builders |
Basic Static Flash Website |
Static HTML Website - (Dreamweaver, Expression Web) |
Wordpress.org, Drupal or Magento Template Website |
Custom Wordpress.org, Drupal or Magento Website |
Fully Custom Architecture |
Classification (basic or professional) |
Cost |
Development Time |
Expertise Needed |
Software Needed |
Ease of Updating |
Flexibility of Design |
Flexibility of Functionality |
Integration Capabilities (Facebook Fan Box, Twitter Feed) |
Technologies Used |
Example Sites |
SEO Capabilities |
Additional Notes |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wordpress.com, other blogging sites |
Basic |
FREE |
0 hours |
Basic computer skills More... |
Web Browser |
Easy |
Poor More... |
Poor. Limited to what the base service provides |
Twitter, Flickr |
PHP, MySQL, HTML, Javascript and CSSMore... |
Limited. We do not have the capabilities to do fine tuning of SEO |
Wordpress.com is different than Wordpress.org More... |
|
Site Builders More... |
Basic |
FREE - $100 per year |
0 - 3 hours |
Basic to moderate computer skills More... |
Web Browser |
Easy to Moderate More... |
Poor More... |
Very Poor More... |
Limited More... |
Mainly HTML, CSS, Javascript and possibly Flash More... |
Limited. We do not have the capabilities to do fine tuning of SEO |
||
Basic Static Flash Website |
Basic |
$200 - $1200 |
20 - 60 hours |
Flash development and Actionscript More... |
Web Browser, Adobe Flash (or Flex) |
Moderate - requires editing code and knowledge of Flash |
Very Flexible |
Moderate More... |
Moderate More... |
Flash. Some HTML, CSS and Javascript may be used as well |
Limited More... |
Flash should only be used in some cases.More... |
|
Static HTML (Dreamweaver, Expression Web) |
Basic |
$200 - $1200 |
10 - 40 hours |
Basic HTML and CSS knowledge |
Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Expression Web or similar More... |
Moderate More... |
Flexible |
Moderately Flexible |
Moderately Capable More... |
HTML, CSS, Javascript |
Full SEO Capabilities. More... |
Not recommended. More... |
|
Template Wordpress.org, Drupal, Magento websites |
Basic |
$200 - $1000 |
10 - 20 hours |
Moderate to advanced computer knowledge More... |
Web Browser |
Very Easy |
Very Poor |
Moderate |
Very Flexible |
HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, MySQL |
Varies. Some template themes may not allow you to fine tune SEO |
||
Custom Wordpress.org, Drupal, Magento implementation |
Professional |
$3000 - $40,000 More... |
40 - 200 hours |
Advanced programming knowledge More... |
Various More... |
Very Easy |
Very Flexible |
Very Flexible |
All modern tools / widgets can be integrate |
HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, MySQL |
Full SEO Capabilities |
||
Fully Custom Architecture |
Professional |
$20,000 - $200,000 More... |
300+ hours |
Advanced programming knowledge |
Various More... |
Moderate More... |
Very Flexible |
Very Flexible |
Very customizable integration possible |
Various More... |
Full SEO Capabilities |
Essentially, the general trend is that 'Site Builders' and hosted blogs such as wordpress.com can get your site up and running very fast, with little or no cost. However, they have very limited flexibility in visual design and functionality (such as an integrated chat feature, online gift certificate purchases, etc).
A custom made static site (either in Flash or HTML) can give you more visual freedom, but content updates and specialized functionality (such as integrated chat or online gift certificate purchases ) become much more difficult and time consuming. However, Flash is still very useful for highly complex animations and interactivity.
A custom made solution using modern technologies and techniques takes longer and costs more. But you have almost limitless freedom with visual design and functionality. There are also many prebuilt components available which may only require a bit of tweaking to suit the needs for your projects. This speeds up development and saves you money.
There is no right or wrong way to build a website. Just different options with different pros and cons. Web Rock Star specializes in custom websites using modern technologies (the second last table row and select projects in the last row). If this is something you are looking for, I would love to get in touch with you.