Are you using the right web platform for your business?
There is a lot to learn when it comes to getting your business online. There are hundreds of web designers, all promising that they can create a stunning and effective website for your business, but do you know what platform they intend to use? Does it even matter?
The choice of web platforms
Back in the early days of the internet, one of the things that put businesses off employing a web designer was the cost of making changes. The web designer had all the knowledge; therefore, if you wanted to change your pricing, your content or even introduce a special offer, you had to go through your designer. He or she would action the changes when they had the time, and charge you accordingly. This was because only web designers knew the coding that allowed changes to be made.
Along came open source web programming software such as WordPress and Drupal. These platforms were created to be user-friendly, with CMS (content management systems) that allows the website owner to make changes without having to go via a web expert. Along with the basic framework for a website, open source platforms include a huge number of plug-ins that you can bolt onto your site for extra features. Unlike specially created websites, open source software is completely free.
Which is better?
Web designers tend to fall into two separate camps – those who use open source platforms and those who do not – with both sides claiming that their approach is the best. Whether you are looking for web development in Kent through a company or want a bespoke web design service created for you in Scotland, you are in the hands of your web developers and whichever approach they decide is best for you.
Having examined the pros and cons of each platform, Entrepreneur finds it a difficult task to judge which is better. Although open source programs are free, there are still costs involved in creating a site to your specifications, for example, and plug-ins can contain malicious code.
In general, the opinion seems to be that a hybrid website combining aspects of both platforms will be the favoured solution for many website owners, with hand coded pages seamlessly blending with open source platforms to reap the benefits from both systems.
