Why hire a developer when there are free templates and wizards?
Why should I use your services when there is so much being offered for free?
Update March 27, 2007 by Valerie Anderson
Kudos to the open source templates currently available to the general public! Some of the designs available today are absolutely stunning, basic blogging services are free and even hosting can be secured for no cost. However, there are always trade-off’s when it comes to using free stuff on the Internet.
If you stumble upon a template you want for your site, you still need to address other issues involved with presenting a smart and effective web site. There are meta-tag issues, layout problems and other factors that unless you are proficient with HTML, XHTML and/or CSS, chances are you will end up with at least a minor headache, if not a major one. Will you be able to attach an analytics service to the site? Does the free hosting allow for FTP uploads?
Depending upon the quantity of content you want in your site, using an open source template can significantly reduce your costs, so search around the net and see what you can find and let me know which ones you like. Although some have copyright aspects involved, it is also worth a conversation or two because you may not actually need my services to go where you want to go.
People such as myself play the role of guidance counselor on how to at least launch your online venture and we then give you a good foundation to build from, from the wrapper to starting content. This is good if you are not very well-versed in other aspects of web development, such as keyword strategy and search engine submission locations and you have a solid vision of how you want your website to perform. It is also important to have realistic expectations as to how quickly a presence on the Internet will transform your hopes and dreams into satisfaction and success. These types of things tend to take time, despite all of the wondrous viral events that occur amidst the other types of viruses that are really nasty suckers.
