Your website needs to be easily viewed by a mobile device, as more than half of website views are now on mobile.
There are three strong aspects important to consider for websites as of 2024.
- Mobile Friendly – Image size, flows & layout designed for mobile devices, i.e., smaller screens.
- Fast loading – Pages that take a long time to load are more likely to be abandoned by your visitor.
- Helpful Content – Google shares your site based on the relevancy of content to the individuals search query.
Google knows that a person in Akron, Ohio searching for plumbers should not see results for plumbers from say, Maples, Florida. HOWEVER, if a person is searching for a comparison between PEX and PVC – and the plumber in Maples has an in depth comparison, then that result might be what is returned.
Google doesn’t care about you, Google cares about giving the end user the best possible experience.
This is why Google weighs heavily Site Speed and Content.
All three of these things together significantly your visitors experience.
Not every piece of content or webpage produced by you or others is necessarily a concern with how it is perceived by Google. Your website might be a place for like-minded people to post and hang out. But with or without Google, site speed is important, and if those users are on a mobile device, the layout is also important – just to keep those users coming back.
Website Build Tools Today
There are many, many options today to build a website. There are pluses and minuses to every single one.
Drop and Drag Site Builders
Site builders such as Wix, Squarespace, Weebly are very much drag and drop. Extremely easy to get started, and with the themes & tools they provide, it is easy to build a great looking site.
For those that want to do it themselves, I recommend an option like this is what you choose. Yes, you will indeed pay more monthly. Yes, you are tied to their service forever, as you cannot just move your site to another host. But for getting your website up quickly? These types of services can be a great choice.
Additionally, consultants are available for each particular platform that can also do it for you, if you prefer to use one of these site builders.
An interesting breakdown on these services was written by Ezequiel Bruni at: https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/best-really-free-website-builders-tried-tested/
Traditional Site Builders
Many companies offer a traditional website builder, which builds a more static website. These websites are not built using a database, and usually are not quite as mobile friendly. However, this does not mean that these are a bad option. Sites like these are usually quick loading, and if the mobile aspect is addressed properly (usually by selecting a mobile friendly base theme), a site like this can be quite acceptable.
WordPress Site Builders
WordPress is a fantastic option. The number of themes, and the number of plugins to add functionality, is quite stunning. However, this is both a blessing and a curse. If you are using WordPress on low-end hosting, you will be subject to a slow website. The cheap option with Blue Host is in my opinion a BAD choice. There are sometimes plug in and perhaps caching options to help, but will almost always require a higher to high-end web hosting package for WordPress to load with any kind of acceptable speed.
Many WordPress themes are bloated, and too much functionality is shoehorned into a specific theme. This can be helpful initially – but locks you into this theme should you ever want to choose a different theme – which can frequently happen.
- Many themes are heavy, not coded with optimal speed, require a lot of server resources.
- Additional Plugins to add functionality are not usually available on the low end WordPress hosts.
Self Hosted WordPress
Self Hosted WordPress is where you find a website host of your choice, and using the provided control panel you install your WordPress site, configure, add/remove plugins, update, maintain, adjust.
On low-end server plans, the resources available to you might be always restricted, those resources might be shared equally based on load, but usually the performance is not optimal.
On a self-hosted plan, you usually have the option to install a number of performance enhancement plugins – and those enhancements are HIGHLY recommended.
This option requires you to know what is going on with both WordPress and the server, significantly more than any of the options listed so far.
Vendor Managed WordPress as a Service
There are a number of companies that provide WordPress hosting as a service. One of the better know is the WordPress.com, which is a separate company from WordPress.org. However, the two are married at the hip, for all intents and purposes.
A company such as WordPress.com offers WordPress, and the number of options available increase based on the service plan you choose. Performance is available, and can be quite expensive. On the low end, just a website with your domain name on WordPress.com is functional, has good performance, and if your needs are super basic, is a fantastic choice.
DR7Media Managed and Hosted WordPress Websites
DR7Media uses WordPress almost exclusively. DR7Media installs your website, hosts your website, maintains your website, sets up performance options for your website.
You have the ability to log in and post articles, pages, pictures, add users, check stats, etc. On the DR7Media managed platform, you don’t have to worry about the server side of things.
Hosting Options on the DR7Media platform
There are two kinds of hosting available via DR7Media.
- Multisite – This is a managed WordPress installation that multiple websites live in. Centrally maintained plugins, updates, able to spin up a new site very quickly.
- Standalone WordPress Website – This is a completely separate WordPress installation with a standalone database, standalone webspace, separate resources. This type of hosting is more expensive, and would only be necessary in unique situations.
Which one is right for you? Almost assuredly the Multisite and cheaper option.
Either way, DR7Media can host your website as a turnkey service.
To get started, contact DR7Media to discover your needs and goals.
Simply use the form below to get started.