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The internet revolution, which has long become an integral part of our lives, is sweeping every good part by storm. Indeed, even in Israel, many business owners understand very well the great power that lies in virtual visibility. Therefore, many of them decide to set up a website, and it is good to surf one first.
It goes without saying that setting up a website does not refer only to companies and it is a common marketing technique also among organizations, associations,"Rim, educational institutions, public institutions and more. In simple words, when 4.5 million Israelis surf the Internet every day, and you will search it up and down in search of products and services, if you are not there, you simply do not exist.
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After you have decided on setting up a website, and have contacted several website building companies, the issue always comes up – Open source or closed source. This can also be defined as a decision between a customized website and a website according to a template in an open source system (eg – WordPress, c'and Mela, Wix, etc.). Well, and like many questions in the business world, the choice between open source and closed source is also a question that has many answers. In order to dispel a little of the fog, let's examine for a moment the advantages inherent in setting up custom websites.
Establishing a website according to a precise architectural plan
Setting up a customized website is called in professional language – Building a Custom Made website. That is, the site was built on the basis of a closed code system and in accordance with the design and development that are suitable first and foremost for the business at hand. It is important to emphasize, personalization does not only improve the site's performance in terms of visibility, but also has far-reaching consequences in terms of usability. Confused? Well, here's the explanation (in a nutshell).
Building a website is a kind of rebuilding of the business. Therefore, the establishment of the site (and it does not matter if it is open source or closed source) begins with careful characterization. The characterization process includes an in-depth study of keywords, a professional review of the field in question (both in the physical world and in cyberspace), locating a potential target audience (with an emphasis on internet surfers), formulating marketing messages (e.g. – attractive prices or luxury) and more.
The characterization process includes a long series of guiding questions that must be analyzed in depth while referring to the unique elements that characterize the online marketing platform. After that, the website plan at the design and development level is a derivative of all the above answers"to.
As expected, a customized website allows you to provide a perfect answer to the characterization process (in such a way that no corner is left open). On the other hand, an open source website, which is based on predetermined templates, sometimes requires adjustments to be made "had no choice". There is no need to say much about the meaning that is folded in this lack of flexibility. As the final result moves away from the initial characterization, the site's ability to satisfy the needs of the business and maximize its internet activity is correspondingly impaired.
Design flexibility, virtual visibility
One of the most important terms in the world of website building is graphical user interface. The foreign term for this is GUI – Graphic User Interface. This is actually the visibility of the website towards the surfers. GUI design lies in another important term that you should be familiar with – UX, User Experience (in Hebrew – user experience). The leading principle in this matter is as follows. Internet surfers look for information and services quickly and without unnecessary delays.
For example, studies have long discovered that the average surfer spends a few seconds on a web page. Also, the purpose of the website is to lead the surfers to the relevant page within 3-4 clicks at most. Therefore, when designing a website, it is important to make sure that the interface facing the surfers will provide an answer to these two challenges. Customized websites, which are built according to the exact characterization of the business (about its products and customers), are designed at a graphic level that allows compliance with this complex task. The design flexibility is used by the business owner as material in the hands of the creator.
Fast code, drive to action, maximum availability
Building a customized website also includes a content management system that allows the website owner to operate in the online space efficiently and effectively. For example, if the website also includes a virtual store system, or specific contact centers, building a customized website provides a maximum response. That is, the user experience is also correct "behind the scenes" of the website. It is possible to place specific fields in the management system, fast traffic paths to certain pages, effective search engines, the ability to fully control the way the pages are displayed on the site, and the like. The greater the control of the website owner, the higher the return from the online platform.
Regular maintenance – Is it really more expensive?
One of the main arguments against building a custom website is that building in closed source "shackled" the website owner to the founding company. That is, since the management system and the code are in the hands of the establishing company, any small change requires an appeal to it from the website owner. Well, there is some truth in that and it is undoubtedly a kind of disadvantage. However, and before you run to establish a website based on open source, it is important that you know that you are not here either "free as a bird".
Setting up a website based on open source naturally requires prior knowledge, both at the level of programming and at the level of the work environment. Although there are many programmers who are engaged in building open source websites, not everyone will speed up and improve a website established by someone else. More than once, the site was built in a clumsy, incorrect and unprofessional way. Please note, even an external website builder who will be required for the job may face difficult challenges. In severe cases, there will be no escape from shutting down the site and re-establishing it.
On the other hand, when a website is custom built, the commitment of the building company is high. For the most part, the service department will do everything to answer any problem and malfunction. Also, it goes without saying that issues such as post-build support are anchored in the contract between the parties (a contract that also characterizes the construction of open source websites).
To be one in a million or one in a million
on"song of decline", one of the most charming songs on Natasha's friends' excellent album, "Blah blah radio", the line is particularly striking – "To be one in a million or one in a million". This line will serve us here to understand another important principle behind building a custom website.
Customers who decide to invest in the construction of a custom website immediately gain unique virtual visibility and personal design. On the Internet, uniqueness is critical to business success. While image websites may be identical to each other (sometimes, to an exaggerated degree...), custom designed websites are websites that are each different from the previous one. At the end of the day, the customer benefits from a uniqueness that helps him make his business stand out (for his services and products) from all the competitors. In certain areas, where the competition is high but the supply on the Internet is poor, this is a decision with extremely important marketing and branding implications.