What you can expect from today’s cloud-based web design services
We explain why setting up a website in the Cloud makes sense for both new and established businesses.
Cloud-based web builders and design services are proving to be increasingly popular with companies that are seeking success on the web. Read on for 5 reasons why building your next site in the Cloud could make sense for your business!
1. Anyone can do it!
Cloud web design services, or ‘website builders’ as they’re sometimes known, make it easy for business owners to set up a website from scratch. You don’t need any technical knowledge – just a clear idea of what you want! Packages like 1&1 Basic offer everything that design novices need to get started, including a wide range of professional layouts and comprehensive video and multimedia integration tools. There’s no need to spend hours studying dodgy design tutorials on YouTube, or fretting about setting up hosting or email accounts once you’ve got your new domain – many of the entry-level packages on offer from cloud web vendors make it easy for you to get your new venture up and running without any previous experience in coding or design.
2. Get access to enhanced features
But cloud website builders aren’t just designed for those who want to put up a basic brochure-style site – oh no. Today’s luddite visionaries can create much more complex sites if they want to. For example, some cloud web services are dedicated to helping ecommerce businesses – vendors like Shopify and Wix are designed to handle all the hassles of running an online shop and also include a built-in commerce shopping cart.
Many cloud web packages will also allow you to fully optimise your website for better performance in the search engines. 1&1’s Premium offering is worth a look if you want to get stuck into the SEO side of things yourself.
3. Update your site quickly and easily
One of the biggest bugbears of businesses is having to pay their web designer to make changes to their site. How often have you been charged an extortionate fee just to change the colour of your banner, or update your company blog? Well, you can eliminate these costs by going into the Cloud. Most cloud website services are based on content management systems (CMS), which means you can edit the site’s content when it’s live. Best of all, the interfaces are designed with the user in mind, so you’ll find the back-end of your site intuitive and easy to navigate.
4. Link the site to social accounts and other third party applications
If you want to set up a website as quickly as you can with minimal hassle, being able to work with a range of pre-populated, professional-looking templates is ideal. But if you want to jazz up your cloud site, you start by adding in links to all of your social media accounts. Having links to your profiles on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus will increase your engagement levels, leading to more brand awareness and, fingers crossed, more sales and enquiries. More advanced cloud web builder packages will also allow you to integrate other third-party tools into your platform – you could install a payment gateway for efficient online payments, or perhaps earn extra cash by integrating Google Adsense ads into your site.
5. Get access to analytics and reporting tools
So you’ve got your new website live, and you’re happy with how it looks – but how do you know how it’s really performing for your business? Built-in analytics tools will help you determine which aspects of your website your customers like the most, and how you can tweak ad optimise it for even more success. Having access to customisable reports will also help you found out where your visitors are coming from, in turn helping to evolve your marketing strategy in turn grow your online business.
