Web site building tools enable novice users to build and manage customized,
professional Web sites easily and affordably. Such tools provide consumers
with an online interface that allows them to quickly assemble a
corporate-style Internet presence without in-depth knowledge about or
experience with Web development.
Site building tools are an excellent way to empower consumers such as small
and mid-sized businesses who want to establish extremely simple Web sites
without the cost and complication of contracting an external Web designer.
Tools provide users with the power they need to build Web pages by drawing
upon a wide array of predetermined templates and graphics. Users integrate
their own marketing and communication collateral with a combination of
provided templates and graphics by leveraging easy-to-use Web site design
and building tools from their hosting provider. The integration of
collateral with the templates results in the construction of a brochure-type
corporate Web site.
Site building tools are thus desirable and popular since they empower novice
users to make site edits and updates whenever they want, without any HTML or
programming experience. According to Yankee Group, a well-known research firm, ISPs and Web hosts can reduce customer turnover rates, also known as "churn", by 50 per cent by incorporating community features such as Web site authoring and publishing services into their solutions. Web site building tools therefore provide niche-hosting companies, who cater specifically to the SME marketplace, with the opportunity to retain and even
increase revenue.
By using Web site building tools, resellers can obtain even more value by
not having to dedicate technical staff and resources to develop Web site
building applications internally. Furthermore, by deploying Web site
building solutions, resellers can lower end-user support costs, since the
technology simplifies the Web publishing process.
Resellers should thus always consider obtaining hosting packages that offer
Web site building tools. As a general rule, the publishing software should
be fully functional and easy to use. The higher-tier hosting provider
should also provide in-depth support and documentation for the product.
Ideally, that documentation should be made available to resellers so that
they can private-label it and bundle it as online documentation. A solid
approach for a reseller who is initially purchasing pre-configured virtual
private servers (VPS) with site-building capacity is to choose a package
that he or she can purchase and deploy.
By selecting a VPS system with established site building software that can
be deployed on another hosting platform, resellers can be assured that they
can migrate their customer base to their own dedicated server, and provide
the same site building services once they achieve a critical mass of
customers.
It is therefore within the best interest of a growth-oriented reseller to
utilize a Web site building package that can be deployed on a multiplicity
of platforms, and that is not confined to one specific hosting service.
Smaller resellers who are not concerned with escalating their hosting
services to a dedicated servers might not take this factor into
consideration when choosing reseller-specific hosting packages. Price,
ease-of-use and the wide variety of site templates available might be the
only major considerations for a smaller reseller operation.
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