Compare Web Services
Compare everything Web, with services ranging from: Domain Names, Web Hosting, Website Builders and Online Store Builders
Lets Talk Web Services
When you think of web services, you’re probably thinking of the services that a website provides to its users. You might also be thinking about tools that make it easier for you to build or maintain your website. The key services in this sector are domain names, hosting providers, website builders and online shop builders.
Domain names are the foundational elements of your website. They’re a critical part of your digital presence, and most importantly they’re the way people find your business or company online. With that, it’s hugely important to get them right, especially in an age with more and more business is conducted online.
Domain names can be a big deciding factor for SEO on search engines like Google or Bing. While a great domain won’t necessarily make you rank number one organically (and vice versa), it’s definitely an advantage to have one that helps people find you quickly and easily. You may already know this if you’ve tried searching for some keywords on Google and noticed that some results returned were not what most people would consider relevant or useful; instead, these sites appear because they’ve purchased high-authority domains as part of their advertising campaigns.
Hosting, in the most basic sense, is what allows you to store your website on a server and make it available to the public. It’s also what allows people to access your website and download files from it.
Hosting is a key factor for websites, it ensures:
- Speed – Fast browsing for your customers means a better user experience. However more importantly the speed of your website impacts your SEO (Search Engine Optimization – How Search Engines like Google find your site and rank it accordingly)
- Domain Name Associated Email Address – Most hosting providers offer the ability to create your own specific domain email address (epicwebsite.com + yourname@epicwebsite.com)
- Website Security – Given the files key to your website will be hosted and are important, security is key. Hosting providers normally have multi layer security that protect you from attacks and downtime.
- Website Backups – Hosting providers will have the option to automatically backup your site to ensure if any problems occur, you can restore your site to its previous functional state (this is normally a paid add on, and is well worth doing)
Website builders are a great way to get started, but they aren’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a quick and simple solution that doesn’t require much-or any technical knowledge, then this is the way to go.
However, if you have more specific needs or want to create something more complex than a basic website, then you may need to contact a dedicated web development company. Naturally employing a web development company to build your website will incur a much greater fee than a DIY website builder, a typical website designer will charge anywhere from £500-£10K for a site depending on complexity.
Website builders typically have drag and drop functionality so that you can easily move content around within your site and customize it with different layouts and page designs. They also have built-in templates that allow users to create sites quickly without needing to code anything yourself.
Put simply, an online shop builder is software that creates an e-commerce website for you. It does this by providing you with templates that can be customized to your liking and needs. An online shop builder will not only help you create a smart, modern-looking e-commerce site but also provide the features to allow you to trade online. Some features included in online shop builders are built-in payment solutions, shopping carts, inventory management, wishlists, user account management, product reviews, and in-built shipping partners.
Do it yourself online shop builders have seen a huge rise in popularity due to the user friendly platforms they operate on, and the value-for-money route to market they provide. On the other hand, a web designer creating an online e-commerce store would take considerable time to construct and cost thousands. You should also bare in mind that unlike DIY shop builders that have built in payment solutions, with a custom development built by a web designer, you would need to integrate a payment provider to take payments.
