Quality Web Sites for the ShoeString Screen Printer: What You Must Know Before Buying

Let’s face it. There are a lot of jokers out there calling themselves web developers. (You know at least on joker calling himself a screen printer!). You know me by now if you’ve spent any time on the site. I’m cheap. Really cheap. However, I would never sacrifice quality for the sake of saving a few dollars. That would defeat the purpose. The problem is that a truly “professional” web site is pretty darned expensive, and yet a professional, modern appearance on the web is not just a good idea - these days it is vital – especially to us, the small time screen printer.

So, you might be asking “how do I bridge the gap between quality and price?” That’s the same million dollar question that has been asked since the advent of the free market. And it’s even more difficult to pinpoint in the world of web development. For me, it’s easier to discern good design if I first figure out what I’m looking for - and what I’m not looking for. That’s why I like to go over to www.WebPagesThatSuck.com. It’s always heartening to go there and see some of the worst web sites ever. Many of these sites cost tens of thousands of dollars to build, and the end result was a gaudy, hard to navigate web site loaded with just enough bells and whistles to make a visitor experience miserable - and singular - as they’ll never be back.

I do get asked quite often about setting up web sites, and I think I’ve got a few rules and suggestions to follow. The goal is simplicity, affordability, and quality.

Rule #1 Do not use your web host’s web site creation tool.

You know the ones like over at GoDaddy, which promise you’ll have a professional site up in just a few minutes. What they don’t relay to you is that the sites are lame, outdated, cheap looking templates combined with a featureless content manager - anything but professional. They certainly don’t inspire confidence in your visitors. They make you look like you’re nothing more than a garage/basement screen printer - which you might be, but you don’t have to look like one!

Rule #2 Avoid Web Designers unless their credentials can be verified

If the goal was just to have a presence, then you could ignore rule #1, and have a crappy web site. But why pay a designer, sometimes thousands of dollars, if the end result is a similarly crappy web site? About 90% of web designers have no idea what it means to design to web standards. They have no idea what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) entails. They do not know how to build a web site that is Google/Yahoo/MSN friendly. So, my advice to you is don’t get a designer to build your web site unless you are beyond doubt that he/she knows the science of web design, and has applied it -verifiably - well to their clients.

The bottom line is that if you don’t know what you’re looking in a web developer, you’re likely to be sold by a developer who will not be able to deliver the goods. If you’ve verified the credentials of the developer be prepared to pay out the nose for the design. It may be worth it. It may not be.

How should I, the lowly screen printer, set up my site then?

Suggestion: Run the site yourself.

In the world of the one-man entrepreneurship, self sufficiency is key, even on the Internet where technology changes so rapidly. But the tools are there for those who know where to look, and what to expect. I’ve already said avoid the Content Management portals offered by companies like Go Daddy and Yahoo. And I’ve already said that high quality design will probably cost too much much. So what are we the shoestring budgeteers to do? There are three components to your web site: The Domain Name, the Web Host (where you’re web site will be housed), and the web site itself. We’ll start with the site, since it is the hardest part to pin down, and is by far the most important.

Try Wordpress with Thesis Theme from DIYthemes

Wordpress is a free (love that word) open source, blog/content management engine which was created in collaborative efforts by some of the worlds most gifted developers. It is lightweight, simple to install and manage, and leaves you, the one-man-band, to manage what is important – the content.

The look and feel is determined by a separate component: the theme.

That is where DIYthemes comes in. DIYthemes is a company started by the owners who run www.Pearsonified.com, and www.Coppyblogger.com, some of the best known and trusted design and content blogs out there. Their flagship theme offering is Thesis, and it is in my opinion one of the most technically sound, beautiful themes I’ve ever seen. It is fully customizeable, and exceeds SEO and web standards of development. You could pay thousands of dollars and not exceed the standards this theme achieves. You could match them, but you couldn’t beat them.

Furthermore, since it is laid over top of the Wordpress Engine, it is able to be managed even by web novices with just a little instruction. It truly does offer something that no other out of the box web portal can offer; a gorgeous theme which sells your product magnificently, is exceptionally Search Engine Friendly, and pretty darned affordable! The quality of the theme alone means that code structure of your site will be better than 90% of most other web sites out there. I’m serious.

When I installed the Thesis theme on my company site I was surprised by how easy it was to customize the theme. Granted I’m tech savvy, but I know good design when I see it. Using Wordpress with the Thesis theme, is in my opinion, is one the smartest things a new screen printer can do to maximize their web presence.

Here is a link to showcase sites built with the thesis theme: Thesis Showcase Gallery
It truly is amazing how with a few simple changes the theme can altered in so many beautiful ways.

The Thesis theme meets my standard of inexpensive, and high quality, and that’s why I have agreed to promote it.

Get the Hosting and the Domain Name

These parts are easy; as long as you know that the company you’re working with has an excellent reputation.  For me,  Anhosting.com is the only hosting company I deal with.  They keep their servers, their script packages, i.e. Ruby, Python, MySQL, PHP, etc., up to date with developers, and have a long history of providing affordable, dependable hosting. I prefer www.anhosting.com, as they are by my own experience, and their own reputation one of the trustworthy, sound web hosts out there – oh, and it’s only $6.95 per month!

Good Luck!