Achieving Stellar, yet Affordable, Web Design in Billings, Montana
With the rapid increase of handheld technology, having a website is integral to the success of any business entity. However, custom web design often comes with a hefty price tag. This can be a huge roadblock for small businesses & non-profit organizations in need of an aesthetically-pleasing, functional website at a price they can afford. In order to provide these particular clients with incredible websites within their budget, we rely on Quicksites.
What is a Quicksite?
A Quicksite is essentially a website built from a pre-existing template, rather than from starting from scratch. From a client perspective, the building process is very similar between Quicksites and custom design. During the pre-build phase, our developers & design team work closely with the client to determine his/her specific needs in a website. This includes any particular design needs or special functions such as a store, log-in page, event calendar, or photo gallery.
From
this information, our team chooses a template that will work well with
the clients’ individual web needs. After selecting a template, our
developers manipulate and customize the theme to produce the final
design, at a fraction of the cost of a custom-built site.
No Need to Trade Time for Quality
Don’t let the term “Quicksite” dissuade you — although a Quicksite is often a cheaper and fast-paced option than custom design, the finished product is still a quality website. And, like a custom build, the client is still able to edit his/her website using WordPress (our Content Management System of choice for Quicksite projects) after the site has been built. Choosing a Quicksite is a fantastic solution for businesses and non-profit organizations who need a quality website at an affordable price.
Affordable Web Design in Billings
Our design team chose to build a Quicksite for Junior League of Billings (JLB), a non-profit organization located in Billings, MT. Modifying an existing website template to build the JLB’s website saved our developers hours of labor and still resulted in an attractive, functional website. Building a Quicksite, rather than beginning with custom design, enabled our team to build the perfect solution for the JLB within their budget.
Combining a Quicksite with Custom Design
Although there are many advantages to choosing a Quicksite over a traditional custom build, there are instances when a Quicksite won’t suffice. There are limits to customizing templates, so some design elements can’t be achieved using a template. In these instances, we may recommend combining both a Quicksite template and custom design elements. This is the approach we used with the 2017 RMS-AAPG Section Meeting website, which was built from a template, but included a custom built navigation bar replicating a beer tap. When a user hovered over an option in the navigation bar, the dropdown menu appeared and “filled up” in a beer glass. By combining the Quicksite template and custom-built navigation bar, we were able to produce a quality website with unique functionality within the Section Meeting’s budget.
Is a Quicksite Right for You?
Like stated above, a Quicksite isn’t the perfect solution for every business. However, if you identify with the scenarios listed below, your business may benefit from a Quicksite:
- I don’t have a website, or my existing website is outdated/not functional;
- I own a small business or run a non-profit organization with a website budget less than $6,500;
- I need an online presence as soon as possible, preferably within two months;
- I have received bids from web design companies for custom work that exceeds my budget;
- I want to expand my online presence and attract more clients/members with a quality website I am proud to display.