Creating a New Website is Easier (and Faster, and Cheaper) Than You Think

Barbara Hicks, CPSM

Owner/Principal, B-Graphic, LLC

A typical mid-size AEC firm spends $20-30K creating a custom-coded website their in-house teams struggle to maintain due to user interface and lack of coding experience. Given the nature of our industry, these sites are often overkill when compared to AEC marketing plan goals and objectives. Using real world examples, I will illustrate the actual differences between a custom-coded expensive site and more maintainable "DIY" site (utilizing Wix) that still provides 100% design control and functionality. Topics include budget, schedule, design process, SEO, security, integration with existing in-house databases, and long-term website maintenance. The ultimate goal is to create a custom-branded website that maintains a quick, easy, and more efficient process in-house for teams to keep their content fresh without relying on third party schedules and hourly rates. TAKE BACK CONTROL OVER YOUR WEBSITE! Website goals/objectives - Audience participation - Best practices for AEC industry Website worries - Audience participation - Common anxieties DIY website concept – Why Wix over competitors? - Separate interfaces based on coding level - SEO capabilities - Integration with other services you already have in place - Pros & cons (coding vs. DIY/Wix) * Cost & schedule * Security * Search engine optimization * Design & functionality Design & Go-Live process - Hiring an expert for a custom-designed/branded site - You can do this yourself using existing templates! Maintenance using the Wix editor. Ease of… - Design changes - Content changes - Adding new content - Adding custom pages for specific initiatives

Audience Takeaways

  • Wix is able to provide a totally custom branded website with the same level of design and functionality at a fraction of the schedule and budget of larger, custom-coded sites. Learners will discover what the average website costs today and how long it takes to develop (using real data comparisons), what the web design process looks like without needing to know code, how to add/change content with ease, and how to integrate existing marketing initiatives.

Conference Session Tracks

  • Domain Track: Promotional Activity

  • Career Track: Senior

  • Position Track: Marketing/Communications

Barb is an award-winning marketer and graphic designer with 22 years of national experience (especially the Boston and Atlanta markets).

Connect with Barbara on LinkedIn.