When it comes to creating a website, there are many options to choose from. One popular option is managed content hosting, which offers a variety of benefits compared to other methods of website hosting and development. Let's explore what managed content hosting is, why it is beneficial, and how it compares to other options.
What is Managed Content Hosting?
Managed content hosting is a service that provides website hosting, content management, and other related services. Instead of requiring customers to have technical knowledge or experience with website design and development, managed content hosting services typically offer a simple and easy-to-use ticket system for submitting content. This makes it easy for anyone to manage and maintain their website without having to worry about technical details, and the care and maintenance of their website.
Why Utilize Managed Content Hosting?
There are several reasons why we made the switch to a managed content hosting product, as opposed to a do-it-yourself model we used to offer our customers.
Customers do not know how to layout and design professional pages
With managed content hosting, customers don't have to worry about designing their websites content and structure. Even if you have a knack for creativity you need to have photoshop image editing skills and a basic command of the latest html and css standards to make things look professional and easy to read.
SEO keyword tagging
Managed content hosting services typically add SEO keyword tags to all submitted content, which can help improve the website's search engine ranking. This is not something the average business owner will understand and be able to properly incorporate into their website content utilizing the latest SEO standards and recommendations.
Customers do not know how to keep websites mobile responsive and optimized for fast load times
With managed content hosting, customers don't have to worry about optimizing their website for mobile devices or fast loading times. Managed content hosting services typically provide mobile-responsive frameworks and hosting that is optimized for fast loading times.
Keeping the website secure
Managed content hosting services typically provide a high level of security, including regular updates and backups, to ensure that the website remains safe from cyber threats.
Additional benefit
Depending on the specific service, managed content hosting may offer additional benefits such as analytics, marketing tools, and customer support.
Options Companies Have When Deploying a Website
When it comes to deploying a website, customers have several options:
DIY websites with no support
While some customers may opt for a do-it-yourself (DIY) website builder like Wix or Squarespace, research shows that these platforms have some of the highest rates of failure. According to a study by the Small Business Administration, only about 50% of small businesses survive beyond the five-year mark. Furthermore, a survey conducted by Visual Objects found that more than half of small businesses that built their website using a DIY website builder had to redesign their website within two years. This is often due to the limitations of the DIY website builder, as well as the lack of technical expertise and support available to business owners. While DIY website builders may be marketed as easy-to-use solutions for building a website, the reality is that creating a successful website requires a deeper understanding of web design, user experience, and search engine optimization, among other factors. As a result, many businesses may find it more effective to use a managed content hosting service that can provide the technical expertise and support needed to build and maintain a successful website over the long term.
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Company
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Lowest Price
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Features
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Wix
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$16/month
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Customizable templates, marketing tools
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GoDaddy Webbuilder
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$10/month
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Customizable templates, marketing tools
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Weebly
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$10/month
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Customizable templates, ecommerce features
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Squarespace
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$16/month
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Customizable templates, analytics
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Freelancers
Some customers may hire a freelancer to build their website using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. However, while WordPress is a popular CMS, it is also one of the most hacked and exploited CMS platforms, which can pose a security risk to websites built using it if not regulary keeping the software up to date. In addition, WordPress can be quite complicated and frustrating for novice business owners to run, with a steep learning curve required to understand how to manage and maintain the website. Without proper training and support, business owners may find it challenging to keep their website updated, secure, and functioning properly. As a result, many customers may prefer to use a managed content hosting service that offers the technical expertise and support needed to keep their website running smoothly.
Web Design Agencies
Website design agencies have a lot of resources but also cost a lot of money to deploy websites because of the overhead. They also bill like lawyers for every email, phone and in person contact.
Things a business owner will need to understand to successfully deploy a website on their own
Here's an exhaustive bullet list of things a novice will need to know about domains, hosting, registrars, DNS records, pricing, updating, add-ons, merchants, SEO, SEM, PPC, mobile responsiveness, image resizing, speed optimization, layouts, and color palettes to deploy a website that will actually generate leads:
- Domains
- How to choose a domain name
- How to register a domain name
- How to renew a domain name
- How to transfer a domain name
- What is a domain name system (DNS) and how it works
- How to set up DNS records
- Hosting
- What is website hosting and how it works
- Different types of website hosting (shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud)
- How to choose a hosting provider
- How to set up hosting
- How to manage hosting
- Registrars
- What is a registrar and how it works
- How to choose a registrar
- How to transfer a domain to a different registrar
- DNS records
- What are DNS records and how they work
- Different types of DNS records (A, MX, CNAME, TXT, etc.)
- How to manage DNS records
- Pricing
- How to compare prices of different hosting providers, registrars, and add-ons
- What to look for when comparing prices (features, performance, support)
- Updating
- How to update website content, design, and functionality
- How to troubleshoot issues that arise after updating
- Add-ons
- What are add-ons (plugins, widgets, extensions, etc.)
- How to choose add-ons
- How to install and configure add-ons
- Merchants
- How to set up an online store
- What payment gateway to choose
- How to manage orders and inventory
- SEO
- What is search engine optimization (SEO) and how it works
- How to optimize website content for search engines
- How to choose and use keywords
- How to monitor and improve website SEO performance
- SEM/PPC
- What is search engine marketing (SEM) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
- How to set up and manage SEM/PPC campaigns
- How to track and analyze SEM/PPC performance
- Mobile responsiveness
- What is mobile responsiveness and why it's important
- How to test and improve mobile responsiveness
- How to design for mobile devices
- Image resizing
- How to resize and optimize images for the web
- How to choose the right image format (JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc.)
- Speed optimization
- What is website speed optimization and why it's important
- How to test website speed
- How to optimize website speed (caching, minification, compression, etc.)
- Layouts
- What are website layouts and why they're important
- How to choose a layout that fits the website's purpose and audience
- How to design and modify layouts
- Color palettes
- What are color palettes and why they're important
- How to choose a color palette that fits the website's purpose and audience
- How to design and modify color palettes
Given the complexity of these tasks, many business owners and website builders may prefer to leave the deployment and maintenance of their website to professionals who have the technical expertise and experience to create a successful website that generates leads and meets their business goals. This is where a managed content hosting service can provide value, by offering businesses access to a team of experts who can take care of all aspects of website deployment, maintenance, and optimization, allowing the business owner to focus on their core business activities.
In conclusion, managed content hosting is a great option for customers who want an easy-to-use, secure, and professional-looking website. With features like SEO keyword tagging, mobile responsiveness, and fast loading times, managed content hosting can help improve a website's search engine ranking and user experience. Compared to other options like DIY website builders and freelancers, managed content hosting firms offer a comprehensive solution that takes care of website hosting, content management, and other related services. So if you're looking to create a website, consider using a managed content hosting service to make the process easy and stress-free.
Published on 4/14/2023 (1 years 5 days ago)