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You’ve seen the ads… On TV, in the press, here, there and everywhere… There is a company out there that allows you to create your own website for free! Indeed, with wix.com you can, and I quote:
Design a Free Website
… and the process is as easy as
- Choose a website template
- Customize it the way you want
- Publish online instantly
But before you rush to avail yourself of this wonderful offer, free web design does sound wonderful, doesn’t it, here’s what you are NOT being told when you first sign up for this deal and the reason for this “omission” is that this free offer comes… well… at a cost.
The truth about WIX Offer…
- And it’s a big one, you can indeed design your website for free!
- But it you do, it’ll cost you…
How much? Have a look a the image below:
(screen print taken on May 3oth 2015. source: http://www.wix.com/upgrade/website)
And don’t despair… Once you realize that this free offer only gives you access to website designing tools, and that you will indeed need to part with some of your money to make any use of your newly created artwork there is much to like about wix… even if it’s all about compromises..
But first there is the bad:
The Connect Domain (Most Basic) at $4 per month
(That’s the offer on the far right) and it comes with an unwanted guest…
Ads: “This Plan Displays Wix Brand Ads”
This means of course that not only is not free, but you will in fact be paying WIX $48.72 each and every year to advertise their brand on your website…
Then there is the not so good:
Yes, you get to design your site for free. And for as long as you stay with Wix, you will have access to that site, and so, hopefully will your customers.
But here is the problem… Wix sites are served dynamically, a fancy term to mean that it is a software on a Wix computer somewhere that ensures that when a visitor comes to your site, he or she is served with all the fancy technology that websites nowadays come equipped with. Like this site for example.
“But that’s exactly what I want” I can hear you say, yes, except that if ever you decide to move your site elsewhere, you will in effect also lose your design.
In order words, Wix owns your design, you don’t stays with wix and you’ll have to start from scratch
BY COMPARISON, IF YOU HIRE ME TO DESIGN A SITE FOR YOU, THE DESIGN AND SITE WILL BELONG TO YOU. IT WILL BE YOURS TO DO AS YOU PLEASE, EVEN SELL IT FOR A PROFIT IF YOU SO DESIRE. [dt_button url=”http://sos-stevie.com/cheap-web-design-99/” style=”info” size=”btn-lg” skin=”light” target=”_self”]READ MORE…[/dt_button]
Then there is the so so:
You will need to purchase personal email accounts from Google Apps, (even if you can do directly from within Wix). One email address costs $48.96 per year and when you add this amount to the price you’ll be paying for the “Connect Domain” basic package offer above you’ll end up paying $97.68 for your free wedsite design, each and every year.
By comparison, my cheapest plan, cost $99
The Unlimited, eCommerce and VIP packages will set you back $97.68 every year,
The Combo (For Personal Use) which costs $9.25 per month will set you back $111 per year
