In the past, creating a website was painstaking work. Developers could spend days building the framework, adding images and coding elements to make sure everything would work right. Today, a lot of that effort is eliminated. Instead of paying developers for countless hours to make a website, almost anyone can start in mere minutes.
Like the saying goes, “Time is money.” Because the Internet is such a fast-paced environment, this saying is true now more than ever. Which is why tools to reduce time to make a website are vastly important. Every second that a site isn’t up and running is a loss of potential visitors and shoppers.
Below are five tools that can help reduce the time spent creating the perfect website.
WordPress
One of the easiest ways to set up virtually any kind of website quickly is by using WordPress. This is one of the reasons why it has nearly 60 percent of the market share of content management systems at the end of 2016. It’s quick to install and users can start using the site almost immediately.
WordPress takes a great deal of the work out of constructing a website. It is customizable in a myriad of ways and offers a way to create a unique appearance even if a developer uses a common theme.
With over 35,000 plugins to give the site more functionality, people can create anything from a booking site for a hotel to sharing recipes through a blog. It has additions for security, backups, creating content and managing search engine optimization without requiring extensive programming knowledge.
Because the support for WordPress is so wide, there are plenty of integrations to many platforms. For example, the Backup & Restore Dropbox plugin allows users to quickly backup the website to the popular online Cloud storage site.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
After installing WordPress, it’s time to make content. This is when a lot of people get hung up. It’s one thing to write quality content, but many don’t put thought into the headline of the article. This is a vastly important piece of the material, and it will set the tone for the rest of the webpage.
The CoSchedule Headline Analyzer will help creators develop engaging titles that will do well in both social media and in search engines. The tool works by scrutinizing the word use of the headline and displaying a score to determine how well it will perform.
CoSchedule will scan through word balance, length, first and last words of the title, keywords and sentiment. All of these play into how Internet users view content. On top of that, the system will offer ways to improve the title as well.
Pixabay
Ever needed a graphic and was stopped by licensing issues? Finding that perfect image can take quite a while, especially if the developer doesn’t have an account to buy stock photos. Sites like Pixabay remove a lot of these problems. Not only are the images “creative commons,” but the site is free to use.
Pixabay offers an exceptional number of images, photos and vector graphics. It also supports illustrations as well as shareable video content. The search filters are an exceptional addition, and users can look for images based on background colors, various sizes and many different categories.
One thing that sets Pixabay aside from other image sites is that anyone can download images without an account. However, it does require a CAPTCHA entry before the download is possible. This site also has a social element as users can leave comments, like and follow contributors.
Canva
Once an image has been selected for the website, it’s time to edit. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to top-of-the-line editing software. Tools like Canva lets users create stunning graphics to engage website visitors or even social media followers.
Canva is an easy to use graphic editing application that runs directly from the web browser. Users can select which type of graphic is needed ranging from blog posts to sharing on social media. The basis for the image templates comes from the most attributes that developers use online.
Once users select a template, the fun begins. Developers can change the layout, add various graphic elements, backgrounds and text. Although Canva offers graphics for purchase, website owners have the option of uploading their own or pulling images from Facebook.
All of the common tools one would expect from a graphic editor are available as well. Copy, crop, flip and even links are possible within the image. If there are plans to create an eBook to support the website, this may be a great tool to consider.
Buffer and Pablo
After creating the content, it’s time to share it on social media. After all, more than 40 percent of Americans state how a strong social media presence is vital when engaging an organization. This is when Buffer and its tool Pablo are of great benefit.
Buffer is a social sharing application that many use to engage visitors to click on the link and visit the website. It allows for several account profiles to connect simultaneously. This means that sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ will all be updated with a link to the website at the same time.
Pablo is a tool from Buffer than lets users create engaging images to share on those same social profiles. It comes with a variety of tools including the ability to add logos, captions and more. It’s common for developers to create inspiring memes while adding a link to the website to engage social media visitors.
These two tools combined deliver an incredible platform for getting the website recognized in social outlets. While search engines are vastly important for driving traffic, more than 30 percent of visitors on average come from sites like Twitter and Facebook.
In Conclusion
These are only a handful of tools that will save time while improving the ability to make a website. The best part is that many of them are simple to use allowing anyone to make something stunning. Find the tools that compliment the goals of the site and give it a better chance to succeed from day one.