Custom Wizard Interface

[snyhof]

Even though there are hundreds of templates, some of us (I have read in this forum) design their own templates for their customers.

Part of my selling point is that I will custom design a web sites and set it all up.

1. This means there is no reason to access the Start page.
2. I do not want my customers to see templates to my other customers.
I could always make a Plan for each customer and only include their web template.
I like the Design step as my clients can change their headers for different seasons or for what ever. But even this is all they need. They do not need to change their menu buttons, maybe their logo, but I incorporate that into their header.

Maybe an option for custom site building. No new programming, just a different interface.

 

[Alex Klimov]

Hello,
Sounds reasonable, I'll redirect it to our product manager. Thank you for feedback

 

[Michael Wisniew]

Hi, this sounds very interesting. I've only just been finding out all about Sitebulder to see if it's fit for my purpose.
I would love to know how you proceeded with your set-up, because my idea is basically very similar:
1. A potential user is informed that his website exists already and invited to see it.
2. S/he checks the given url and finds that the basic website is indeed already there. But to make actual use of it, s/he must be able to modify it.
3. S/he can hopefully use Sitebuilder to modify the basic look and the text on the website.

So, just like in your case, I think, the website is pre-made and the user only needs to modify.

I also thought this could be achieved by giving a separate plan to each user with only their own template available. But this means a very large number of templates (all very similar - but still...). So if anyone could give any further advice, I'd be very grateful.
Thanks,
Michael

 

[snyhof]

I'm not sure if I understand completely your request.

Sitebuilder is great for the standard template setup where your customers can choose a number of options, 3 color options, headers and buttons. These should use a standard or default Plan. I would not get into different Plans for this type of client.

With the ability to upload their own header, a user really needs to find the layout and color they like and upload a header - or you do this for them for an additional fee.

If you are custom designing a template for a client, then I would create a specific Plan for them. They are paying more and expect a more tailored process. That is why my post above I am asking to remove the Start and Design areas. Or a different front end where a client can still choose a header. I have one client that wants to change their header for each season, a great idea.

Nonetheless, I am finding that my clients do not care. Once they get going, the first place they pick is on the Editor, make changes and Publish - then logout.

Sitebuilder is a bit of a setup learning curve. Spend some time checking out and reading many other posts from myself and others. I have tried to record much of what I have learned into this forum, as well as offer step by step tutorials. Not sure why sense you are my competition, but I believe more in helping and hopefully get some help back.

 

[Michael Wisniew]

Steve, thanks very much for that. Look at my location and see that competition is unlikely
I'll tell you more, maybe that way I'll be able to learn more from you. Basically, I have a way of finding out thousands of people who 1. have just had a baby, and 2. are planning ot get married. So this is really mass-market very simple website sort of stuff. Both these types of people may want to have a website, but don't necessarily know how to go about it. So I tell them that they have a website already - which they will - they will initially all be the same, just with their own names, dates, baby's photo on there.
Then they come to the url, see what's there and for a very small fee they can get this website of theirs going - firstly change the skin and style, add more pages, more info, add photos, run a blog, etc.

So where I stand is that ideally I don't want these users to even have access to their partition of the server, to use Plesk or cPanel or stuff like that, but still to have significant control over the look and composition of their website. But what this requires is that the user can pick up from a pre-existing website. Even better if they could still make changes to it later on by picking up from they were.

I don't know, perhaps my solution is to custom-build a web application for this, rather than using Sitebuilder. Though Sitebuilder would be so much easier...

 

[snyhof]

Michael,

If I understand you correctly, you want to pre-setup a site for a user before they know it exists. Clever! I thought of the same thing with Internet Marketing, set someone up and show them that it works and get them excited about what you are offering.

It also sounds like you are going after a niche market. That is good because it is hard to be everything to everyone.

I have searched for a long time and used several other systems before I found Sitebuilder. While there is good and bad with anything, the Sitebuilder interface blows away anything else available. The interface was developed very professionally which will reflect on your business.

The existing templates in Sitebuilder are nice and and offer a variety of industries. You may want to concentrate on developing a number of templates that relate to what you are offering which would also include your link at the footer. (Another topic I haven't hit on yet with swsoft.) The current templates do not have a place for a footer link. They do have a place in the Plans section that allows you to add a footer, but it does not go on the footer.

Nevertheless, making templates in sitebuilder takes a little learning. I have added an example in Custom Buttons...

I would think sitebuilder's standard template would work if you are setting up the site first. Add a header collage of wedding pictures and upload the header. Then your client would get a better understanding of you offer. I think Sitebuilder will work for you to begin with, and as you learn more about template creation you can offer more options.

I have learned that swsoft support works quite well but you must follow their system. If you have a question, submit a support ticket. Might take a day or two but they will stick with you and figure things out.

I have also found that Sitebuilder has a lot of things going on especially hooked up with Plesk. I am very glad I stuck with it and figured it out. I am currently setting up a new site for myself using the sitebuilder system just to show my prospective clients that the system that will run their web sites is very powerful.

 

[Michael Wisniew]

Steve, thanks very much. I think that in the end I will go down the route of a custom web script for modifying the sites. My reasons:
1. Price. $2 per user is quite a lot when talking about a mass-market user base. I will probably have to pay some $2000 for the design, but then I have it for as many users as I want.
2. Suitebuilder indeed offers more functionality than I can get out of a $2000 web script, but then most of my users may not need that much.
3. If I decide that more functionality is needed, that can be added with time using java (e.g. the option to resize and move images) - and even php could handle some of the extended functions - though in a less user-friendly manner.
4. Any bugs or problems are for my programmer to resolve so I don't need to rely on SWsoft.
5. Things like the problem of pre-made sites - more limitations like that may emerge.

Actually, it looks to me like Suitebuilder is great for a general user-base where we don't know upfront what kind of a site they want. It offers many types of site that may be wanted. But once we know what the users may want, I think that a custom application could be better choice. So having seen your service for contractors, I think you could also have done it differently. Seeing the amount of time you spent on Sitebuilder - if you devoted that time to perfecting php, the result would probably be similar but your skills more universal.

Anyway, thanks very much for your help. Wishing you success and heaps of contractors!

 

[snyhof]

Glad to be of help.

Down the road I may develop something more specifically, for now money is an issue and the programmer that has helped me develop my contractor scripts is not cheap. In fact I finally took a course in PHP and finished the development myself. Through the years I have learned a number of programming languages, but now I am a bit burned out. I have many more ideas and direction but it's going to take some time to implement.

Good luck to you too.