Big changes at BB
I’ve been up to lots of good (hopefully) with Beest Built lately. I’ve changed a whole bunch about how the site – and my business – operates.
New levels of websites
The first change is that I’ve decided to offer three different levels of websites: free, “serious,” and “everything.” Those names are subject to change, by the way.
The free sites will show up as subdomains of beestbuilt.com (ie. myfreesite.beestbuilt.com), will contain ads for Beest Built, Google, and potentially Amazon, and will be limited in their selection of themes, plugins, as well as server resources. Despite their limitations, I think these free sites will be a very nice option for people who are new to websites and are just testing the waters, or who don’t mind the limitations I’ve imposed on the sites.
The next level of websites is where we get “serious.” That level includes a whole bunch (135, at last count) premium WordPress themes, and I’m also willing to install themes that people find elsewhere. I also include a dozen or so very helpful plugins that help with everything from custom menu generation to search engine optimization to affiliate marketing. The best part of this level (I think!) is that you can map your domain to your site, so all your traffic will go to www.yoursite.com. This is the level of website that I think will be really good for most business, organizations, and people who want a solid web presence that’s not too complicated and easy to manage.
The final level of sites – “everything” – lives up to its name, and then some. Need a bulletin board? You got it! How ’bout a store front so you can sell your goods? No problem! Want a site to handle event registration? Can do! Your very own in-house social network? Coming right up!
New ways of building sites
While I love getting elbow-deep in the code of a website, not everyone needs that level of geek-dom for their site to get its job done. I’ve been exploring new ways of building websites that maintain a very high quality of code while significantly speeding up the process and reducing the cost. No longer will it take weeks, or even days to get online with Beest Built. Now you can have your base site online in just a couple clicks, upgraded to the “serious” level with a quick PayPal transaction, and be contemplating world-wide domination with your new “everything” site ten minutes later. To say I’m excited about this new direction would be an understatement!
All this website building happens on the shoulders of WordPress, an open source content management system that cut its teeth on helping people build blogs, and has since moved on to being an excellent choice to manage full-fledged websites. In fact, Beest Built is happily powered by WordPress, too!
New pricing
These new tools and methodologies mean I can offer sites cheaper than ever before. In point of fact, I’m moving Beest Built to a “freemium” payment model. That means I’ll offer a free, basic level of service (the one with ads, etc.) in addition to my premium levels of service (the ones that add functionality). That’s great news for new Beest Built customers, but what about those of you who have recelntly purchased sites from me? I definitely value your business, and I want to make sure you’re happy. If you’re good with what you have for a contract with Beest Built, that’s great! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’re feeling a little miffed right now, drop me a line and I’ll do what it takes to put a smile back on your face!
That’s the news from Beest Built country right now. Enjoy your site, and please tell everyone you know about Beest Built!
All the best!
-aj
