After browsing many dog breeder websites, I’ve noticed that quite a few are using either the paid or free versions of some of the popular website builders.
I think this is a good step forward. At least there’s some understanding that professional and responsive web design is important to promote their show dogs online.
I’m going to compare how Breedpost stacks up against using a web builder or hiring a web designer for your dog breeder and show dog websites.
Website builder
Websites builders have made it easy for people to build and publish a very nice basic website.
All you need to do is sign up, select a design, create pages and use the drag and drop feature to format and add content to your pages.
Website builders are good for portfolio and informational sites. For a website that needs more customisation users will typically not be able to achieve their requirements.
Look, this might be a bit controversial but I have reservations about leaving design decisions up to non professional designers. Some website builders allow users to choose their own fonts and colours and often their choices diminish the professional design.
Website builders use a subscription pricing model where customers pay a monthly or annual fee to use this service. This also includes web hosting, support and software updates and is normally quite inexpensive.
I’ve turned down web design work over the years and recommended a website builder instead. There’s no point designing a website to only achieve the same result as a website builder, especially for non-profits and community groups. It is also very cost prohibitive for the organisation to fork out the upfront and ongoing costs of a custom website design compared to a website builder’s pricing model.
Pros
- professional web design
- inexpensive
- no upfront costs
- hosting included
- software updates included
- support included
Cons
- design limitations
- functionality limitations
Get started with Breedpost
Get us to build your website or transfer your current website!
Web designer
A professional web designer will build what you need and will do it well. They will implement your design into a Content Management System (CMS), so you can update the site yourself.
They will provide you with a beautiful, responsive and user-friendly website. Your dogs will look great and your website visitors will be awed at how professional your site is and how easy it is to navigate around.
Let’s just make an assumption that the web designer is going to give you everything you’ve asked for. For that luxury you will need to remove the price from the equation.
Pros
- professional web design
- customised solution which could include
- pedigree generator
- litter announcements
- show results system
- blogging platform
- support
- new features
Cons
Breedpost
Breedpost is a combination of using a website builder and a web designer as it’s a subscription based all in one service with customisations specifically for dog breeders and exhibitors.
Breedpost provides hosting, support and software updates as part of the subscription based service in the same way a website builder does.
But we also provide customisation specifically geared for dog breeders and show dog exhibitors. These customisations include our pedigree generator, show results system, litter announcements and integrated blogging platform.
We are also adding new features all the time as requested by our customers. When these are added, all customers will benefit and there will be no extra or added costs.
Breedpost was built by ex breeders and exhibitors, so we have knowledge of showing and breeding purebred dogs, as well as many years of professional web design and development experience.
Pros
- specifically for dog breeders and show dogs
- support is from ex exhibitors and breeders
- new features added at no cost
- professional web design
- no upfront costs
- hosting included
- software updates included
- support included
Cons
- not as flexible as using a web designer
Which should I choose?
If money is a non issue, then hiring a professional web designer for your dog breeder website would be a good choice. You should get everything you want and probably more.
Typically though, if you’re not making money from your website, ie you’re not a business, then normally you wouldn’t hire a web designer.
So, a website builder is a good choice, especially if you care about your website design.
Breedpost is a combination of both a web designer and a website builder. You can get started straight away as there are no upfront costs as we use a subscription based pricing model.
You also benefit from the customisations that are specific to dog breeders and show dog exhibitors. And we build your website for you and then support you through learning how to update and take care of your new website.
Breedpost gives you the best of both worlds - professional design, customisations, personal support and subscription pricing.
Feature comparison
Some general feature comparisons between Breedpost, website builders and web designers.
| Breedpost | Website Builder | Web Designer |
---|
Professional web design | • | • | • |
Blog | • | • | • |
Pedigree builder | • | | • |
Litter announcements | • | | • |
Show results system | • | | • |
Hosting | • | • | |
Support | • | • | |
Software updates | • | • | |
New features | • | | • |
Feature requests | • | | • |
Website built for you | • | | • |
Cost comparison
This table outlines the cost over a three year period for a professionally designed website using Breedpost, a website builder or a web designer.
| Breedpost | Website Builder | Web Designer** |
---|
Web design | $0 | $0 | $3000 |
CMS | $0 | $0 | $2000 |
Customisation | $0 | N/A | Unknown |
Hosting | $0 | $0 | $360 (3 years) |
Support | $0 | $0 | $360 (3 years) |
New features | $0 | N/A | Unknown |
Software updates | $0 | $0 | $360 (3 years) |
Annual price | $264 | $96* | $0 |
Total 3 years*** | $792 | $288 | $6080 |
* Based on Weebly’s personal plan (viewed April 2018) with unlimited storage and no ads
** Costs are estimates and market competitive and a using a professional web designer
*** Average lifetime of a website