my customer ask if i have consider offer website builder like http://www.irun.com/ now i'm a budget provider if i offer something like that i probably can't afford it. so i told him the server have frontpage extension and frontpage is pretty much like a website builder.

is there any free online website builder tool or something similar to irun but cost less than $40 per month.

Ive used Interspire's Site Center (http://www.interspire.com/sitecenter/) before and had some good sucess with it.

Now they dont charge monthly but there is a one time fee costs around $300 (if you just bulk purchase one license) to get started and then around $85 per 5 licenses beyond that (buy more licenses = cheaper / license)

I would assume that you will be charging the clients for access to a solution like this? Should help deffer the costs.

Stick with your business plan. Just because a customer (one) wants it doesn't mean you go and offer it. I don't know what your pricing is but these things cost money. It's becoming common to have a sitebuilder tool but you have to include it in your cost to offset it.

If you add it explain the cost to them. If you're a budget host ($2 a month etc) then just don't offer it at all. It might not be worth it.

Originally posted by jt2377
is there any free online website builder tool or something similar to irun but cost less than $40 per month.

Try www.Soholaunch.com. They start at $9.95/mo for server licensing.

Having PLESK servers for our premium hosting anyway, i've been investigating PLESKS own sitebuilder tools, they actually sell for very decent prices and i'm sure I can find some discounted fees at a reseller, however, with premium hosting we don't generally get clients needing sitebuilders anyway so i've abanadoned the idea for now, most are too expensive to consider for budget plans anyway.

If its just one customer offer to install something like mambo or siteadmin or something for them. They would probably enjoy that as much as anything.

I have found that not many customers are interested in site building tools. Most people prefer the much more advanced software like Dreamweaver, FrontPage, NetObjects Fusion.

Occasionaly customers may inquire about them, but it does not warrant going out and buying one right now. Site builders will also increase your support workload.

Site builders will also increase your support workload.

and server load too, as some of them are written in Java.

we have a sitebuilder option, but there is a one-time setup fee for the service.

H-sphere + SiteStudio = Match in Heaven.

I have sold quite a few local customers on SiteStudio alone. I meet with them, they say they don't have a budget for website design, so I show them SiteStudio and their eyes light up. I show them how easy it is to use, they sign up for an account, and I walk them through getting their own account started.

1hr of work for an $18.92/mo account (small business). :)

I second the H-Sphere + SiteStudio. It works quite well.

I meet with them, they say they don't have a budget for website design, so I show them SiteStudio and their eyes light up. ]

Bingo! With the slim margins on hosting it really is unbelievable that most hosts just leave the whole matter of design up to the customer. Should at least give them an option with you and make some extra money

.......but as someone else pointed out if you throw it in for free and have to deal with extra support issues it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Create packages that include them and charge extra for it.

Well you would think that would be the response. It would be in any other business but with hosting it seems theres alot of people out there committed to making sure they get as little profit as possible for their business. Everyone has to hover under 5 per month (on the expensive side :rolleyes: ) and add only free services

Originally posted by icestorm
Try www.Soholaunch.com. They start at $9.95/mo for server licensing.

I use this service, but am thinking of giving up my license, since most customers that use it later dont like it. That has been my experience.

Do you use the $9.95 version or the full version with modules? Makes a huge difference.

Using any of the premium sitebuilders which are meant to be standalone such as ezot.com, websitedynamics and irun.com should net your a minimum of $10 per month for each customer.

I have no problem getting $19.95 a month or even more with the ezot.com sitebuilder.

It is a different business than hosting...can't truly compare it..