The True Cost of ‘Free’ online website builder platforms like Wix, MoPro, Weebly and others.

“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” (alternatively, “There is no such thing as a free lunch” or other variants) is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing.  The phrase was in use by the 1930s, but its first appearance is unknown. The “free lunch” in the saying refers to the nineteenth-century practice in American bars of offering a “free lunch” in order to entice drinking customers.

The phrase and the acronym are central to Robert Heinlein’s 1966 science-fiction novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which helped popularize it. The free-market economist Milton Friedman also popularized the phrase by using it as the title of a 1975 book and it is used in economics literature to describe opportunity cost.  Campbell McConnell writes that the idea is “at the core of economics”.

(Source: Wikipedia.com edited)

If something is free, chances are someone is paying and often times it may very well be the customer.

In the recent years we have seen many free services show the true cost when people start peaking behind the curtain. If something is too good to be true, then it likely is costing you in other ways. With Facebook, people began to realize they were the product being sold, data, photos, browsing habits, economical statistics, private conversations, and so much more, were regularly being sold to other companies. (Source: CBS News) If that was not bad enough, phycological tests were also being performed directly on Facebook users repeatedly for social experimentation.  (Source: Forbes.com)

With all of that in mind let us turn to the subject at hand. Wix.com, MoPro.com and others have been offering ‘free’ websites with great looking templates and drag and drop interfaces for a simple user experience. To be honest these are simply great for the beginner and small business to get started. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these do-it-yourself style websites.

Pros

• So simple my grandmother could make a website with it.

Cons

• You cannot leave and take your website with you.
• Free websites display advertisements you have little control over
• Usually cannot use custom coded apps, URLs, or
• A fee for everything and everything for a fee
  • Need E-commerce? Monthly cost.
  • Need a domain name connected? Monthly cost.
  • Want to get rid of the advertisements? Monthly cost.
  • Need larger bandwidth or storage for files? Monthly cost.
  • Need direct technical support? Hard to find phone numbers and usually extra fees.
  • Need email? Monthly fee.
  • Need email marketing? Must have the ‘VIP’ plan (Monthly fee)
  • Need a fast and responsive website? No guarantee for quality of service.

Overall the take away here is that yes it will cost you something but with great technology, hosting, and a team ready to help your every need, CD Creative can get you as autonomous and free-standing as possible. We can train you on how to administrate your own website or just keep everything running smoothly for you. Contact us Today!