How we build websites

When starting Raise Interactive we were posed with a dilemma, how could we be a full service internet marketing agency for small businesses if we couldn’t build affordable websites for our clients.  For most of our customers the web site is the first thing we need to address by building a site or making changes to a current site.  If it is a large project we work with several professional website designers like Webheads, Inc. that we know and trust.  But what about the smaller client, just getting started online who needs an attractive, functioning site but doesn’t need bells and whistles and has a limited budget.

In these cases we use the WordPress platform to build business websites.  Originally started as blogging software it allows us to not only build websites but it is a built in Content Management System, allowing clients or Raise Interactive to easily update the site.  It is a fantastic program that is also Open Source, allowing people to use the platform for free.  It encourages a number of independent developers to make plugins and tools that they distribute, often for free.

On this platform we utilize a number of WordPress Themes from iThemes.com.  We experimented with several free themes or templates and they just don’t do the job.  The iThemes themes are very flexible and customizable, they look great and they have been very stable.  They allow us to cut hours of time off a website design which significantly lowers the price for our clients.  And to give you an idea, this site was built using the Architect Theme from iThemes.

This process allows us to build customizable, great looking, fully functioning sites for our clients that don’t cost an arm and a leg.  And when we do run into a larger job we still have the resources of our network of trusted developers.

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