Week 5: Building A Website 101!

Hello everyone! These past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time conducting digital media marketing research for the startup company Identity Science. I have especially determined the need for the company to have a website, and what specific aspects should be included in the development of the said website. So this week, I decided to start fiddling around with multiple platforms to determine which site would work best for creating the website for Identity Science. The three main platforms I was considering were Canva, Squarespace, and Wix. 

While testing and trying each of the new websites, I learned that each website creation tool has its own pros and cons and I needed to find whichever platform works best for the goals of my website. The benefits of website builders include accessibility, as no web design or prior coding skills are required, and they often decrease the cost of hiring web developers and include marketing and SEO tools. However, they typically offer no competitive advantage and have limited options for growth.  

Below, I have attached a chart comparing the advantages and disadvantages I noticed while I explored the features of each of the three website-building platforms, as well as my personal experience and review of the navigability of the platform. 

As I toyed around with each of the sites, I came to the conclusion that Wix was the best site for me to develop a website for Identity Science. But before I got into the designs and templates I explored for Identity Science, my advisor surprised me by telling me they already had a website, but a really bad version. And he was absolutely right, the Identity Science website definitely needs a lot of help so it can be established as a legitimate company and so customers can have a good first impression of the business.  

The first thing I noticed about Identity Science’s original website (that my job is to fix) is that it is awfully simplistic. Identity Science’s three main brand colors are dark blue (#2G#BD1), a periwinkle shade (#6D76DF), green (#8CD12F), and black and white. Their logo is white and an image with a few of the colors mentioned above. I dislike the awkward placement of the logo in the center of the website with the free space above. 

My least favorite part of Identity Science’s website is that there is a huge block of text customers likely won’t read. While I like the bolded green text and contact us button, I dislike how this information is presented and I feel like using visuals or summarizing this information is important. I also really dislike this simple and boring font for the website. 

The website includes one visual which is appeasing the customer’s eyes; however, it truly does not convey any useful information. Other visuals on the website are awkwardly placed and can truly benefit from animation to bring life to the website. I do like the use of headers to convey information; however, I feel like it can be done in a much more visually appealing way. Additionally, the website does a good job of establishing some sort of credibility. There is a “Meet the Team” page showing the faces behind the company and how much experience they have in developing products in the cybersecurity industry. The contact us information provided at the button is also useful.  

With this information and as referenced in my previous blog posts, there are a lot of elements I would like to add to Identity Science’s website. I came to the conclusion that Wix is my favorite website as it doesn’t seem too difficult to use and has a great template I would love to utilize to develop the website. It creates a landing page and also has a sidebar that can take customers to different pages based on information they would like to learn more about. Plus, even the template is incredibly aesthetic and functional, with useful CTA buttons. While I definitely have to make multiple edits to the site to make it work with Identity Science’s goals and run this idea by my external advisor, it is my favorite plan to create a functional website or at least provide useful recommendations for the company.  I like how the platform makes many functions available to users, including different types of sections including services, testimonials, team, and promotions pages. It also clearly shows a site menu, indicating many different pages can be made for one website. There are also many apps offered by Wiz that can be installed on the website, as well as recommendations for what is trending and popular to help stand out against competitors. As of now, Wix is how I plan to create my website and show Identity Science’s website.  

Works Cited: 

L., Akseli. “Squarespace pros and cons: an in-depth analysis based on 200 reviews” rental.io/6  September 2022.  https://www.rentle.io/blog/ecommerce/squarespace-pros-and-cons.  Accessed 5 April 2023.   

Singleton, Chris. “Wix Review- All The Pros and Cons” stylefactorprodictions.com/7 March https://Www.Stylefactoryproductions.Com/Blog/Wix-Review. Accessed 5 April 2023.

Sharma, Vijay. “Top 10 Pros and Cons of Using Website Builder Software.” klientsolutech/4  April 2023. https://www.klientsolutech.com/pros-and-cons-of-website-builders/. Accessed 7 April 2023.   

“Should You Use Canva Websites? An Honest Review” sprinklesmedia.com/2021.  https://www.sprinklesmedia.com/confectionary/canva-websites-an-honest-review. Accessed 23 April 2023