WordPress.com Rattles Freelancer Community with New Website Building Service Launch

4 replies
WordPress.com Rattles Freelancer Community with New Website Building Service Launch
Sarah Gooding January 4, 2021



/Excerpts..

WordPress.com launched a new website building service today with prices starting at $4,900. Automattic has been beta testing the service since the last quarter of 2020. The product announcement invites customers to let WordPress.com's professional team "translate your vision into a compelling and modern website" but does not specify pricing for more customized websites:

Whether you need a fast and performant eCommerce store for your products and/or services, a polished website for your professional services firm, or an educational website for your online courses, our experts can build it for you on WordPress.com, the most powerful platform for businesses and enterprises large and small.
Automattic must be witnessing a strong demand for DIFM, as participants in the discussion at Post Status referenced Mullenweg's comments on the topic during his most recent State of the Word address delivered in December 2020:

Lots of people lost their jobs. Lots of people were looking to supplement their income. This drove an incredible amount of entrepreneurship, so people who were looking for people who knew WordPress. And on the other side of that, normal folks who knew or learned WordPress found that they had a lot to demand for their work, so they were able to supplement or replace their income, essentially for folks who have a do it for me mentality, so someone who is looking for someone else to build a website. It's never been a better time to learn and invest in improving your WordPress skills.
/End of excerpts.

So what does this mean for SOLO Wordpress Marketers? Price Standardization?

Personally, I think if this works for Automattic (Makers of WordPress) we SOLO WordPress Developers / Marketers will first see a rise in the prices for new WordPress sites developed by influential organizations which "is about time" in my personal opinion.

SOLO Developers will be able to inch their sites in the market simply by selling their services less than Automattic, albeit of a lower caliber. That in itself is a good thing for conversions simply because not all sites require high caliber services to make sales.

What do you think?
#building #community #freelancer #launch #rattles #service #website #wordpresscom
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    My first thought was that we may see a new surge of overbuilt sites...and I realize that's a negative response.


    Recently I've been on several sites that seemed 'overbuilt' to me because moving a cursor changed the site or added a page or dropped down a hidden menu... I think you can carry 'responsive' too far to the point it becomes 'intrusive'...but that's just me.


    I think there will be a demand for the DIFM sites and the future of the service/site builder will depend on how those sites do over the long term....with many people not realizing that 'build it and they will come' is not a full business plan.


    It's a smart idea though - capitalizing on what people have been asking for.
    Signature
    Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
    ***
    2024 Patriot's Award for Service to Veterans
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11642171].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nizarahmedzour
    Very good news for WordPress users. We were waiting for a long for such a thing in WordPress.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11642173].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Solo WordPress developers might know the answer to this, but would anyone who's never before had a website or an online business actually know about WordPress? I mean enough to seek out a WordPress specialist rather than a dedicated website developer?

    I think if I were wanting a tailor-made eCommerce store, for example, I'd find an expert in eCommerce site building. The platform would only matter to me if I already knew something about it - in which case, I'd be better off hiring an independent freelancer.

    Nevertheless, solo developers must be rejoicing in WordPress.com setting that benchmark figure of $4,900.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11642178].message }}
  • I think this is their response to other CRMs who beefed up their ecommerce features. At $4,900, it is an attractive offer. If at that price, I can get WP to build my website for me compared to other sites, I might just take them up on it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11642793].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics