mwinning101

OK, so I've checked out Duda, and although it looks good, was just wondering something, and please excuse me if my query is just so stupid, I deserve a brain transplant. It's about the $9 monthly fee PER SITE that they charge for the mobile sites.

If a potential client could have a site built that is either responsive, or had a mobile plug-in like ElegantThemes "Hand Held" plug-in, ( obviously providing it was built with WP ) why would they want to pay a monthly fee for a mobile version of their site, which would be on top of the costs for their desktop version????????? Just seems more like common sense that they would want to have a website that is automatically suited for mobiles without having to pay any extra monthly fees.

Please can someone explain the advantages of this to me, as my brain has come to a complete standstill trying to work out why any potential client would want to pay 2 separate fees for a desktop version and a mobile version, when they could get them combined????

DanielBlue

I also do not understand it. I think if you want to sell a monthly fee, this will get
difficult. Anyway, there are better solutions on the WF without monthly payments and you do not depend on a third part company.

mwinning101

Well, I see this thread has had some views, yet nobody seems to have a logical explanation. Though there seem to be people that are using duda with some success, judging by their FB page, so maybe I should ask the same question there.

profitgen

Same question for me... I like the Duda builder, nice that you can convert a desktop website over to mobile in a snap, but, and this is a Big But... who wants to pay a monthly fee to Duda and then make sure you can charge your client a bigger monthly fee to cover the monthly Duda fee? Not me, and that has completly stopped me in my tracks when choosing to use Duda. Could you imagine having 100 local clients and worring about collecting the monthly fees from all of them? Business people arn't dummies, they would soon figure out just how much their mobile site is costing them for 1 yr or 3 yrs... Not too practical...

mwinning101

This is the only logical reason that I can see behind the monthly payments....... that potential clients haven't a clue that you can actually have a website that is mobile friendly WITHOUT a monthly charge, and that they just assume that to have a mobile site, you can only get one by paying that extra monthly fee. So, just target the website owners that do not have a mobile friendly website, and convince them into paying a monthly charge to have one. I understand that if a website is run on WP, then things are so much easier, with the themes and plug-ins that are available, so is Duda only really designed for use with Non WP sites or something?? I wish someone could add something positive about Duda's monthly fees, just so I could understand why anyone would want to pay those fees.

rr1455

I think paying a monthly service fee is to much... I am working on a mobile wp plug in. That way you can make mobile website inside your word press no monthly cost.
If interested in reviewing what we have please drop me an email: apibestinclass@gmail.com
Hope this helps everyone,
Roger

Roger Rohrs (skype: Scottsdale.video)

http://www.apibestinclass.com

MakoMobi

but if you white 'label duda cant you charge for the year as included in the price and
not have a recurring bill
let's see 12x6 equals 72 so price is now 499(including hosting)..for referrals maybe 449.00 alot can be resolved in your pricing and servicing schedule.

Warakizi

vote for mobile plug-ins/responsive themes because you have full controll to your site

MrIMVO

I think what makes Duda attractive to small business people is that so many of them already have a desktop site and Duda is providing a 'looks just like my site' Mobile version. Plus Duda has some impressive drag and drop design functions.

If a business was starting from scratch with no site at all then using a wordpress responsive site theme would be the way to go.

Also keep in mind that they may not know about ftp, wordpress install, etc.

Just my 2 cents.
m

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Quentin

Many businesses who have older sites do not want to pay to upgrade to a responsive site which can sometimes be expensive.

Duda provides a do it yourself mobile solution for them and in reality $9 a month for a business is nothing.

They have been told they need to go mobile so this is a good start for them.

Gene.Gerwin

White-label reseller here... being able to show a local business owner what their own non-mobile site could look like on Duda just blows their socks off. I was downtown a few days ago on business. I closed the owner of the coffee shop I had breakfast at, I closed the owner of the restaurant I had lunch at, and I closed the person I was meeting on an unrelated business matter. Being able to show them their own content in mobile format was key each time.

In terms of the value proposition for the business owner, you're not just selling them a website but a relationship. With the website comes your personal guarantee that you'll get the mobile site working and looking to their satisfaction... they'll also have small changes and maintenance updates for you from time to time. Offer them x-amount of free time per month for that sort of work as part of their service package.

Bundle other services with their mobile site. If you sell mobile sites, you probably also sell SMS. Create a low-cost SMS plan and bundle it in... in the end, they're getting support, a mobile/responsive site that is always updated with the latest technologies and design trends, and bundled services for a low monthly fee... they'll be happy to pay $50 to $100 or more a month for all of that.

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dcc1784

I absolutely agree. The biggest problem is that some clients simply want a mobile site and while leaving their non wp desktop website untouched. Typically a budget issue.

I have a builder that is not monthly and self hosted if anyone is interested

ESG Ric

My experience is both points that are being made here; small business owners/managers that are highly tech-savvy (like most of us in this forum), either already have a responsive website or a dedicated mobile one that they had built or put together themselves. But most small biz people don't have the time or know-how to mess with it. When they realize that they really DO need to look good in the mobile world, and look at a total website redesign for thousands vs a solid dedicated mobile site for much less, and done quickly, their choice is simple. Eventually someday they will redesign their entire site to work on all devices, but for the near term a mobile site is the best option for a lot of them. This of course is assuming a website that doesn't change very often. If they have a full-blown retail site that constantly changes products/pricing etc. that is a different issue. Bottom line is that EVERY biz situation is different and there are lots of choices out there (not just the one we happen to sell). My .02 cents.

TimPiazza

I develop wordpress sites for clients, and in almost every case, I will make sure that the site is responsive. However, in certain cases, especially for retail to consumer type businesses who want to get an edge on mobile marketing, I will also recommend a mobile website that provides only the essential information and hosts things like their sms opt-in, click-for-directions, and other features that are "mobile-only".

Responsive websites are generally loaded with content, and when viewed on a mobile phone, it's scroll-scroll-scroll-scroll-read-read-read-read. That generally defeats the purpose when somebody is trying to find a business, open and closing hours, or a phone number.

And yeah, I charge for mobile hosting, just as I do for website hosting. It's minimal, but I also bundle with service, charging anywhere from $8.95/month to $79/month.

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