October 28, 2025

Founder's Message

Can an individual really take back their piece of the internet highway.  It seemingly has gotten so expensive that the common person just has no ability to take and control your own personal space and digital presence.

In the tighter and tighter budgets in this inflationary period where everyone is finding that traditional access to building a website has limited the ability to claim their own space and protect the way a solopreneur, small business and even an individual can get their message out to the internet.

I started to build websites from scratch in 1995 and have watched the commercialization of the web create more and more expensive barriers to participation. I have always been an advocate for the tenets of the original internet fathers who developed a system where the people on the digital highway offer information to the internet community - for free!  They specified that no sales should be allowed, but their voices were soon overwhelmed by the stampede of business interests looking to make a buck, whether moral, ethical or not. 

I have always worked under those original tenets.  Most of the websites I create are informative and while there may be a product or two that I have created (mostly Aquarium courses and books).  TropicalFishAquarist.com was my first website that I built in 1995/6 and it still exists.  but through all the sites that I have authored, most of them were hacked because they were WordPress sites that had to incorporate a lot of plug-ins to protect and actually allow it to the work that I required.  This of course required advanced website design and like all traditional business oriented site editors requires expensive web designers and coders. 

Over three years ago I came into contact with a new style of website editor.  It offers a different way of building a website that is so easy that anyone can build a full site in as little as an hour.  Google recognized a few years ago that the main browsing device is the mobile phone.  It publicly stated that the algorithm had been changed to reflect the power of mobile first websites. 

Mobile first technology has been promoted by Google as a direct variable in SEO and ranking of all sites.  The quicker the load time and full accommodation of the site to display the site on a mobile phone.  This is a totally different style of website implementation.

The introduction of the WordPress to the "World Wide Web" back then promised free websites for everyone.  At least that was what WordPress promised.  WordPress offered anyone who could provide hosting they could create a free blog to voice their interests.  However, the actual bones of WordPress offered only that, the framework of a blog, nothing more. 

The product is open source, meaning anyone who is expert enough can write an addition to the base product.  The plugins and add-ons that result are not under commercial restrictions.  Many of the resulting upgrades are filling holes in the original offering and can often be necessary to provide a safe and protected website, usually resulting in monthly charges that can add up to substantial additional charges.      

I won't say I know each and every mobile first platform that has been introduced since Google specified the technology to be preferred. and how they work.  The one I offer is a whole different system than what is offered in any traditional website editor.  MobileFirst-Personal Websites and MobileFirstCanada are built on a totally different premise, a simple page structure read from top to bottom.  One that does not require any particular technical expertise to use.  This simplicity allows anyone willing to spend a few short hours to understand how to make and maintain their own website without requiring any coding or outside developers or coders as the traditional WordPress and its progeny.

Mobile First technology, at least for the MobileFirst-Personal platforms I offer is a clean, top to bottom page structure that exploits the power of HTML creation of websites.  It is supported by a clean adaptive website editor that can be used on any device that can connect and use the Chrome browser.  Unlike traditional editors that are restricted to a landscape format that must be used on a desktop monitor - often able to correctly operate on a laptop device.  The MobileFirst-Personal editor is just as useful on a mobile phone screen as it is on a full size device.

As far as the expense of a website is concerned, traditional websites started with a free structure for anyone.  The WordPress initiative sounded wonderful in the beginning since it was open code that allowed anyone who could code could create additions to the initial implementation.  A problem though is that few people are advanced enough to be able to code their own alternatives and improvements to the platform as required. 

The platform became littered with plug-ins and add-ons that others created to their own specifications and if they were useful could be sold by the programmer to others who needed the service but couldn't create themselves.  This put added monthly costs to every website that needed these upgrades to produce a safe and effective website to the digital highway.  Right now, WordPress can be downloaded and implemented on its own, but much more common it is a freely offered integration site that can be created using a cPanel to implement on a commercial hosting site that already has a monthly cost varying depending on how secure and rapid the user wants the sites to react.  

Add to this the assorted costs of plug-ins and add-ons often makes the cost of keeping a WordPress site up and running quite expensive.  For the solopreneurs and small business the costs of websites grow too large to support.   Add to that the fact that the open source style of creation also allows black hat developers and hackers degrading the security of the site and brings them down easily.

MobileFirst-Personal is a total different platform, that is designed for the common person, the solopreneur and the small business that wants to take back control of their digital presence.  The platform comes with a powerful potential, you can build any style of website you like, with all the flexibility of a WordPress or other traditional website designer, but without any added extra costs. This full service platform offers over 40 integrated widgets, most with added cost from any other system - but included in a paid plan - no added monthly charges.  Over 250 templates professionally designed to be completely customizable to become whatever style design envisioned by the webmaster.

As a mobile first platform, the user interface is simple, mainly a form based interface that is simple enough for anyone, even without technical expertise to understand.  This is meant to allow anyone, individual solopreneur, struggling small business that needs to get on the internet and even individual who want to share their personal expertise an economical and simple way to become their own Webmaster.  The interface is simple enough for anyone to build and maintain their own websites, without needing to find and pay expensive developers that a almost universally require to be used in traditional website technology.

Most websites designed and created in the mobile first technology of MobileFirst-Personal will cost about 10 per month, and no more than 30 per month, editing and hosting included with no added or surprise charges!

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are transforming mobile-first strategies by blending the top features of both web and native apps, delivering a fast, app-like experience right through browsers.

With mobile devices now generating over 63% of web traffic, ensuring smooth, optimized performance on smartphones is more important than ever.

Major brands like Starbucks saw daily active users double and order rates match their native app after switching to a PWA, all with a footprint 99.84% smaller.

Pinterest’s PWA rollout led to a striking 60% leap in core engagements and boosted ad revenue by 44%.

PWA adoption also drives better search rankings by improving Core Web Vitals and loading fast on any device—a must for Google's mobile-first approach.

Across industries, PWAs enhance engagement with features like offline access and notifications, helping businesses thrive in today's competitive digital landscape.

Businesses today must decide between building a native mobile app or a Progressive Web App (PWA) to connect with their audiences.

Native apps deliver seamless integration with device features and high performance on iOS or Android, but require separate development for each platform and must be downloaded.

In contrast, PWAs run in browsers, require no installation, and work across devices—even offline.

This platform-agnostic approach lets businesses reach more users without app store hurdles or high development costs.

Local and global brands like Starbucks and Pinterest have seen higher engagement and faster performance after adopting PWAs.

Ultimately, your best choice depends on budget, audience needs, and the importance of deep device integration versus universal accessibility.

Selecting the right digital approach ensures greater user engagement and supports long-term business growth.

"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs

A mobile-friendly website is more vital than ever in 2025's digital world.

Wix delivers intuitive drag-and-drop design, offering over 500 modern templates, strong e-commerce features, and comprehensive SEO tools.

Squarespace impresses with elegant templates and streamlined setup, making it the top pick for anyone seeking both style and simplicity.

Hostinger Website Builder leverages AI to help users create responsive websites fast, ideal for those without technical expertise.

Weebly stands out with its effortless editor, perfect for small businesses and personal sites aiming for straightforward web presence.

Mobirise lets users build and publish attractive bootstrap websites for free, with no coding required, across multiple platforms.

Each platform offers unique strengths, so consider your needs and experience level when choosing the right tool to launch a standout, mobile-ready site in 2025.