OK, I get it!
You are a fledgling business and you must prioritise your spending, so you are looking for the best deal to get you online at the lowest possible price. So, you run a Google Search for ‘Cheap Website Design’ and the results can be confusing.
You may find some website design services advertised from as little as €99, whereas others will start at €1,500. You may even find people offering to build your site for FREE.
Be advised!
Cheap website designers are cheap for a reason!
The internet is flooded with ‘Have A Go’ website designers; people with possibly limited skills and/or experience who may have just learned WordPress, or similar content management system, and now think that they are qualified as web designers. They may also be looking to use you as a guinea pig to develop their skills and portfolio.
There may be some genuine developers who are just starting out and are under-pricing themselves. How long will they stay in business, or how long can they keep their prices so low?
Alternatively, some website design services bait you with cheap website prices and lure you into a contract that ties you to ever increasing charges; the €99 fee only applicable in year one. Second and subsequent years can cost substantially more.
Then there are probably the added charges for
Software Updates
Site Back-ups
Extra Pages
Content Updates
Extra Functionality
And more…
As a general guideline use the ‘You Get What You Pay For’ rule of thumb.
Decide what it is exactly that you want from your website.
Your website is an investment. It is, or should be, a vehicle for your business, much like a car.
Using this analogy, imagine you needed to buy a car.
Cheap Car
You could search the internet and buy a cheap car online. The pictures may look great, but the car may not perform as expected and once you get it home the problems really begin to surface. You might be OK with that as you just need a run-around, however, what if you needed more? In the end, it will cost you money and you have little or no recourse.
If you are looking for a car that is reliable, performs well and looks well then you would probably go to a reputable garage. It may cost you a little more upfront, but you have the assurance that the car will perform as expected, and if not, the warranty insures that the garage will sort out any problems.
Now imagine that you need a high-performance car; one that is fit for extensive use and at the same time will boost the image and brand of your business, and so (excuse the pun) drive sales, then you would, in most likelihood, go to a dealership and be prepared to pay considerably more.
Cheap Website Design WILL cost you more.
It is the same with your website.
Do you want cheap and cheerful?; a site that just sits there but doesn’t really do a whole lot for your business except incur annual renewal fees (costing your business money), or do you want a high-performance website, one that will increase leads, drive sales and drive your business?
When you go with a cheap website design service, you take on all the risks, uncertainties, headaches and frustrations associated.
A cheap website, more often than not, is a LIABILITY to your business.
A well designed and optimised site should be an ASSET!
I understand that you want to save money, but just make sure that you don’t lose out in the long run. You can pay a fair price and get a great site or you can pay a cheap price and get something that you can’t rely on, might become a nightmare and WILL cost you more in the long run.
If you only have a small budget to spend, ask if there is a solution that can be created to meet your needs or a payment plan available so that you can get a better site.
At Pay As You Go Websites we build on the WordPress content management system (CMS) meaning that should you wish to upgrade your site, add functionality or do a complete revamp, you don’t have to start from scratch every time.
We have nearly 20 years web design experience with a strong focus on providing solutions to the needs of fledgling businesses.
We offer affordable payment plans tailored to suit your budget.
Should you require higher performance from your website please email us at [email protected] and we will be delighted to see how we can help your business grow.