So you are looking at getting an affordable website solution for your business, here’s what you need to know.
So the time has come to get a new website for your business, but you are on a tight budget, or it may be your first time and you are sceptical to pay someone to build a website that properly represents your business. Whatever the reason, there are a few routes you can take to get your website up and running. Some website solutions allow you to build a website by yourself, or if you prefer to let an expert handle it, there are affordable ways to achieve your desired results.
Here are some tips that will assist you with your decision on which budget route to take:
Start with what you already have available.
No one knows your business as you do. Take the time and write the website content yourself. Use online editors like Grammarly to check the spelling and readability of your content.
Take your own pictures. With today’s smartphones we have great photography capabilities, not to mention there are literally thousands of tutorials freely available to assist you to take the best pictures of your products and business. This will save you costs when it comes to purchasing stock photography.
Also take the time to research what your competitors are doing, and aim to improve on that. Getting a clear goal in mind on what you need will greatly improve your chances of achieving a great online presence.
With all your content for your website ready now is the time to look at the different routes you can go to get your website designed.
Using free website builders
The only benefit to using a free online website builder is that it is free. However, the free versions are generally limited, and you end up spending money anyway. Free website builders are cunningly designed to just provide restricted features to encourage you to purchase an upgrade because even they are businesses, that need to pay bills and make money.
You also require a basic knowledge of CSS, some code, and the general web design lingo so you know what you are doing, otherwise, the website you produce may result in a “Scrap-book” kind of website.
In my experience, clients I have taken on with free websites and converted into WordPress websites expressed great satisfaction and find it much easier to edit and maintain their websites on their own with WordPress.
Finding an experienced web designer
Building a website is not just a drag and drop game, there is way more that goes into building a website such as keeping in mind everything it requires to be successful in every aspect.
It is not just about building an aesthetically pleasing website, but how it loads, how elements are placed, and how it responds to different kinds of devices. Such things can only be learned through experience. So finding the right designer to build your website shouldn’t just be anyone, it should be someone with a proven portfolio and good reviews.
Even with a limited budget if you don’t spend your money wisely, you will end up paying someone else to correct the previous designer’s mistakes. I personally have had many clients who came to me out of desperation because their designers could not deliver or have not provided a service they have been paid to deliver.
Start small and build up.
If you are looking to get a website on a budget, don’t go with a designer who promises to build you a 10-page website, but the quality is compromised, rather go for a designer who delivers on quality on a smaller website, and build up from there.
With WordPress, a website can evolve in any direction. You can start with a one-page website today, next month you can easily add more pages and continuously expand your website. You can even turn it into an eCommerce, a subscription service, a membership platform etc. at any point. Not to mention WordPress is incredibly user friendly and anyone can be trained to maintain and update their website with blog posts or even loading of products.
Even though SEO rankings are compromised when you start with a one-page website, constantly adding new content to your website is very effective with search engine rankings allowing search engine bots to constantly re-index your site as it discovers new content on your website. Loading new blogs, articles, or products also provides new content for you to share on your social media platforms, which also promotes your search engine rankings.
Finding great website deals are not impossible
Doing a quick Google search on “Website Deals” may also be beneficial, but be sure to check portfolios and ensure that the designers are not just copying a template and changing text and pics to make a quick buck.
Check out my current special offers on web design deals and let’s set up a chat to get your projects started today! CLICK HERE
I’ve been building websites since 2005 and have managed to pick up a few tips and tricks along the way, ensuring you receive the quality you deserve because your website not only represents your business but my reputation as well.
