There is an old saying…it’s not cheap if you have to buy it twice, this is why starting off on the right foot is an essential part of achieving your goals without the budget spiralling out of control or being hit with surprise costs.Here are a few things to think about when weighing up the pros, cons and the ongoing costs of a website.
Web design companies can offer one off or monthly charges.
Some web designers charge a monthly fee, some charge a one off fee. What your business wants to achieve will usually tell you which choice is best.
If you do not need ongoing support and you wish to host and manage your own domain names then a one-off website build may be the best choice.
If you want a website company to work with your business over time and develop and improve your web presence then a monthly website management service sounds like the right choice for you.
What do I usually get in a monthly website package.
Usually there is a massive difference between monthly and one offs. Companies that charge monthly fees usually encompass support charges (to cover any ongoing issues) and updates to your website. Some companies also bundle in SEO services and web design charges as part of the monthly fee and every month they allocate time to improving the website and search engine performance to gain more traffic and in turn more customers contacting your business.
What do I usually get for a one-time fee website.
One off charges usually means once the website is released, and you have paid your money, you are on your own. Any changes and update will be chargeable so a one of fee is seldom the only costs that will be incurred over time.
We find that a lot of business owners we talk to in the past have paid one off fees for their website and later have been left exposed when the company or the individual goes out of business or changes profession.
In the worst scenarios domain names have expired or website and emails have gone down and the web designer is MIA.
All that glitters is not gold.
From a business point of view you have to look at it in simple terms, if the web designer is offering a very cheap service, how many of them cheap services do they have to sell a year to make a basic wage and pay the bills? Just say that number is 40 websites a year, you then have to ask yourself, is that a viable business that you want to get involved with? Is that a business you want to entrust your domain names with? If your web company doesn’t have a viable business strategy for their own business, do you think they will have a viable solution for your business?
Business that charge monthly fees can also present issues with budget. Some companies may charge several hundred or thousand pounds up front and then several hundred pounds per month for search engine optimisation services. After a few years a website will need a refresh to keep it up to modern standards and looking fresh, this may also be chargeable. So make sure you know what is and what is not included in the monthly fee so you know you are getting the best value and return on your investment.
Get the right web design company by making a well informed choice.
There are lots of questions to ask before you chose the right provider for your project. Make sure you know the costs and be realistic about ongoing charges. At the end of the day nobody works for nothing so don’t expect a web designer to still be around in the future if you are not prepared to pay for ongoing work.
The web design business is not a job for the jack of all trades so make sure the company you choose has a team of experts in the many aspects of web design, graphics, content writing, social media and search engine marketing.
Check out portfolios and see if the web design company you are considering have done similar projects and how successful they have been.
