Building a website is one of the crucial markers for the early years of a business. Your website is the anchor of your business. It is where you will want all of your traffic to come back to. Since most businesses start investing in one early on, they also tend to be on a tight budget. Is it possible to get a low-cost website that looks professional and will last you? Keep reading to get realistic advice on where to put your website budget.
Low-Cost Websites Can be Tempting
When you’re looking for an affordable way to build a website, there will be several things that catch your eye. Everyone claims to be the genie in the lamp that wants to grant your wish, but who actually came from the lamp, and who is just trying to catch your attention?
You will find freelancers offering builds so cheap you’ll question their legitimacy; or DIY website builders so easy you’ll be stuck trying to find the catch (because the truth is … there always is one.)
So, if there is a catch, what could it be?
The Wizard Behind The Curtain
You always have the option of building a website yourself. If you’re not a techie, this could be daunting. You like the idea of building it yourself, but you’re worried it will be too complicated. So, what do you do? You find platforms like Wix or Weebly. They promise it’s the easiest and fastest way to get a website up and running in no time. This makes DIY website builders so tempting. While they may be modern, and they may look nice, you should take a look at Pros and Cons:
- These websites can look very legit and look really professional … but that is really the only positive.
- DIY websites are horrible for growth, as you have limited pages, and the designs will start to feel generic
- Since the process has been simplified so much, DIY websites have really bad SEO. Making it almost impossible for Google to prioritize your content.
- If you ever want to switch platforms, you will have to design a whole new website.
Something you will notice is that businesses (small or big) that manage to squeeze out of the “startup” label aren’t going to be using websites produced with DIY drag-n-drop platforms like Wix, or Squarespace.
Why Freelancers Offering Low-Cost Website Builds Can Cost You More
Freelancers are also an option if you’re too weary about DIY website builders, but don’t forget you’re on a budget. If you go on freelance platforms and look for freelancers offering website services, you will find a lot of affordable web developers. So, what’s the catch here?
- While freelancers aren’t necessarily bad, most will give you pretty much what you pay for. So if you are looking for cheap, well I hate to break it to you, but cheap is most likely what they’ll give you.
- A really common issue with ‘affordable’ web developers is crashing websites. Either the coding wasn’t done right, or it was done in a way where only the person who built it could use it. This forces you to either relinquish control or hire another developer who will likely tell you that they have to rebuild your entire website.
- They’re just using templates. This person offers such a low rate because they’re just using a template. It’s the same exact website that they’re selling to 50 other people like you. That’s why it is fast and affordable.
Will a Low-Cost Website Actually Save You Money?
Sure, based on the initial price, a low-cost website seems like the way to go. However, if you want your business to graduate from the ‘startup’ label, then you will eventually have to hire the professional web developer you’ve been avoiding.
You’ll actually end up spending more in the long run — more time and more money. You’ll need to hire someone to build a whole new site if you plan on using the original as a reference (which we don’t recommend since they tend to be generic.) A custom-built website will always be the optimal choice for visibility, functionality, and longevity. If you can afford this investment, do not put it off. However, if it’s just not in your budget, a DIY website may be the way to get started and build up some revenue before investing in the website you want to have long-term.
It is Worth it to Make The Leap
When owning a business, you will have a lot of moments where you will look at two different solutions to the same problem and try to assess which one is more affordable and which one is lower risk. Sometimes the one that is cheaper up front will eventually have you purchasing the more expensive option later on. That’s the kind of decision you have here. You’re deciding between an affordable headache and an expensive bottle of ibuprofen. Eventually, you’re going to need the bottle of ibuprofen.
Don’t Forget About The Profit
When calculating the pros and cons, people need to remember to include ROI. ROI is your return on investment. It’s every dollar you gain on the cent you spend. Knowing the profit of your spending will actually LOWER the cost of how much you’re investing by the power of relativity. Low-cost websites don’t have a positive ROI, and they’re notorious for having costly issues and flakey builders.
It all boils down to what you want out of your website.
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