In an age of free or very low-cost business websites like Godaddy, Google, Wix, and Weebly the question gets asked, how much should a small business website cost? The answer as you might expect is, “It depends.” The reason for it depending is what a business owner wants from their website. If you just want a website to list on your business cards and brochures and do not care what kind of impression or functionality your site provides to customers and prospects then, by all means, get a low-cost, or no-cost version.

On the other hand, if you do care what kind of impression and user experience your site visitors have, or even care if you get website visitors, then you will have to invest some money. A Company website is digital real estate. I like to think about it in similar terms as your physical real estate, your office. If you never expect a visitor to your office, then outside of pleasing your own aesthetic sensibilities what your office looks like might matter very little. If no one ever visits your office real estate then getting an easy to locate property such as a busy business district might mean little (like page one of Google).

What Is The Difference in The Cheap Websites and The More Expensive Versions?

 

Cheap Websites

• These designs are, “Do it yourself drag and drop elements,” there is a learning curve, and site visitors can usually tell that you did it yourself.
• There is little or no SEO options to help search engine ranking. You may never get on page one of search engines for your most important keywords; even your exact business name may not be searchable.
• There are few or no options for special conversion features, like pop up offers, or sign-up forms, click to call, and more.
• Hosting is done through the website provider so when you need website technical assistance, or your site gets hacked you are likely to have difficulty getting help, or you may be on your own.
• No marketing help. If your purpose for having a website is to acquire new customers, you will need expert support for the SEO to win the competition for space on page one of Google.
• Free or Low-Cost Websites are built on a proprietary CMS. Which means when you stop paying the company your website and sometimes your domain is gone forever, it cannot be transferred to another hosting. In short, you do not own your site.

Professional Websites

• Professional website design starts with research. Before any work has commenced, the developer must understand what your goals are. What products or services to you wish to target for page-one ranking? Where is your geographic market? What do you want site visitors to do when they arrive on your site, call, visit your store, online chat, text, complete a form, make a purchase or reservation online, or all of the above? How will success be measured, direct ROI or other metrics? Who are your competitors, and dozens of other considerations?
• Professional website designs consider customer demographics when creating the user experience. The visuals and functionality must match the customer demographics.
• Professional web design and marketing companies are committed to your ongoing success. Are they easily accessible and responsive to questions or troubleshooting? Are they Google Certified Experts in SEO and Google Ads?
• Most professional web designs are built with an open source CMS like WordPress. If you want to move your website to another host, you can do so.

The bottom line is, all websites are not created equal. If you are going to invest the time and money to promote your business online, you need a reliable professional with a proven track record in your corner.

Tony Roland is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Trusted Partner Marketing, Inc. in Buford, GA.  His passion is helping local entrepreneurs grow their businesses. www.trustedpartnermarketing.com