13 Apr The Cost of Going Cheap: 4 Reasons to Avoid Inexpensive Websites
If you’ve ever shopped around for a website designer, you probably noticed something strange about pricing. For the exact same site you could be charged anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands, depending on the firm!
We know it can be tempting to take the cheapest quote, but too-good-to-be-true prices often cause too many problems to be worth it. Here is a list of the most common issues we see:
1. Outsourcing
Just as with any other consumer good, if you buy a cheap website you’re most likely getting a product built overseas. Many, if not most, inexpensive web design firms will hire companies in India, Pakistan, and others to do the actual coding (and sometimes design) work.
Aside from any personal views on the subject, an outsourced website almost always comes with a short expiration period. Many victims of this business plan contact us for help after only a few months with their new website, as it often causes all three of the issues listed below.
2. Sub-Par Code
Broken website features are frustrating, and will turn most of your visitors away quickly.
If it isn’t outsourced, then your cheap website is probably coming from a student or other inexperienced developer. Either way, it isn’t going to function the way it needs to.
Similar to a car engine, a website’s performance is based on the quality of all its parts. Code makes up 95% of those parts, and sloppy work can cause your website to frequently break and/or deliver errors. Too many errors can prevent Google from indexing you at all, and no one wants to use a broken website!
Not to mention, fixing these issues can get pretty costly. Many firms will charge a higher rate to make changes in poorly written code, and combined with the fact that it takes longer to do so, you can expect a hefty price tag every time something comes up.
3. Lack of Communication
There’s nothing worse than needing help with your website and having no way to get it. We often hear people say that their web developer disappeared after their website went live (or worse- during the build!), and they’ve been unable to contact them since.
Just as often, we hear of clients waiting weeks, and even months, for their web developers to make basic changes or fix problems. While most firms are set up to handle support, the ones that aren’t are able to offer significantly lower prices.
4. Minimal Results
Web design is equal parts marketing, design, and development. Why have a website if it isn’t going to benefit your bottom line, anyway?
But marketing performance is often left out with inexpensive websites. Out-of-the-box templates are underwhelming to visitors, and put you at risk of looking just like everyone else. Insufficient code not only causes problems on the website, but will ruin your SEO value. And last but not least, a lack of marketing structure will flatline your customer conversions.
What do we suggest?
If you’re in the market for a new website, do some research first. You’ll be able to find a handful of development firms that match your style and needs, at which point you should reach out for a price quote. Don’t discount the cheapest one right away, but definitely look out for red flags and choose the option you feel most comfortable with! It is a business partnership, after all.
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