Should we risk getting it done by a friend on the cheap?

Starting a business of any size can be daunting. There are so many things to consider – bookkeeping, office space, furniture to fill the office space, insurance … and the list goes on! With all these costs it can be tempting to skimp where you can, and for a lot of startups, this can mean asking a friend or relative to build your new website on the cheap.

While you may save a bit of cash initially by asking someone you know to build your website, this can actually cause big problems down the line and cost your business massive amounts of money – not just in terms of fixing inevitable issues that arise from a poorly-built website, but also in lost business revenue.

“For us, your website is not a side project, but a means to help you achieve your business goals.”

When looking for goods and services for most people the first thing they do is search Google, so your business website is your most powerful marketing tool available. While a friend might be able to give you a website for cheap, a well-designed website and the ongoing marketing expertise that an agency provides is an investment in the growth of your business in the digital age. Read on to find out the benefits to your business of having your website designed and built by experts.

Your project is a priority

When your friend is building your website for cheap or even for free, you can pretty much guarantee that your project will not be too high on their priority list, especially if they are busy with their day job and are doing your site as a favour. They tinker on your website in bits and pieces, and in the meantime you are losing out on potentially months of wasted income through lost leads.

With a web design agency, building websites is what we do. Your success is our success, so you can be sure that we want your site to be top-notch, work well across all devices for the best chance of impressing your potential customers, and most importantly, get online quickly so your website can start working for you and bring in clients.

You avoid the “it will do” syndrome

Another problem with asking someone you know to create your site for low cost is that old chestnut, “you get what you pay for”. The combo of not wanting to ruin a friendship and not wanting to spend much is the perfect storm for a website that can look and feel cheap. You are less likely to feel comfortable speaking up, and on the flip side your friend is not charging much (or even anything at all!) so the incentive for quality is not always there, resulting in a “it will do” attitude on both sides. Do you really want your potential customers seeing your business as “cheap”?

Working with an agency, we understand that a quality business website or online store is an investment in the success of your business. We want to work with you to make sure we create an end product not only that you are happy with, but also that will help you achieve the goals that were the reason you wanted to get a website in the first place – marketing and growing your business. A web design agency has the experience and knowledge to understand what you need and turn that into a successful website, which a friend or relative who builds sites on the site may not be able to do.

You know your website will be well-maintained

A website is like a car in a lot of ways – it consists of numerous moving parts that all must be well-maintained so that the whole functions as it should. Often if someone you know is building your website for cheap, it is probably not their day job and they will not have a contingency plan for maintaining your website on an ongoing basis. It’s the same as buying a brand new car and never getting it serviced and hoping it still continues to run!

When you trust your website with an agency, you know that they have the expertise to maintain your site to ensure that it continues to function correctly in line with the latest technologies, online marketing trends, and search engine optimisation (“SEO”)  guidelines, such as page load speed and making sure your site is accessible on mobile – not to mention software and server upgrades.

You are investing in your business, not buying a one-off product

This is the most important point of all, and one which may shock you – you do not want a website.

Wait, what?

Let us explain – you may think that you want a website, but you’re really after is marketing for your business. Your site is a means to that end, so your business website should be a marketing tool, designed with amazing user experience and conversion in mind so that your website works for you, promoting your business and turning visitors into customers.

A friend or relative giving you a cheap website is a one-off product that might sit there untouched. What an agency can offer you is an ongoing service – a beautiful, mobile-responsive website that is a powerful tool in your ultimate goal of attracting customers and growing your business.

An agency can give you perhaps what a friend who builds a website on the side cannot – years of experience in online marketing, applied with your business goals in mind specific to your industry and target market. SEO, email marketing, social media … if you have a great website but nobody knows it’s there and you’re not converting leads, the entire point is lost. Right from the beginning, an agency can ensure your best chances of success in a competitive digital space.

As you can see, while it may be tempting to save a few bucks at the start by asking a relative or friend to build your website, you could be losing out on big rewards in the long run. A website can be a powerful marketing tool that can help you convert customers and grow your business when amazing, mobile-responsive design enriched with user experience principles is supercharged with an online marketing strategy.

For us, your website is not a side project, but a means to help you achieve your business goals, promote your goods and services, and help you stand out in a sea of competitors. Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level?

Get in touch with us today to find out the ways we can help!