Why a £500 website doesn’t work (if you’re serious)
In our line of business, people often ask us ‘how much does a website cost?’ This is the same question as walking in to a car dealership and asking how much a car costs. Well, what kind of car are you looking for? Ergo, what kind of website are you looking for?
But we understand that sometimes you just want to have a general idea. You know that a Mercedes S Class will cost a lot more than a Fiat Panda. So after a few conversations we normally give a very rough idea of where we sit.
In a very unfortunate situation, someone may turn around and say ‘but I can also get a website done for £500’. Yes you can, but let us explain why this doesn’t work if you’re serious about your business.
Websites and hotels – what do they have in common
A lot of people compare building a website to building a house. Although this is easy to understand, it’s better to compare a company website to a hotel. After all, you want to sell something with your website. An idea, a product, a service. A hotel wants to sell something too. But a house is generally not for commercial use, so a hotel comparison works best.
Yes. You can get a website done for £500. This website will serve the utmost basic function that a website needs to fulfil – giving your customers a place to look up information online.
The utmost basic function that a hotel needs to fulfil, is to provide a roof and a bed in a place where travellers can go to spend the night. If this was the only function a hotel needed to fulfil, a hotel developer could build a shed for a few grand with some beds in it. So why do most hotel companies choose to spend millions on building a hotel that is warm, safe, comfortable, secure and has restaurants, a gym and a spa?
The reason is simple. Because they want their guests to return and spend more money. The same goes for websites, you want your clients/customers/visitors to return and spend more money.
The better designed the hotel is, and the better the hotel anticipates its visitor’s expectations, the better the chance is that the hotel will become successful. In this case, the guests will not only return, but they will recommend it to their friends. The better the hotel is presented, the more money a visitor is willing to spend to use their service.
So, what did we learn
The better designed your website is, and the better the website anticipates its visitor’s expectations, the better the chance is that your website (and your business) will become successful. The visitor will not only return, but they will recommend it to their friends. In short, the better a company is presented, the more money a client is willing to spend to use their service.
A last word of advice
So anyone wishing to build a shed, you have our full blessing. But before you start, think about the purpose of your shed. Think about what your visitors will say. Think about whether they will return.
And think about how your shed will compare to the Ritz.
If you prefer the Ritz over a shed in a field somewhere, then let us know.
Although you won’t be getting a £500 website with us, we do specialise in keeping things affordable. We put our clients in control of their business. What we believe in, is that we can deliver more, for less.
