There are many options for getting a new website built for your business or project these days, some of which require you to do a little of the work, some of which require you to do much more of the work and others require you to do all of the work! The problem with the latter option is, NEWSFLASH, with the greatest of respect you’re not a webdesigner.🙂

Create your own website with a free website builder

So what’s wrong with create your own website platforms? Although these options look great on the TV ads and certainly appear much cheaper than a professional website the sting is most certainly in the tail. Yes you will get fantastic offers such as free SSL certificate, maybe a free domain name, maybe even a free “Basic” mailbox. …so what’s wrong with that I hear you say, sounds pretty good to me! Well let me explain, with a professional website designer you are tapping in to years of design experience ensuring your visitors get what they’re looking for from your website as well as technical expertise to get your website to behave exactly how you want it to, no matter easy they make something look they’ll always be some unforeseen difficulty. Content and consistency is also of paramount importance to any Webdesign, I’m afraid a picture of your van isn’t going to convince anyone of your plumbing or pet grooming skills. Content is key for Google and other search engines to get the gist of what your website is offering. I mentioned consistency, so often I review a DIY website for a customer and find the same tell tail signs such as inconsistencies in fonts, font sizes or other site wide elements. A professional website designer will setup styles to ensure consistency is always respected even with user edited content.

How much should a website cost?

So this leads us on to the question if you want a website designer to do the job how much should you pay? On the whole websites differ greatly in price usually based on both the complexity of the site and the experience of the webdesigner but other factors such as timescale of works, graphic design or copywriting. Typically a basic 5-6 page website should cost between £300 to £1000 taking the above factors in to consideration. An ecommerce website will usually cost a little bit more as there’s a fair bit more work to do behind the scenes.

Should I trust WordPress?

Is WordPress ok or should I go for a hand-coded website? Considering over 75’000’000 websites currently use WordPress I would say you’re in pretty good hands while also benefitting from a really easy to use user interface and regular security and feature updates. Regarding hand-coded sites, it really depends on the level of complexity required, hand-coded sites remove any compromise but drastically increase cost and reduce longevity.

But what about all those hidden charges? In many cases the less you pay for your website, the more you pay in monthly or annual costs. Always ask about on-going costs when getting website quotes! There are some webdesigners (thankfully not many) out there who unscrupulously make their money in ongoing fees which are often dressed up like Snake Oil in the Wild West – Be Warned!

The basic requirements to run a website are:

1. Domain Name(s) – You need a .co.uk, .com etc, this is your website address.
2. Hosting – This is the place where your website lives – Think of it as rented accommodation. There is a choice of Windows or Linux – We have a lot of love for Linux.🙂
3. SSL Certificate – This stands for “Secure Socket Layer” – This provides the padlock shown in your browser to show your site is safe for visitors.
4. WordPress – wordpress.org is free – NEVER PAY FOR IT! – Most hosting companies have a facility for installing WordPress and other such apps.
5. A page builder – This plugin allows us to build your website within a graphical interface. We love Oxygen Builder.🙂

Other optional extras could be:

1. Security software, usually a paid plugin – I’ve found the best security solution to be a simple 2 factor authentication plugin forcing an extra level of security at login, essential for larger ecommerce sites.
2. Site backup – Always have a backup plan, things can go wrong either with the server or during a simple update, your webdesigner will ask – do you have a backup? The answer should always be yes!
3. Custom paid plugins such as booking systems and ticketing systems.

Hopefully this post has answered a few questions but if you would like to find out more about the services and packages we offer please don’t hesitate to get it touch.🙂