Web Design – to Be Cheap or Not to Be Cheap: That is the Question

Think a new Web design (or an overhaul of your existing site) is too expensive of a proposition? The “Miami Herald” begs to differ. In an article titled “Web design doesn’t need to be expensive, the newspaper debunked the myth that only those individuals and businesses that have a lot of excess cash lying around can afford an updated Web design.

Here are some of the cost-effective Web design options the article offered.

1. Customize a Web template. – With the bones of your site already established, you can save both time and money. To ensure that the customization you apply to a template doesn’t look amateurish, hire a Web design expert to give it some upscale finishing touches. The design and development of a website is the marriage of art and science. A professional Web development firm can effectively integrate the esthetic design—the user experience—with the invisible but crucial programming that makes it all work.

2. Watch out for templates that offer free trials. – Although they afford you an opportunity to see what your site will look like before you shell out any major cash, after your grace period is up, the hosting and tech support costs can often exceed what you’d pay elsewhere. Sometimes, the freebie is just a way to rope you in and keep you paying over the long haul.

3. Consider package deals. – Web design packages give you access to “designers [who] will design your site according to your specs, including e-commerce features that allow you to sell products on your site … at a fraction of what you would have to pay a Web design firm.”

4. If you fall in love with a template and want it all for yourself, you can pay “typically $3,000 to $5,000 to ensure that no one else can buy that design—and it is uniquely yours.” Be aware, however, that this approach will be just about as expensive as having a site custom designed for you in the first place. It also doesn’t guarantee that no one took advantage of the template prior to your staking claim on it. As a result, you always risk the possibility that someone else is wearing the same Web design prom dress you are.

5. Take advantage of money-back guarantees. If you’re the fickle type, or you find out you look too much like a competitor, some template sites will “guarantee to refund your money in the first 30 days if you're not completely satisfied with their product.”

Building a Website can be done on the cheap, but spending less comes with some caveats. All of the aforementioned advice is not to discourage you from spending top dollar on an expert Web designer, of course. Whether you can afford it now or not, think of Web design as an investment in your future. In fact, in today’s global online marketplace, a professionally designed Website is a must for anyone who is serious about building business relationships via the Internet. Indeed, the cost of Web design expertise can easily pay for itself many times over in the sales it rakes in for you.