In 2016, there were nearly 35,000 Google searches for the term "affordable Custom Web Developer" and approximately 12,000 searches for the term "Custom Web Developer." And it's understandable that businesses would include terms like "affordable" and "custom" when searching for web developer services.
When your website is the online face of your company, you naturally want it to be unique to your brand. At the same time, spending a fortune to create one may be out of the question — especially if you're a small business with a limited budget.
The solution is to strike a balance. You don't want a low-cost website that won't help your business grow, and you might not be able to justify spending tens of thousands of dollars on a website that will. Let's look at how you can have the best of both worlds.
The Pitfalls of a Low-Cost Web Developer
One of the main disadvantages of super Custom Web Developer is that it can be surprisingly expensive. When hidden fees and mediocre functionality are considered, a low-cost website can actually drain your company's time and resources.
Small businesses can find ultra-affordable web developer options in two ways: make one themselves or work with budget web design companies.
Is it Really Cheaper to Build Your Own Website?
DIY platforms are popular alternatives to hiring a web development team. We recently published an in-depth look at the drawbacks of DIY websites, but here's a summary of the main points:
Flash elements cause slower page loading times
A clear DIY appearance that may turn off potential customers
Technical support can be slow, difficult, or non-existent.
Analytics access is restricted (or nonexistent).
Budget Web Design Firms: Too Good to Be True?
A budget Custom Web Developer company is probably ultra-affordable for a reason. The most common reasons for this are that they are inexperienced in web design or use a templated approach to their web design efforts.
Inexperienced Custom Web Developer. It's very common to know a guy who knows a guy who can develop your website for a couple hundred dollars. He can create some sort of online interface for your business, but he doesn't know how to hand-code a flawless website, launch your site with a strong SEO foundation, or adapt to Google's algorithm to inform the decisions he makes for your site.
A templated approach to web development. It's much more common than you might think, and it's not something that web development firms will promote. As their company grew past its early stages, they needed a way to scale. This can sometimes take the form of templates. Whether it's a novice developer overestimating his abilities or a dishonest web design firm, your company bears the brunt of it.
The Drawbacks of Highly Custom Web Developer
The most well-known disadvantage of highly Custom Web Developer is that it frequently comes at a very high price, but that isn't the whole story. As a small business, you only need a certain level of customization, and a web developer company that is solely focused on customization may lose sight of the main purpose of your site.
There are a few calculators online that will give you an idea of how much your company should pay for a website. Unless you want to add 50+ pages, highly customised CMS functionality, or a thorough SEO audit and strategy, the average estimate will be between $5,000 and $15,000. This is most likely the appropriate price range for a small business. You're probably paying for customization you don't need any longer.
When a Custom Web Developer company that acts more like an ad agency makes you feel like all of these are required to launch your website, they're adding a lot of extra work and, thus, a lot of extra costs just to get your website up and running. There's nothing wrong with providing a diverse range of online marketing services. However, these should be used in conjunction with a functional, fantastic website, rather than masking one that isn't.
Finding the Right Balance Between Cheap and Custom Web Development
To strike the right balance of a customised website that's actually right for your business, it all comes down to knowing which features are worth the investment. We combed through dozens of articles from Custom Website Developer, SEO experts, and web marketing blogs to find the most commonly recommended features that your small business should look for in a website:
A complete copywriting service. Content is the leading cause of delays in Custom Website Developer, and creating content that is both SEO-friendly and user-friendly is one of the most difficult challenges that every client faces. A web design company that does not provide a viable copywriting solution will leave you to deal with this beast on your own. Find one that provides in-house content work for your site as well as content marketing (blogging, PPC, social media) as an add-on service rather than something you must pay for before your site even goes live.
A website that is more functional than creative. With each new website they create, hyper-customized web development companies may attempt to completely reinvent the wheel. While creativity is important, the primary focus must be on functionality. According to a HubSpot survey, only 10% of users believe that a beautiful appearance is the most important feature of a website. What did 76% of them value more? A website that "makes it easy for me to find what I'm looking for." It's all too easy for a web design firm to get so caught up in new ideas that they forget about tried-and-true best practises like usability and organisation.
Affordable or customised? You are not required to choose.
These features provide an excellent starting point as you search for the best Custom Website Developer company for your small business. Many of these characteristics are learnable before signing a contract. The right web design company can strike that balance of an affordable, customised, and perfect website for your small business with an open conversation up front.