Why is a Cost Based Solution Detrimental to your Website and Online Marketing?
There are so many answers to this question that I could literally write thousands of words on this topic. But due to the nature of my blogs I will try to keep it as brief as I can.
The first and over arching enemy of any website is lack of planning. Businesses might have a goal in mind, but if they are approaching a web developer based on the cheapest price they can give; the end result is likely to be far from what was expected. See, these web companies are more than happy to take your business and will say about anything to get you to sign on the dotted line. Once they get you in, they will design and develop a template for you without any consideration for the end result. Basically, you end up with a rehashed, standard, web template that has no reflection on your business or target market. You might think to your self how well you have done by getting the cheapest website around, but as soon as you launch it, your clients ( if you have any) are going to notice what a poor looking site it is and you will pay the hefty price of lost business and clients deserting you. This unfortunately is the nature of the web – if people don't like what they see they will look elsewhere.
If you want your website to rank on Google then I can almost guarantee you that the cheapest web option is going to hamper and delay any sort of chance you have of ranking. Why? Because, these web and SEO cowboys are dodgy and have absolutely no idea about how Google works and what are the necessary ingredients that go into making a website Google compliant. Their main aim is to take you money and move on. They don’t care about website semantics, content, titles and all the other juicy goodies that go into your ‘on page’ optimisation.
Yes, you may get a very standard template but once launched you are never ever going to get to page 1 of Google. The only thing I can suggest is that you get a team like Hopping Mad Designs to design and develop your next website. This way you can be certain that your website WILL have a much better chance of getting to page 1.
If you rely on Google for driving new business and feel that you are getting no where with your current website, then get in touch with one of our SEO specialist who will be able to conduct a full website audit and make some great SEO suggestions.
Cheap website design makes your company look cheap. Think about it for a moment. A website is your window to the world. It is your store front online, so why would you look for a company that is going to put you at a disadvantage from the get go. Succeeding online and being competitive in the world where Google dictates the rules, means that you have to face some harsh facts and realities regarding your website. That is, you will need a hell of a lot more than a $300 dollar website if you are going to get clients and kick your competition aside.
Nowadays, there are far too many variables that go into making a website work, to leave it to a bunch of amateurs who out source all their work to India. If you are happy to do that, then well and good, but don't expect your website to generate any sales or inquiries. Expect it to fall FLAT on its face!
Some of those great ingredrients that all good websites need include:
Website copy: your content has to sell. It’s just too competitive online to trust anyone other than a copywriter to write your website copy. Online users will give you a few seconds and then make their choice whether they stay or disappear. Great content written by people that know what works online is going to give your website the competitive edge. And I am not containing this to the home page only. I mean site wide content, professionally written.
Social Media: one simple rule here, get on board or perish. Learn to love Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and integrate this into your website. Again, not many web companies can advice you on ways to use these platforms to your advantage, hence the need to speak to people who have experience in this social media space. Wrong decisions from the outset and a lack of appreciation fro what’s possible online will end up costing you a fortune in potential new business.
Website Graphics: I see so many businesses that have really appalling websites. I am not joking when I tell you that it still amazes me how many big companies have lousy websites. And the worst part is that their last website can be less than a few years old. What happened is that they went for the cheap n nasty option and now their sales and online inquiries are shot to pieces.
Having your website created with people who have a strong graphic back ground is going to make a huge difference to how the site looks and what impression it makes. Spending the extra money now and getting a website designed by graphic experts will save you the hassle of having to do it all again in the short term.
Responsive Mobile Websites are now expected and I can assure you that being thrifty is not going to get you a site that renders on mobiles and tablets. All consumers and all your customers are now using their phones to buy products or search for services. If your website makes life difficult for this mobile base then….well you know what will happen! And if you don’t your competition will, as they scoop up your clients by the handful.
Conversion Rate Optimisation or CRO is all about converting those precious site visits into customers. Sure, you can get any old website design and yes you might be able to rank it on Google, BUT does it sell? Does it really funnel the clients right through to the buy button? Does it scream ‘we are the best’? And lastly, does it keep your customers coming back with easy navigation and user friendly graphics? If your website hasn’t been designed with CRO in mind then the potential for lost revenue grows with each missed opportunity. I cannot harp on this enough in this blog. That is, the web space is so competitive and so flooded with information that you have to make the best and seize every opportunity given to you. This is why it is imperative that you have a serious budget when looking for web designers. Being tight and overly frugal with the dollars is a sure way to sabotage your business.
The golden rule here for those businesses contemplating getting a website built is to look around and go with a company that can offer a complete digital strategy. Remember web design is only 1 very small component of the whole internet pie. Once you can understand this and once you are prepared to invest in the success of your website, then and only then will you have any chance of making your website the most powerful marketing and sales tool you always wanted it to be.
I am not writing this to try to pump up your price expectations before visiting us. I am however, concerned with the number of Australian businesses that fail online because:
– they are not willing to pay for a proper professional service that can help them
– do not understand the internet and are unwilling to learn. Basically, they have blind faith and put all their trust in some firm based in the sub continent or in a third world country.
– are far too ‘old school’ and are not open to new technologies or ways that can improve their bottom line.
– think that the website is just a brochure online and nothing more.
– the list goes on and on….
Anyways, if you would like to know what a great marketing tool your website can be, why not come in and chat with one of our web specialists here at HMD.