How to Save Money on Web Design?
How to Save Money on Web Design?
Today, we are going to share with you 4 tips on how to save money on web design as well as a few advices on creating your website.
When you are just starting out or testing out a concept, you are looking to make the most of your money. You are short on time and the funds are tight. All you need is a simple website that can help you during the take off stage.
If you find yourself in this situation, you are looking for ways to save money wherever you can. If you are looking to save money on web design, here are some tips that can come really handy.
Tip #1 – Use a website builder to test your business concept quickly
Again, if you are starting out, you could test the waters affordably with a cheap website built using website builders like Wix. For about $10 to $20 a month, you can test out your concept before going big. And if things don’t work out, you can revel in the fact that you didn’t burn all your money on a website you won’t be needing.
Tip #2 – Use stock photos
Tip #2 – Unless you are selling a product or want to showcase your office/team, you don’t really need to hire a photographer. Instead, buy high-quality stock images. Even if you pay $20 per picture, it would work out a lot cheaper compared to hiring a photographer for five hours.
Tip #3 – Use stock vector graphics for illustrations
Creating illustrations and graphics from scratch can take a lot of time and can work out to be expensive. We’ve worked with illustrators who charge $30,000 for an illustration. It was very well done but how many business owners can justify that cost?
Most of the time, you don’t expensive illustrations and graphics. Find graphics that have 90% relevance to the topic and edit the rest. The difference is $20 vs a few hundred dollars.
Tip #4 – Create an affordable logo
Tip #4 – When you are short of time, money and are simply looking to test your business idea, start with an affordable logo instead of going all out.
Good logo design can sometimes take months and is often very expensive. If you are simply looking to test an idea, don’t break the bank at the outset. Start with an affordable logo and if your business model works out in your favour, you can always hire a pro designer to create the logo of your dreams.
Consider the Bigger Picture
We can go on and on and share ten more tips on how to save money on web design.
However, the bigger question is – what is the objective of your website?
What are you trying to achieve here? If you are simply looking to build a brochure website, then all of the above tips will come handy. And you don’t need to read this article any further.
However, if your objective is to build a website that can generate quality leads, you need to take a different approach. You can certainly try to save money on aspects like graphics, imagery or even your logo.
There are some aspects of web design where you can’t afford to be a penny-pincher. If you compromise on these aspects, you will run into bigger risks down the line and end up with a website that simply won’t bring you any business.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you need your website to bring in quality traffic?
- Do you need a website that generates leads?
- Do you want to convert more of your visitors into clients?
If you answered yes to all or any of these questions, you must invest in the following:
Market research, positioning and developing a unique selling proposition
All of these things are important when you want to generate leads. Today’s digitally connected consumer doesn’t simply make random purchase decisions. They want to be sure your product can resolve their pain points before they part with their money.
Furthermore, you want to be sure there’s a market for your product rather than ending up with dead stock you can’t get rid of. A marketing consultant can come really handy during the initial stage.
Not that you have to go all out and hire the most expensive marketing consultancy. However, you do need an expert marketing consultant to get this done properly.
It’s better to spend $2,000 to validate your idea and determine whether there’s a market for your product rather than spending $50,000 on inventory only to realize there’s no market for it.
Develop a professional brand image
Your brand is not just your logo.
A logo compresses the personality, purpose and uniqueness of your brand into a meaningful, elegant symbol. However, there’s more to a brand than simply a symbol.
A brand encapsulates the entire look and feel of your business.
Your customers won’t get a feel for your company through your logo. However, they can surely experience your brand on your menu, your product packaging, your website or your commercials.
A brand creates an emotional connection with your audience, builds credilbity of your build and enables your vistors to trust your business immediately. And that’s the difference between making a million dollars in sales versus settling with a few thousand a year.
Look at your website as a marketing funnel
Whether you know it or not, your website is a sales funnel. So don’t look at your website as a static marketing tool. Look at it as a marketing or sales funnel.
When you are aware of the funnel, you have better control over it.
Advice #3 – Think Marketing Funnel
You must plan, engineer and structure your sales funnel right at the start. In my earlier post about holistic web design, I explain in detail that we are not just building you a website, we are building you a business.
So be sure to plan your website at the get-go instead of mending things down the line.
Your website’s homepage isn’t just a page. Look at it as your sales page.
How can you put your users into this funnel?
For instance, by collecting their email address so you can remarket to them again and again until they convert.
Do you have an upsell at checkout? What about a downsell in case they turn you down?
What is the first follow up email or text message you want to send? What product/service would you sell to them next?
If you don’t have clear answers to these questions, you run the risk of wasting away your precious traffic. You will end up with low or less than optimal conversions.
It’s the difference between a website that makes a 7 figure revenue and a website that does nothing.
Invest in SEO or PPC or both
Be sure to invest in SEO or PPC or better yet, both.
If you want your target customers to visit your website, you must be visible to them.
You need a stunning online visibility. SEO and PPC can make that happen for you.
Although SEO takes months to bring in the results, it does generate quality leads.
PPC is a great option when you are just starting out and need a steady flow of traffic instantly. When done well, PPC can bring in the sales immediately.
In Conclusion
When it comes to web design and your online presence, there are some areas where you can certainly save money.
However, there are some aspects you can’t afford to skimp out on. When you want your business to really take off, you must invest in these aspects.
As a business owner myself, I understand the value of investing in my online presence. When I started my web design agency, I opted for things that cost me less rather than opting for things that brought more value to my business.
I got the job done. But nothing more. The expected results never came through. The shortcuts never generated any leads. Then I learned to invest my money where needed and that when the sales came in and enables me to build the 7 figure business I always wanted under 3 years.
I am happy to offer a 30-minute, no-obligation meeting to discuss your web design project where I will show you how you can achieve the results you desire with an effective website.
