Aug 22 2008
Small businesses seem to be the slowest to be adopting the Web as a true marketing tool. Whether it's fear of the unknown or not understanding the technology, I'm not really sure. But when small business owners are finally convinced that being on the Web isn't a ***complete*** waste of money, they seek out the cheapest way to get online. They go for the $500 website. Ironically, it's often those cheap $500 websites that do end up being a waste of money.
While I can argue until I'm blue in the face that 9 times out of 10, the design of those $500 sites will be subpar or will look like templates from the same designer, that isn't the core issue, though it is a pretty big one. I have yet to see a portfolio by one of these "designers" (if they have one) where the work didn't look like it was repurposed over and over again (i.e., templates) or if the design was pulled straight out of 1999. It's the difference between this (not so good) and this (great). Or this and this.
So-called web designers offering websites for $500 or $100, or some insanely low price, do a disservice to the industry as a whole. They show the market that web design is so simple that it can be done for as cheap as possible, and that it's really a commodity rather than a true service. But nothing is further from the truth.
Website design is anything but simple. Is it easy to learn? It can be, but that's no the same thing. The reason it's not simple isn't the language or the design, it's the execution of the project for a particular client. One solution for Client A isn't going to work for Client B, even if they're in the same industry. A majority of these designers offering cheap web design don't take the time to go through a thorough discovery phase that is crucial in developing a successful website truly tailored to the client.
Worse yet, the practices these folks use aren't always up to snuff. More often than not, the mess of code and usability issues that come up with these sites prove to be detrimental to really helping a business' online presence. Namely, issues with search engine rankings start to creep up. And let's not forget that the sites created by these commodity designers, are often lacking in features and interactivity that really produce results. You do want results right?
But the problem isn't really the work these commodity designers come up with. It's the lack of understanding that they have for what websites are supposed to do (i.e., bring in leads, increase sales, etc.). Sadly, many small business owners don't understand this either, yet they spend hundreds of dollars *a month* on phone book advertising.
Anyone can throw up a website these days. But getting it to truly be a real marketing tool is a whole other ballgame. Too many are mistaken by thinking that just by having a website, business will grow and profits will increase. The truth is, a website is just like an advertising campaign, or postcard mailing campaign. It needs to be created for your target audience if you expect even one lead. It needs to have value for visitors to take action or for them to even consider you credible. And where a website is a bit unique and somewhat more challenging, is that it needs to be worked on and experimented with in order to continue to see results. All of that **cannot be accomplished with a $500 website**.
If all you're looking for is to have a website so that you can say you have one, then by all means, hire the $500 designer (but don't be surprised when you start to see exactly NO results from it). If you're really looking to stand out from your competitors, provide the right information to your customers and potential customers to get them to buy from you, and more importantly, see your business grow as a result of a website, then a $500 website is not the way to go. The bottom line is that there is a lot more to business websites than just having it online. And the return on a website that was developed right can be incredible.