$1500 seems to be the “magic” number. When we ask an organization what their budget is for a new website, $1500 is what we hear two-thirds of the time. Where this comes from I have no idea, but what it will get you, I do.
We don’t claim to be cheap. Neither do we claim to be expensive. Our rates are perfectly typical for the area we work in. As every parent everywhere has said, “You get what you pay for”. Nobody gets a mansion for $1500.
What we do claim to be is cost effective, indeed being cost-effective in one form or another is key to our claim to be among the best website designers on the East Coast. If you’re operating on a budget, it’s more important to go cost effective than it is to go cheap and here is why:
- Cheap can mean security issues. Security issues can lead to liability issues. Liability issues can lead to going out of business. At best, you may be required to replace your website
- Cheap can mean an ugly and off-putting website. Most of website development is web design. Design is what makes a site user friendly, engaging and useful. An ugly website can easily cost you more customers than it wins you.
- Cheap can mean a whole lot of customized, old-fashioned hardcoding. This is a nightmare, if not impossible, to modify yourself, and can even be difficult for professionals, unless it’s the one that did it in the first place. Insert here, MONEY.
- Cheap can mean a website that only works on a specific browser or platform. It almost certainly means that it is not fully responsive or “mobile friendly“. Check your website now absolutely free – Google Mobile Friendly Test
Cheap Websites Equal Risky Websites
Rest assured, cheap websites are often risky websites. Quality websites are more cost effective and a much safer option. To quote my Mother “penny wise, pound foolish”. She was English. Not sure why I’m channeling my parents today.
At CX3 Digital we do not design websites that you have to completely replace every two years because everything has been hardcoded. We don’t design websites that will send potential customers running because they look unprofessional. We don’t design websites which turn out to only function on Chrome, but not on Firefox. In other words, we don’t make cheap websites. We craft brand identities that will stand the test of time and, probably most importantly, allow our clients to update, refresh, add content and delete content long after we have left the building.
It’s not just about avoiding risk though, it’s about growth too. In our view, a quality website is one of the best options to create value and expand your business, especially when joined with a powerful online marketing automation and SEO campaign (yes we are trying to upsell you, yes it is for your own good!) A well engineered online marketing strategy creates tangible profit fast, and also gives a business that intangible quality, uniqueness, that will infuse everything your business does and allow you to stand out from your competition.
Often, as it turns out, we are less expensive than our competitors in the end. Given the cost of rework, frustration, dysfunction and lost sales, we are a less expensive choice than some of those who advertise themselves as being cheap. This is because we like to quote accurately upfront, and because we pride ourselves on avoiding scope creep by communicating with you clearly throughout the project. We are in the quality website design business, not the cheap and nasty website design business. Our approach has worked with small & medium business, with enterprise and with non-profits. Our first step is always to have a conversation with you, and we believe that this conversation is where the value add begins.
To wrap that all up with a nice bow, well designed, quality websites earn more and deserve more than a pretty image or a vanity project. Especially when combined with a powerful online marketing tools to actually make sure that potential customers see it. Our company motto states that: “We build beautiful websites, social identities and digital campaigns”. For us, it all begins with one of your organizations greatest assets, your website. It’s often our foot in the door for a long, productive relationship with our Agency and we take that first step very seriously. You should too.
We’d love to have a conversation with you about your business and what we can do to help you with a beautiful website, social identities or digital campaigns of any sort.
