The Value of a Great Website
When it comes to getting a website for your business, you have many options. However, more important than the cost is the value of a great website. The general truth “nothing in this world is free” is still true when it comes to website hosting and design. So, where can you find the best value for your money when developing your website?
A Free Website
There are several options out there that offer “free” websites. Some offer some one-on-one time with a “designer” and others provide software that allows you to build a website without knowledge of code. (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) Usually they say you can drag and drop images text etc.
Many people find that after investing hours of time building a free website, they notice some big limitations. Often time spent with an actual designer is a one-time deal and additional charges apply to get your site how you want it. The simple drag and drop software, often isn’t as simple as advertised. But these are not even the biggest issues.
Free websites are often offered by hosting companies that are interested in locking you into expensive subscriptions. Some charge as much as $60 / month indefinitely. The site you create is yours only if you stay with that host. More important though is the fact that other things related to your site are restricted or forced on you, depending on what you pay. Such companies may insist on advertising on your site at certain subscription levels. Restrictions can include, video hours, site size, links, and bandwidth (which can limit how many visit your site).
No Website
Others decide that promoting their business on social media platforms is the only web presence they need. Although social media is an excellent option to promote your business, it to is limited. Websites can provide answers to ALL your potential clients questions, reducing time you might spend on the phone. A website doesn’t limit content size. Business legitimacy is also a good reason to include a website to promote your company. The World Wide Web is still the first place most search for services and products.
Being found is the most important reason to have a good website, a lot of things can be done to optimize those odds. Second only to being searchable is being able to communicate. Website contact forms are excellent tools. Not only can you get specific information, you also can do it without giving your email address to spammers.
A Waterloo Web Works Website
The value of a great website is found in results. All our sites come with ongoing analytic reports you can either track yourself or through quarterly reports. You will always know how many are visiting your site each month, how many of those are new visitors, and from what cities are they visiting from. More details include device type and size, time spent on each page, and even what service providers and browsers are being used.
Cost and Value
Every site we build requires a minimum of 80 hours to complete. This includes the most basic websites. Most people don’t realize the work that goes on behind the finished product. Design is involved in the user experience, the meta data (SEO), images are reworked for web (to load fast), the copy or text, the layout, and how it renders on hundreds of different screen sizes. There is so much to consider if you want a site to work properly and represent your business well.
A Waterloo Web Works website is paid for once, and only when the client is satisfied with the finished product. Our clients can make as many structural changes as they like for a year after publishing at no charge. Our hosting is $180 / year on average and includes annual domain registration and an SSL Certificate. Hosting is standard, competitive, and without restrictions. If you decide to host somewhere else, we can upload your site there, and if you move hosting companies your site is yours and can go with you wherever and whenever. No subscriptions.
For an average site we charge around $1800 dollars (CND). That means you get a developer and a designer for around $22/hour. We challenge you to find that anywhere else.
We also provide SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services like blog writing and Social Media posts. Many of our clients also ask for printed marketing materials like business cards, brochures, posters, and other print designs. The benefits of that includes a one stop place for branding and marketing. No need to get and send files between multiple companies.