Website Development & Search Engine Optimisation
With expertise, dedication and willingness to grow nothing is impossible

Why pay for a website?
Added: 2009-04-23 00:04:07
Categories: Website Development

As a website developer who takes great pride in his work I often find it disheartening to hear the words "I can get a website for free". The internet has become the most effective tool for the majority of businesses to advertise themselves and to gain new business, but people still cut corners to save a few pennies. In the long run this will do them more harm than good.

People will tell me such things as:
"A friend's child is developing my website for a school project."
"I can use a template site for free!"

One lady, earlier today, emailed me in response to my prices and said, "I understand I can get a basic, but professional looking website similar to what you describe, for free and have been offered several template site recommendations now."

My immediate response was of mixed emotions. Obviously she doesn't understand the true quality of my work and is confused about the benefits of using a professional website service.

My favourite conversation goes along the lines of, "My current website cost me £150 and did nothing for my business. Websites don't work and I'm not willing to spend more money on something that doesn't work"

I hear this most weeks and think to myself, 'There is a good reason your website isn't doing anything for you. It's scaring people away. It's putting a big black mark on your company's name.' If I opened a new shop on the high street next to another shop that has just opened up, would I ask their decorators if they could paint and furnish my shop in exactly the same style? Maybe I would ask my marketing staff to copy their logo and branding as well but just change the name.

Winning business is about providing the best service for the cheapest price, or a balance in between. Customers don't like to waste money and often pick the company which made the best impression. If I went to a supermarket and found they had removed all the shelves and just left sacks and boxes of products scattered around the shop floor then I would just walk out.

Design

Having a professional, uniquely designed website is so very important in the modern world and if you want to get ahead then you need to make that leap. Making the decision to go one step further can make the decision for your customers.

Which would you choose?

Jay cars Destination UK Gemini

Not everyone has perfect vision, modern computers or the love of your company colours. It is important to keep your website branded with your company but Jay Cars takes this to the extreme and uses bright yellows and reds everywhere with no regard for the user's ability to read it easily.

Being found

A professional website service doesn't just make you look better, it helps people to find you which is just as important. The previously mentioned Jay Cars is a taxi service in Exeter, however can you find them on Google.co.uk?

Search Term Position
Jay Cars 1
Taxi in Exeter 43
Exeter Taxi 43
Reliable Exeter taxi 70
Cheap Exeter taxi 113

All positions as of 16th April 2009

It is true searching for the term "Jay Cars" brings them up first, but is that a way for them to get new business or does it just serve those who already know of the company? A professional service should provide the client with expert advice and help with improving search positions.

Ease of use

Navigation is one of the most important parts of a website. It allows the user to easily find their way around the website's content without them feeling lost or uncomfortable. If navigational features are not obvious, people will often give up and find another website.

The Jay Cars website provides no obvious navigation apart from the "airport price guide" and "book online".

Jay cars

After moving the mouse around the screen and watching the cursor I found the headers of each block to be links. However, by clicking on the "Taxis" header, I was taken to a page with no obvious navigation at all, unless I was definitely going to make a booking or read their terms page.

Jay cars price guide

In this instance it would be better to have a clear navigational structure so that the user can either return to the homepage or choose another section that interests them. The opportunity to entice the user with another of your services should be taken wherever possible and a clear and useful navigational structure can provide that.

Completing the package

Making the right first impression is vital and often smaller features are greatly overlooked. The Jay Cars website does use a professional domain name, but you will often find peoples websites using www.afreewebsiteprovider.com/sites/companyname as a domain name. The amount of adverts I see in the local paper with such domains never ceases to amaze me.

Jay Cars offers the ability to email them whilst providing an email address @btinternet.com. A professional website service will easily be able to provide you with an easy to use, reliable email account (or multiple accounts) using your own domain name. I would much rather be dealing with booking@jaycars.co.uk than jaycars@btinternet.com.

Having a professional email address can also be a great advantage on business cards, printed advertising and for giving people confidence in your company. When I see adverts saying "company name, use our service, companyname.com, company@btinternet.com" I always wonder why they don't have an email address in keeping with their domain. It immediately gives me the feeling the company doesn't care enough to give the right impression and as such it makes me ask, would they really provide me with the service I require?

Summary

It is true that not everyone can afford to spend thousands of pounds on the most advanced websites but is it fair to say that a professional service offers so much more than a free package? I think it is.

If you just want to get on the internet for the sake of it then please use a free service, but if you want to succeed on the internet, make the right impression and gain new customers then find a professional who can help you.

You may be surprised to see how effective a professional website can be.

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Comments

Name: KrisBelucci - 2009-06-02 04:22:23

Hi, cool post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for writing.