Did you know that 75% of customers/buyers judge the credibility of a company from its website design? Still, there are many small businesses without a website because they think that it is a costly investment that might not be worth their while.
However, unlike 10-15 years ago, designing a website does not require an exorbitant sum of money. This is because many businesses in the likes of Wix, Squarespace, and Duda was created with the goal to make the building of a website an extremely easy and quick process that anyone with a computer and internet connection could do. You can ofcourse hire the expertise of a freelance web designer but this might be over budget.
If you aren’t yet convinced that you can literally build your own website for less than $25, continue reading as in this article, we will show you how to design a website on a budget.
#1 Decide on your objective
When it comes to designing a website on a budget, you need to spend some time and decide what purpose your website will serve. Are you building a personal blog for your puppy, a portfolio that you can use to showcase your experience and work as a professional, or want to take your offline retail store to the internet?
These 3 examples are vastly different in terms of complexity. Because of that, the price for their development and design will also be different. However, don’t be discouraged as the difference in price is not going to be astronomical.
#2 Select the right platform
The next step in designing a website on a budget is selecting the right platform for your website. If you had already done some research, you have probably already heard of WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and a bunch of other website builders.
WordPress is amongst the most popular because it is free to use and the level of customization that you can achieve on your website is truly endless. Next in line is Wix, which is easier and better if you are only a very small business or are looking to build a portfolio. Keep in mind that like other website builders, to own a website on Wix, you need to pay a monthly subscription.
As you can see, there are many different options, so please do your research in-depth to see what each platform offers before you make a decision.
#3 Use a theme or a template
If you have been on the internet for some time, you can probably name 2 or 3 websites that look relatively similar. This is because most websites today actually use a premade template or a theme to cut down on their website designing costs. If you are on a tight budget, you can use a free theme from the directory of your chosen platform.
However, if you want to invest in a premium theme, which significantly fewer websites are using (as it is paid), you can go for one of the paid themes. Before you go ahead and select your WordPress portfolio theme, make sure to closely inspect it and see if it has all the features and functionalities that your business will require.
#4 Avoid unnecessary features
You can design a website on a budget by avoiding unnecessary features that can quickly add up to the cost of your website. For example, if you do not want to sell online, you don’t need to add eCommerce features or plugins to your website.
Always avoid adding unnecessary features and plugins because they can also negatively impact the load time of a website. This in turn can affect the growth of your business in areas such as SEO, which are fundamental to generate traffic and ultimately more sales to your business. Find an SEO agency.
#5 Plan the content
Don’t forget that besides a nice looking website, you also need to put on some content for your visitors to read. If you have an e-commerce store, you need to plan the product descriptions that will describe each of the products that you are selling.
If you have an affiliate blog, you will need to research titles that are less competitive and make content that users will want to read and purchase from.
Whatever your website goal is, planning the content yourself is one way to save a lot of money.
#6 Write the content yourself
And finally, like website designers, copywriters can also charge upwards of $50 per hour. If you are running an affiliate blog, and want to grow the website on a budget, chances are that you won’t be able to afford copywriters to do the work for you.
So, to save money and keep the budget tight, write the content yourself. Yes, at the start it probably won’t be so good, but eventually, you will get used to it.
