Year after year millions of Brits choose a holiday package because it’s easier and cheaper to let someone else arrange the flights and accommodation for them.
Holiday packages are successful because they are great value for money and all the hard work is done for you. This article explores whether this packaging idea extends to web design packages.
If you’ve already done some research, you’ll be perplexed as to why web design quotes vary so much.
Faced with this problem, it’s easy to understand why opting for a small business web design package appears to be a good solution to quickly getting a website up and running.
Web design packages are relatively cheap and most of the technical stuff is done for you.
All that’s left for you to do is to create some content for it, right?
Firstly let’s look at the advantages a small business web design package offers, before moving onto to why it’s not such a great idea your own small business site.
Website Packages for Small Businesses
Let’s assume you done a bit of homework and you’ve found a few design package companies that seem professional and also showcase some designs you like. It’s likely their basic package will include:
- Five Page Responsive Website
- A Contact Page with an Email Form
- Content Management System (CMS) that let’s you add your own content
- Stock Images and Graphics Provided
- Basic Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Free Domain Name for One Year
- Free Hosting for One Year
- Automated Backup of your site
Everything you need, without you having to do much at all, apart from supplying the text for the site. Perfect, Yes?
It all seems to make sense. These services only cost between £300 and £500 so why would you hire a freelance web designer that’s going to charge you double or treble for the same end product?
So Why Should Small Businesses Avoid Web Design Packages?
You need to understand that just having a nice looking website is not going bring your business any benefits unless it firstly gets the right kind on people to visit it and then gets those visitors to take an action that brings more business your way.
If you work with a freelance designer your site be optimised to rank in search engines for your key search terms; it will also lead your visitors into taking the action you want them to take.
These crucial elements are the two things that will define whether your website will be successful or not. They are the reason why freelancers charge more than those offering web packages because they don’t just design websites; they design websites that will provide a good return on your investment by getting visitors and converting them into customers.
They do this by spending a good deal of time understanding what you want your site to achieve and the type of potential customers you want to attract.
They will advice you on how to go about producing content that will help your site rank for your products or services. They will design your site in a way that gets your most important messages in front of your target audience.
Companies offering design packages aren’t doing anything wrong, they’ll give you what you asked for. The problem lies with the lack of understanding of those thinking just having a website will help their business.
Notable Exceptions
While I would never encourage anyone who wants a successful website to use a company that offers web design packages as their main service, it’s still possible to get a decent package.
It’s not uncommon for freelancers to offer web design packages and I can understand why they do this. Much like holiday package deals, it offers an uncomplicated solution and you know what it’s going to cost you before you get in contact.
I certainly wouldn’t try and dissuade you from considering a design package from a freelancer. I would be confident that the majority would still ensure they fully understand your exact requirements and business goals before working on your design.
Conclusion
We all know the phrase you get what you pay for. With a web design package you get your website designed for you.
When you hire a good freelance web designer you get far more than just a website. You get someone whose job it is to understand the aims of your website and someone who will provide you with the knowledge to help you achieve those aims.