Is you current website design outdated? Do you need something with a fresh website design. Go to your nearest website designer and get a quick same day quote for that new website. Go for the cheapest web design.
If this is you, chances are very well that you have steppped right into the trap that all of us have faced at some point. The old English saying “something cheap becomes expensive” is a concept that some of us may be very accustomed to. This saying normally finds application in the quality of the product purchased, which is reflected in the low price.
I would however like to stand still at another scenario which is not only found in website design but also in various other situations. Yes, today I would like us to have a look at hidden costs involved when it comes to contracting with a website designer/ developer in order to create a new website design. Calculating the costs of a website the designer/ developer will normally indicate his/her costs which may include labour, software purchases such as a premium template, purchasing of stock images, setting up of email accounts etc. Whilst this is normal, I have been approached by many clients whose costs were way beyond what their respective website designer / developer informed them of.
In view of the above it may be a good idea to have a look at and consider some areas that the new website owner may not be aware of. These costs are normally not associated with the service that the website designer / developer rendered, but it would have allowed us to make an informed decission if we were aware of these costs upfront. Let’s have a look at some possible costs you may be unaware of:
Hosting Company’s costs:
In order to have a website available to the public on the world wide web (www) we need a hosting company that will provide us with some server space in order to embed our website. These costs will vary from different vendors and the different types of hosting servers, as well as the size of the space on the server. The functions and number of databases on the server will have a huge impact on the price. The bottom line is that if your were aware of these costs upfront you may have approached your website design differently.
Domain name registration:
Although the costs involved in obtaining and registering a domain (name of your website e.g. www.webscripto.co.za) will normally not break the bank, it is something to consider upfront.
Security Certificates:
Security certificates, also referred to as SSL certificates are extremely important features that your website must exhibit if you plan to sell products or services online. When clients visit an online ecommerce store and need to make a payment there are a plethora of security risks for both the store owner and the client, due to credit card theft/corruption. Clients will have to share sensitive information such as credit or debit card information. Although some payment gateways do offer protection by ensuring that the complete financial transaction is done on their websites and not on the online store owners website, it is imperative that you build up a very good reputation with your clients in respect of security.
SSL certificates range from the outright outragously expensive to the more affordable options. It can still cost you a couple of hunderd rands for the cheaper options and thousands more for the more expensive options.
After sale support:
Not every new website owner having a new website design, is aware that updates of the software and tweaks and debugging will need to be done from time to time. I am yet to meet a designer / developer that wil do this for free. It is WebScripto’s position that these costs need to be agreed upon when the new website is designed and developed in order to avoid nasty surprises later on.
SEO:
With all the competition between online businesses it is not enough to have a beautiful web design. Google, Bing and Yahoo will not recognise your website if there are no compelling reasons to do so. In order to get these search engines’ attention it is important that some SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is performed. There are so many techniques employed by SEO specialists and they can surely run up to thousands of Rands in bills. Best to consider these possible costs upfront as it will become a definite need if you seriously want to compete with other websites.
Conclusion:
It is not our intention to create the impression that some of our competitors are trying to pull the wool over some of their clients eyes. If we have made you aware that there are more costs that meet the eye when you plan on getting your new website designed and built and that you need to consider these costs upfront, we have acchieved our goal with this article. if we have reached only one reader who find this article helpful, we will have acchieved our goal.
Until next time, take care!
- The Importance of Web Accessibility - 15th April 2023
- The Importance of Website Maintenance: Keeping Your Online Presence in Top Shape - 13th April 2023
- Engage prospective clients with blogposts: - 24th February 2023