Website Design and Development

Your Website is a Reflection of Your Business

It is vital for all small businesses to have a website regardless of which industry it may be in. The rise of mobile devices and other technologies has made it more important than ever for every small business to have a responsive and attractive website. Almost half of all Google searches are related to a local business. How can your customers find you if you don’t have a website? In this article, we will go through why it is crucial for all businesses to have a website.

A Website is the Online Face of your Business

Your website is the digital representation of your business. This matters a lot because you might provide the best service, but if your website is uninformative, poorly designed, or slow to load, then this will reflect badly on your business. Because of this, it is vital to ensure that your website is representing your business in the best way possible.

A Website Allows you to Expand Your Reach

Many small businesses are highly successful in their local areas without the need for a website. However, without an effective website this reach will always be limited and it will limit long-term growth. A website opens up your business to new audiences, allowing to connect with many more customers that are interested in utilizing your services. A properly functioning website is one of the cheapest ways to market your business and bring sustainable leads from anywhere in world. A majority of internet users would not recommend a business that had a poorly designed website.

A Website Adds Credibility & Professionalism

A website fuels the perception of your entire brand. If you have a professional website then customers are more likely to see your small business as credible. You can display your services and products in the best way possible through a website. It allows you to easily convince customers why they should choose you. It can also be the hub where you produce informational content that helps establish you as a frontrunner in your industry. By providing content of value, you will be able to convert more qualified leads that will allow your business to grow.

On the other hand, a missing, outdated, poorly designed, and/or user-unfriendly website signals to a potential customer that your business is lacking. They may end up going with one of your competitors if they have a better website. Although the perception may not be accurate, many customers won’t give you a second chance. The top websites for small business owners are those that are highly responsive and engaging on all devices.

A Website Displays Your Portfolio

A website gives you the chance to convince visitors why they should choose your business because it enhances your reputation and provides assurance for customers that you can do a similar job for them. The ideal website design for small business owners is one that shows off the portfolio to visitors.

A Website is a Long Term Investment

When it comes to spending a marketing budget, investment in a website provides a long-term rate of return that you simply won’t get elsewhere. A website is an investment in your company’s future, and it is one that will bring you excellent value. It is likely that you will make the initial investment back a couple of times in no time at all due to the extra customers that an optimized website can bring.

A Website Provides Increased Availability

Your business can’t be open 24/7. If you don’t have a professional website up and running, then your business goes to sleep outside of opening hours. A website is always available around the clock to provide information to potential customers. They can also engage with an optional chatbot to gain answers to any questions they may have. Essentially, a website allows your business to be far more accessible as your website will be working hard to automatically bring you more customers. A website provides the perfect place for your brand to shine through the day and through the night. The best small business websites in 2020 are those which provide a superior user experience and accessibility.

What’s the Difference?

There is a difference between website design and website development. Web design refers to how the website looks and feels on the outside. Web development refers to the functionality of the website and how it works.

But I Already Have a Website

You may, and probably do. The question is whether or not it is working for you. Is it well-designed? Functional? User-Friendly? Informative? If so, hey, you are one step ahead of your competition. We can assess your website free of charge and give you honest feedback, even if you choose to hire another firm to handle your needs.

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What’s Not Included

In order to save valuable time, there are parts of the process to build a site that are required from our clients that should be divulged. There are website add-ons (plugins) that have licensing costs. Those widely vary but are generally around $50.00 each. These include themes, contact forms, email accounts, eCommerce solutions, third party providers like Zoom, etc. But they do vary. The licenses range from a per-month subscription to quarterly, annually, or annually. These are paid for in advance.

The cost to obtain a domain and hosting service is also the client’s responsibility. However, we can provide this service for our clients at a cost of $100 plus the cost of the services and this will assure that everything is set up properly. Typical domains cost about $15.00 per year, depending. Hosting services can run about $10.00 to $15.00 per month, again, depending. The cost of these necessities vary depending upon whether or not you are paying monthly, every six months, or once a year.

Website maintenance is something that is also needed. Links break. Plug-ins fail. Sites crash. Etcetera. We can provide several levels of maintenance programs and can integrate our other services such as Social Media Marketing, etc., into the agreement if needed.

Once the website is fully launched, after the final revisions are made and the site is signed off on and live, our labor rates to make further changes or repairs are $30 per hour. You can save considerable cash by signing on as a Managed Service Customer. This is a monthly subscription service that can cover a variety of things such as further revisions, site maintenance, new graphics, social media marketing, etc. depending upon the needs and budgets of our clients. Signing a service agreement is always less costly than paying an hourly rate.

Payment Terms

We require 50% of the chosen package or of a custom quote up front, plus costs. The balance is due when the site is signed off on and ready to launch. Once final payment is received, the site will be launched. The balance due may not reflect 50% of the original chosen package or custom quote if any additional work was authorized over and above the cost of the chosen package or custom quote. No extra work will be done without authorization. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.