How To Afford Website Creation For Your Small Business
- Morgan Jade Murphy
- Oct 19
- 3 min read
Navigating the expensive world of website design as a small business.
How to save money and ensure you get the best possible product while designing your website for your small business.
The high expense of website design
When competing with other businesses, having a website is a must. However, website creation can be extremely expensive. Oftentimes, I have seen people get taken advantage of when hiring people for website design. While hiring out can yield great results, having a small business can put you in a tight spot and may not leave room in the budget for design. Or, you may not need a fancy website, but rather something to show professionalism, build trust, create a following, or potentially appeal to visitors outside of your brick-and-mortar.
Follow along below to learn more about website creation and how to do it on a budget.
How To Make Sure You Aren't Getting Taken Advantage OF
Spend some time online researching how websites work! The more knowledgeable you are, the fewer people feel they can overcharge you. Once you are done researching, if you feel comfortable, try to get started on your own!
Choosing a Domain
Figuring Out What You Want
The best way to understand what you want from your website, how you want people to perceive your business, and what you are competing with is to research your competitors. For example, if you are an interior designer, it may be helpful to look at the websites of both successful interior designers near you, those far from you, and those with a similar design. This will give you some idea of what is working and what you do and don't want for your own business.
Choosing A Domain
When choosing a domain, it's helpful to understand how much they cost. Oftentimes, those you hire out may upcharge you on this aspect, but it is relatively easy to do on your own. However, you must remember to renew it; otherwise, you could lose it, and that is something you want to avoid. I put it on autopay just to avoid it.
GoDaddy.com is where I go to easily search available domains. Select a top-level domain (.com, .org, .me, .info) that accurately represents your business. For example, .com is best for companies, .org is best for organizations, etc. This helps create trust when people visit your site.
The shorter and more to the point the domain, the better! If you have a few domains you would like to have, you can point multiple to the same website. This will allow customers who look up each domain to be sent to your website.
Picking A Website Builder
When choosing a website builder, it's important to see if they have the qualities you want. For me I like to look at the available templates and how much I can edit them. Some options include:
Shopify.com (Only for E-Commerce)
These are just some of the options. You will be able to make an account with each without paying anything, just don't put any credit card info in because they will have pop-ups to encourage you to sign up! This way, you can also check out the payment plans. Google is the only free option, but it lacks many editing options.
Hiring Help
If you still feel uncomfortable creating a website on your own, there are a few things you should know when hiring help. To begin, be sure to check multiple options and mention your knowledge on the subject from your research. Ask for an itemized list and be sure SEO is one of them. Make sure not to lose permissions for your domain or website builder account. If you are still worried about price, some other options include, if you are selling items online, offering payment in the form of commission only. The commission ensures consistent effort and payment only upon results. Or, you may be able to find someone who already works for you able to work on the website during downtime or slow seasons. To conclude, websites are unfortunately necessary for all businesses. Though businesses often don't see direct results or even results right away, websites help show that you are a legitimate business and the marketing of your company. Once your website has been developed, it will be easier to upkeep and potentially do on your own. If you have any questions or would like to hire me to help develop your website, please comment below!
Best of luck!
-Morgan Murphy
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